New radio ?

[CJ2A]

Youngest Daughter is starting to drive my pickups and wants more than the stock radios.

Can anyone tell me some pros & cons for the newer radios ? Any radios with good blue tooth so hands free phone calls can be made ?

What do you like & dislike .

[sick472]

Last year I bought a Sony stereo for my truck along with two 6x9 speakers. The head unit (radio) had it's own amplifier built in to it, so no added cost or added installation concerns. It was a...

Sony DSX-GS80 Single-DIN High-power Bluetooth Media Receiver - 180 Watt (for about $250).

I added two 6x9's that were...

Focal RCX-690 Auditor Series 6 x 9" 3-Way Coaxial Speakers (about $200 for the pair).

I have not even tried the bluetooth phone operation, but the stereo came with the microphone and enough lead to put it where ever you what.

The sound from just the above components was very nice and would compete with highway speeds with the windows down. I'd say that you can here the music fine with the windows down at 65mph, but it certainly does not overpower the wind noise. You can hear the music, but any louder to drown out the wind noise and ear damage would be a concern. With the windows up, 40 out of 50 on the volume is plenty loud for this ole' guy.

I ended up adding a compact sub-woofer and some more speakers under the seat for overkill and to get a more full sound, but certainly not necessary for listening to some music and making calls.

Good luck buying stereos right now. Apparently the "chip" shortage has many of them out of stock.

This is what I made to house the radio and speakers. It also added cup holders. How'd did we live without them back in the day?

[SkidmoreGarage]

I think the biggest issue you will find with new stereos, which are all pretty good if you stick to a name brand, is that they won't fit in the original dash opening. You will need to cut or make another enclosure. You can also buy a classic style modern radio, but I have had bad luck with mine and I would leave it up to the recommendation from another member.

If you want to make phone calls, make sure that the stereo comes with a microphone you can position. It makes a big difference. Also Bluetooth has versions, and the connection quality and compatibility increases with each new version. I think they are on bt 5.0.

[BRL]

Originally Posted by CJ2A

Youngest Daughter is starting to drive my pickups and wants more than the stock radios.

Can anyone tell me some pros & cons for the newer radios ? Any radios with good blue tooth so hands free phone calls can be made ?

What do you like & dislike .

Pioneer MVH-S310BT purchased from Amazon.

This thing is amazing!

Comes with a corded mic. for telephone, Bluetooth only, (no CD) and has about a zillion additional cool features built into it.

Add that to all my amplifiers and speakers and I have a flipping rolling concert hall!

What do I dislike?

I'm a 63 year old computer illiterate idiot and have probably only figured out how to use about 1/10 of the features.

[Big Kev-O]

The most important thing is to make sure it is Apple CarPlay compatible assuming she has an Iphone. If she has Android phone make sure it is Android Auto compatible.

I have installed quite a few brands and I find Pioneer stereos the easiest and safest to use while driving. Pioneer, Kenwood & Alpine head units have never let me down. I think Alpine sounds the best but they are not very user friendly.

I have replaced a lot of broken Sony, Jensen, Boss, JVC stereos & speakers so avoid those brands. I can't even count how many busted Sony products I have replaced.

As far as speakers go it all depends on personal taste. Focal & JL Audio are my top choices but they are expensive. Next best IMO would be Alpine, Kicker, JBL, Kenwood & Pioneer (in this order). Kicker speakers are probably the best value and are very durable. Kickers provide a bit of extra bass but can be a bit "crisp" in the mid-high range. All will sound great to your average listener.

[HO455]

If cutting the dash is out of the question then consider converting the stock radio with a Aurora Designs upgrade. I did mine. Actually Gary Tayman did it. Is more expensive but after nearby 30k miles it's still rocking the Burban.
You can pick what upgrades you want.

[dmjlambert]

I still need to get an AM radio and dash speaker going, it is one of my future projects. Then I will leave the truck radio like factory and add an independent amplifier with bluetooth and speakers under the seat and use that when I want something in stereo and loud. I'll just play music or I Heart Radio from my phone or from an iPod. My favorite radio station is KXT of Dallas and I live too far away in Houston to pick it up, so I just listen over the Internet. Like zekecord did as described here in this thread (and picture) https://www.67-72chevytrucks.com/vbo...61#post8937161

[jocko]

If your daughter just wants more modern tunes, a stock look radio that has the ability to plug in or bluetooth he iphone's play list (that fits the stock mounting holes) is probably all that is really needed. When she moves on to her next vehicle, you can always throw that sweet n scratchy AM back in and feel back in the day. I hate to say it but some of the "cheaper" direct fit radios that have all the capabilities she might be looking for might be worthwhile if she's only going to drive it a few years. If she's going to keep it for a long time, then a little more investment might be in order. Big Kev's first sentence is truly your starting point for making decisions - what will be here source of music? Then go from there. If this is a long term thing, then the conversions that HO455 mentions above are really nice radios, and dependable, and bone stock looking. That would be money well spent and you'd both be happy with the end result. As for speakers, if you don't have holes in your doors already, highly recommend against it for obvious reasons - and there are plenty of alternatives these days unlike back in the day when a 6x9 and a hacksaw was the only option (I believe a member sells behind the seat corner speakers, but not an option with tank in cab still (I think?). Anyway, good luck. If you care to share a little more about what she plans to use as the source of music (other then the radio itself) and if this truck will eventually be hers and is a keeper, then that will probably lead to some more specific recommendations.

[Warrens69GMC]

Bluetooth car amplifier and 6.5" front kick panel+2 6x9" rear speakers. Shallow mount subwoofer if the budget allows

Let her use her phone or Siris radio for tunes

[gmc684x4]

Looking at the pioneer blue tooth single din deck as well you can remote run it from your phone as well so no need to cut the dash you can remote mount it add the app to your phones and use it to command the deck to run change songs etc