hi iv worked in the car audio industry for 6 years now hense the user name lol

if you have any questions on new products or equipment i'l be happy to help

cheers

OK then...I want a single DIN unit with built in bluetooth and MP3 playback via USB (less interested in dedicated iPod control and charging of nano 4G, but that would be nice) and SDHC card support if possible and illumination I can change to orange to match the Coupe

As for the MP3/USB playback thing, will the unit output 5V for charging via USB and allow iPod like control of the playback (via a graphic display or 2-3 line display), will I need to use the phone software that makes it look like a memory stick?

Can I run 2 USB things from the same USB plug on the head unit, I was wanting to connect the phone direct (rather than use streaming via bluetooth, I assume direct the quality will be better?) but also plug in an Inforad K1, or maybe charge the GPS unit, etc. Or maybe I should use the 2.5mm minijack connection on the phone and go via Aux in?

As much as I'd prefer front USB and Aux in, they look untidy and messy on most units, so they might have to be rear mounted.

I currently have a sub with rockford fosgate IIRC amp and separate kenwood IIRC amp for front (Canton door & tweeters with separate L&R crossover units) but all fed via the single set of (front?) pre-outs on my old Kenwood head unit.

Will 2 pre-outs give me separate F and R (so I can use the rear for the sub, although I have a separate "volume" control under the dash for the sub) and what's the point of 3 pre-outs, is it F, R and sub? I think I've done away with my old rear speakers, but TBN I can't remember if they're connected or not

Any maybe just maybe I also want (but don't need) built in CD player? And is my boot mounted 10xCD player obsolete?

And I want this all for less than £100

(OK, I might have to give way a bit on price)

Okay well I kind of want what Dave has said in terms of a head unit. Though the sub and pre out part is not needed. Looking forward to any recommendations you can come up with

ok £100 no lol

For usb charging id recommend a 12v cigar usb charger, for the reason id rather not ask the head unit to charge a usb device that was no ment to be fitted to its usb port.

for bluetooth audio its there as streaming audio by the use of bluetooth connection, not connecting your phone like a erricson or nokia and changing it to a sorage device.
audio is good due to many factors, best results is having the phone situated near to the device

sd cards are dated as you can buy 2gb fast data memory sticks cheap enough.

unfortunaly blue, read are the popular colours are the mo.

there is an alpine unit that is ipod compatable that is ambar that i will list later

usb is now the new mp3, by meaning alot of cheaper headunits now for £60 to £120 favour the front usb as this sells as people want a plug in out fast option, yes i does look pants but it sells, so rear mounted usb headunits are costly as there rarer to find.

the use of 3 pre-out is so that you can run 3 amps (front rear sub) or 2 amps(2 channel amp for sub, four channel for front&rear speakers) or (2x subs = four channel bridged to two channel using a rca y splitter, four channel amp running front and rear)

the combinations are a few but it all comes down to what you powering

you can have a four channel amp for tweeters, a four channel amp for mids, then woofers, then depending on subs?? then a eq, crossover network, ect.......

and yes you can run a front component set up and sub woofer using a 2 pre-out headunit, you will have to use your amp that runs the rear sub to change the signal from the phone cable thats connected to your rear pre-out as some cheaper units wont have subwoofer control

as for the volume control you use for you sub, it will eventualy kill your sub and then your amp.

recomend headunits for situations

if you have a stereo you want to keep but want usb, ipod, phone jack

will continue

recomend headunits for situations

if you have a stereo you want to keep but want usb, ipod "all generations, iphone, touch ect", stereo jack, sd card, bluetooth audio, bluetooth handsfree:

Then buy a parrot mki 9200

http://www.parrot.com/uk/products/for-ipod-and-iphone

http://caraudiosecurity.com/shop/product/products_id/10110.html

All the above without sd card and colour screen
mki 9100

http://www.parrot.com/uk/products/for-ipod-and-iphone

http://caraudiosecurity.com/shop/product/products_id/10109.html

For ipod headunit with mp3, front usb and rear ipod full speed control, (non iphone or touch compatable) in ambar colour:

alpine cde-101rm
http://caraudiosecurity.com/shop/product/products_id/10495.html

as the above but supports all generation of ipod.
multi illumination *amber*

alpine cde-102ri
http://caraudiosecurity.com/shop/product/products_id/10496.html

usb support at rear, ipod, amber

alpine cde-9880r

http://caraudiosecurity.com/shop/product/products_id/8011.html

Bargin Headunits

if you find one the sony bt2600 was the bargin of the century with ipod, bluetooth hands free, bluetooth audio, mp3, aux in,

http://www.caraudiodiscount.com/mexbt2600-cd-bluetooth-stereo-and-ipod-kit-p-12736.html

ipod only headunit

alpine

1. idx-x305

http://caraudiosecurity.com/shop/product/products_id/10627.html

*but id also like you to ask your self about the parrot mki 9200 for the money*

2. ida-x303

http://caraudiosecurity.com/shop/product/products_id/10877.html

3. ida-x301rr

http://caraudiosecurity.com/shop/product/products_id/10879.html

ipod, bluetooth

alpine cde-103bt *amber illumination*
(very recomended, easy to use, fast phone book search, all my customers have been happy with this unit)

http://caraudiosecurity.com/shop/product/products_id/10498.html

or the sony bt2600

i can go on but let me know

also if alpine look like the only headunits in amber well they are lol

Great, I had not even considered the Parrot add-on units but when you say *consider Parrot mki9200 if looking at Apline id-x305* don't you mean Parrot mki8400 (head unit) and will the phone work when stuffed inside the mki8400? (in the Coupe the head unit is way down low near the gear stick under the dash)

Do any of the USB connections supply 5V power to charge the MP3 device? And my phone is an ancient old Palm Treo 650 with lots of hacks, eg: for SDHC cards, or to behave like a memory stick, etc., so it will be trial and error to see if some of these units work.

