Name Brand Question(s)

[death is my gift]

I've been doing quite a lot of research on in-dash receivers and speakers. i'm looking to change out the stock on both. i was wondering some stuff. i see Pyle, Clarion, and Dual and then I see Kenwood, JVC, Sony. I plan on spending a little extra money in order to have a nice sounding system. so i guess my question is...

do "name brand" goodies sound better? kinda like the, 'get what you pay for' thingie? or does it really matter since they are doing the same thing?

and remember, before you start flaming me i am new at all of this. i didn't care about this sort of crap until i got my Yaris. that car (and this forum!) is keeping my ass broke as a joke. i researched my tires and rims before making the purchase and now i am doing the same with the audio. so, help a sista out. :biggrin:

[brickhardmeat]

I always check ratings on stuff before I buy. The brands you are listing are mostly established brands that have been around for a long time. Don't know Pyle or Dual though at all. What do you expect to get out of your system? That is what you really need to ask yourself. Just about anything aftermarket will be an improvement over the stock stereo and speakers.


I personally am totally happy with the factory stereo and I take comfort in the fact that it isn't a popular item to steal. I don't like replacing stereos and windows every few months.

[uncleyaris]

If you were a guy, I'd ask about the ability to watch dirty movies in the car. If it's about good sound you don't need to go double din, there are many good single din players with many options. To that note even single din players with DVD to watch the dirty movies. Have a plan, $ , sound quality, and visual. Any after market system will have the possibilitiy for theft. Think about it long and hard, cause I'm sure you work hard for the money, as the saying goes.

[Kaotic Lazagna]

i've read only bad things on Dual and Pyle. i think Audiobahn and Pyle have the same suppliers? either way, i won't get those no-name brands. and i will also check reviews first.

[sdmf]

my personal choice would be panasonic or clarion, but if you want other brands that are good as well i would go for pioneer, alpine or eclipse. pioneer would give you the best bang for the buck since they are cheap with lots of features. thats just my opinion

[nsmitchell]

my personal choice would be panasonic or clarion, but if you want other brands that are good as well i would go for pioneer, alpine or eclipse. pioneer would give you the best bang for the buck since they are cheap with lots of features. thats just my opinion

Panasonic is the king of quality sound in cars nowadays. The simple fact is they use digital amps in some of their head units and they sound unbelievably perfect when matched with some nice speakers (Panasonic CJ-DA1633 at $35.00/pair). The Panasonic CQ-C8803U is sweet! http://www.crutchfield.com/S-sGxMJNRbThv/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=300&tab=essential_info&i=133C8803#Tab Make sure to read all 22 reviews. For sound quality this is it.

It won't make your ears bleed at 70WX4, but it will sound amazing up to a very hight listening level. Plus it has surround sound. Cool as hell!

Here is a link to the speakers too: http://www2.panasonic.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/vModelDetail?storeId=15001&catalogId=13401&itemId=96308&catGroupId=25034&modelNo=CJ-DA1633&surfModel=CJ-DA1633&cacheProgram=11002&cachePartner=7000000000000005702

I owned an earlier model Panasonic with digital amp and Panasonic speakers with the discreet edge design, and a lot of folks said it was the best car system they had heard in terms of quality sound. It wont win a pump it up contest but for day to day amazing sound that people will notice, the Pannys have it.

[nauc]

the best sq decks are alpine, eclipse and pioneer and their entry decks aren't much more than sonys, pans, etc and dont degrade in sq much compared to their <$1000 decks

stay away from Dual, Pyle or any Pep Boys/RadioShack stuff

[slvryaris]

Alpine has always been kind to me. I have had like 15 different cd players and I recommend Alpine, Kenwood, Panasonic for head units and Boston, Kicker, Rockford for speakers. Just go to a local shop and listen to the difference is the best way to do it.

[armature]

don't go with a no name-brand. as for which name-brand, it all depends on your audio goals and budget. i stay away from sony decks. i'm partial to pioneer, or alpine. not a big fan of the newer alpines since they decided to use a manual opening face plate.

