New to Car Audio - Looking for suggestions
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Joined: Apr 1999
Posts: 469
From: Burnaby, BC
New to Car Audio - Looking for suggestions
I'm tired of the crappy sound in my daily driver - An 81 Mercedes 300D.
It has 4" in the front and 5 1/4" in the rear (maybe it was the 6 1/2"?)
I'm considering these CD/mp3 players:
Panasonic CQ DFX572U
Panasonic CQ DFX972U (Does it make a better sounding system, or is the 972 just extra gadgets and/or grahpics?)
Panasonic CQ DP171U
Pioneer DEH 7400MP
Pioneer DEH 8400MP (about 50 bucks more than the most I want to spend. Is it capable of a better sound, or is it just extra gadgets and graphics that make this unit more expensive?)
Sony CDX MP70
I'm only concerned with a quality sound - I couldn't care less about LCD graphics, gadgets or cosmetic features.
What is MOSFET?
I'm limited in the speakers I can install in the front, but I could probably cut the rear to install 6x9's, if they are a better choice. It would be nice to keep everything hidden under the stock grilles though.
I'm really at a loss as to what I should look for in speakers. Perhaps someone could educate me
Woofer - Polypropylene? IMPP titanium plated? Foamed IMPP? SOmething else?
Woofer surround material - Butyl rubber? Rubber? Foam? etc...
I'm not looking for spleen-vibrating bass, but I do want to be able to hear the lower frequencies. Perhaps a 10" sub in the trunk would be suitable for the jazz/classic rock/modern folk that I usually listen to? Again, I've no idea what to look for in a sub/amp to do what I want.
Does anyone have a website or two that I could look into to learn more about this stuff?
It has 4" in the front and 5 1/4" in the rear (maybe it was the 6 1/2"?)
I'm considering these CD/mp3 players:
Panasonic CQ DFX572U
Panasonic CQ DFX972U (Does it make a better sounding system, or is the 972 just extra gadgets and/or grahpics?)
Panasonic CQ DP171U
Pioneer DEH 7400MP
Pioneer DEH 8400MP (about 50 bucks more than the most I want to spend. Is it capable of a better sound, or is it just extra gadgets and graphics that make this unit more expensive?)
Sony CDX MP70
I'm only concerned with a quality sound - I couldn't care less about LCD graphics, gadgets or cosmetic features.
What is MOSFET?
I'm limited in the speakers I can install in the front, but I could probably cut the rear to install 6x9's, if they are a better choice. It would be nice to keep everything hidden under the stock grilles though.
I'm really at a loss as to what I should look for in speakers. Perhaps someone could educate me
Woofer - Polypropylene? IMPP titanium plated? Foamed IMPP? SOmething else?
Woofer surround material - Butyl rubber? Rubber? Foam? etc...
I'm not looking for spleen-vibrating bass, but I do want to be able to hear the lower frequencies. Perhaps a 10" sub in the trunk would be suitable for the jazz/classic rock/modern folk that I usually listen to? Again, I've no idea what to look for in a sub/amp to do what I want.
Does anyone have a website or two that I could look into to learn more about this stuff?
Registered User
Joined: Nov 1998
Posts: 2,761
From: Louisville, KY
To find out about MP3 head units, go here: www.highwaymp3.com To find out about installation and some tech info, go here www.installdr.com
Registered User
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 245
From: Endicott, NY / FT. Worth, TX
I am not familiar with any of the head units you mentioned. But the best thing to do is go to a few retailers and listen to different units. When you find something you like, buy it online to save some money (I prefer E-bay).
If you want good quality sound, look at a decent 4-channel amp to power your speakers. It will sound a ton better than the amp in your head unit.
The material a speaker is made of is irrelevant for the most part. Again, the best strategy is to go to a store and listen to them. Speaker selection is mostly personal preference.
Panasonic CQ DFX572U & CQ DFX972U most likely have the same basic amplifier components (I think all the DFX units are mostly shared components). Same goes for the Pioneer DEH 7400MP & DEH 8400MP
MOSFET (Metal-Oxide Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor) is just a component used in amplification. It is common on most head units and amplifiers. They just put it on the box because it looks cool. It would be the equivalent of putting an “Internal Combustion Engine” decal on a car.
If you want good quality sound, look at a decent 4-channel amp to power your speakers. It will sound a ton better than the amp in your head unit.
The material a speaker is made of is irrelevant for the most part. Again, the best strategy is to go to a store and listen to them. Speaker selection is mostly personal preference.
Panasonic CQ DFX572U & CQ DFX972U most likely have the same basic amplifier components (I think all the DFX units are mostly shared components). Same goes for the Pioneer DEH 7400MP & DEH 8400MP
MOSFET (Metal-Oxide Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor) is just a component used in amplification. It is common on most head units and amplifiers. They just put it on the box because it looks cool. It would be the equivalent of putting an “Internal Combustion Engine” decal on a car.
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CobraEatr
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Jul 29, 2002 11:46 AM