When I've had a proper look I'll be back with more Q's but thanks for that!

no no dont touch there headunits!!!!!! its what i like to think of "stick to what you know" and headunits are not that.

alpine use parrots bluetooth chips in there headunits that come with bluetooth built in, but if alpine made there headunits then id say no probs but its just a gimmic at the mo

yes it will charge if the usb on the parrots, dont touch there headunits though

the reason i say look at the mki9200 is the value for money and what the both can do very similar,

I'm beginning to think the mki9200 might be what I'm after. Am I right in thinking it hijacks the ISO connectors with its own amp to power the speakers, using its own input from the iPod or USB/MP3 device, so that the head unit can be switched off?

And if I want to use the head unit to listen to FM or CD's then the Parrot will butt in and hijack the speakers again to make/receive a call, can it send a mute/pause signal to the head unit?

But my amps/speakers are all powered from the single set of pre-outs on my head unit, will I have to connect via the ISO speaker connectors instead?

And BTW why do you say that the sub volume control will kill the sub/amp? If I had 2 sets of pre-outs could I use one set for the sub and the other for the fronts with head unit effectively controlling the sub volume (via front/rear fader?) I have another ancient old Kenwood head unit that I'm thinking of fitting just becaused it's sitting there unused, it has 2 pre-outs and the front panel display works (current one has stopped displaying anything for the CD changer and the cassette deck also doesn't work)

Oh and what about other Kenwood, Clarion, Pioneer head units, worth bothering with in your opinion? or for what I want is it simply a choice of which Alpine unit, or Parrot?

New question:

When you can hear the engine through your speakers does it suggest a bad earth? If not what else is it?

Thanks!

bizzy turbo like sound can be a bad earth on the stereo or amplifier,cheap nasty rca cables being run down the car with the amps 12v power cable, in some cases it could be an alternator on its way out, dogy power cap, nackard amp with a damaged channel, there a few to list lol

dave your not making this easy lol

yes the parrot hijacks the iso output when you have a call or playing music via a device of you choice

yes it has a mute cable you attach to your headunit, but as it uses the iso to cut the sound from the head unit i never end up using it unless its a navigation headunit or amplified setup.

now as your set up is amp powered, you will need to get back to basics and use a iso.

now listen up, i am asuming youv just run amp to speakers direct and cut out the old iso all together, you need to use the fiats original speaker wiring set up to your speakers, a iso plug back on original fiat speaker wirers behind the headunit, then using a new female iso connector "halfords or a audio shop" connect and run all your current amplified speaker wires to the iso behind your stereo you've just put back into action.

colours to speakers on a iso

white pair = front left
gray pair = front right
green pair = rear left
violet pair = rear right

http://www.siocommunications.co.uk/Wiring_files/audio_wiring.jpg

now use the parrot kit, it will handle a amplified speaker feed "this is you amplifier"

remember to test 12v feed to the parrot, as labled one is ignition and is orange wire "this is a 12v switch, i.e operated by your ingnition keys" the other is the 12v memory " a constant 12v feed" these are found supplying power to your head unit, usally red for ignition and yellow for memory, but use a test light to find out.

to swap the 12v feed on the parrot use the parrots fuse holder instead of cuting and joining.

and yes the sub volume control is a licence to distroy subs and amps, at full volume it pushes the amp and makes distrotion with then recks the subs coil, which then over heats the amp.

in short only use a head unit controled sub control, it lowers the volume using the pre-out signals, the sub control doesnt.

dont be lazy, set the gain, hi and low on the amp and then LEAVE IT ALONE!

a good 3 pre-out headunit will allow you to adjust everything from inside the car.

answer to the old head units, buy a new one that will allow you to tune up the sound.

now im a pioneer man but my sound off headunit cost me £800 in 2005 lol

kenwood are good with tweeking sound £150-250

alpine are a no fuss does the job minimal messing around unless you buy a unit over £250

sony, iv never liked the sound but features are good sometimes

jvc is sony basicly, they share Technologies

and anything else is pants!

if not dave pay me and i will do it

Thanks AG, i will look at the earthing points and change the pwr cable run to the otherside of the car. It is currently running alongside the speaker wire and RCa's (all three of them).

If it were easy I would have done it ages ago

but not all head units have a "mute in" connection

just call me granny, and pass me another egg Yes I have bypassed the standard speaker outputs in the ISO connector, I power them all from the pre-out. Not sure why I would need to use the original Fiat speaker wiring? I currently go from pre-out to splitters, one set to amp and sub, other set to other amp and then via crossovers to door and floor mounted tweeters, none of the original speakers or speaker cables are being used.

