Does anyone have any comment on this please?

I'm after a cheapo head unit, with at least a USB slot. This particular version also comes with an SD card slot.

Otherwise, I'm missing the CD changer magazine from the standard Clarion CD changer and head unit, so I guess I'll ask CarlT for a price...

To be fair it's probably alright for the money, but for £90 it ain't going to be great.

Still, it will probably sound better than the original Clarion.

I think Theresa has this head unit. She reckons for the money it's quite good if it's the same thing. Handy having the SD slot on there that's for sure. Never heard or seen the original Clarion head unit, they were long gone on both my coops. As were the original speakers. Please describe for me (With relish) just how bad the original one is please Mmmm ten year old head units, nice

Pinin,

I must take some photos tomorrow for your perusal.

The standard heat unit is a 'mare to live with IMO.

I like the idea of a 'jog' dial (you know, a thing you can twist) for the volume but the standard one has a button for up and down.

Also, (can't be arsed to post any more tonight).

It's poor.

As an old duffer, I'm more than happy with my Clarion

Sony do a good range of replacement head units that can play MP3 etc. I had one in my last coop and it was very good, apart from the standard factory speakers

standard factory speakers are fine for mp3 as the sound quality is degraded in that format.

In that case then, surely quality speakers are needed all the more to make best use of whatever quality there is?

One thing that might be worth checking is if you have an iPod- does it play the iPod's MPEG-4 AAC format or just MP3?

I have a stereo with USB that doesn't recognise and won't play the MPEG-4 AAC files.

Good question, although I don't have an iPod or similar.

The Halfords website just states MP3.

I can always convert my music files into standard MP3 if necessary.

Matthew

Bro, get a decat and forget the stereo

How about one of these?

Plug into cigarette lighter, Insert USB stick (any size) tune into your radio. Also has input for Ipod and comes with remote control.

I have a 1gb in mine and has 109 mp3's on it.

If you remove it from the cigarette lighter it also memorises what track was last playing and starts from there.

Only negative side is the tracks cant be stored in folders.

£25 posted.

To be honest, the interior of a moving car is so acoustically hostile you aren't going to able to tell the difference between CD and a MP3 encoded track whatever speakers you put in anyway. That doesn't mean that its not worthwhile upgrading the standard one's though as they are complete crap.

tone deaf maybe lol, was that your opinion as a professional installer? Or just some brash statement?

I must have super-fine hearing then as I can certainly tell the difference.

Neither and there's no need to be so bloody rude is there? Its just what i find in my own experience. Cars are terrible acoustically, you still aren't going to get audiophile sound even if you chuck £2k at your install.

In a hi-fi separates system, all other things being equal, a MP3 track compressed at a high sample rate will sound close to the original CD source. The main difference is in the superior timing, decay, space and imaging that CD gives over MP3. But these are attributes that you aren't going to notice in a car with all its associated road, engine and wind noise and limited speaker positioning. If you really think that you can tell a night and day difference between CD and MP3 in your car, then this will be down to the fact that your headunit simply plays CD's better and not the fact that MP3 is a lossy compression format.

bloody rude??? dennisk man i was haveing a laff,but that last thread of yours realy made me giggle, speaking as a pro installer for 18 years.

You have your informed opinion and i've got mine. Lets just leave it at that shall we.

I have 2 friends who are audio engineers and audiophiles and I have learnt so much off them with regards to sound.

Bottom line is a car is a bad environment for good quality sound. Too much noise, too much inteference, too many awkward surfaces and you are sitting in the wrong place!

As one of them put it, "Once you spend over £500 on new kit, you are getting ever diminishing returns on ever greater investment."

I find MP3 a very useful thing in the car, but I also encode at 320kps to minimize the quality loss.

Purchasing a Mclaren F1 would mean much better acoustics as you are sat bang in the middle, although for 1 million, it's not the cheapest way.

Actually no, as you still have all the associated problems of noise and awkward shapes!

Also if I had a Mclaren F1 I wouldn't give a **** about the audio!

Me neither. Gordon Murray has a moustache on his upper lip, I heard that this was grown Solely to improve (by just .1%) the internal acoustics of the Mclaren F1. Don't know if it's true or not, but I have started my own just in case.

And that has to be a contender for most pointless post on a forum!

No, that goes to your post Just then!

lol

Some good points there, although the actual size of the vehicles interior is 80% of the problem, as for noise sound deadening, choice of car and modifying can help or increase the prob also there isn’t much when cruising or when stationary, with a good knowledge of electronics and buying quality products there should not be any interference, a good installer can overcome a lot of awkward surfaces that’s no prob, as for sitting in the wrong place that is an issue, although apart from sitting in the middle of a 40meter ball every environment would have glitches granted some more than others, imaging can also be over come by using installation techniques again quality products, plus some high end head units have time delay controls.




Great statement by who ever, although you wouldn’t get much of a system for under £500, weather home, car, TV, studio etc, a decent head unit is round about £500 lol but then again that’s the good thing its what people are happy with that matters, a better statement would be you only get what you pay for quality usually costs a bit more



I agree mp3 is fantastic storing hundreds of files etc access at the touch of a button, control on tracks albums in seconds, minimal storage, super cheap, technology at its finest, but every thing has its down side and sound quality wise its the worst format since the production of stereo.

I should probably clarify, that the £500 statement was made in reference to a car audio system.
I have heard his car system and it sounds awesome to my untrained ear, but he considers it poor compared to the home system

I know considerably more was spent by him on his home system (and it does sound absoultely astounding!).
He wasn't happy with most of the kit he looked at so he designed and built his own amps and the sub enclosure.
I wouldn't like to think what the other kit cost considering I didn't recognise any of the names!

Oh and his opinions on MP3 are unrepeatable!
I like it though, and that is all that really matters!

Back on topic ( ), I've now got this unit fitted, and I have to say that I'm really impressed so far.

Cost me £89.99 from Halfords, and I paid them £19.99 to fit it too, as I was impatient and don't have the tools required.

It's a much better unit to use than the standard Clarion, it's what you'd expect for £90.

I wanted a cheap head unit, with USB input, and this baby satisfies that criteria. I didn't want to spend mega bucks on an expensive unit, because I don't have to worry about it being nicked, and also, as a nod to the above posts, my car is never going to be the best environment for listening to music.

It does seem louder and bassier than the standard job, the standard Coop speakers seem to be pretty good.

It also has an SD card slot. I will try and get pictures up later and a full review for anyone that's considering this unit.