AV Panel Set ordered! *Crosses fingers*

[nytrojen]

Hi guys,

I've just ordered a panel set for my 2005 off japanparts. God I hope I picked the right model! I'm fairly sure it's the #02SC, it looks exactly the same. Did any of you guys have any difficulty with installation?

I'll let you guys know when/IF it arrives and how I go from there. Thinking about some Type S splits in front and 2 ways in rear, and just recycle my eclipse monoblock and crappy sony 10". Any suggestions on a decent HU around ~$300? I'm thinking Alpine. I mainly want aux in and controllable sub out, plus decent sound quality, of course.

Cheers!

[loweart]

Hey Avon,

Japanparts are very quick in dispatching orders, the only hold up is when their suppliers have stuff on backorder.

At around the $300 mark, you'll be hard pressed to find a decent double DIN head unit, but should be able to find a good single DIN one. I highly recommend the JVC head units as they tend to have much lower distortion than other makes which is great regardless whether you intend initially driving speakers from the HU or opt to use separate amps. Also, as JVC is one of the brands supported by the Hagemeyer Group, service and parts backup is very good.

All the best !
Lok

[gumbyy]

+1 for JVC, would be a good bang for your buck HU. Material quality and overall finish might not be the best but its highly recommended for aftermarket audio on a budget. $300 should see a decent single din HU as loweart stated.. but personally id opt for something a little pricier along the lines of DVD-MP3 compatibility (4.7GB worth of music per disk) though the audio purists out there might say MP3 music quality sucks! But each to their own..

I was originally going to get a double din JVC DVD/Divx/Bluetooth HU because on paper the specs were awesome but in person I didn't quite like the look and feel.. so I splurged on Alpine

[nytrojen]

THanks for the info guys! I'll look into the JVC's. I'm not really too fussed about features etc cos I have an Archos AV500 that I use solely for the car. So I can load it up with all my MP3's plus videos etc etc and just play through the aux. Really I'm just looking for a single din HU with decent sound quality. Not too fussed about all the other fluff cos the HU would basically just be an amp.

[loweart]

+1 for JVC, would be a good bang for your buck HU. Material quality and overall finish might not be the best but its highly recommended for aftermarket audio on a budget. $300 should see a decent single din HU as loweart stated..

I was originally going to get a double din JVC DVD/Divx/Bluetooth HU because on paper the specs were awesome but in person I didn't quite like the look and feel.. so I splurged on Alpine

I was looking at those double DIN HU's from JVC in the beginning too Gumbyy seeing I'm a JVC fan from way back. I didn't like how much of the LCD tilt panel sat jutting out pass the AV panel facia to allow it to open. That, plus I much prefer physical rotary controls for adjusting volume as you don't have to take your eyes off the road to lower or raise the volume.

[loweart]

THanks for the info guys! I'll look into the JVC's. I'm not really too fussed about features etc cos I have an Archos AV500 that I use solely for the car. So I can load it up with all my MP3's plus videos etc etc and just play through the aux. Really I'm just looking for a single din HU with decent sound quality. Not too fussed about all the other fluff cos the HU would basically just be an amp.

Hey Avon,

If you're after a single HU, may I suggest the JVC KD-BT11. It has a rrp of $349, but I've quite often seen it at JB Hi Fi stores with a stickered price of $289 so I'm guessing you may even get another $20 off that if you press the sales guy gently ! Here's a link of the unit on JVC's website ->
http://www.jvc-australia.com/JVC/client ... prodID=363

Or if you did want to consider Double DIN to fill up that spare AV panel space, I can also recommend the JVC KW-XG706 which I've seen sell up here in Brisbane's Autobarn Stores for $379
Here's the link to it on JVC's website ->
http://www.jvc-australia.com/JVC/client ... prodID=240

Good luck !
Lok

[nytrojen]

Hmm... that double din doesn't look too bad. But I really don't like the exterior fit and finish of the JVCs. They look a little too... tonka toy-ish.

