Antique Radio

[missallpc]

I recently purchased a radio to fit my 1957 3100 truck. I was thrilled when I installed it (it fit and appeared exactly as the original) but when I turned it on the speaker distortion, even at moderate volume, was enough to scare away small children. I sent it back to AAR and it came back with a note saying it was OK. I bench tested it against another radio using the same speakers and it was still as bad a before I returned it. It's a beautifully designed radio but for $500 it should also work beautifully.

Has anyone had any experience with Antique Automobile radios.

Thanks...Paul

[OrrieG]

Never heard of them. I know Custom Autosound ones used to get low ratings for sound quality, but most of us old farts are half deaf anyway. Retrosound seems to get better ratings. Since your bench test shows it is not up to quality I send it back for a refund or replacement. Maybe a video of the bench test would convince them it is not OK.

[Russell Ashley]

Do the speakers that you are using match the specs that AAR specifies?

[missallpc]

Thanks for the reply. I'm not a radio expert but have installed several radios and never had this problem.The radio specs are 45 watts (RMS) per channel into 4 ohms. Their instructions call for 30 to 40 watts (RMS). The speakers I used are Pyle 3.5" 4 ohm and rated for 60 watts (RMS). I also tested with set of 5.25" 30 watt (RMS). I seems to me these speakers should be sufficient.

I've bench tested it against a JVC unit rated at 45 watts per channel max and 17 watts (RMS) continuous power.

Is it me or am I being stonewalled by the company. Their response to a recent phone call was "this is a really powerful radio you need the right speakers".

[chuckmc8]

I would send it back for a refund.

[_Ogre]

Pyle 3.5" 4 ohm

there's a reason pyle is the cheapest audio on the market
i'd start with your speaker selection

this is a really powerful radio

and obviously aar doesn't know much about car audio

[1project2many]

Originally Posted by _Ogre

and obviously aar doesn't know much about car audio

[dcdodge]

Had a similar experience with AAR with a radio purchased back in 2013 from a distributor at Spring Carlisle for my ’56 GMC. Also purchased some decent speakers from Crutchfield & made boxes for the 4” rounds behind the seat & solid mounts for the 6 x 9’s under the dash. Sounded OK, distortion above half volume, but reception seemed limited as the “state of the art digital tuner” did not always return to the FM station I was listening to before shutting off the engine. This became very annoying as after getting back into the truck & not hearing the radio come on I would turn up the volume to make sure it was on. Then I’d adjust the tuner knob & finally get my ear drums blasted when it “found” my station. Guy at Carlisle said that is the way they are made so be careful with the volume! Anyway sent it back to the clowns in Florida who provided a “software update” but did not say they found anything wrong. Verified that my mast antenna had no resistance & will see how things go. Overall the radio is way overpriced but what are the options to an in-dash retro look? Yes, the people at AAR are not the most well-versed audio supplier but they have a so-so product that fills a limited market. $500 & $300 for now distorted speakers is a bit much for a single station juke box!

[OrrieG]

Sometimes having a project drag on has its advantages. No room for a radio in the stock location so putting the delete plate back in. New CD/MP3 compatible unit is going in under the seat, probably will cost around $150. Comes with remote which does not require line of sight. In 2008 that feature was not available and I was debating having a unit that I would have to pull over to change the channel, now it will be one click away. Unless you are really tall or have the seats slammed for the low rider look there is lots of room under the seats for a single DIN unit and amp if you need that too.

[Russell Ashley]

If you can return it I'd do that and buy a Retro Sound Apache for about one half what you paid for that unit.

[roger55]

I had put a new AAR unit in my '55 Bel Air back in 2011. At first I was happy with it but it didn't take long for the shortcomings to become evident. Bugged me more with time and trials with no success to solve some of the issues I had with it.

In the past year, I took it out and sold it on ebay. I came out OK on it since there wasn't anything wrong with it. I bought a RetroSound Model 2 to replace it with. It's far and above a better quality unit than the AAR at about 1/2 the price. I am super happy with it now. I ran the RetroSound a short time without the power amp I bought along with it and it sounded so good I wondered if I had made a mistake getting the amp. But, I installed it anyway and the system sounded even better.

The AAR radio is in dire need of a redesign. No separate bass and treble controls should have clued me in in the first place. How long has been since you've seen another radio without that feature? A long, long time. That's not the only issue either. They should be ashamed to be charging over 5 bills for their radio. The only thing it has is the looks. It's second to none there.