Does the pre-out send the same level of signal as the speaker outputs in the ISO connector, ie: are they interchangable, with the pre-outs just being there for convenience?

they're like that on the cables already there

what do you mean?

but the volume control is on the input to the amp, not the output, does that make a difference? I've not managed to destroy them yet

assuming I want to use the rear speakers? But if not, won't 2 pre-outs be enough (I'm not worried about the kids in the back )

Hmmm, well actually I'm still considering keeping my THB Bury cradle and wiring into the CD changer input and controlling MP3 playback via the phone in the cradle (yes I know it's "old skool" but I'm beginning to doubt that I need bluetooth after all since I have the built in cradle with phone antenna and external mic, and can I be ar$ed to pair up every time, it's a lot easier just to chuck the phone in the cradle, and listen to sound when I want, knowing that the phone will "butt in" and mute the head unit and use its built-in speaker)

What it doesn't give me of course is MP3 playback via SB sticks or SD cards, nor the sort of seamless integration that the Parrot can give me, and I have to put up with phone calls chucking me out of the MP3 player on the phone. But I listen to music an awful lot more than making phone calls.

but you wouldn't recommend any? Otherwise it's kenwood maybe (might be handy, current HU is Kenwood with 10 CD stacker in boot)and alpine.

Thanks for the input so far!

the reason i havent listed any pioneer is that iv gone on the specs requested like amber illumination, usb front, ipod rear ect

when i mean the parrot will take the amplified feed, is basicly " dont worrie, the parrot wont blow up due to the amped speaker feed"

yes a two preout is fine front and sub, so your just after a front sound stage only?

question, are the rear speakers on the front preout too??

also, bluetooth is now the standard, cradles now are mostly for charging and holding the phone in clear view of the driver, for a pda phone or i phone im not one to comment lol, but there time is nearly over HA Ha HAAAAAA......

Soon will be the abbilty to pair all phone on a kind of bluetooth network then when one phone rings it will use that phone.

also my bluetooth kit in the van is a bury cc9060 which i love when it read you text messages

kenwood are good, but iv found they opt more for front mounted ipod connection on the lower end units

no, pre-out and the stereo speaker out puts is not the same, in laymens terms your stereo is a four channel amp, thats output is 45w per channel, but has a radio and cd built in

for e.g, i had a ferrari becker headunit that blow its internal amp due to a speaker wirer earthing on the body.
so the car had a install fitted and the preout were not effected, and the speaker out puts were never going to be used again after this.

the L and R pre-outs are low signal out put, no distortion at full volume.

but saying this the signal produced is only as good as the headunit its from.

@Shifty

also the rca cable might be crap quality, there shelded, double shelded and tripple, double is more then good enough.

auto leads
audison
stinger

Yes the main reason for wanting to keep the cradle is exactly that, to keep the phone/PDA fixed in position and being charged, I can still use bluetooth and disable the "car kit" function on the PDA, so then the only question is how to get the MP3 sound out, PDA has a 2.5mm stereo jack (actually 4 pin, 1 for mic) the pins on the multiconnector carry the audio signals too, but they don't appear to be connected to anything in the cradle, and I'm not sure my soldering skills are good enough to make those connections inside the cradle and the THB base unit otherwise that would be the answer for me.

I have a simple Brodit holder that I could use instead for charging (less bulky too), and it's easy enough to connect using the minijack (just not automatic when phone put in holder, although I could try to glue a minjack connector in position. Then it's just a matter of remembering to pair up all the time

I thought that that pre-outs were unamplified, but then the last link in the puzzle is the speaker wiring via the ISO connector, are you saying that I should use the ISO speaker feed into the two amps and not bother with pre-outs at all? Or not bother with the amps either? The Parrot kit can only achieve its magic via the ISO connectors, not the pre-outs I guess what I could do is use the mute signal from the Parrot to pause the head unit (outputting via pre-out) and wire up a small external speaker, or use the - still connected - rear speakers via the ISO. I have external speakers from various THB Bury kits I've acquired over the years, and I can only easily use the original rear speakers since the fronts are wired separately via an amp and crossovers.

How about wiring up the signals from the Parrot (at the ISO connector) to the "input" of the head unit, ie: the CD changer input L&R which I was going to hack into originally to get the MP3 sound in, luckily its such an ancient head unit it has simple CD changer connections.

Alternatively how else do you get the Parrot to work with external amplifiers? I've read on the Parrot forum that it's not easy to get it to work witht he amplified rear speakers in Audi's for example.

Sorry to hog the thread, maybe we should got to PM?

Just out of interest, does anyone make a head unit that takes a SIM card? Or how about a Parrot with SIM card?

And fair enough about not recommending any Pioneers, in the same way I might have to give way on price I might need to relax a bit about the illumination

Yes I guess I am after a "front sound stage only" until such time as music comes along in surround sound 5.1 format

And yes, my rear sub is based on the front preout as are the front speakers, the rear speakers are not used (yet) they are still the OE equipment and I didn't feel the need to change them.

