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Captain Log posted:I'm still loving giddy. I've gone my whole life going from lovely car to lovely car with systems cobbled together from poo poo. This? It's nice.
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Jun 20, 2023 05:29
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Lowclock posted:Awesome. Glad it turned out nice. Which sub did you end up going with? Maybe next you can get a cheap measurement mic and set up some parametric EQ and delay on your phone and get it to a point where you just sit in your car to listen to music, haha. I got the down firing Kicker 10'' downfiring Kicker with a "radiator." I'm pretty sure that if I turned it up all the way, I'm pop my windows. All that said, the install was extremely well done. I don't have a single rattle, everything is clean as gently caress, and they let me know quite a few times that their work has a lifetime warranty. If I have any issues, I take it two miles down the street and get it fixed for free. This part of the purchase has been worth every cent. Ignore those wires, they're to my old man Garmin that I refuse to give up for the time being -  This makes it so incredibly easy to fine tune just how much bass a song needs, while being able to kill the bass when I pull into my condo community. While I'm a young guy for the community at 38, they would be down my throat if my little shoebox was bumping every time I pulled into my place. I'm going to do the head unit down the road. But for now, it's doing the job just fine. I'm actually listening to music at a lower overall volume on the head unit, because I'm not trying to choke out my tiny speakers for more volume than they should be putting out.
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Jun 20, 2023 12:12
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Oh poo poo, I forgot to post one of the funniest things about the whole install. Like I mentioned before, my steering wheel controls were hosed. If you pressed a button, it did something random. This is relevant - My car is a 2013. The head unit was $899 in 2013. The backup camera was installed incorrectly, and the stock speakers were left in the car. It was mind boggling to spend money on that head unit, gently caress up the steering wheel controls, and do the backup camera wrong. I fixed everything but the steering wheel controls. The car installers told me they probably left off some module for the car steering wheels, and told me it would cost $200-$300 to pick up the correct module, install and program it. They told me it wasn't worth spending the money on fixing, unless it really bugged me. I agreed. They called me midway through the install to tell me the correct module for the steering wheel controls was already inside the car. The people who put it in a decade ago did it wrong. They fixed it, and now my steering wheel controls work and it didn't cost me anything. What the gently caress were the people who put in the head unit thinking?!
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Jun 20, 2023 13:32
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Nice. That setup seems pretty great if you need space because you can still put stuff on top of it without worrying about poking through a speaker or anything. I'm sure it's a lot more capable than that little under-seat thing too. Ugh trying to find a head unit though. The eternal struggle. E: Captain Log posted:They called me midway through the install to tell me the correct module for the steering wheel controls was already inside the car. The people who put it in a decade ago did it wrong. They fixed it, and now my steering wheel controls work and it didn't cost me anything. Lowclock fucked around with this message at 14:15 on Jun 20, 2023 |
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Jun 20, 2023 14:09
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Captain Log posted:I did it. Holy gently caress, I literally don't know how I went my whole adult life without a real system. I'm grinning like an idiot and finding excuses to drive everywhere. Nah. That's just what real bass does, mate.  Captain Log posted:Oh poo poo, I forgot to post one of the funniest things about the whole install. I've found that, usually, they're... not. Never underestimate people with more money than sense. Or "penny wise, pound foolish" people, like someone who would pay $900 for a head unit and then install it themselves despite having no skill at doing so.
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Jun 22, 2023 16:45
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( Serious question, though )
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If there is anything I have learned in life, especially after getting a house, is that just because someone is a professional / accepts money for work that they consider their primary skill... does not mean they are competent. No one will ever care more about your own stuff than you will.
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Jun 22, 2023 17:54
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Just thought I'd show y'all what I found inside the door of my Honda Accord Type R Duct tape, wood screws and a Fisher speaker - literally the worst name in audio.
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Jun 25, 2023 20:07
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Wood screws in cars just says everything you need to know about the PO.
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Jun 26, 2023 12:31
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I'm just so loving befuddled at the concept of buying the $299 steering wheel control module, then hooking it up completely wrong and going, "Ehh, when I press a button, something happens. Not the right thing, and it produces a completely random result. Sounds good enough to me." I've still not turned my sub all the way up, because I'm confident my car might explode. Still, not a single instance of rattling. I'm impressed with the install.
