Anyone know anybody that has a shop or can do stereo stuff? I wana get a good head unit for my Z, but nothing really major. There are places around here, but some are very shady.

 

You don't need to go to a shop to put in a hu. Your wallet will thank you so much if you get the one you want off e-bay and put it in yourself. If you get a wireharness adapter thing (the correct name escapes me) its really easy. Even if you can't solder you can use those crimp connectors.

 

im really just looking for a great deal on a HU. i wanted to hear it from you guys other then the people in the audio board.

 

I still say E-bay. You can get factory warrenties with some of the stuff too.

 

i got my pinoerr from pepboys (where i work) and ive had it almost a yr and no problems yet

 

if you know somebody who works at best buy they can hook you up crazy
best buy has a 45-60% markup on their whole array of car audio stuff including alarms, hu, boxes, amps, tv systems for cars. etc

offer someone who works there 20 bucks (who is ur skin color) to hook you up if you dont know anyone

that is where i got my stuff but my friend moved to another job
that sux for me

 

my sisters friend does that stuff on the side. he is really good. he also does this for a living. let me know and i'll get you his number

 

If you are interested in any spkrs, amps etc made by harman kardon, jbl, infiniti i can get them for below wholesale for ya let me know

 

You'll get your best price by:

1. Getting all prices from local chain stores (Circuit City, Best Buy, PC Richards, etc)

2. Bringing your price list down to a pro shop and haggling.

That's how I always won. Although Best Buy does have that damn nice service plan if you get a high-end head unit. Actually though, Best Buy doesnt sell Premier (Pioneer's high end models) or Mobile ES (Sony's high end) or Excelon (Kenwood's high end). Don't know if that matters to you or not.

And as a guy who installs systems, definately do it yourself; that way you know it's done right. And please dont buy a $100 amp that says it does 200x4 amps. Don't believe Sony Xplod decks that say "High power! 50x4" because it ain't 50x4... more like 10x4. Always ask for RMS power, not that peak garbage.

I always cut the old factory harness plugs off and solder the wires together using heat shrink- but I'm "old school", before they ever had the wire harness adapters! The harness adapters are a good idea; they're pretty much idiot proof, and the shops all use them now for two reasons: 1, speed; and 2, doesn't hurt the original wiring. #2's important if the car's a lease, or if the owner ever wants to sell the car and keep the radio. Most buyers ask if they'll be able to put the old radio back.

As to "good head unit but nothing major", keep in mind expandability. Get something with a minimum of two preamps out, so you can amp your front and rear speakers in the future. Buying a deck with just one set of preamps will screw you down the road if you want to upgrade. Yeah you could run a whole system off one set of preamps, but you'd lose the fader. Yeah you could buy those "speaker output to preamp convertors", and run the amps off your normal speaker outputs, but I've never heard a convertor that sounded clean. In fact from places like crutchfield.com (who will let you make 6 months interest free payments if you spend over $200, another possible option for you), most of the time by spending an extra $40 for a radio when there's two models listed... the better of the two models usually comes with two preamps.

Hope that helped... good luck!

 

Tom, thanks for the advice man.... but im serious... you will never see a speaker in my car thats bigger then a 6x9 or whatever is in the sail pannel. I just want something to play CD's. Im looking at cruchfield and ebay and comparing prices. looks like ebay's gone a pioneer thats about 30 bucks cheaper then what cruchfield has it at. Thanks for all the advice fellas. I plan on getting it as soon as i get a job... I dont wana spend over 200... 200 is better spent on headers or gas or something that ads HP.

 

cause ya know that has what to do with anythng you ignorant ****....


Al, best buck IMO is Pioneer. Most of their new units play MP3's...2 preamp outputs..All my higher end stereos that I've done I've used Pioneers unless of course I or the people I do them for want super high end ****.

I like how easy they are to use, the menus are easy to get through, tuning is a snap.

 

thanks.. im gunna go with a pioneer HU. Now i need a job!! hehehe. I saw one with an XM output... which sounds good if i ever totaly complete my project. the head unit willbe replaced with a total tuning unit i have planned....

 

I've been waiting for 2 years for (A) the XM module to drop in price and (B) them to come out with an antenna thats darn near invisible. To me the xm antenna is an invitation for theives- not to steal the XM antenna, but for them to think "Hey, this guy must have a good system" and steal everything.

I'd almost guarantee you won't have an XM receiver in a car with a tape deck from the 80's, no amplifers, and factory speakers.

The XM is probably in a car with a fancy head unit, 3 amps, subwoofers, aftermarket speakers, crossovers, tv's, game consoles, etc...