Thanks again AG, I brought a vibe amp kit that included one of the rca's, I have three of them running from the hu to the boot (all along the same route) and I used what looked like the worst quality for the sub. The kit also came with this vibe flat speaker cable, I'm not sold no this even though I used it, have you seen this before? I could strip this cable just using my nails it was so soft!

its not a bad cable to but it not great either lol, but better end bell wire

to be honest audison i recon with street wire and stinger make some of the best cables, i even use audison speaker cable off the reel for my home audio and also there rca leads

Ok it's coming out at the weekend, it should only take a couple of hours to remove it and get hold of some decent stuff.

hey ag totally agree, now tell him how much proper rca costs lol i.e streetwires zn9 imho the best around at the mo,2ch 5m cheap at £100

That's wasting money imho. Middle of the road costs I can handle but not £100 for a cable!
Try and remember it's going into a coupe not a double glazed merc where outside noise is reduced.

ok ill try and remember that lol but then it could be debated in that case all the more reason for quality components, follow ag's rule of thumb tips and you should be fine ,also don’t stuff over length wire/cable into/behind places as this can cause coil like resistance making whining noises.

Hey Mule I'm not trying to be clever, i kind of know you get what you pay for etc but i have tried to buy smart and really shopped around. To be honest I should have mine fitted but i actually enjoy the installation.

I no mate all credit to ya, just gather tips/info and take your time,also try and keep the out of sight installation bits tidy/neet to, as they can some time conflict [cause interference] sound wise.

Does that mean I can't fit the massive pioneer sticker in my rear window? LOL
I'm sure just like all of us we live in area's where our cars could be at risk so 'Out of sight , out of mind'
Yes learning all the time, not just on sound but everything about these cars. This is why I use countrycruising for all my work as he takes time to explain what he's doing and why.
Still on a huge learning curve...

Yer there are some exspensive cables out there but I qwite like the audison stuff, it's super flexable, very well made, and very reasonably priced.

Yer out if sight is key, to run the cables you can duck tape them to the metal floor or as another mate of mine he users sound deadening to bond it to the floor when running cables, this give it that extra protection for the speaker cables and RCA cable from interferance

Hello audioguy, back to one of my Q's on page 1, not sure if you saw it?

Will the Parrot only work via ISO connectors and switch off the already amplified output from the head unit and substitute its own amplified signal? Will I have to ditch my old twin amp setup based on the old head unit pre-outs? Does the Parrrot have pre-outs?

After thinking some more, perhaps I should just go for a fancier head unit with minimum 2 preouts (for front sound stage only, when CD's arrive in 5.1 surround sound I might go for more)

Thanks for the advice so far!

hi mate as i explaind, you can take the speaker output from the 4 channel amp to the speaker iso input of the parrot then from the iso out-put of the parrot to the speakers.

yes the parrot has a amp built in and eq and the sound it brill!

or you can pay me to do it

Ah of course, that makes sense, sorry I was having a blonde moment (oh sorry, that's not PC is it )

lol but its the truth haha

Audioguy, what are you thoughts on these please. I have the Focal 6x9's in my rear quarters and so would naturally go for these for the front.

I have fitted the 13cm versions to a e46 and the were a very clear, crisp speaker but didn't have the ability to Handle bass at a hi volume but this could be becase they was run straight from the headunit and there size. I generaly like to start with a speaker that has a minimum genuine 80w rms, I prefer 100w rms really (alpine type r's)

Being ampted is the best result, hertz make some really nice quality 4 channel amps and audison make very good amps, also steg are alsome but ca...ching!

Hi
What do you think of the hertz hsk 16.5 components? or are there better at this price range?
Jon

hi the hsk's are the ones i recomend, there very clear and are tonefull with good bass responce

Hi
As well as the above speakers, I am also thinking about the alpine pdx 4x100 amp so it can fit under my passenger seat,and using the genesis profile 69 subs to fit in the rear quarters.
The bit i am confused about is do i buy 8ohm or 4ohm p69's?
and how do i run the amp with them?
People are talking about bridging channels and running them parallel.
I kind of understand, but an explanation and your advice of what would sound best would be appreciated.
Thanks,Jon.

this is always a tricky one to answer lol

i personaly prefer to stick to 4onm's on everything but if you demand hard bass and power to you desposal then most hard core bass junkies go down the 2 and 1ohm routes, i prefer a more pure hi-fi sound then a club music feel of bass shaking.

now to be fair i have used 2x 2ohm alpine type r subs 12" on a pdx and they were brilliant, very conrolled, punchy and responsive so you can have either and sometimes it can be cost effective to buy 2ohm

wiring the subs up in 4-2-1ohm's is in the instructions supplied with the sub and amp.

Hmmm still confused,I was talking about either running two 4ohm p69s with a channel each or bridging the channels together and running two 8ohm p69's from one channel.(does that make a 4ohm load?)
Any way i think i will stick to 4ohm p69's on a channel each!
Last question was what do you think is a nicer sounding amp hertz ep4/ep4x or alpine pdx4.100?

Cheers AG, I take it these are an average price?

