Mid-Best Single DIN Options

[morethanstock66]

The PO cut my '66 dash to fit a single DIN. I can clean it up and fit in a good radio. The issue is I know little about car audio. I was curious if y'all could steer me in the direction of a good brand or away from bad ones. I'm not looking to blow the doors off of it, just something that looks fairly clean and will give me enough power to get decent sound when I hook some speakers, and possibly a small sub, to it. I would also prefer one with out spending $500 for just an indash. Thanks for the help.

[Kudzupatch]

I have had good luck with JVC head units in two different trucks. There are a lot of options and other brands that I am sure are just as good. Don't remember my model number but it is just under $100 and I think it has 20 watt output? I replaced all the speakers and added a Sound Ordinance underseat Sub and stayed right in your price range. Very happy with my system!

If I have a complaint it would be the lower power doesn't allow me to turn it up as loud as I would like when I am working on the car or washing it with it closed up. But it way louder inside that I am going to ever listen too!

The sub doesn't rattle windows but I prefer a more realistic sound and would buy another in a heartbeat!

[ranger danger]

Look at the Sony Explode series. Its not real expensive and is simple to operate. They have a bunch of stuff that's designed to go together. I find Kenwood to be the most complicated to operate.

[Kudzupatch]

May I suggest to spending some time at Crutchfeilds web site. I always assume they were high prices but a few years ago I discovered they are very competitive price wise. And there tech support turned out be good too when I had an issue.

You can read customer reviews on items before you buy.

[ratedrookie]

Pioneer, Alpine, Kenwood, JVC, and Clarion will all serve you well. I'd personally stay away from any other head units.

If you are planning on adding an amp and subwoofer down the road, I'd look for something with a subwoofer output. Some models will have front/rear/sub and some will offer front/switchable rear/sub output. Having a subwoofer pre-out will allow you to have some control over your sub from your head unit.

Nowadays you can find a good single din in the $100 range, especially if you don't mind buying a model that is a year old.

[morethanstock66]

Thanks guys. I've been doing lots of research and comparisons. It is kind of amazing how in depth some of these tuning capabilities are. It is strange looking through so much stuff I will most likely never use The wiring looks daunting to me due to the fact that each of these have 10-15 wires out the back. Is that really necessary? Power, ground, speakers, sub, antenna, aux, usb. I don't know what else they would go to..

Originally Posted by Kudzupatch

May I suggest to spending some time at Crutchfeilds web site. I always assume they were high prices but a few years ago I discovered they are very competitive price wise. And there tech support turned out be good too when I had an issue.

You can read customer reviews on items before you buy.

Thanks for the tip Kudzpatch, I've been searching through there a lot lately.

Originally Posted by ranger danger

Look at the Sony Explode series. Its not real expensive and is simple to operate. They have a bunch of stuff that's designed to go together. I find Kenwood to be the most complicated to operate.

Ranger, that is kind of what I am in the market for, semi-simplistic controls with enough oomph to where I can hear it over engine and road noise if needed, with clarity enough for nice playback at idle. Nothing too fancy.

Originally Posted by ratedrookie

Pioneer, Alpine, Kenwood, JVC, and Clarion will all serve you well. I'd personally stay away from any other head units.

If you are planning on adding an amp and subwoofer down the road, I'd look for something with a subwoofer output. Some models will have front/rear/sub and some will offer front/switchable rear/sub output. Having a subwoofer pre-out will allow you to have some control over your sub from your head unit.

Nowadays you can find a good single din in the $100 range, especially if you don't mind buying a model that is a year old.

Rookie, That is a good tip, thanks. I will try to keep in mind a sub pre-out for later down the road.

[_Ogre]

if you listen to the radio often go with a head unit with the cd/mp3 player
i'm all mp3 now and only use the usb port on my head unit, the rest is all dead weight
a mp3 player hookup with an amp(s) is really all you need
though it still leaves the single din hole in your dash

[Kudzupatch]

_Ogre has a good point. I did store a lot of music on USB stick and playing it that way.

Now I listen almost exclusively to internet streamed music. Something 2 years ago I would have never expected. Now I regret not buying a head unit with Bluetooth.

Point being, out tastes change and something I never though I would use, I would now use every time I get in the truck.

[twistedchevy]

Originally Posted by morethanstock66

Thanks guys. I've been doing lots of research and comparisons. It is kind of amazing how in depth some of these tuning capabilities are. It is strange looking through so much stuff I will most likely never use The wiring looks daunting to me due to the fact that each of these have 10-15 wires out the back. Is that really necessary? Power, ground, speakers, sub, antenna, aux, usb. I don't know what else they would go to.. .

Well 10-15 wires isn't much. The stereo will have 4 speakers witch each have a positive and negative wire, so their is 8wires then you have your constant hot to save settings your accessory hot to power it and your ground that's 3 more then you may have electric antenna. Which puts you at 12 wires

[king-918]

80-prs hands down one of the best with active crossover and auto time alignment
Amazon.com : Pioneer DEH-80PRS Mobile CD Receiver...

[slowcpe]

I've always been a fan of Kenwood and Alpine. I've probably owned close to 20 Kenwood head units over the last 20+ years. I've also had a few Alpines I liked. Back when I sold car audio, I installed a lot of Pioneers but personally never liked their sound. Still a very nice head unit though.

[OutlawDrifter]

1 more vote for kenwood or alpine.

[morethanstock66]

Thank y'all for all the help and advice. I am specifically looking at Alpine's CDE-HD149BT right now.

[biketopia]

looks like a solid unit for sure, and plus one on the bluetooth. I have a high end pioneer in my 03 with GPS DVD etc...The bluetooth sounds so much better than using a 3.5mm aux. jack for streaming. Alpine and pioneer are my two choices. Do your research on crutch field and then check out a few other sites for what your looking for, I always tend to buy last years model also, find em on eBay, amazon, other third party sellers all day long for a great price.