[YarisTom73]

One way to help ensure you get a good product is to buy from someone who only carries better stuff. I like Crutchfield, all their stuff is good, or at least it used to be...I havent looked in a couple years. Try this link http://www.crutchfield.com/S-EwrYr2SEcDV/ Their service is excellent too :thumbup:

[nsmitchell]

If it doesn't have a digital amp built in - don't get it no matter what the cost. Crutchfied actually reccomends this deck (Panasonic CQ-C8803U) for the Yaris. I have heard lots of "good" car stereos. The digital amps make the difference. Plus they are 90-95% efficient and produce very little heat, compared to analog amps that sacrifice 30-40% of their power to heat.

[death is my gift]

thanks a lot guys. i will probably end up with a Panasonic set up. just head unit and speakers. i'm not all into the 'bump bump' music. i just want something i can hear clearly over my loud ass tires.

[YarisTom73]

thanks a lot guys. i will probably end up with a Panasonic set up. just head unit and speakers. i'm not all into the 'bump bump' music. i just want something i can hear clearly over my loud ass tires.
Nothing worse than a nice TOOL song ruined by bad speakers...

[death is my gift]

Nothing worse than a nice TOOL song ruined by bad speakers...
i wouldn't know about that. but give me some Sonic Youth or a little Pixies and i'm happy.

[kurokoma-kun]

Sonic Youth or a little Pixies

:headbang: :clap: :headbang:

[brickhardmeat]

I have been listening to Daydream Nation, Goo and Dirty a lot lately, kinda revisiting that time of my life I guess however I have a real hard on for Melvins I have been listening to bullhead all the way through almost everyday for two weeks ,and Marilyn Manson's new album is kinda catchy

[death is my gift]

I have been listening to Daydream Nation, Goo and Dirty a lot lately, kinda revisiting that time of my life I guess however I have a real hard on for Melvins I have been listening to bullhead all the way through almost everyday for two weeks ,and Marilyn Manson's new album is kinda catchy

Goo is probably my favorite from the 3 mentioned here. i never got into the Melvins. and Manson is, well....Manson :wink:

[brickhardmeat]

Goo is probably my favorite from the 3 mentioned here. i never got into the Melvins. and Manson is, well....Manson :wink:

I'm not really a big Masnon fan myself but his new album is very different, it's pretty good, couple of really catchy songs

Goo is great but i'm torn between Goo and Dirty


what do you think of Daniel Johnston?

anyway Melvins first 3 albums are awesome-seriously

[kurokoma-kun]

THE MELVINS!! Brick I bet you would really like this poster I got a few years ago.

[brickhardmeat]

Wow that's pretty cool. I saw Babes in Toyland back in like '93 (whistling sound through teeth as I say that)

[death is my gift]

what do you think of Daniel Johnston?

if you are talking about the guitarist dude, then yeah. he was badass. my real brother in law is a guitarist and he is heavily influenced by daniel johnston. he made me watch Crossroads. (not the britney one)

also, there is nothing wrong with babes in toyland.

[brickhardmeat]

This Daniel Johnston

http://www.hihowareyou.com/

:smile:

[redyaris]

Nothing worse than nice speakers ruined by bad songs from TOOL...

Had to fix that one YarisTom

[nsmitchell]

thanks a lot guys. i will probably end up with a Panasonic set up. just head unit and speakers. i'm not all into the 'bump bump' music. i just want something i can hear clearly over my loud ass tires.

Please let us know how you like the Panasonic setup. You must use the instructions for initial setup (basically speaker size and position and crossover points, etc.) , but after that, a few tweaks and it's awesome! I love the feature where you can make your rear speakers into subwoofers. I know you will love it! Digital Amps rock!

BTW - Amazon has them in stock.

[YarisTom73]

Had to fix that one YarisTom

Dude, that was awesome :laugh: :drinking: