Hey Guys.

Lately my head-unit (standard factory unit) in the DB basic model has starting playing up on me with playing burnt CD's..
I have changed nothing in the burning stages which is the thing that's getting me. It won't read the disks like it used to.
I've tried burning at different speeds, changing file info so it contains no "special" characters and nothing seems to work...

Anyone else having or at least HAD problems like this..? 'cause it's really starting to get to me..
Would it be worth tacking the unit apart and giving it a clean?

Thx
Ben

playing up how?

I know mine is a bit moody (takes longer to load) if there are jpegs in the folders or if the folder names are long.

maybe the cds you've burnt are getting a bit oldish? or the cds you are using are getting old? ( i dont know if that would have an effect although it is a possibility).

The more plausible explanation is that the lens in your cars CD reader (or your PCs DVD/CD burner) is deteriorating with age and Im not sure there is much you could do about it. Also, if you do open it up I don't think there is anything to clean either, theres probably more chances you'll end up breaking something haha.

I know you can buy CD drive cleaners although Ive always thought them to be a bit gimmicky sold to people who came from the VHS era.

If you do give anything a go try one of these Laser lens cleaners.. they are around $5 ( I personally wouldn't bother with em but it couldnt hurt to try, right?)

playing up how?

I know mine is a bit moody (takes longer to load) if there are jpegs in the folders or if the folder names are long.

maybe the cds you've burnt are getting a bit oldish? or the cds you are using are getting old? ( i dont know if that would have an effect although it is a possibility).

The more plausible explanation is that the lens in your cars CD reader (or your PCs DVD/CD burner) is deteriorating with age and Im not sure there is much you could do about it. Also, if you do open it up I don't think there is anything to clean either, theres probably more chances you'll end up breaking something haha.

I know you can buy CD drive cleaners although Ive always thought them to be a bit gimmicky sold to people who came from the VHS era.

If you do give anything a go try one of these Laser lens cleaners.. they are around $5 ( I personally wouldn't bother with em but it couldnt hurt to try, right?)

why not go on ebay and get the 6 stacker??? i have seen it for 240 bucks

because its shit and does exactly the same thing except six times? chris(380ftw) has lent me his old one from his sx to try to see if that makes a difference as my stock one only plays about 40% of the time has to attempt to read a disc (that it willl eventually play) 5+ times spitting it out with a dummyspit after each attempt before it will play.
(for the record when iot doesnt play ive had erros 1,2 and 3. but mitsu wouldnt replace as i had burnt discs in at the time.
go aftermarket dude. not worth the hassle.

The 6 disc stacker in mine hasnt had any issues at all. I am actually quite impressed from the sound out of the stock head unit.

I have owned alpine and pioneer gear before and it is very close to them regarding sound quality.

Cant comment on the base model head unit though...

@Benzorz

If you are having issues with your Cd player, take it back to the dealer cause it should be covered under warranty.

Some of you guys have the worst luck.

No problems like that for me. Last week I went into Strathpine Audio (Morayfield, QLD) and went through the whole upgrade process so I'm getting all the stock speakers replaced next week and amped :dancin:
I'm really looking forward to this because the stock system is dead in the mid and high range.

As far as the HU goes, they said keep it in - it's not a bad unit.

Braedz,

I see you have Alpine 6X9s - have you done anything with your splits?

I have Alpine Type S 6x9s, they are a great set of speakers, they suit the stock head unit really well.

I dont have any splits at this stage...

I bought a set of cheap pioneer 6.5 inch speakers but didnt have the time to custom make speaker pods for the front doors. So I returned my pioneer speakers and will probably get a decent set of splits installed professionally.

So the splits are definitely 6.5" -:hmm: Sh00t said the same.

I rang Strathpine and told them yesterday (they ordered 6") and they said "no- definitely 6", we've done one already " ???

I think I misunderstood your last post Knotched lol. I didn't realise the front door speakers were splits.

A 6 inch speaker will not fit in the doors without making custom pods, the speaker hole is too big. Would be interesting to see how they installed them?

so I'm getting all the stock speakers replaced next week and amped :dancin:
I'm really looking forward to this because the stock system is dead in the mid and high range.

As far as the HU goes, they said keep it in - it's not a bad unit.