I was thinking maybe something along these lines:
http://www.digitalhome.com.au/Car_Sound ... _USB/28791

Also, what's your opinion on Sony HU? I've heard a lot of flack about them, but my old Sony HU seemed to do the job just fine.

[jp928]

I put a JVC DV6105 in my outback this way...The facia kit comes with aerial adapter, but you will need to get an adapter for the harness - Aerpro maybe. Then solder the adapter leads to the JVC connector - the wires are all std colours now so its not too hard. If you use a single DIN HU, you can get a pocket for the other din hole at the Toyota spares desk at the Elizabeth St outlet in Melb - Suby dont carry that item!
I would do the HU by itslef first , and see how it comes up, before jumping into the speakers - in my case the JVC HU gave a big improvement in sound by itself,so I didnbt touch anything else.

I found the best price I could on the HU on the web, print it out, go to JBHIFI and ask them to beat the price, worked for me a couple of times......

jp 08 gtb 6mt wagon

[loweart]

Hmm... that double din doesn't look too bad. But I really don't like the exterior fit and finish of the JVCs. They look a little too... tonka toy-ish.

I was thinking maybe something along these lines:
http://www.digitalhome.com.au/Car_Sound ... _USB/28791

Also, what's your opinion on Sony HU? I've heard a lot of flack about them, but my old Sony HU seemed to do the job just fine.

I would definately take a PIONEER over a SONY head unit any day without even flinching ! Yes, Sony in car stereo have copped many a hiding and although some of their older models weren't too bad, most of their gear ain't much to write home about and quite easily bettered by most of their competition.

[cpitts]

My personal recommendation would be to head over to http://www.mobileelectronics.com.au/ and buy a 2nd hand high end Alpine HU.

Having owned high end Alpine, Pioneer and Clarion HU's, I can say without a shadow of doubt, the Alpine unit left all others for dead in clarity, frequency coverage (and flatness), depth, clarity, soundstage and precense (yes, all those hard to define audio nut things).

You can pick up some great gear in the for sales section and you'd be hard pressed to get the SQ and outputs from other units at the same price. However, if it's raw features youre after, then look to other brands. Alpine typically lags a little behind the others on the super whiz bang features.

[nytrojen]

Yeah, I'm definitely leaning towards Alpine in terms of SQ. My mate had a full $13k Alpine install in his car and it sounded amazing. He won a few comps with it too... not that i'll be spending even a fraction of that money!

It's a toss up between the Pioneer and Alpine. Guess I'll just wait til the Panel Set arrives before I dive in!

[loweart]

Yep, Alpine high end kit has always been up there in SQ and I wouldn't have any reservation in recommending most of their gear.

In our eagerness to make suggestions, I just hope we're not helping Avon empty out his pockets at a faster rate

[nytrojen]

Yep, Alpine high end kit has always been up there in SQ and I wouldn't have any reservation in recommending most of their gear.

In our eagerness to make suggestions, I just hope we're not helping Avon empty out his pockets at a faster rate

Lol. I'm too careful with my money for that! I'll consider it seriously... then I'll wuss out and go for something in my original budget anyway, haha

[cpitts]

Lol. I'm too careful with my money for that! I'll consider it seriously... then I'll wuss out and go for something in my original budget anyway, haha

Hence why I said to check out the 2nd hand bargins of those running out of cash on mobile audio. People always ditching EXCELLENT gear there to upgrade or simply get cash.
Great bargins to be had.

[nytrojen]

Lol. I'm too careful with my money for that! I'll consider it seriously... then I'll wuss out and go for something in my original budget anyway, haha

Hence why I said to check out the 2nd hand bargins of those running out of cash on mobile audio. People always ditching EXCELLENT gear there to upgrade or simply get cash.
Great bargins to be had.

Definitely will do. Thanks for the heads up! I'm gonna wait til I have the panel set in my hot little hands before I start looking around tho. Never know what might happen!