Hi mate if you could do me a favour, i dont get on with dynamic sounds anymore and its due to them stealing customers from me and selling me net prices as trade, the installer's a mate of mine but other then that these guys are scum to be honest and im not the only one theyv done this too.

the alpine pdx 4.100 would be my choice, its clear, pure and never seems to struggle to deliver detailed sound.

as for the hertz id say this amp is also very good, very warm, tune-able, detailed sound, a very good hi end starter.

but althis said if i had the choice id pick the alpine and never look back

these p69 speakers are very pricey, why have you choose these? iv always considered a 6x9 speaker to be a bit of a "dont slate me" buget or space saver issue speaker?

now 6x9 speakers are not crap in any sence, its just that iv found them to be more tinny and mixed then a compareable 6.5 co-axle from the same range.

iv noticed these are subs in a sence, are you trying to fit subs into the car but out of view? if this is the case please dont wast your money.

a 6x9 as a sub is pointless. its like some of these flat subs out there, iv only found a handfull that i consider a good overall sub.

id say you'd be better of buying a set of components and just using the cross overs and woffers in the rear rather then the 6x9 and it would be around the same price

or why not fit some 8 inch co-axle speakers into the rear quarters? or flat 8" subs

they used to be no more then £119 retail before this credit crunch. but yes its the going price.

Thanks for your time and advice.
Regarding the genesis 6x9,they get quite good reviews genesis 6x9 subs but your view has been taken on board!

Hi audio guy,

I've done some googling thingy for finding a nice sq system with a low budget..
Here is what I have now, Alpine 9881 and Infinity Kappa 5.1 perfect.
May i have your opinion pls?
And one question, will there be anything else like wires or connectors that i should have to install those 2 parts in my fiat coupe (16V, 1994)?

Thanks,

hi there, the Alpine 9881 has a great text display and fast search using ipod/mp3/wma. its got two pre-outs and the option to change illumination to red,blue ambar ect

as its a alpine the sound quality will be very good
all i will say is that the iphone and itouch may not work with this unit

but yes its a good start to a quality system

also its 6.1 perfect as the 5.1 are 13cm

i would have a listen to a few others before spending £200, theres an awful lot avalible for that money

hi mate can you tell me more about the crossover in the coupe, i know i have to get component speakers for the front, i want to get alpines to match my head unit, ida x305, some of them come with sperate cross overs and some dont, im a bit confussed!!! please help!!!

The type r come with crossovers and type G, type S, everything else will have a capacitor solders to the tweeter, this is a cheaper meathod to get the same ish results as you would with a crossover box

Hi, Class D amplifiers - are they worth the money over standard ones in terms of sound quality etc .. cheers

hi mate, yes there the future in amps, they consume less power and size is reduced and clarity is improved. but it does all still come down to good quality brands

Hi AudioGuy! i just got my component speakers for the front, do i have to re wire from the head unit or can i use the original wiring, im finding it hard to access the wiring from the door! i dont really want to take the door card of to run new wires through! any easy ideas!? cheers

hi mate, it should be fine, just make sure the speaker wire is not black and you wire the speakers inphase and not out of phase, make sure you know whats + and - on the speaker wire as out of phase is flat and inphase is more tone in detail.

Hiya audioguy need to ask a few questions please.

I have received my parrot ck3100 today.I am going to install this coupled with my pioneer deh-4000ub.

Looking at the wiring diagram its a little undescriptive of the install.The coupe has standard iso so no trouble there.

its the muting cables thats proving tricky,there are three rfom the parrot loom?I have found the one for my pioneer.But on the pioneer loom its not connected to the iso block at all and all three of the parrot mute cables are at different points.

Do i need to slice this one cable in to one of the parrot ones?

One of the parrot mute cables once connected to pioneer loom through iso actually is connected to a yellow cable which splits into two, (yellow )battery + and (red) acc. I assume do not connect to this at all.


http://www.parrot.com/uk/support/onlineh...=12&etape=2
any help appreciated.

AFAIK the yellow power cable should be ignition switched, the read permanent live, so it looks like your ISO connectors have not been wired up correctly? (the Coupe did not come with ISO connectors from the factory, they have been put in by someone afterwards)

Well that's the connection on my pioneer loom,not the coupes iso connecters.haven't got that far back yet.
Just trying to price everything together on the desk (pionner and parrot loom so when it comes to install should be plug and play on my iso connectors

You don't need to mess with mute-ing the pioneer unless you want the headunit to display MUTE. If so it will be connected to the yellow speckled black cable labled MUTE on the pioneer harness or back of unit, the triger should be a negitive -

On the parrot it might be a yellow wire.

As the parrot controls the iso it will mute on it's own.

Make sure youv wired up the positive ignition and constant positive memory

you can do this by swaping over by the parrots fuse holders

you can check this by using a test light

Also I could be brown for the mute cable on the pioneer

Some info if anyone gets one

the mute cable on the pioneer is black/yellow.
Found the single mute cable from the parrot control box i think,single yellow cable. This cable from the black control box is the only cable not labelled.

This then can connecet via bullet connectors to three cable which are fixed in different positions on the replacement male iso block from the parrot unit.
Mute 1
Mute 2
Mute 3

Seeing as my pioneer doesnt use have a fixed mute cable through the iso female connector and has a single wire(black/yellow), i guess i just put a bullet connector on the pioneer mute cable and connect it to the yellow mute control cable from the control unit?