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Jun 26, 2023 12:42
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Captain Log posted:I'm just so loving befuddled at the concept of buying the $299 steering wheel control module, then hooking it up completely wrong and going, "Ehh, when I press a button, something happens. Not the right thing, and it produces a completely random result. Sounds good enough to me."
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Jun 26, 2023 14:19
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Lowclock posted:They were likely embellishing quite a bit. The SWC module for that car is like <$70 retail even now, and if it was hooked up completely wrong it wouldn't work at all. It probably just needed to be reprogrammed which takes like 30 seconds. Oh, I was just quoting an overall price. They told me there were three different modules available varying in price, plus install. I’m talking about the person who bought the part in 2013, with money, and installed it so badly pressing a steering wheel button would do God only knows what. I don’t get that much effort to do something wrong.
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Jun 26, 2023 16:50
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evobatman posted:Just thought I'd show y'all what I found inside the door of my Honda Accord Type R *quality* installs use gaffer tape and drywall screws. Captain Log posted:Oh, I was just quoting an overall price. They told me there were three different modules available varying in price, plus install. Congratulations, you've had a previous owner.
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Jun 26, 2023 22:07
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Planning out an amp install on my boat, my two options are short power cable with long RCA cables or long power cables with short RCA cables. I haven't measured actual lengths yet but the short lengths are 3-5ft and the long lengths are probably around 20ft. Any issues with RCA cables of that length?
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Jun 28, 2023 15:08
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two_beer_bishes posted:Planning out an amp install on my boat, my two options are short power cable with long RCA cables or long power cables with short RCA cables. I haven't measured actual lengths yet but the short lengths are 3-5ft and the long lengths are probably around 20ft. Any issues with RCA cables of that length? I've used long RCA cables for years, much smarter than running a long power wire in a boat. Just buy some decent quality ones, and make sure you coat any exposed electronic metal connections with silicone so it doesn't corrode.
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Jun 28, 2023 15:35
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Nocheez posted:I've used long RCA cables for years, much smarter than running a long power wire in a boat. Just buy some decent quality ones, and make sure you coat any exposed electronic metal connections with silicone so it doesn't corrode. Perfect, thanks
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Jun 28, 2023 17:24
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two_beer_bishes posted:Planning out an amp install on my boat, my two options are short power cable with long RCA cables or long power cables with short RCA cables. I haven't measured actual lengths yet but the short lengths are 3-5ft and the long lengths are probably around 20ft. Any issues with RCA cables of that length? Nah, 15-20' RCA cables in cars for amps in the trunk are rarely an issue.
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Jun 29, 2023 17:28
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Assuredly Stupid Question for a New Sub Owner - As y'all know, my car's regular speakers are puny. Two 3x3s and two 4x6s. I installed new ones myself, but if I turn up my volume much past mid they start to clap. Is there any particular recommended way to run my head unit to keep the low end on my sub? I was just using the "Powerful" preset, but switching to "Natural" helps. Also, having the independent little knob to control the sub is helpful.
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Jun 30, 2023 20:27
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Captain Log posted:Assuredly Stupid Question for a New Sub Owner -
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Jun 30, 2023 21:01
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Lowclock posted:You can set a high pass filter on your head unit to keep the bass out of your little speakers. I'd probably start with those default settings and maybe raise the frequency a little if it still isn't handling it well. Check out page 166 of this manual. 
