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Ok, weird question time. I like my head unit, but I'm going to sell my car. I'm going to take the head unit out and will need to replace it with something cheap, but I'm not sure if I should go full-retard and get something like this (mentioned a few pages back, which, if RIP Paul Walker thinks it's actually not full retard, may be the answer!) or if I should go in a different direction. It's a double-DIN slot in a Mustang, I'm comfortable rewiring and everything, just don't know if a $70 head unit is going to be so bad as to lower the resale of the car.
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Dec 9, 2019 22:39
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| # ¿ May 15, 2024 18:34 |
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If you have an iPhone, you want CarPlay. If you have an Android, you want Android Auto. Strong recommendation: Don't buy a headunit for it's navigation (it's ok if it has it, but it shouldn't be a big decider). Your phone will always be better and more up to date running (something like) Waze than the stored data on the headunit. CarPlay/Android Auto will let you use Waze, Spotify, your podcast app, whatever - from your headunit.
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Jan 7, 2020 20:39
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I'm a huge fan of Pioneer, yes, they're good. I'd agree more broadly with Uncle Lizard - those are all good brands (including Clarion) and the savings to buy any of the others aren't really worth it. You will need an adapter to get the steering controls working. If you browse over to crutchfield.com, they'll give you part numbers for what you need, specific to your vehicle. If you already have a backup camera on the car, I'm not 100% sure what adapting that looks like. If you don't, the aftermarket ones *generally* (but not always) come with pretty standard wiring, that should work with most head units. Certainly if they sell together (like that pioneer/walmart link) I'd expect the harness to already be there. edit: It looks like iDatalink (the company that makes the adapters for steering wheel controls) also adapts factory backup cameras, so decent likelihood they'll have something for that as well. Krakkles fucked around with this message at 23:46 on Jan 7, 2020 |
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Jan 7, 2020 23:42
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Coredump posted:It even has the ability to use a Pioneer Home theater receiver microphone and do tone sweeps in the car to setup more accurate time alignment and correct the eq curve for the vehicle the head unit is in. Ok that's enough car audio nerding out for now.
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Apr 9, 2020 17:38
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It can be. Factory premium stereos are usually a bit of a ripoff - you pay a substantial amount extra when the car is purchased for something with a good name on it, but generally not their top quality kit. I.e., your Harman Kardon setup is certainly better than whatever the base model option was, but certainly not as good as top end Harman Kardon, and probably more expensive than low end Harman Kardon. There are certainly factory stereos that are "fine" - they're not the best, but they're more than adequate for the average user. Personally, I have a weird mix of basically all the choices - I have a 2000 Mustang with the Mach 460 system and an aftermarket headunit, which sounds better than the original Mach 460, but not as good as full aftermarket, I have a Jeep Cherokee with a fully aftermarket mix of gear that is definitely the highest audio quality of any of the three (and not all that expensive, honestly), and my wife has a more modern Ford Focus which we optioned with the upgraded Sony stereo because, honestly, I didn't want to gently caress with it. It sounds fine, but certainly cost more than just putting a stereo in a base model would have. All that to say - the single best thing you can do if you already have the factory premium system is probably an aftermarket headunit. The factory premium speakers shouldn't be THAT bad.
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Apr 9, 2020 17:56
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STR posted:I've heard the Mach systems before, and to me, they sound terrible. Muddy bass and not a lot of anything else. Granted, my hearing is hosed, but I'm used to a $150 head unit + $75/pair speakers + old rear end sub. Not exactly a high end setup, but better than what most cars roll with.
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Apr 10, 2020 16:48
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MikeyTsi posted:Any wire you attach to the chassis is going to be a ground. 
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Apr 12, 2020 02:49
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Solutions in rough order of desirability:
Don't use wire nuts.
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Oct 29, 2020 22:16
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Car stereos are pretty easy to install, especially if you look at something like the pre-wired adapter harnesses on Crutchfield (I think $25 on top of the harness adapter, possibly cheaper if you buy everything from them - they connect the adapter so it's basically plug and play for your car). Probably bigger factor, a LOT of "professional" installs of audio are really, really bad - not that it's impossible to find someone to do it right, but a lot of people seem to have really bad experiences with letting other people install the stuff. As to whether it's worth it - how much is your time worth? You're probably not going to do it in an hour if you've never done it before, almost anyone with the slightest amount of technical know-how can do it in less than a weekend, and most people with some technical know-how can probably do it in an afternoon. The one other thing I'd throw out there: Resistive touchscreens suck rear end. Look for a headunit with capacitive instead. The Pioneer MVH-1400NEX is the one I've got, though I don't think it does Android Auto. There are others.