Dont bother with the three prefixed mute cables on the iso block?

Hope this makes sense,i will make this work.

Thanks for the help guys,

at audioguy

the parrot will mute the speakers regardless of the mute being connected? makes sense as its all inline before the radio itself.

I think both lives are constant on my iso loom. If so will my battery go flat? I presume the parrot will be live constant so it will do wont it?

Thanks

If it never turns off it will run the batt out

@ Coupedummy:

You will need to supply the parrot with a switched ignition feed (cigarette lighter is porbably the closest) otherwise it will not only never go off, but your phone won't automatically disconnect from the parrot system!!! That can be annoying when your sitting in your house/office

Hi TAG (or anyone else actually)

I have never been interested in ICE before now, in fact the only thing I ever listen to is radio5 live on MW!

However my birthday is coming up soon and people are asking what I would like as a present, so I decided I could do with something in the car to replace the gramophone Lol!

I would like something that has DAB radio, an input socket for the wife’s iphone and something that will connect to my cd changer in the boot or will play a single cd in the head unit.

I also want something that will connect to my telephone to give me a full handsfree connection. I think I saw one that muted the radio sound and then rang on the car’s speakers (or maybe I’ve been watching too much star trek!)

Nothing that has lots of flashing lights or fancy displays just something functional.

I have no idea what this would cost, but I only have a small budget for this.

Many thanks for any advice

Mr T.

^^^ Well out of the above, I can probably answer one question and make a suggestion for another;

With regards to your boot mounted changer, if it's the old, original Clarion unit then forget it and sell it on to someone who can use it (especially if you're on a tight budget) as the connecting cable is no longer used by Clarion. The good news is that most head units are cd/tuners so you'll still have the cd option.

With regards to phone/bluetooth connection, some head units have a bluetooth interface available as an optional extra or possibly a better option is a "standalone" handsfree unit such as a Parrot CK3100 (@£100 fitted).

hi mate iv had the DAB question before and the only brand that is still doing them is JVC, the problem is DAB is a media that is under threat from being unsupported as new digital broadcesting technology is coming like satilite radio and internet radio. if your goole DAB news, your find something on this.

now you can find stuff from around 2006-2008 that supported DAB, IPOD, CD CHANGER, mp3 etc.... PIONEER, KENWOOD, JVC, SONY, ALPINE

but it will be second hand.

i will have a look, but im sure its still only JVC

found this, you can add jvc's bluetooth module to it

£280
http://www.icebuyer.co.uk/kdr701-cd-mp3-ipod-ready-car-stereo-usb-with-dab-aerial-p-19371.html

£90
http://www.icebuyer.co.uk/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=KS-BTA200&search=Search

lol NOT cheap!

Hi TAG

Thanks for finding those for me.

As you have probably already worked out I know nothing about ICE.

Are you saying that DAB is an old format and likely to be discontinued? I thought that FM and MW were being phased out and digital was what people were using now?

OK new search required:

A unit that plays cds, has Iphone/ipod input has FM/MW radio and Bluetooth telphone connection.

£370 is about £200 more than I want to pay.

Many thanks

then i guess you want this

ipod, bluetooth, wma mp3,

alpine cde-103bt *amber illumination*
(very recomended, easy to use, fast phone book search, all my customers have been happy with this unit)

http://caraudiosecurity.com/shop/product/products_id/10498.html

Thanks

I've looked at the alpine unit and it looks great.

Tonight I went to halfrauds to see it in the flesh. They also had a sony BT3700u at £160 which is the same price as the Alpine.

The difference in spec appears to be that the sony will work the iphone with the lead supplied from apple, and the alpine require another lead for £20. other than that they were similar?

20 years ago, Alpine always used to be high end units fitted as standard to BMW and Mercedes - is this still the case and which one would you choose if they were both the same price?

many Thanks

You will get the lead free with the alpine, and there still one of the best, Sony is not bad, but there's better out there for the money

In that case the alpine it is.

Again thanks for your help.

I will report back when it is fitted and give feedback. (This will not be until after I buy my new coupe - so it could be a couple of months yet)

Hi, I've got a quick question. I plan on fitting some 6x9's in the rear door cards in my coop and I'm just wondering as the speakers are 100 watts RMS @2 ohm if they will be okay being driven by the head unit.

The head unit is 2 ohm stable but its peak output is 50 watts per channel (I'm not 100% but I'd guess the RMS figure would be around 25-30?).

My thinking is that as I'm using 60 watt RMS @4 ohm speakers on the front (plus the standard tweeters which I don't know the impedance of, but assume 4ohm?)the head unit would top out on the rears long before the speakers do and cause damage to the head unit. Should I drive the 6x9's via an amp instead?

Cheers in advance

If there decent 6x9's use a two channel amp from 100 watts or a little bit more per channel, but I would say if youv got components in the front maybe buying a 4 channel amp would be better

Cheers for the advice!

The speakers are Infinity 9633i's, don't know if their good or bad. But I will get an amp I think.