I disagree, the standard head unit (even when amped) is terrible. Not to mention you would lose quality with high->low level converters (for amp input)

I followed this process;

1. Added 10" sub and amp to boot off stock head unit. Big low frequency difference (naturally)
2. Added Pioneer 6x9's in the rear shelf running off head unit. Terrible, horrible, spew
3. Amped rear 6x9's. Still horrible, terrible.
4. Added Pioneer DVD head unit - running rear amps/subs. TERRIFIC! (having things like full EQ control, helps)

I guess you could say it was a learning process for me, I intended to keep the stock head unit initially (wanted to keep flush/clean look and steering wheel controls) - but when I heard how terrible it was compared to an aftermarket model - It got the boot. Besides with the Dual-DIN conversion panel and a PAC steering wheel interface, I have it all anyway :)





So the splits are definitely 6.5" -:hmm: Sh00t said the same.

I rang Strathpine and told them yesterday (they ordered 6") and they said "no- definitely 6", we've done one already " ???

DEFINITELY 6.5" - Although not technically splits. The front door speakers are full-range. They just happen to be complemented by the in-dash tweeters nicely :)

An old and common problem, burnt CDs not reading. Try burning your CDs on a different computer or burner. DVD burners in computers and laptops wear out - mistracking and poor power burns become common as they age and result in the HU doing a dummy spit. Depending on use, they rarely last more than 3 to 5 years. A new one is $33 (MSY) so why not try that? If that doesn't work, try a different brand of CD, or a HU laser head cleaner. If that doesn't fix it, and the HU doesn't play commercial pressed discs correctly, you know you need a new HU. (Can't go past Pioneer) If you go for a new HU, get one that allows you to plug in your iPod, no CDs needed after that! lol

Postscript: There is some free software available on the WWW that allows you to check your computer DVD burner. If you have Nero that will do it too.

I disagree, the standard head unit (even when amped) is terrible. Not to mention you would lose quality with high->low level converters (for amp input)

I followed this process;

1. Added 10" sub and amp to boot off stock head unit. Big low frequency difference (naturally)
2. Added Pioneer 6x9's in the rear shelf running off head unit. Terrible, horrible, spew
3. Amped rear 6x9's. Still horrible, terrible.
4. Added Pioneer DVD head unit - running rear amps/subs. TERRIFIC! (having things like full EQ control, helps)

I guess you could say it was a learning process for me, I intended to keep the stock head unit initially (wanted to keep flush/clean look and steering wheel controls) - but when I heard how terrible it was compared to an aftermarket model - It got the boot. Besides with the Dual-DIN conversion panel and a PAC steering wheel interface, I have it all anyway :)

DEFINITELY 6.5" - Although not technically splits. The front door speakers are full-range. They just happen to be complemented by the in-dash tweeters nicely :)

I guess we all have different opinions to what sounds good and what doesn't. From my experience most pioneer speakers sound crap to me, when you get into their high end pioneer stuff it starts to sound alright.

My Alpine speakers sound great from the stock head unit, I am not sure what went wrong with your speakers though...

I disagree, the standard head unit (even when amped) is terrible. Not to mention you would lose quality with high->low level converters (for amp input)


Well, I listened to JBLs and Orions 6X9s at the shop and the guy said don't even bother with Pioneers (altho they sold them and they were out on the shelves).
I'm not trying to disparage yours, just saying what my experience was.

IMO brands means absolutely nothing when it comes to speakers discarding the placebo effect. also depending on the volume the music is being played at, the amount of damage already done to the listeners ears (hearing is a lot more sensitive than you'd think) and listeners preference everyone will have a different opinion.

I'd like to think that the stock unit is the 380 is adequate for most casual driving when played at a reasonable volume (anywhere below the 23 mark). You are after all driving somewhere not looking for the next greatest feat in audio engineering, thats what insano headphones or home theatre systems are for.

The HU in my 380 is fine other than taking some time to load up and 1-4 second gaps when playing back mp3s. (maybe they like older encoders?)

*sorry for the double post earlier, wheres the damn delete button?/ADMIIINS!*

i have changed the stereo in my GT a bit.
stock headunit , with new splits, amp and 12in. sub.
for an upgrade to give a bit more "feel" with the powered splits and the bass from the dual voice coil subwoofer , the system is great.
even 6.5in. splits are a tad small, the stock mounting holes will not line up with aftermarket 6.5in speaker..have to make a bracket or spacer of some sort..
if that mob recons they have done a 380 and used 6in. speaker in the doors and it fitted , don't go back there :)

Hey Guys.

