Req: Head unit suggestions.

[xed]

Hi all.

I plan on getting a no option 08 Yaris LB and putting in a head unit and also replacing the stock speakers with new 6.5" in front and rear.

Requirements:
- I need a head unit that pushes 40w RMS x4 or more clean watts. Good clean power, not crap.

- I need the head unit to have a true good quality aux line-in. Either front or rear mounted line-in is fine but my first choice would be rear mounted so that I can hide wires.

- I do not need/want a unit which would allow me to control my ipod with the head unit controls. I like to have my ipod dash mounted where I can easily see and control it.

- I want a head unit that supports HD radio (not a requirement but would be nice)

That's it. Technically I don't even care if it didn't have a CD player and was radio only since all my portable music is on my ipod.

Does anyone know of any head units out there that would work for me?

[nsmitchell]

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-nzc6OztbE8r/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?s=0&cc=01&g=300&tab=review&i=133c8303&pg=1&sortBy=3

Read the reviews. I currently have 2 Panansonic receivers and did own a Panasonic car deck that had a digital amp built in. They are all clean and powerful. I think these MOSFET powerstages are also "digital Amps" as well.

The big brother...
http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-CQ-C8305U-Expansion-Module-Receiver-Display/dp/B000MXV8DI

[Soner]

Well, I have been searching for a head unit for a week now and the highest RMS I've seen is 22. You are not talking about the peak power right? Otherwise, I don't even know if there is any head units out there that can give you 40w RMS...
Visit crutchfield.com for and click on overview to view the specifications of head units.

[nsmitchell]

The Pannny in my truck (CQ-C9700U) http://www.epinions.com/content_175474970244 had 60WX4 peak and it sounded awesome. No distortion either. It was also $400.00.

[xed]

Well, I have been searching for a head unit for a week now and the highest RMS I've seen is 22. You are not talking about the peak power right? Otherwise, I don't even know if there is any head units out there that can give you 40w RMS...
Visit crutchfield.com for and click on overview to view the specifications of head units.

You're right. I guess 15w-22w RMS is what is out there. I guess I could always add an amp later if I felt I needed it.

[sdmf]

i beg to differ, i got a panasonic cq-c8803u and it is rated at 70wx4 peak, 31w rms. features digital "t" class amp built in, hd ready, ipod ready, real sweet head unit.

detailed features

General features:
» CD receiver with built-in Class T amplifier (31 watts RMS/70 peak x 4 channels)
» plays CDs, CD-Rs, and CD-RWs (including discs loaded with MP3 and WMA files)
» motorized, fold-down, detachable face with color full-motion graphic display
» remote control

Audio features:
» SQ9 9-band equalizer with six preset sound curves
» SRS Circle Surround Automotive
» high- and low-pass filters with subwoofer level control

Expandability:
» compatible with optional Panasonic Bluetooth receiver, iPod adapter, satellite radio, CD changer
» inputs: auxiliary input (rear RCAs)
» outputs: three sets of 5-volt preamp outputs

http://akamaipix.crutchfield.com/products/2005/133/h133C8803-f_mt-1.jpeg

[IllusionX]

i don't think you will ever find one HU that has 40w RMS :)
even my 700$ alpine HU comes with 27w RMS i think.

[xed]

Digging around at Crutchfield I spotted this which looks promising...


http://12.4.198.138/S-dcc0m4N53Qm/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=300&tab=detailed_info&i=257kdhdr1
http://akamaipix.crutchfield.com/products/2005/257/h257KDHDR1-f_mt.jpeg (http://12.4.198.138/S-dcc0m4N53Qm/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=300&tab=detailed_info&i=257kdhdr1)


20w x 4 RMS and it's MOSFET. It has HD Radio out of the box and I can plug up an ipod adapter to the cd changer input which will charge my ipod and transfer sound but nothing else. It doesn't deactivate or zombie my ipod. Best of all it's $200 at Crutchfield or a bit less on fleabay plus the cost of the ipod adapter.

[bigsky2]

Kenwood eXcelon KDC-X791

22W RMS/channel
50W peak/channel
Rear mounted auxiliary in
Rear mounted USB support (It's a USB cable that's about 1.6 meters, you can route it behind the dash or where ever. You can plug in USB thumb drives)
You can plug in your iPod to the USB cable; you would retain all controls on the iPod. (There's a separate cable accessory if you want the head unit to take all controls when the iPod is plugged in, but in your case this isn't necessary)
Support for HD radio


Short of your requirement for 40w RMS/channel, but I am afraid I haven't seen a head unit with +30w RMS/channel. If you require that sort of power rating, you might want to use a dedicated amplifier to power to your speakers instead of your using the deck's amplifier.

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-qMMqMKT2gnT/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?i=113KDCX791

[sdmf]

i don't think you will ever find one HU that has 40w RMS :)
even my 700$ alpine HU comes with 27w RMS i think.

i guess 31w rms is the closest to 40, panasonic is the way to go my friend.

[SiliconRane]

i don't think you will ever find one HU that has 40w RMS :)
even my 700$ alpine HU comes with 27w RMS i think.

LOL, my 1000.00 IVA-W205 Alpine Head Unit only pushes out 16W x 4 RMS, but it can make your speakers and ears bleed with great sounding audio.:drinking:

[nsmitchell]

i guess 31w rms is the closest to 40, panasonic is the way to go my friend.

Absolutely! Is your deck still available? That is the sweetest thing! How does it sound?