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Jul 1, 2023 12:57
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I bought a car and got a bunch of audio stuff with it. The boxes are total lies, the smaller speakers are Pyle and the bigger are MDS, a brand I don't know anything about.   Sticker is faded but think it's a Blaupunkt THb 200A. PO has wiring done for this but it was disconnected, he said I could just hook it back up.  I don't know really anything about what constitutes a good audio setup, but I decided to install the larger speakers since I was making a new rear shelf anyway (old one was in bad shape), because I am cheap and like to suffer, instead of buying some MDF or thicker plywood and using the old shelf as a template to bandsaw or route out a new shelf, I made my own abomination using a wooden frame with 4mm baltic birch plywood on top. At least it should be a very sturdy shelf. Need to find original looking fabric and do some trim work yet. PO had most stuff hooked up so they play when I hook them up, frame here not yet glued to the plywood top,  I also have a pair of smaller pyle speakers in addition to the filters. I was thinking if I should make holes for them and also hook them up using the filters. Since I got them for for free, or are they so crap they aren't worth it? I wasn't reading good things about Pyle earlier in this thread. Frame glued to the plywood top, while the cross braces in the middle are just glued, I used mortise and tenons on the outer joints. I might paint the underside in some suitable color, or maybe put some fabric over it, I want it to look nice when you look inside the trunk as well, which also means redoing some of the POs wiring.  Holes routed and the pioneer speakers fitted, I need to fit the sides better yet as there are some unsightly gaps. I didn't even try and make a tight fit because it was difficult enough to get it in as is. I might just cover it with fabric when I get it, maybe glue some plywood under it so they are more like flaps I can fold u, then it will have some structural integrity. Factory shelf was screwed in inside the C-pillars and was a PITA to remove. I won't even try and use that again.  So all in all, looks a bit of a hack job so far, I hope I can pretty it up when I get the fabric fitted. Still wondering if I should fit the smaller speakers and/or the base unit, or just leave it as is. No grille covers for said speakers, maybe I'll make my own though, just route out some circular MDF. His Divine Shadow fucked around with this message at 10:20 on Jul 2, 2023 |
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Jul 2, 2023 10:17
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I fitted the carpet now and I think it looks kinda nice actually. I was not able to find the proper color or style to match the factory original. The store I went to had this really nice looking carpet though that would have looked even better, almost the same color match and this nice striped pattern. But two weeks lead time! I instead got this very thick carpet that was hell to work with, but very sturdy and rigid. Slightly different color but it looks close enough IMO that you could imagine the factory using a slightly different style for the shelf.   Just the two bigger speakers fitted so far. I want to try and hook up the base unit now and see that that does if anything.
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Jul 4, 2023 11:38
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^^^^^ That carpet setup looks basically factory! I don't have forums search [yet] so feel free to point me toward posts already here. I've been out of the game for a long, long time now but my old gear has been with me for many, many years and could use an upgrade. Has anyone had experience with DS18 gear? I randomly found them via YT recommendations and watched a bunch of people doing non-sponsor videos, reviews, etc and they seem to be great. Given the Aussie tax, I'll be paying somewhere above the generic Pioneer / Sony / Alpine but below Focal / Polk gear, making them seem like a good price point for what I want, without getting into that five-figure area. Grateful if anyone has experienced them before and can give me an idea on whether or not to go for it. If anyone has any recommendations outside of the normals, I'd be happy to know as well! I'm planning to replace the current rump-shaking single Orion 400W and 12" sub and going all out in building out the whole rear end in a custom manner. They are still going amazing after all these years but turning it up past a certain point will give the old headlight dip. Are Optima batteries still the go-to for a first and second battery setup, or should I look at something more like the deep cycle lithiums for a second battery and Optima for the front? The lithiums are on par price-wise to Optimas here, so either or is not a budget breaker. Example AGM units but the list is a mile long on these things if anyone has any brand recommendations I can probably get over here.  The current Pioneer unit works, but I'm looking to replace it with a multimedia / NAV unit. The control unit in the Skoda Fabia we bought has spoiled me and I miss being able to scroll through my music in my car. Seen here as I fixed the PO's lovely install which caused the head unit to eject on a hard launch.   It doesn't look like much in there, but I have drowned out larger dollar systems which always leaves them sitting there looking sad while I pass by like  
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Jul 4, 2023 16:00
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DS18 stuff seems pretty cheap. Some of their amps make what they say and not much more, but some don't. A lot of their speakers seem more aimed at PA/chuchero style applications. I have no idea what is available at reasonable prices where you live, but it definitely wouldn't be my first choice. I've heard Optima quality has suffered in the recent years, but I'm not sure how true that actually is. There's enough companies making AGM batteries now that I don't think they really have much of an advantage anymore beyond marketing. There's some other stuff that people are using now like lithium, SCiB, LTO, and super capacitors, but for the price I wouldn't even consider them unless you are running a ton of power and/or want a lot of key-off time. I'd get the biggest battery you can reasonably fit in the stock location and an upgraded alternator before even thinking about fancy expensive specialized banks. Lowclock fucked around with this message at 04:14 on Jul 5, 2023 |
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Jul 5, 2023 02:59
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Lowclock posted:I've heard Optima quality has suffered in the recent years, but I'm not sure how true that actually is. There's enough companies making AGM batteries now that I don't think they really have much of an advantage anymore beyond marketing. It has. I went with Optima for my project car and I went through two that wouldn't hold charge in 4 years. The quality is no longer there. I guess their patents ran out, they sold to Johnson Controls and all manufacturing went to Mexico and now they're just like anyone else. Odyssey has a good rep but I have no experience with them at this point.