Cheers again

Evening AG, I have suffered the terrible reception (pretty much nothing...) and have been looking at the Pure Highway DAB. Reason for this selection is due to my headset, i have the DEH-P88RS2. I have already used up the bus connection for the pioneer ipod unit. I've trawled through Pioneer's website and found nothing that can do both.

I know you have mentioned that DAB is dying but to be honest for £60 it would be worth it. What do you think and is there another option/make worth looking at?

Thanks in advance.

Oh and I've just seen the recent thread where you fitted the parrot unit. How much would you charge to come and sort out my set-up to make it sound it's best. I have to say from the off i'm current saving for the cam belt etc to be done so cash is short...

have a question for you currently i have a JVC KD-AVX1 headunit but recently it has a problem that the screen wont work and the buttons wont work i attempted to clean up the contacts but with no avail. so looks like i will need to send it off... dont have anyone near me who could have a look at it.

this has left me with a problem...
1. send it off... but will probably take ages so be worthwhile being a cheap unit so complete guesses may cost £100 to fix and £70 for a cheapo cd player?

2. thats £170 i can get the new model JVC KD-AVX20 for £280.

so i suppose my question is it woth getting fixed?
and if not recommend a headunit i do like the screens i will admit but what i really need i suppose is mp3, wma prefer can take dvd( with music on them although not essential) pre-outs for rear speaker amp, possibly front and sub in future.

em think thats about it.

cheers Aaron

might sound like a stupid question but does it turn on when you put the facia on and the cars running?

kinda its intermintant turns off and on screen goes off an on you wiggle the unit and it works again, not the wires leading to the unit as sometimes screen goes blank but music still plays but buttons dont work.

also has happened in a few cars so not a car wiring fault

hummm....... sounds like the facia is faulty, you havent taken it for a swim have you?
if you post it to me i can have a look at it for you?

i just had a look at the jvc spares and i think your problem could be related to this

http://www.4jvc.co.uk/cgi-bin/product.pl?PID=1736647&brand=&model=KD-AVX1&part=

they tend to get brittel and split over time

aye think i might post it to you will pm you mate. thanks

Hi TAG
I have now fitted the Unit you recommended the Alpine 103BT. It's a great piece of kit and I'm loving the built in parrot to phone feature (actually that was the main reason for changing it)
Can you recommend a good way of routing the microphone lead? I was thinking of running it under the dash and out through the right hand side (the part that you cant see when the door closes) and along under the rubber door seal to next to where my alrm sensor is.

Secondly I now want to upgrade my speakers. Can you recommend something for about £100-150

Many Thanks

Mr T

@ TAG

I'm not sure if you do alarms but I guess in your line of work you probably do?

I have a Toad A1606 and it has been problematic since I bought the car.

When I lock I get 5 blips - the handbook says this is either the boot or bonnet, but they both seem OK.
Sometimes when I unlock I get the 2 blips but the locks have not been activated and I have to re lock and then unlock again to get it to open?

The handbook says that if I press button 3 just before I lock or unlock the car it will silence the alarm when it sets. Sometimes this works and others it does not?

I have called a local Toad man and he said "ribbet ribbit" He will fix it for £45

Should I just buy a new one or is it worth me speding the £45 to see if it can be fixed?

Can you offer me some advice.
Many Thanks Again

Mr T.

Hi mate sorry I haven't seen your question before and replied, yes just try to route the mic cable to the interior mirror, I'd say from the passenger side then up the piller, under the plastic along towards the interior mirror.

As for speakers try and get some components for the front, alpine type g are good value for money or jbl gto's, for the rear try and pair with the same series but in co-axle 6.5, you can use 6x9 if you like and they will be much cheaper to buy then the 6.5 co-axle versions, the sound of 6x9 is a touch bassy and bright but you can tweek the jbl gto versions as the have a + and - db button on the midrange and tweeter

Oh and the alarm I would just get it done, £45 is cheaper the geting a new one and fitting it, plus just tell him if he's doesn't fix the problem he doesn't get paid

job done

TAG

Are these OK? :

Fronts - JBL6507C Component £60 ish
Rears - JBL6537 Co-axle £35 ish

Will they Bass/Mid fit correctly under the door grills?
Where should I mount the crossovers?
Will the Tweeters fit inside the curved Dash grills?

Many Thanks again

Mr T

I left the OE tweeters alone and put them in the footwell just by the bottom front corner of the door opening, screwed into a piece of thim MDF under the carpet, angled up towards my ears, got the idea from someone else on hear many moons ago...

this would be a good starter
http://caraudiosecurity.com/shop/product/products_id/5387.html

you can fit the tweeters if you do a bit of bonding and fitting, or you can attach them to the interior wing mirror covers above the door cards

cross over are to be food baged and taped up then double sided taped to the inside of the door skin, sound deadening can also be used to attach crossover to the insides of the doors

TAG

That looks like quite a bargain

I'll be buying one of those next week - although it'll probably take me until June to fit the things

Many Thanks

Mr T

just a little question, the viper vx500 alarm. Any good? as my meta alarm is on its last legs

Viper is a directed brand and therefore will be very good quality, when I get a chance tomorrow il have a look at the spec

Viper 500 XV

hi had a look at the alarm, has alot of add-on you can buy but i would ask the company or the installer what the alarm will do out the box to avoid disapointment as the wording in the spec is un-clear

