Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with stereo and carstereo

Can I put an aftermarket stereo in a new Nissan Frontier?

jeffderek — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 08:14:39 -0800

Can I put an aftermarket stereo in a new Nissan Frontier? I'd like to purchase a 2009 Nissan Frontier. Like many cars nowadays, the stereo seems to take up the entire center of the dashboard, not a single replaceable unit. The edition I'd like to buy (SE-I4) does not have an Auxilliary input available as an option from the factory, so I'd need to put an aftermarket stereo in to get the Aux input.

Can I actually do this? Looking at the dash I don't understand how I'd replace the stereo, but I'm having trouble imagining that this is impossible. I replaced the stereo in my 2002 Saturn SL2 with no problem, but it was a more conventional stereo.

Thanks!

New car stereo solution?

ObscureReferenceMan — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 14:37:40 -0800

Car stereo solution for someone non-technical. I have a 1990 Acura Legend with original stereo & speakers, but the 10-disc changer my brother installed is having issues (discs aren't always recognized, and the remote is broken). And the rear speakers are buzzing. So I'm in the market for something new. I don't want to spend more than $500 (for stereo and speakers). My requirements:
- Input for iPod (will be purchasing that soon also)
- Should play at least one CD (in case on a road trip, someone brings tunes)
- Some kind of equalizer (not just treble/bass control)

My question is not so much "which unit" (but I welcome input/feedback), but "where to go?". My gut tells me BestBuy. I've browsed, and they seem to have a decent selection, and installation is minimal. Or do I go to a car stereo place? There are plenty on Long Island (suggestions for/against would also be appreciated). Would $500 get me something good?

One qualification: I do NOT want to buy individual components and install them myself (I know it's cheaper). I am NOT handy. I CANNOT do electrical installation. This is non-negotiable. Sorry.

Any other suggestions (units to be aware of +/-, forums, review sites, etc.) are welcome. Thanks!!

Where's the simplicity?

dance — Sun, 11 May 2008 14:18:51 -0800

Swapping a car's stereo head unit: I would really like to replace my car's ailing Blaupunkt CD player with a more modern head unit, ideally one with a front aux-in for my iPhone. Before I embarked on this I thought it would (should!) be as simple as popping out the old HU, slotting the new one in and simply reconnecting the connector block. But it seems the process is rarely that simple. My car, a 96 Mazda 626, does not seem to have the pretty wiring harnesses to be seen in many online tutorials. It looks exactly like this.

A friend said that all aftermarket stereos connect to the car's wiring harness via an ISO connector so I presumed that as my stereo is almost certainly aftermarket the hard work was already done for me. But having bought the removal keys and had a look behind the stereo it doesn't look like it.

What are my options? I would dearly love to avoid soldering, splicing and dicing and have a nice clean solution involving adaptors or the straightforward swap I hoped for.

I guess if I buy another Blaupunkt then I can just swap head units? There are two connectors even though only the brown topmost can be seen in the picture. Do Blaupunkts continue to use this setup?

I've tried asking at the12volt and installdr, but without much success!

Any help appreciated!

Spectacularly terrible car stereo...

Ian A.T. — Fri, 18 Nov 2005 01:34:09 -0800

My car stereo is probably as bad as it can possibly be and still produce sound. But…I think you guys can help me. The stereo is a factory-issue AM/FM/cassette deck from a mid-90s Caprice. (It has a Bose logo on it, whatever that means.) The symptoms:
        -The sound is really low; not indecipherible, but low enough that I’m always trying to turn it up a bit.
        -The sound also only comes out of one speaker, despite the fact that all four of them work. I know this because once a month or so I’ll hit a bump and have the glorious luxury of four-speaker sound for about ten seconds or so.
        -On coldish mornings, the radio produces only a terrifying high-pitched squeal until it “warms up.” Sometimes this takes fifteen minutes; on particularly cold mornings, the sound never goes away.

Okay! So I assume that the problem isn’t the “head unit” but rather the amp gone spectacularly haywire. Accordingly, here’s my questions…before you read them, please appreciate that my knowledge of car audio is limited mostly to adjusting the volume on NPR:

Is it the amp? Do I even have an amp?
If it’s not the amp, is it the head unit? Will I ever stop giggling when I type “head unit”?

Can I bypass the amp, or is this something I have to replace?
Please keep in mind that I know nothing about this. If I have to replace it, what should I look for when I’m buying? Obviously, I don’t need anything too powerful: I’ll be using my stereo to listen to the news and my iPod (via the cassette) a few times a week…not pumping b-b-b-b-b-b-b-bass as I cruise past your bedroom in the early morning hours. What’s a reasonable price range?

If I need to bypass or replace the amp, is this something I could do myself?
Despite my ignorance at all things car audio, I’m reasonably handy when it comes to automobile stuff: I change my own oil, give myself tune-ups, rotate my tires, and replace my own brakes. I mean, I don’t drop the transmission or anything like that, but I’m not clueless.

Thanks in advance for your help!

(Interesting tangent: the reason I probably need to do this myself is that I live in New Orleans. “Oh, right,” you’re saying, “and most of your car audio places are underwater or looted or just plain closed.” But, in a weird and depressing twist: no. In fact, most of them are open, they’re just packed. Like, ten-day waiting lists before you can even drop your car off overnight to maybe get looked at. Apparently, there’s a certain kind of person who gets a FEMA check and the first thing that springs to mind is b-b-b-b-b-b-b-bass.)

Looking for a car stereo with a good UI.

Plutor — Mon, 17 Oct 2005 06:36:24 -0800

The factory-installed stereo in my car has stopped playing CDs, and my commute is fairly long, so this is essentially unacceptable. I've looked into getting it repaired, but the whole stereo'll have to be sent away for weeks, and it'll end up costing a bunch. But I've yet to find an add-on in-dash stereo for $200 or less that isn't terribly ugly. I have a 2003 Nissan Altima; the current stereo (and dash) looks like this, which I'm otherwise 100% happy with. I'm not really an audiophile, so pretty much any stereo will probably sound good enough for me. I've considered buying an MP3 player, but my stock stereo doesn't have an aux port, and it'd require a lot of CD-ripping time to convert all of my collection. I'm savvy enough that I have absolutely no problem mounting a stereo myself.

But I absolutely hate the trend of blinking lights and tiny lettering on tiny chrome buttons that seems pervasive in the car stereo market. My priority is a good UI. Is that too much to ask for?

Opening up the dashboard of a Hyundai Tiburon

mzurer — Mon, 20 Dec 2004 13:57:53 -0800

Anybody know how to get into the dashboard of my Hyundai Tiburon? I am getting an aux adapter cable to plug into the back of Pioneer head unit, but poking around doesn't show any easy way to get the dash off. It might be there are some screws on the front of the head unit that will release it without taking apart the car. It looks like Pioneer has some fancy pokers and pullers, but I don't have them. Any equivalents I can find laying around my house?

Best format for MP3/WMA car CD player?

Quartermass — Thu, 10 Jun 2004 09:04:09 -0800

I just bought a new car stereo that plays MP3/WMA cds. My question: which format is better in the car?