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Jan 20, 2021 23:34
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Judging by the manufacturer's website, there's only actually four wires you have to connect, and they appear to identify the connector. That's not horrible unless the connector is inside the heater core or something stupid like that (doubtful). https://pac-audio.com/swi-guide-center/controlpro-guide/ I selected the vehicle model and picked a JVC, but if you put in your options it culminates in a "wiring diagram".
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Jan 20, 2021 23:59
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What do headunits generally expect to receive on the Mute and Dimmer wires? (It’s a Pioneer MVH-1400NEX if it matters) I’m swapping headunits and the dimmer wire has never worked (currently wired to the matching wire on the Metra harness) and I’m thinking if it just looks for 12V there, I can wire up a switch to control it. Edit: If random forum posts are to be trusted, it looks like the dimmer wire controls brightness based on voltage between 0-12v. So hooking up 12v would probably key full brightness, 0v actually seems like it would do nothing (otherwise not hooking it up would make it dim all the time?), and a potentiometer may be in order. I don’t know that I care as much about the mute, but the same thought has occurred to me. (The car doesn’t have any steering wheel controls or anything like that.) Krakkles fucked around with this message at 19:54 on Feb 5, 2021 |
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Feb 5, 2021 17:28
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Humbug posted:I might be talking out my rear end here. Low beams are mandatory at all times in my country so I have never used the dimer function.
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Feb 5, 2021 21:38
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Oh, that's good info. So, I think I have to devise something on my own - the vehicle side harness has a orange wire marked illumination / dash light, the headunit has an orange / white wire which specifies in the install manual that it should be connected to the "lighting switch terminal" - no details about V+/ground/anything else. Even better, the install manual for the last car this headunit was in said you definitely connect the orange wire, and it appears that I connected it to the orange/white - which would explain why this didn't work. At least it didn't fry anything. If I was going to attempt to step down the voltage manually, is a potentiometer like this viable? I know it shouldn't be PWM, beyond that, I don't feel knowledgeable about ohms and the like.
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Feb 5, 2021 23:38
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Pioneer MVH-1400NEX, install manual here: https://www.pioneerelectronics.com/StaticFiles/Manuals/Car/MVH-1400NEX_InstallationManual051718.pdf Completely open to being wrong, but I don't see it. Edit: And it's going into a 2000 Jeep Cherokee, just to not leave anything out. Harness for this one (like the vehicle it was in before) has orange but not orange/white. Krakkles fucked around with this message at 00:29 on Feb 6, 2021 |
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Feb 6, 2021 00:26
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That issue is part of what drew me to this backup camera. It has a much smaller connector that you can easily fish through boots/tight spaces. It looks like it's possible to splice RCA cables, if you're comfortable with that kind of thing, but I will say I've stayed away from it, because it's got a weird ground shield thing going on. Youtube videos talking about replacing the end of an RCA cable say ominous things like "this is a last resort fix". Krakkles fucked around with this message at 18:38 on Aug 11, 2021 |
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Aug 11, 2021 18:34
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Bank posted:Thanks for the thoughts so far -- I guess I should provide more info. This is the head unit I have already installed: Krakkles posted:That issue is part of what drew me to this backup camera. It has a much smaller connector that you can easily fish through boots/tight spaces. That $400 quote probably doesn't mention that they're not likely to be any more careful or precise than they have to, so don't think that it buys you peace of mind, either.
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Aug 11, 2021 21:33
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Bank posted:The camera is some cheap $10 license plate bulb one, that I got from AliExpress years ago with the huge RCA plug. That photo makes a bunch of sense, thanks! How small is that thing (#2)? I didn't see any photos from other users but it doesn't look too much smaller than the RCA plug?
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Aug 12, 2021 05:42
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Also betting on it being those connections. My recollection from when I installed it is that those wires are tiny, which makes it easy to not get a good connection. I used butt connectors and had to put a stitch of bigger wire in with the wire to get a good connection. I’d definitely just ground to a bolt, and I’d strongly consider … uh, anything except vampire taps.