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Jul 5, 2023 04:05
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Awesome, thanks ya'll. I tend to obsessively research for months on end before getting stuff that I'll hang on to for multiple vehicles. I had heard the rumors about Optima and after doing some looking around Aus car forums etc, it all seems to be true. I'll start looking at changing out to a higher amp alternator and swap out for a chunkier battery instead. A dual setup is common and cheap to do now, so I'd prefer to have a separate one just to keep the draw off the main where possible. For available brands, it's a pain to find anything outside of the 'big three' [Alpine, Sony, Pioneer] so I'll talk to a few different shops I've dealt with before and trust before making a list. I used to find with my old wagon of the same model, I needed to add a capacitor to help keep the headlights dip away, so I'll see what's available there too. Others that seem to be pretty available are Hertz, JBL, and Soundstream. I had a Soundstream setup way back around the early 2000s, but they seem to have dropped quality now too, unfortunately.
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Jul 5, 2023 06:06
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His Divine Shadow posted:I fitted the carpet now and I think it looks kinda nice actually. I was not able to find the proper color or style to match the factory original. The store I went to had this really nice looking carpet though that would have looked even better, almost the same color match and this nice striped pattern. But two weeks lead time! I instead got this very thick carpet that was hell to work with, but very sturdy and rigid. Slightly different color but it looks close enough IMO that you could imagine the factory using a slightly different style for the shelf. Looks good! Ridiculously overbuilt. :P Yeah, just some MDF and grille cloth for grills would work great. No idea who MDS is - they're probably cheapo, but adequate if you're just needing some sound. I doubt adding the Pyles would really accomplish much. for one thing, wiring would be weird. Tidy up the wiring on that sub. It's not offensive, but definitely could be done better. A little corrugated split-loom if nothing else. You should be able to get the manual for that sub online once you have the model number (likely on the bottom) to confirm it's wired up correctly.
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Jul 5, 2023 17:16
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H1KE posted:Awesome, thanks ya'll. I tend to obsessively research for months on end before getting stuff that I'll hang on to for multiple vehicles. Soundstream is a zombie brand now - just run-of-the-mill Chinese stuff.
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Jul 5, 2023 17:17
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Darchangel posted:Soundstream is a zombie brand now - just run-of-the-mill Chinese stuff. Goddamit. I had one of their 12" Tarantulas back around '04 ish and man was that thing insane. Sadly I lost it when a jack handle came loose and sent itself into it. And now I've posted about it, I was driving today and lost bass. I think my amp and/or sub finally gave out.  Given the age of them, I'm not surprised if either has died because they have been through hell and back with me. Going to pull it tomorrow in daylight and put the multi across them.