Lately my head-unit (standard factory unit) in the DB basic model has starting playing up on me with playing burnt CD's..
I have changed nothing in the burning stages which is the thing that's getting me. It won't read the disks like it used to.
I've tried burning at different speeds, changing file info so it contains no "special" characters and nothing seems to work...

Anyone else having or at least HAD problems like this..? 'cause it's really starting to get to me..
Would it be worth tacking the unit apart and giving it a clean?

Thx
Ben

I have the base model single disc unit, and so far no problems at all - though I haven't played any discs for several months (only using the radio at the moment) as I have an Ipod instead. I'll pop in an mp3 CD over the weekend (I used to make dozens of mp3 cds years ago which I played all the time with no problems).

6 or 6.5 will go in but they both need an adaptor plate/ring/Baffle.

because its shit and does exactly the same thing except six times? chris(380ftw) has lent me his old one from his sx to try to see if that makes a difference as my stock one only plays about 40% of the time has to attempt to read a disc (that it willl eventually play) 5+ times spitting it out with a dummyspit after each attempt before it will play.
(for the record when iot doesnt play ive had erros 1,2 and 3. but mitsu wouldnt replace as i had burnt discs in at the time.
go aftermarket dude. not worth the hassle.

after installing the other headunit i am now convinced that my other one was totally dicked. the replacement plays all discs with no delays or skipping like it used to. dont understand why mitsu couldnt test this in store. took all of 3 minutes to switch units over.
in anycase im happy now as i can put off the puchase of that eclipse unit till i can actually afford it:P

I disagree, the standard head unit (even when amped) is terrible. Not to mention you would lose quality with high->low level converters (for amp input)

I followed this process;

1. Added 10" sub and amp to boot off stock head unit. Big low frequency difference (naturally)
2. Added Pioneer 6x9's in the rear shelf running off head unit. Terrible, horrible, spew
3. Amped rear 6x9's. Still horrible, terrible.
4. Added Pioneer DVD head unit - running rear amps/subs. TERRIFIC! (having things like full EQ control, helps)

I guess you could say it was a learning process for me, I intended to keep the stock head unit initially (wanted to keep flush/clean look and steering wheel controls) - but when I heard how terrible it was compared to an aftermarket model - It got the boot. Besides with the Dual-DIN conversion panel and a PAC steering wheel interface, I have it all anyway :)


Run the rears off the the H/U and put in some splits up the front, that will really help.







DEFINITELY 6.5" - Although not technically splits. The front door speakers are full-range. They just happen to be complemented by the in-dash tweeters nicely :)

As in 20hz to 20,000 Hz, i dont think so.

I had pioneer 3 ways in the front before my splits, and that was a huge improve off the standard H/U.
Even Pioneers, whilst not the best, were much better than Stock.

I had pioneer 3 ways in the front before my splits, and that was a huge improve off the standard H/U.
Even Pioneers, whilst not the best, were much better than Stock.

Having heard them, second this. They sounded great.

The only problem we have had with our head-unit was when it comes time to take out a burnt CD, then it doesnt like them much as wont actually eject them. But this does only happen seldomly.

When you burn disks on your computer, force it to burn at say...4x speed.
It's always been a much more reliable burn at slower speeds cause the laser burns in each spot a lot longer, instead of whizzing past at 52 speed for example.

I have pioneer 3 way 6x9's in rear, sounded crap off stock single cd head unit untill i sealed the surface they mount on with stick on foam tape, it insulated the speaker baskets and the mid to high range is much clearer.

Some of you guys have the worst luck.

No problems like that for me. Last week I went into Strathpine Audio (Morayfield, QLD) and went through the whole upgrade process so I'm getting all the stock speakers replaced next week and amped :dancin:
I'm really looking forward to this because the stock system is dead in the mid and high range.

As far as the HU goes, they said keep it in - it's not a bad unit.

Braedz,

I see you have Alpine 6X9s - have you done anything with your splits?

Hi,

Just wondering what the process/cost is for these upgrades? i'm looking to chuck in a din kit with an aux in HU as i cant get aux with the stock one?