Hi all,

It looks like I am in need of a new stereo for my car ( '03 TL VRX). I currently have a factory unit installed, and would like to move to a double din unit with an LCD screen..

Any suggestions on makes or models to look for, or avoid?

I am not looking to upgrade speakers or anything else at this stage, and also to keep the costs to a minimum... will be getting Brad to do the install for me...

Thanks

Amy

I just brought an alpine W502 double din unit. $650 from ebay so great price :) If you can find similar then good idea for double din! Alpine charge to much for their brand new ones!

I just brought an alpine W502 double din unit. $650 from ebay so great price :) If you can find similar then good idea for double din! Alpine charge to much for their brand new ones!
That is a good deal.

Like he said, just look around ebay and such for newish used ones for good prices. Most double dins are way too expensive new.

I also brought an alpine H701 processor to go with it but yeah an amazing combination. And easily half the price of a new double din

brand new clarion VX400A will set you back around $700.00 ( rrp is 799.00 but seriously who pays rrp anymore)

http://www.clarion.com/au/en/products/2010/multimedia/multimedia_source_units/VX400A/au-en-product-pf_1259413421752.html

350 bux new incl shipping (http://www.eonon.com/Car-GPS/2-Din-Car-GPS-DVD/G2213DA.html)

If you already have a GPS. this ones only $180 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rc6c6-X6GjY&feature=player_embedded#at=187)

I can't see much difference between the $180 and the $230 ones here (http://www.eonon.com/Car-DVD-Players/2-Din-Car-DVD.html) but they might be worth a look at too.

I have an older unit with 480x234 (112k pixels) resolution, the ones above are all much sharper at 800x480 resolution (384k pixels). Btw don't expect the digital TV to work properly unless you have a suitable antenna.

BTW if you don't know why the above are so cheap its because A. chinese brand and B. the UI quality and appearance is not up to the same standard as the local branded stuff. Apart from that they do the same thing and have as many/more features. For sound quality they made my stock speakers sound muchhhhh better but I can't vouch for how good they would be with aftermarket gear. I know these are quite decent wattage but you'd probably get much cleaner sound off the more expensive units.

It does look like an excellent value unit but i have been burnt before by no brand in dash screens. All the features work okay but like the nokia N series, over time the software gets worse and worse until you put your fist through it! Not sure about this one though?

I have an eonon.

I greatly dislike it, horrible menus, extremely difficult to use while driving, and a went out of my way to find one with a rotary volume control, and that just sucks too!

I've got a e1091 which is about 2 years old I think. It works as well today as it did on day one in terms of responsiveness and the rest, but i take a few precautions particularly regarding the screen. Mechanically these things are probably more fragile then your usual, so i never disconnect the LCD screen even though it has that option to prevent theft. This is because the screen attaches with a thin ribbon cable and if that cable gets damaged your unit is useless. Secondly, and maybe i'm just paranoid, but i never use the 'tilt' option and try to avoid using the motor's as much as possible because i know that once they burn out i won't be able to stick my SD-card or DVDs in anymore. On that note I noticed there's one unit on their website for 210 which has a SD card slot on the side that doesn't require the screen to tilt back. Slightly smaller screen but same res so should look even sharper. I think thats a safer option because the less you use the mechanical parts the better as they can be susceptible to wear.

Regarding the Resolution i just checked the clarion vx400a and its 280k pixels, which should put the specs into perspective.

@ammo I chose my one because i saw a youtube video of it's UI in action so i knew exactly what i was getting and could see that it was much better than their other models. Definitely wouldn't buy one which you haven't seen a video of in operation or you'll most likely be in for a nasty surprise as majority of their UI's are fugly. As for usability i use the radio, ipod and sound setting pages frequently while driving without issue. The only thing that is unusable while driving is the SD card menu which is nearly impossible to navigate even while parked.

Unless you want to be frustrated and disappointed with your purchase, stick with a name brand really. Even if it navigates alright, if you ever plan on upgrading your speakers then you will be wasting half of their potential with a crap unit such as Eonon.

JVC double dins are excellent value, not sure what their current range is like, but if previous years are anything to go on, they come highly rated for a quality entry level AV system.

If you don't want to take a risk go for name brand. If you want to save some $$ but with risk involved then go for eonon. I wouldn't say you're definitely going to be disappointed or frustrated, especially if you've seen video of unit in action and know what to expect, but there is a greater chance of it because of risk of dying or DOA. If DOA your warranty covers you but it's a long wait shipping back to china.

As for navigation if you really wanted it better to get a tom tom or navman as i doubt cheap head unit will hold a candle to them and it's extra 170 bux so for that price you can purchase a standalone GPS.

As I said, the problem with units such as Eonon is that the DACs and other components in the units are total shit, and really degrade your listening experience, which is especially disappointing if your spending money on speakers for the exact reason of improving listening experience.

After my experience with alpine i wouldnt choose anything else these days. .

Wouldn't touch one of those fleabay no-namers with a barge pole. Yep, sure you might get the odd one with "good" build quality, but the sound quality will be terrible. The best speakers in the world will sound shit on a shit head unit. Its the most important part of the sound system, lash out and spend some cash. My mum just bought a JVC double din with built in navigation and bluetooth, was around $800, and is a decent unit.

OP said "I am not looking to upgrade speakers or anything else at this stage, and also to keep the costs to a minimum".

That's the same position i was in 2 yrs ago. I thought i might upgrade from stock speakers eventually (still haven't) but wanted an improvement in the meantime for as little $ as possible. As has been repeated above many times, yes a shit headunit will hold back good speakers. But on STOCK speakers there is a marked improvement. Eventually if you upgrade your speakers too just rip out the hu and upgrade that too. $180 is piss all for an interim solution, you can even throw them away afterwards but I'm sure you could get at least half price for em second hand.

Edit: Just realised that the above is from my perspective where i installed hu myself and therefore it was free. If she has to pay heaps for install then using a cheap hu temporarily until getting new speakers + a decent one is not as good value as it was in my case as she'll be paying for installation twice. If it's just a mate doing it for free or beers then i still reckon it's a sound strategy, depending how cheap you are.

After my experience with alpine i wouldnt choose anything else these days. .

I'll Second that!! Alpine are the only headunits i use these days...

pioneer arent bad either

id suggest anything with decent ipod connection, my pioneer has a cable going into the glovebox then all functions can be controlled on the deck, best investment i made