Thread: 2000 Defer stereo upgrade advice...

Hey all - I posted in the stereo forum http://www.aulro.com/afvb/communicat...de-advice.html

Anyone with 'sick beats' in their 'fender, please help me out.

Cheers,

Adam

After some hektik beats are we?

Just been through the same exercise. You can't have it all...

- Digital radio isn't here yet, but not far away. Worry about in 5-10 years.

- Modern head units are all about FM. Good AM reception just isn't a factor. Can't do much about it, other than install the best possible aerial. I use both GME CB look-alikes (essentially town & country, the better one is very tall...)

- Pioneer, Alpine, Kenwood & no doubt others do Ipod focussed head units, sans CD.

- The trick while travelling is remote syncing of the Ipod, which Apple doesn't allow. (For me, say daily BBC 5Live English Premier League podcasts). I use Google Listen on an android phone with a decent data plan & cig lighter FM transmitter - play the daily downloads through that, then go back to the radio/ipod. If you get a head unit with a front 3.5mm jack, that'd be preferable to the FM transmitter.

- The above-mentioned, dearer head units have bluetooth phone compatibility. They seem to go through a dedicated (i.e. dearer!) Parrot. I wouldn't bother, just install the normal Parrot as a standalone. Brilliant carphone, will dim the radio, & come through the car speakers.

- Sound is an issue. There's no room really for a subwoofer. Speakers for a riceburner won't last long on corrugations. Can't help here, go to a store & talk to a pimpleface.

- Screen size is limited by the DIN size. The normal single DIN isn't that big. A double DIN is bigger of course, but I doubt the flip up screen would survive on corrugations.

FWIW, I ended up with 2 head units, with two aerials. The dashboard one will be a ipod centric Kenwood as above. But in the overhead console, I've had reinstalled an old AM/SW unit, off the second battery, single speaker in the back, for campsite use. The BBC world service, or what's left of it, is quite comforting in the middle of nowhere.

Regards
Max P

I just fitted one of these:

PARROT ASTEROID - Apps, Web, Phone & Music in your car.

Great piece of kit, really good hands free due to the stereo microphone, and intergrates well with the iPhone.

Only negatives; software has crashed on it a couple of times, but it resets itself, no CD player, (not really a problem due to the iphone, USB, and SD Card options).

Cheers,

Tim

WTF is a parrot?

Other than a bird...

So I'm getting the idea that a dedicated unit for connecting the iphone/ipod and bluetooth etc... could be combined with an old-school AM radio. That seems like a good plan.

What about these massive antennas that you see on yobbo utes - are they the go for improving reception on the AM radio?

I wouldn't bother with bluetooth handsfree... Defender is too noisy! Use an earpiece instead.

I've replaced the front speakers in mine with some 4" Kenwood ones that fit.

I then made speaker boxes to mount some 6" 3 way speakers at the top of the cargo barrier, facing forward. Amp is mounted on the cargo barrier too, fits in the space between the cargo barrier and back seat.

I then removed one of the back seats so I could mount the sub-woofer box on the cargo barrier under the 3 way speaker -behind the driver.

All powered by an Alpine head unit - sounds all right, more volume is definately the antidote to cabin noise!

Nathan

1k should get you a very nice sound system.

go for one with a full speed ipod connectivity.
these ones have a dedicated ipod cord for your ipod and let you control the ipod via the head unit. it will also charge the ipod.
you can also hide the ipod out of sight. it wont get nicked this way.

just make sure it has bluetooth as well.

should cost you about $300 for a headunit with all that.

as for am reception i'm not sure about that one sorry...

with speakers you need to put them in a quality enclosure.

if putting them in the doors you need to sound deaden them.