[nsmitchell]

i beg to differ, i got a panasonic cq-c8803u and it is rated at 70wx4 peak, 31w rms. features digital "t" class amp built in, hd ready, ipod ready, real sweet head unit.

detailed features

General features:
» CD receiver with built-in Class T amplifier (31 watts RMS/70 peak x 4 channels)
» plays CDs, CD-Rs, and CD-RWs (including discs loaded with MP3 and WMA files)
» motorized, fold-down, detachable face with color full-motion graphic display
» remote control

Audio features:
» SQ9 9-band equalizer with six preset sound curves
» SRS Circle Surround Automotive
» high- and low-pass filters with subwoofer level control

Expandability:
» compatible with optional Panasonic Bluetooth receiver, iPod adapter, satellite radio, CD changer
» inputs: auxiliary input (rear RCAs)
» outputs: three sets of 5-volt preamp outputs

http://akamaipix.crutchfield.com/products/2005/133/h133C8803-f_mt-1.jpeg

The Class-T amplifier is what sets this apart from all other decks. This deck has no Digital to Analog conversion, everything down to the amplifiers are done with chips that are a quantum leap in audio quality. They can easily produce below 20hz and also easily go up to 50Khz. The company that made these wonderful chips (Tripath) is in Chapter 11 right now ( poor management probably). Texas Instruments also makes Digital Amps and sound processors (TI - PurePath). I hope Panasonic continues down the digital path forever!

[Soner]

The Class-T amplifier is what sets this apart from all other decks. This deck has no Digital to Analog conversion, everything down to the amplifiers are done with chips that are a quantum leap in audio quality. They can easily produce below 20hz and also easily go up to 50Khz. The company that made these wonderful chips (Tripath) is in Chapter 11 right now ( poor management probably). Texas Instruments also makes Digital Amps and sound processors (TI - PurePath). I hope Panasonic continues down the digital path forever!


Why can't they design these head units nicer? Still much nicer than Yaris HU for sure though :biggrin:

[nsmitchell]

Well, they are the best decks on the market... if you don't want to install external amps. The digital amps are just perfect sounding. Match it with some Panasonic speakers, they are incredible and not overpriced: http://www.panasonic.com/consumer_electronics/caraudio/sp_default.asp

and you will have a perfect sounding system. Sounds too good to be true, but it is true. The cq-c8803u is so configurable, you can shape it to any sound you want. Other decks just can't compete with their analog circuits.

Digital amps are also way more efficent, 95%+. vs 40% to 60% for conventional amps. That means more power to your speakers and less heat generated. Also less load on your alternator, so better MPG! (that last claim about MPG is a stretch, but possible) hehe

[ChinoCharles]

Panasonic says "I needed a stereo."

Alpine says "I know my stereos."

:wink:

[nsmitchell]

Alpine has never impressed me. Alpine does or did use digital amps (MRD-F752 ). A lot of "stereo guys" aren't even familiar with digital amps, or call them class-d. When mine was installed at Circuit City, they guy called it an average deck, I told him, just wait until you hear it. After about a month of tweaking, he and I did some critical listening and he was astonished. He thought I had a sub or some other amps. I said nope, all head unit. He was just shaking his head and said that was far and away the best head unit he had ever heard. A Crutchfield article was basically the same story. An editor put one in his Jeep and he said he would never remove it to test another stereo.

Links:
This was my old head unit.
http://www.crutchfieldadvisor.com/S-CmiMREwiMMh/reviews/20040406/panasonic_cqc9800u.html?page=1

Digital Amps explained...
http://www.crutchfieldadvisor.com/S-KZ6RUHpT22z/reviews/20040720/tripath_interview.html?page=4

[sdmf]

Panasonic says "I needed a stereo."

Alpine says "I know my stereos."

:wink:

Alpines were good back in the day but now they just dont do it for me, panasonic has stepped up their game and i was really impressed with the power output and its features. if you want something that says i needed a stereo get a jensen or pyle. if you want clarity and robust power go with the panny. btw panasonic is a sponsor of the toyota f1 car, pretty sweet seeing a toyota on the screen too.

[earljail]

I've got a Panasonic deck (CQDVD7001U), which is a 1 DIN DVD player with a 7 inch screen. It isn't the fanciest looking deck (like the alpine style better), (actually everything else in my system is Alpine), but the Panasonic had the best features for the price. An Alpine DVD player didn't include surround capability without buying a decoder or a fancy Alpine amp.

I'd totally upgrade to a new Panasonic deck if it had a five channel digital amp.

[nsmitchell]

I have a Blaupunkt 4 channel digital amp. One of the "Plastic Amps" PA4100. I've never actually hooked it up before. I'm looking for a double din toyota deck with RCA outs for my Blaupunkt. 100X4 :headbang: http://carsound.com/articles/publish/article_184.shtml

I'm glad I'm not the only Panny believer out there!:smile:

[sdmf]

the only double din panny decks are the indash touch screen ones thats all that i have seen so far, i think panny likes to use the single din since it can apply to more vehicles.

[sdmf]

Absolutely! Is your deck still available? That is the sweetest thing! How does it sound?

yes it is still available, it sounds really clean, no distortion, i love it, i thought it was kind of costly at first but i found it at a good price, totally worth it imo.

here's where i got it from,

http://www.hookedontronicsbuys.com/show_product_details.jsp?cid=25254

not a bad deal for 242.00, fast shipping and great warranty from them.