Just wondering what you guys think is the best...:)

CSV · Post by **CSV** » Thu Jan 20, 2005 4:02 pm

Hey guys, I dont know much about car audio, and am looking to upgrade mine. Just seeing which you guys think is the best brand for me to buy.

lovemyfto · Post by **lovemyfto** » Thu Jan 20, 2005 4:37 pm

pioneer if you want value for money, I had a pioneer stacker and head unit in my last car for 9 years and never missed a beat. Even played burnt CD's when they came out (most players didn't) I bought it when CD stackers where just out on the market they didn't even have a combo deal. The head unit only just died last week.. survived 50C heat for years in summer as I had no aircon

alpine if you simply want the best you can buy(and cost it will)...... (has some down sides)
my fto came with a u bute huge alpine head unit with MD (not Hi-MD to my dismay) and 3cd mini indash stacker. 2 problems, there is no MD drive for a PC so recording music means buying a MD player/recorder and recording at 1x speed to md every time I want to make a MD. Also the CD player won't play burnt CD's only originals... a pain really considering I have over 30Gb of MP3s. Other than that they unit sounds great and will compliment the rest of the system when subby is in.

Alpine amps have always been of a very high standard so I would recommend them (well I am biased I only have and and only have used alpine amps)

my vote still goes to pioneer for head units for prices vs quality

CSV · Post by **CSV** » Thu Jan 20, 2005 4:50 pm

OK I will have to look into the prices, also, what do you guys think bout mixin and matching?

CSV · Post by **CSV** » Thu Jan 20, 2005 5:06 pm

Pioneer is winning at the moment, anyone gunna stick up for the others?

FTO338 · Post by **FTO338** » Thu Jan 20, 2005 5:52 pm

I had Pioneer, VDO, Clarion, Alpine head unit in my FTO before, & Alpine sounds the best out of all of them (they all ran through the same model of speakers), & I also found that the menu function are very easy to use as well, while VDO & Clarion are little bit complicated at the start, but your will get use to it.

I have no problem playing burn CD with Alpine what so ever, & I've got two different one at the moment too, one is a normal CD player which was top of the line in its days, & the other is a mid range Mp3 player. Both are great units, I also have Alpine stacker which plays burn CD as well. So I guess maybe the laser is worn out or play up if itâ€™s not playing burn CD.

Well with MD, in Japan everyone would have a MD player at home, & they would use either the optical output from the computer or the DVD/CD player to load the music on to the MD, & if you got one of those NetMD its even easier. But in Oz, it was launch 10yrs after it was realize in Asian, & it didn't really take off so thatâ€™s why you would find MD would be very difficult to play with in Oz, as we never had the proper equipment at the first place.

If you working on a budget, then its either Kenwood or Pioneer, Sony are really crap for its price compare to any other brand.

FTOluv · Post by **FTOluv** » Fri Jan 21, 2005 10:30 am

These brands differ in terms on how much u are willing to spend. If u really want bang for buck with excellent sound quality go with Clarion. The contain 24bit DAC converters and sound supurb for a deck around the $500-$600 mark. Pioneer is also a very good deck with tons of functions for the amount u pay. Alpine on the other hand, even though it is a top end brand, some of their prices are just ridiculous.

My opinion is if u dont care about the look of the deck and want great sound for around $500, go with the Clarion. If u wanna get a great looking deck with heaps of functions and features and are willing to spend around $700 go with the Pioneer.

and yes Sony products are way over priced for what they are *cough* crap.

Dr_Jones · Post by **Dr_Jones** » Fri Jan 21, 2005 2:49 pm

It really is all a matter of what you like. It's like me telling you the Honda Jazz is the best car ever, just because I think it is doesn't mean you will like it.

I run a top of the line Clarion Unit (few years back now) with no internal amp, a Stacker and they both play everything I throw at them. The head unit and stacker are the only Clarion component I run, from there the signal goes to a Coustic active crossover (bit old school) and then to a Coustic amp (before they were cheap and sold off to another company) that then feeds an MTX 12"woofer in vented box and a pair of Focal 165k splits.

I have no issues with mixing and matching, in fact I think it's the way to go, no one is the best at everything. But play around with what you like and it's most importantly take a cd in and have a listen to as much stuff as you can. If your ears and brain tell you that Sony stuff sounds the best who am I to tell you that your brain is wrong haha.

CSV · Post by **CSV** » Fri Jan 21, 2005 4:00 pm

So as in speaker wise and sound quality etc. Which would u recommend? Who makes the best sounding sub?

FTO338 · Post by **FTO338** » Fri Jan 21, 2005 4:38 pm

Well that depends on how much money you willing to spend, but here's a post that might give you some idea.

http://www.ftoaustralia.com/modules.php ... ht=speaker

FTOluv · Post by **FTOluv** » Fri Jan 21, 2005 4:57 pm

Mixing and matching is the best way to get the best out of any system.
Speaker wise and sub wise will always depend how much money u want to spend. If u have some money to spend on a top sounding sub , i would go for the Boston Acoustic Pro Subs. For splits its personal taste. I love the Boston splits but others find the sound to bright for them. Some like the MB Quartz but i find the sound too dull.

Dr_Jones · Post by **Dr_Jones** » Fri Jan 21, 2005 8:20 pm

Again no one can tell you what you like, I love the sound of my woofer but you might hate it. It's all a personal choice.

CSV · Post by **CSV** » Fri Jan 21, 2005 8:51 pm

Ok, I have figured out a budget for the whole thing...
<Drumroll Please>
$2500, I would love to get some Boston Acoustics gear but I dont think I can afford it

What brand would I be looking at for this price rangne? I could prob. extend myself to $3500 if I need to.

FTOluv · Post by **FTOluv** » Mon Jan 24, 2005 11:08 am

I can get u Boston products at good prices. Problem is that u live in Tamworth

Mr_Magna · Post by **Mr_Magna** » Wed Feb 16, 2005 1:02 pm

Dude $2500 is plenty, for that money I would suggest something along the lines of:

Source: Pioneer DEH-5650mp / Alpine CDA 9827 / JVC touch screen.

Splits: Hertz HSK-165 / Boston FS-60 / Morel Pulse / Vibe ST-60 / PG Comp6.5

Rear: You dont really need them unless you have poeple in the back. If so then just the co axial verison of the splits above.

Amp: PG 8:0.4 / Audison SRx3

Sub: Hertz HX300 / Boston G2 / Vibe blackair / JL 12w0 / IDQ 12

Personally I would get the Pioneer 5650mp / B/A FS-60 / Audison SRx3 / B/A G2 combo. That plus sound deadening / cables should set you back around $2300-2500. What kind of music do you listen to? PM me if you wish to know more about these products. Location is not an issue.

FTOluv · Post by **FTOluv** » Wed Feb 16, 2005 1:20 pm

im selling my boston FS60. If yr interested PM me.

FTO AUSTRALIA

Just wondering what you guys think is the best...:)

What is a better brand?

Just wondering what you guys think is the best...:)