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Jul 6, 2023 09:44
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I've discovered that my new Skar sub wants more power. Or, more accurately, the Planet amp is topping out long before the sub. I'm running the amp in 3-channel, and it can't keep the sub level up with the mains. Time to let the Planet power F & R (rears currently powered by the head, because who cares?) and get a dedicated mono sub amp that can actually hit rated power rather than the impolite fiction Planet publishes (the fuses on the amp literally can't handle enough current to support the claimed power - and they've never blown.) For the record, it has 2 x 20A fuses, which even at 14.4V would only be 576W across 4 channels, if there were no heat, etc. losses, yet somehow it's rated at like 900W just on the bridged mono channel. Yeah, no. edit: Lanzar, Hifonics, Precision Power, and several other of the old prestige brands are in the same boat as Soundstream. Remember that absolute monster of an amp from Precision? edit edit: Precision Power is owned by Epsilon Electronics, the same company as Soundstream, who also own Power Acoustik, another name I remember from back then, though they claim they are "one of the few true manufacturers of car audio and video products in the United States while seeking American and Korean influence in product software development." At least one model series says "Made in Korea" on the web page, and none of the rest say "Made in USA." Hmmm. Wonder if Orion is still around? edit yet again: yes, and it *was* owned by the company that owns Lanzar Pro (Lanzar [no "Pro"] is owned by the parent company of Pyle? Jesus, what a mess). Now owned by the company that owns Alphasonik - and will be made in USA. Not sure about previously. Darchangel fucked around with this message at 21:56 on Jul 6, 2023 |
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Jul 6, 2023 21:15
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No brand is safe. US Amps SQ442 is the same board as a Skar RP-150.4AB.
Lowclock fucked around with this message at 13:51 on Jul 16, 2023 |
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Jul 7, 2023 04:08
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What a clusterfuck. I also need to figure out which way to go now, because 2V from the output side of the amp. Godspeed little Orion 400, you done did good little buddy.  OR NOT  THAT'LL FUCKIN DO IT Goddamn previous owner!  I completely forgot about the inline at the front. Couldn't open the cover. Looked closer and found it had melted from sitting against the ABS unit. The entire fuse and housing just broke apart as I tried to open the cover. Replaced with an inline I had left over from an old kit and she's banging again!E again: I took it for a quick run and holy poo poo, it's amazing the difference clean power makes. I wondered why the head unit was 'subwoofer: +6' to have good punchy bass, but thought it was just the way it was. Turned it to +2 and it sounds amazing now. H1KE fucked around with this message at 10:16 on Jul 7, 2023 |
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Jul 7, 2023 05:59
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Sweet! Love it when the solution is relatively easy.
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Jul 7, 2023 20:58
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Imo just sub to Williston Audio Labs on YouTube and let Big D do the work for you. He buys and tests all manner of cheap eBay/Amazon kit, and based on some of the amp dyno runs I've seen, it's never been cheaper to chuck 1000+ RMS in the trunk of a car. A lot of this has to do with Class D amps being cheap to make and super efficient vs the older Class AB kit from the Orion/Soundstream/etc glory days. Some insane subs for the money too. https://youtube.com/@wal
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Jul 16, 2023 02:14
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I love that Big D shows what kind of power you can get out of cheap amps now, but man do I hate seeing that garbage rear end SMD gear. Biggest scam in car audio today.
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Jul 16, 2023 14:32
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Recently bought an 01 miata that has an old pioneer cd head unit that doesn’t work: I’m looking for either a single din head unit with Bluetooth that matches the interior better, or just forget trying to make it look good and go for a double din unit with CarPlay. Are there good CarPlay units that are in the $300 range? They seem to range from $200 to over a grand, and I haven’t paid attention to car audio in 20 years so I’m very out of the loop.
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Jul 16, 2023 14:49
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ATOTO has everything in that price range and size. Both single din with external screen, or double din units. I've used 2 so far and will be installing a third with my next used car.
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Jul 16, 2023 23:08
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Yeah they're pretty cool and don't require fucky apps to run android auto
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Jul 17, 2023 07:35
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Don Dongington posted:Imo just sub to Williston Audio Labs on YouTube and let Big D do the work for you. Exactly what I needed, thank you. I've watched a few different audio channels, but so many seem to have boxes of [insert brand] gear in the background and while they don't outright announce any sponsorships etc, it feels less than subjective takes when they review the gear of [brand] they have in the back of every second shot.
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Jul 17, 2023 14:52
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moxieman posted:Recently bought an 01 miata that has an old pioneer cd head unit that doesn’t work: If you can make dolphins come up on that display, you might get some good money for that old head unit.
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Jul 18, 2023 13:20
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I’ll have to take a look, it does cycle through some very silly early 2000s “cool” displays, but I don’t think dolphins is one of them. Edit: it does do dolphins, and lol @ these selling for over $100 on eBay. Why are they desirable? moxieman fucked around with this message at 14:13 on Jul 18, 2023 |
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Jul 18, 2023 13:48
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