hey i'm looking into buying a new head unit. maybe up to $300. anyone have any suggestions? preferably mostly red to match the rest of the interior.

Mostly red... Sony? *shudder*

Actually some of their upper spec models aren't too bad... Stay the hell away from their speakers though.

last i saw most sony headunits are have red backlighting...

although i have a personal dislike for sony

i reccommend pioneer and jvc

but for $300 most headunits are going to be pretty similar in features

so just get the one you like the look of best and that has the features you want and the best warranty

ok thanks guys. yea it came with a sony head unit when i bought the car, and to be honest its pretty ****....it doesnt play mp3 cds and the front aux doesn't work which is the main reason i want to change it so my ipod works in it. is it worth going a bit higher in price then maybe?

I wouldn't say higher price (although you could, what is stopping you really, I've never spent over $250 on a head unit and I have an Eclipse :D ) but you'll want something that works well... I have my old sony unit lying around here ;) *hint hint*

What speakers are you using? If they are stock or basic aftermarket then there's no point in going all out for a head unit, you won't benefit from the end result if you know what I mean.

Pioneer are a good bet too.

o ok fair enough. i have pioneer 6" in the front, sony 6x9 in the back, 12" 1250W earthquake sub and 1000W kenwood amp

Hey its Christmas sales soon.

I have a JVC (I recommend their decks as one of the better value for money units) and you can choose your backlight colour. Red is one of the choices.

For $300 on sale you should get a pretty decent JVC headunit. Most Pioneer decks have blue backlighting.

Hey its Christmas sales soon.

I have a JVC (I recommend their decks as one of the better value for money units) and you can choose your backlight colour. Red is one of the choices.

For $300 on sale you should get a pretty decent JVC headunit. Most Pioneer decks have blue backlighting.
Yeah JVC are a great buy, top notch and there's a pretty nice double din one for around $300 at Wow along with a cheaper single din unit that looks similar.

alright thanks, i might have a look around. thanks for your help

i just purchased one of those sony bluetooth h/u for bout 270. its pretty good. not as many functions as i like but has bluetooth which works oretty good

Alpine CDE-9881i ( RRP$349 )
Pioneer DEH-P4950mp ( Red illum )

They should do the trick :D Alpine already comes with Ipod control as well for Nano and Video...

yea i'm getting one of the new video nano ones at christmas...so i'm looking at what i might get. the alpine one sounds good.

eclipse can alter the buttons and everything to red (excluding the backlight), tho $300 eclipse is entry level models (unless u check out the FS section on CAA, may get a 5100 or similar)

I've got the JVC double DIN H/U in mine. You can set it so as you turn your lights on it will change colour or just have it the one colour all the time. Has AUX and USB in the front and you can run a interface cable from the back for your iPod or bluetooth. Sorry about the colour, it's actually red not orange!!

Specs:

In Dash CD Double-DIN CD Receiver with Front AUX
KW-XG506


The Front AUX provides easy connection with digital audio players and other external devices. You can also connect your iPod with an optional adapter. The MOS-FET power amp and TI/Burr-Brown 24-bit DAC ensure clear, dynamic sound in high-resolution.

Highlights
• Power Output: 50W x 4 Max.
• MOS-FET Power Amp
• TI/Burr-Brown 24-bit DAC
• 3-Band iEQ
• Ready for iPod*
• Front AUX
• MP3/WMA Compatible with ID3/WMA Tag
• J-BUS Terminal
• Line Output Terminals
• Subwoofer Output Terminals with Level/Frequency Control
• Tel. Muting with CD Pause Function
* KS-PD100 required

CD Section
• CD/CD-R/CD-RW Compatible
• CD Text
• Direct Track Access (1-12)
• Random/Repeat Play

J-BUS Section
• Interface Adapter for iPod (KS-PD100)
• Digital Player Interface Adapter (KS-PD500)
• CD Changer
• Line-In Adapter (KS-U57)
• AUX-In Adapter (KS-U58)

iPod Control Section*
• Play/Pause
• Skip/Search
• Random/Repeat
• Text Display
* KS-PD100 required

Tuner Section
• HS-IV Tuner
• Station Name Registration
• IF Filter
• 18 FM and 6 AM Presets
• SSM (for FM)
• Seek (Up/Down)
• AFNS/PNC
• Stereo/Mono Switch (for FM)
• Auto Antenna

Amplifier Section
• Balance/Fader Control
• Volume Attenuator
• Loudness Control
• Max. Amp Gain Switcher

Display Section
• Switchable Dimmer
• S. Analyzer
• Power Switch Standby Illumination

General Section
• Oval-Shaped Wireless Remote Control
• COMPU PLAY
• Power-Off Mode Eject
• Preferred Setting Mode
• Rotary Encoder Multi-Control

wow thanks for all the info on the HU, it sounds really good, do you know how much they retail for? and also how did you go about fitting it? did you have to cut out part of your centre dash?

I paid $360 for it new from JB HiFi about 4 months ago. I'd assume it would be a bit cheaper now though.Didnt need to cut out anything from the dash, it just fitted in where the exsisting H/U was. I'm really happy with the unit, has heaps of great features and looks really good in the Verada. You mentioned your getting a video ipod for xmas, I;ve got one running off the interface in the glovebox and a touch (for passengers) mounted in a GPS holder with a cable into the AUX plug on the front.

nice, i've seen the touch ones they look awesome. does the verada have a different stereo then? i have a TE Advance and it has the hole for the stereo then a storage thing underneath. doesn't it get it the way of the bigger HU?

The Verada has a Double Din as standard. It doesnt have the compartment under the stereo. With all the woodgrain trim it would have looked pretty ordinary with a black compartment!!

pocket comes out :) same drill holes as the stereo (well, dependin on whether u have climate control or not), either way, just unscrews leaving a 2-din gap

oh really? nice didn't even know haha

wollongongVerada, can you control the iPod to any degree through the headunit when its connected? That'd be a neat feature.

You have access to all your iPod features using the H/U remote control. Songs, Playlists, Artists etc etc. You can set the unit up to shuffle, repeat or play in order just like on the ipod. Screen shows either, time elapsed, album name or track title and has heaps of other sound features as well. The iPod just sits connected in the glovebox!!!

Thats sweet, if I go cheapskate in the future ima grab one of these and an ipod. Depends on whether or not anyone buys my m:robe hahaha. I actually prefer the idea of a touch screen and hard drive though, not nearly as cheap as this however. lol

I actually prefer the idea of a touch screen and hard drive though, not nearly as cheap as this however. lol

True but h/u's (ex-tft's) never have the same graphical ability. Plus they don't have wifi to update music from your home via VNC, remote admin etc..

That's the main plus for me personally.

well i bought a new HU today. ended up getting an alpine CDE-9881

Good to hear dude. Should serve you well :D