Cheers for looking mate, been ummm and arrrr'in over it for ages now and it was a toss up between that or a Toad one

have a look at the falcon evo 4

i put one of theses on my car last time and worked a treat!

falcom evo 4
http://www.in-car-stuff.com/shop/falcon-predator-evo4-alarm-with-remote-start-p-29.html

with windo roll up
http://www.in-car-stuff.com/shop/falcon-window-closure-rollup-module-p-49.html

Changed the cable route today...i know it's taken me ages to sort out. All done,No more buzz - thanks for your help!

no problem mate

buzz is back again

so guess the earthing is the next stage? I've seen the earthing kits on sale via ebay but i'm fairly confident i can make these myself...so does anyone want have a diagram or instructions i could look at for the locations?

before you do that, lets start again, now whats buzzing? the sub, speakers or both and are they amplified

I can hear the turbo spolling up through the speakers, I have a 4 channel amp running the back and front speakers and a seperate 2 channel amp that's bridged powering the sub.

Does the power cable need to completely keep away from the rca's/speaker cable? It's a bit difficult cause the power from the battery runs through the same space as the passenger door speaker cable (this could be where i'm hearing from...i will try fade and balance test tonight to see if it's from all of the speakers. I feel a bit daft that I didn't think about it properly. Thanks again Audioguy.

Have you got good solid earths? Try to sand, jet screw the earth cables to the boot floor, keep away from the fuel tank, try to route the power cable well away from the rca's, it really depends on what the quality of the RCA's are like, also it can be a faulty amp or altanator,

Ok it's taken a step further...typically not in a good way!

Driving home last night i hear a loud bang and it came from the speakers. I still have sound but alongside it there is a high pitched feedback type sound. I've removed the amp and tried running on a different one, high pitch still present. So what do i do next? I'm considering taking everything out and testing it on the bench. God I hope my Hu is ok, it will cost me a fortune to replace.

It could be an altenator, try to run the amps from a seperat battery and see if this is the case

Would the alternator feedback change with the revs, the feedback i have is stable and does not change when i rev the engine?

Arh, how much gain have you used on the amp?

I followed the manual, it suggested turning the HU up to 60% and then turning the gain on the Amp up until the sound was just about breaking up. I did that and it's al been fine...i really think the earthing could be an issue. What is the potential damage if the earth connection has failed?

no no no, the head unit should be FLAT, no signal gain,i.e bass 0.0, midrange 0.0, high 0.0, subwoofer 0.0 any eq tweeks or menus all flat!

then all adjustments on the amplifier's to 0 and level-in too "low" for sub, or "flat or hi" for speakers


"flat = the amplifiers crossover is not used"
"hi = amplifiers crossover is used"

your choice on the above

then set the amp or amps to quarter gain, then adjust headunit volume to a 20-25 "a normal listening volume level", then re-adjust the gain on the amps if it sound to loud or not for normal listening.

" 4 channel amplifiers have 2 gains for front and rear therfore must be the same unless you feel other wise but you head unit will adjust this later on"

your notice that on amplifiers there is adjustments, just tweek the adjustment dont go over boad as your headunit will do the rest, just try and get a good hi-fi sound, do not use BASS BOOST or any other bass crap.

once its sounding sweet then you can adjust the headunit's eq funtions for more impact if you wish

"the head unit should be FLAT, no signal gain,i.e bass 0.0, midrange 0.0, high 0.0, subwoofer 0.0 any eq tweeks or menus all flat!" They are AG, my DEH-P88RS2 does all that for me on auto set up mode, you know where you plug in the mic and fix it to the headrest.

The bit i've got wrong is the volume gain overall, i did this in line with the manaual...not something I normally do but as it was a nice amp I thought it worth the effort.
Just called Pioneer and they have suggested getting the HU to North Holt Car radio repairs.

I think you might be jumping the gun to soon, on my pioneer mp80 there's network on-off switches on the side of the metal casing on the headunit, have you looked in the installation instruction for them?

If one pre out is buzzing then maybe but all of them just sounds like something is up wiring wise, what guage power cable are you using and have you used a power distribution block?

Morning AG, i had a little think about it last night and have decided to completely refit the system before returning any kit.

The power gauge is fairly thin but i am using a dis block. The buzzing is heard on all 3 sets of RCA's.

Just had my HU returned from North Holt car radio repairs, i had fried the RCA earthing circuit. But they repaired all for £45 plus vat. Now I need to look at earthing...all tips very welcome!

Ok that was reasonable as long as it was the problem, earthing for the headunit should be fine as long as no one has choped the iso connector then tried to boge it back together.

I stripped out the interior this weekend and replaced all cable locations. I now have a new thicker power cable running seperately from the RCA's. I have also chased in a new really thick earth wire running from the battery through the car to the lights earth point.

The amps been chased in nicely and again all speaker wires are well away from anything running power.

But I still have a hissing from the speakers with the sound turned down to zero...this is driving me nuts!

So a simple question about earthing, when the car is off I have 0.2 ohms, not too bad from what i've read? But what should I expect when the car is turned on/ignition on engine off?

Please help!

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