Double din advice sought - DIYMA Car Audio Forum

1 Day Ago	? #1
? DIYMA freshman Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Key West Posts: 3	My wife must love me, she just picked up a steal on a used 2007 Porsche 911 997! The system inside is an "upgraded premium Bose" system. I took it to miami beach and a valet with some sort of solvent on his finger ruined what he thought was a touch screen. I had planned on upgrading the sound system eventually but this expedited it. My wife thought there was some conspiracy but it was a coincidence. I have read advice threads on the Porsche forums but the advice there seems to be "screw the radio, listen to the engine". whoopdidoo crappy answer for an audio lover like me. I already have a great sounding system with four speakers and a sub in a homemade box in my rattly and rusty mustang convertible 5.0, so I know I can have great sound in a bad environment, and it already blows the "b(l)ose away. I've been looking at Pioneer, Kenwood, Alpine etc, but does anyone have advice for other options? My plan is to fully remove the "MOST" fiberoptic bose system including the stock amp, and to remove the subwoofer in the back to be replaced by one I make. The speakers in the doors I am not sure about, but I plan to try the initially or replace them if you guys know already if they are crap. The stock amp is about 25 watts on a 5 channel amp. The stock sub is two 5inch subs in a bandpass ported box which frankly sucks for all around bass, it's very narrow, constricted and thumpy and the whole system now is just muddy, utter garbage. I figured I might get some good insight here rather than a car forum where the standard answer is to keep everything stock and listen to the engine. The Porsche 911 flat6 is awesome, but it is much quieter in the coupe that I have than in my 1990 stang convertible. My mustang is loud as hell, engine, road noise, everything. The porsche is a listening room compared to the older car. basically I am looking for a double din unit with gps navigation, at least 4volt preouts, and of course some sort of connection to a smart phone whether it's a 3.5plug or bluetooth. Most of what I see is around $1000 to $1500 on average for the 2012 models which is fine for me. I doubt there is much improvement on 2013 models to warrant another $500, but I am all ears on advice. after deciding on the head unit I will have to find a 5 or 6 channel amp for the door speakers. The stock bose speakers are 1 to 2 ohm speakers so I may have to replace them anyway. The subwoofer I have in my old car I will reuse, it is two JBL 8inch subs, with a rockford fosgate amp running them. I will have to remake a new box for them and carpet them to match, but it is something I can handle. I am also thinking about adding a rear camera while it's apart and not that much more money. thanks for any advice!
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1 Day Ago	? #12
? DIYMA freshman Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Tennessee Posts: 71	Quote: Its a d/a converter..........and an hdcd decoder! We welcome people just fine till they talk out there ass and are blind to it! Your going to talk about accurate testing by someone who is WAY beyond qualified to do so....lets not forget he does it on his own time for the sake of a community....... Those are facts that were presented...you already have a track record of not being able to provide them for your running mouth. So...how exactly could one use the mda5000 incorrectly? HuH? How could you prove that any of the decks listed would sound different? Huh? can you provide that? NO.....so why say it and then try to shoot down scientific facts to prove it? You need to step to the plate here buddy! No spouting! You want to talk features etc.....sure...we can do that. Saying double dins dont sound as good as a single for the sake of size or that things are left out in the engineering process is not only ignorant....but its flat out wrong! NOW.....prove us wrong? I'll be the first to buy you a beer over it! O my goodness. I am an analytical chemist. It is my job to qustion testing techniques. This not an appropriate venue to talk about SKAR audio. If you want the emails he has sent me or want to talk to some people who he has delt with I will be happy to send you their contact info. I have news for you I am not leaving here although you appeantly would like me to. You apparently like very sound arguements. Best Head Unit-Sound Quality Look through that thread and show me 1 double din that was listed. You see the mx4000 and mx5000 both of those only have simple treble and bass adjustments and are considered some of the best sources in existance. They (along with the mda's) from mcintosh give you about the best raw signal there is. Yes the mda is a processor with limited capabilites, but never the less a processor. It takes a digital signal interperts it (processes it) and give you an analog output. Now for the double dins I contest that they have a poor raw signal because they have sub standard poorly engineered components. You can throw a burr brown chip in anything, it doesn't mean that it will sound good.
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1 Day Ago	? #14
? DIYMA freshman Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Tennessee Posts: 71	Good I am happy to be here. There are many overlapping concepts in my job. The instruments I use daily have adc's which process votages to numbers that I can use in my excel sheets. Same principal but reversed. I am not going to call you ignorant, because that is not polite so I won't. I also run mcintosh amplification, because it's exceptional. I have been in this hobby for 2 years, you believe that I am an ignorant person, which is fine it doesn't bother me in the slightest. If you ask a silly question I will give you a silly response. Erin could reverse the power and ground wires. That would be incorrect. I don't know why you insist on that being the only criteria which makes it not a processor. It handles and converts digital data to an analog form. If that doesn't meet your definition of a processor that's fine and is a huge digression from the main issue. All it takes is your ears to hear the difference. Run a pioneer double din (pick any of them) run it flat so features and tuning is taken out of the question. Then run their entry level 80prs flat. I had the 80 and did just that, it sounds better on the same system. You demand proof and insistent on saying on topic, so lets let others chime in and give the OP some constructive help in his selection of a double din unit.
	Last edited by WestCo; 1 Day Ago at 01:40 AM..