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Sep 11, 2021 07:23
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Bank posted:Thanks folks. I got some overpriced posi tap connectors today and no go on those either. I did try swapping the colors as some places say Honda uses black for ground.  Those Posi tap connectors are supposed to be better, but you may still have trouble because the ground wire for the camera is tiny. If I recall correctly, I just stripped it back a decent amount (maybe an inch?), wrapped it around a slightly loosened appropriate ground bolt, and tightened the bolt.
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Sep 12, 2021 04:54
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Yeah, bad ground would keep the camera from turning on, without affecting the trigger signal to the head unit.
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Sep 12, 2021 18:59
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I did, basically, the green spot to the right. Ironically, I had to deal with license plate lights on the other car where I ran a backup camera and basically just removed one of the lights, replacing the other with a brighter light, which also works. I would try to get as close to center as possible, and err on the side away from the driver. Here's the view from mine, and the view cuts off literallyat the corner of the bumper - if something is visible over there, the bumper will hit it.
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Sep 12, 2021 23:52
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Darchangel posted:As a former mobile electronics installer, this statement gives me hives, but not as much as using vampire taps.
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Sep 13, 2021 18:54
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Hahaha - you're right, that'd be the right way to do it. It was a judgement call - it was nearly (if not the) the last connection I was making before I could button up a panel that will not be opened again in any way that could require disconnecting/reconnecting, it was ~10:30pm, and I didn't feel like getting an extension cord out to where I was working on it. Ooooh, but: I can't remember if I owned my portable soldering iron by then or not - dang, maybe I did screw up.
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Sep 13, 2021 20:02
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Can you fab up a spacer to push it down? You'd basically just need a piece of metal or plastic (could probably get away with wood, too, but I wouldn't recommend it) that's got holes where the bolts and where the wire go. You might need to angle it, too, unless the hatch was open when you took that pic, which I think it was? Or if you want to be like a lot of other car owners I've seen, you could just cut the trim, too
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Sep 13, 2021 23:32
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Is there any reason I can’t use the harness speaker wires from a head unit on a 2000 Mustang GT with the Mach 460 nonsense? The current adapter I have is for RCA cables into a specific connector for the body side, but I’m putting a reaaaaally cheap head unit in the car, and it doesn’t have enough RCA outputs, although it does have the correct number of wires in the harness. I guess I’m not super clear on what is or isn’t a high level or speaker level or whatever and I’m worried the head unit is going to pump too much power in to the speakers. Or not enough. Edit: Looks like there's two RCA ports on the headunit (L+R) and four on adapter/bodyside (FL,FR,RL,RR). RCA splitter seems like the most straightforward, reversible if the next owner doesn't like it, fix. Krakkles fucked around with this message at 23:41 on Nov 5, 2021 |
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Nov 5, 2021 20:51
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Wasabi the J posted:I have a XAV-AX100 with no accessories I could let go for less than that not to undercut the above poster.
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Nov 6, 2021 22:10
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Krakkles posted:Edit: Looks like there's two RCA ports on the headunit (L+R) and four on adapter/bodyside (FL,FR,RL,RR). RCA splitter seems like the most straightforward, reversible if the next owner doesn't like it, fix. Also, this really cheap headunit is ... shockingly good. The only points I'd really put against it are the RCA ports (only has L+R / two ports) and it does have a pretty cheap feel to it, but it sounds fine, it supports Carplay well, the UI is reasonably clear and easy to work with, installing it was just like any other headunit I've ever installed.
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Nov 30, 2021 00:24
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Nocheez posted:My buddy just bought a 2010 Tundra and wants to replace the radio with something that supports Carplay and a backup camera. I sent this along to him, but do you have any recommendations on a camera or other thoughts? In terms of visual quality, I can't say I've seen any difference between the three different cameras I've used - they're all basically cheap old webcam quality, and that's fine for the purpose. Edit: Oh, and they had the headunit for ~$6 less on amazon outlet. Only issue was that it didn't include the manual, but they quickly sent along a PDF when I contacted the seller. Worth a look!
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Nov 30, 2021 17:24
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| # ¿ May 15, 2024 18:34 |
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Only other reason I can think of is if you want Android Auto/Carplay, which it doesn't sound like you care about. I vastly prefer buttons and a loving volume knob over the touchscreen crap that is now the norm, do it!
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Mar 27, 2024 22:26
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