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22 Hours Ago	? #15
? DIYMA Loyalist Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: salem NH Age: 35 Posts: 2,515	Quote: Good I am happy to be here. There are many overlapping concepts in my job. The instruments I use daily have adc's which process votages to numbers that I can use in my excel sheets. Same principal but reversed. I am not going to call you ignorant, because that is not polite so I won't. I also run mcintosh amplification, because it's exceptional. I have been in this hobby for 2 years, you believe that I am an ignorant person, which is fine it doesn't bother me in the slightest. If you ask a silly question I will give you a silly response. Erin could reverse the power and ground wires. That would be incorrect. I don't know why you insist on that being the only criteria which makes it not a processor. It handles and converts digital data to an analog form. If that doesn't meet your definition of a processor that's fine and is a huge digression from the main issue. All it takes is your ears to hear the difference. Run a pioneer double din (pick any of them) run it flat so features and tuning is taken out of the question. Then run their entry level 80prs flat. I had the 80 and did just that, it sounds better on the same system. You demand proof and insistent on saying on topic, so lets let others chime in and give the OP some constructive help in his selection of a double din unit. While I am all for keeping this on point for the OP....I feel it necessary to discuss this so he understands how to tell "information out the ass" vs actual information he should be looking at to help make an EDUCATED decision. Now...I'm not saying your info is info out your ass....because that would not be polite Really? grow a pair! You wanna say something...untuck and say it to me! just be prepared....your showing up to a gun fight with a q-tip (metaphorically speaking of course!) Again...your "job" has ZERO relevance to the discussion and no one cares. As I said...I can semi appreciate your Mcintosh hard on.....not a piece I havent owned. I also realized that there is nothing special about them vs. a HUGE part of the rest of the market aside from them costing way more and looking pretty! I sold every piece (a lot on here) and never looked back/batted an eye. Do I see anything wrong with them? Absolutely not! Are there decks perfect? Um...no! Do they provide a wonderful signal? Absolutely! Erin swapping power/ground? Really, thats the best you can do? And lets not even get into what would really happen with that! Just own up to the fact you stepped on your own land mine with your original statement about all that. My original issue with you calling it a processor was because you were implying that it could have caused an issue with Erin's testing (which still baffles me how you can even pretend to say something like that?) which could only be construed as you saying that it was a setting (didnt think anyone would be foolish enough to assume he would "hook" it up wrong!) implying you thought it was a sound processor in the terms of things like the ms-8, 363, etc..... Again....see said land mine! Here is the point about "your ears" thing....thats great! You keep telling yourself that! Here is what really happens with that. #1. in MANY cases its proven that most of these decks are not different from one another...not in an audible fashion anyway. #2. when people switch them out (same system) they want a difference....well thats easy to accomplish! What can be proved (man I wish you lived closer... I love this test/bet and no one has won it yet) is that %90 of these decks single or double can be swapped and tuned and there isnt a farts chance in a wind storm you can tell the difference. Here's the caveat......Voltage has to be similar and tuning capabilities have to be reasonably close or an external processor can be in the mix. And this is off about a decade of experience......one of my first builds was a kicker demo vehicle in the mid 90s...... been in MANY comps when I was younger and cared, and been sent countless pieces from several audio manufactures for unbiased reviews, and just for the sake of fun (not fun anymore) I have purchased more amps, subs, and comps then you have likely ever seen in you two years. So.....try again slick! OP....figure out all your features you want and need, see what fits your budget, what gui you like (menus etc...) and make your decisions on that...... The rest is just splitting hairs your likely never to notice!
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18 Hours Ago	? #17
? DIYMA freshman Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Key West Posts: 3	Wow this is great! The only forum I've participated in is the club Polk audio forum. I've received wonderful info there. Some of the greatest threads are debated subjects just as here. A club polk forum member referred me to this site, and I was not steered wrong! Westmas did bring up something I had pondered, which is to keep the stock items such as gps, etc, or just go with audio. I figured and audio only head unit would probably be built a bit better for audio which to some degree it probably is, but then again I would hate not having gps when I had it to start with. I don't use it much but is handy when needed although I have a gs3 phone with gps. My listening area is less than prime although far better than my old car. So I understand the law of diminishing returns. I also understand high quality gear can really outperform at least in some areas. At home I am an audiophile, but in my car it's more of a headbanging, rocking, funky loud jazz kind of thing. At home I have my refurbished two sets of polk sda, parasound amps, nad amps, adcom amps, and each of my surrounds could be considered top dog fronts in most systems, ar4xa, sl6s celestions, kef's, nht superones and so on, each pair with it's own dedicated amp. At home I turn off the ac, ceiling fan, and other noises so that I can immerse myself in audio nirvana. So imagine my suprise when I get in my porsche and the system flat out sucks. Feel free to continue because I am already learning more than I thought I would! I will probably keep a double din with gps, and I think I'll look to other compenent aspects then for better audio sound. I did look at the clarion double din and it looked like it had a lot going for it, and about 1g cheaper than other units coming out now. I don't watch dvd's or anything, but bluetooth sounds good for hands free driving.
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6 Hours Ago	? #22
? DIYMA freshman Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: NE Posts: 13	I would put out Kenwood, my Excelon 6990HD has been good, however it does have the random "senior moment" where it losses the steering wheel controls. It also happens to be one of the best Kenwood units for pre-outs, 5v with a pre out impedance of 80 ohms. The other dd Kenwood units are < or = 600 ohms. It was a small list of dd Nav units that were worth a sh!t last summer when I bought mine. Many seem to have really bad flaws in at least one or more areas. (not necessarily sound related) Go to Best Buy or someplace and play with a couple of brands and then come back and tell us what you liked the operation of. Then you should probably get the model made by that company that most closely meets your price/performance ratio needs. Speed of operating is one of the biggest complaints about most dd Nav units. People used to smartphones have trouble waiting for laggy decks (top reason I chose what I did). Good luck with the search.
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