Wilsky

Alright well I am new here and this is my first post. I'm 16 and I just bought my 2004 honda civic lx sedan at the beginning of april.
By now I am getting tired of the stock head unit and I think that it is time that I got a new one. My choices are a single DIN Sony Xplod CDXGT650UI from best buy in canada. It is 300 and will come to 425 after install and tax, although i might install it myself. The other option is a pioneer AVH-P2300DVD which is a double DIN screen unit. It is 330 on sale, normally 400 and will costs 550 after install and parts assuming I buy it on sale. Now they basically do the same thing and one is 125$ more so do you think it is worth it going to the screen unit for that price.

PS: When I sign into my user the posts are backwards, as in the last person that commented on the thread is the first comment that I see, and the first comment someone made is the last comment I see on my page. do you know how to fix this? Thanks a lot

sl33pyriceboi

iTrader: (3)

1. sony is a piece of crap. unless you buy the extremely high end ones.
they fail when it comes to car stereo...and the ps3

2. install it yourself. it is easy. there are plenty of articles on this forum that will show you step by step. search for it. search is ur best friend.

3. id get the pioneer. almost all pioneer headunits are excellent.


i would suggest you search online to find the headunit you like. like amazon, ebay, clutchfield (although a little more expensive)... they are almost always gonna be cheaper than bestbuy...

......hell even walmart is cheaper.

Shift-E

What Sleepy said lol.

Sony is junk, go for the Pioneer. Pioneer is a company that specializes in audio equpiment, so it's obviously gonna have the better equipment.

sl33pyriceboi

iTrader: (3)

gearbox can vouch for the dislike of sony headunits.

Shift-E

how long did he have it in for? Like a week or two? :P

DarkSouljur

Omg man. You live in Canada. Go to www.sonicelectronix.com (because they ship to canada and crutchfield doesn't) and order something from there. You get a free dash kit and wiring harness. They also send you a free install manual and you can look here too for advice.

For $425 you should get an alpine. Personally i think they're better than pioneer, but pioneer is also a good company. Don't get a sony, jvc, or kenwood.

tkrotchko

iTrader: (1)

1) It depends on why you want a screen unit. Watching movies in a car is overrated and once you're past the "sexiness" of a screen unit, you're paying a lot for it.

2) $125 to install isn't bad, unless you don't have $125.

3) A single DIN unit is a piece of cake to put into this car, provided you take the hour to build a harness that is correct. This is also easy, but when I was 16 I would have been tempted to skip this and start cutting into the harness. Don't do this. Spend the $15 to build the correct harness.

4) For posting options, go into your profile, go to quick links and then edit options. About 2/3's of the way down the page, you can have messages appear in any order you'd like. Here's the direct link:
https://www.civicforums.com/forums/p...do=editoptions

lowlife9

i have had every major brand of head unit working for stereo shops in the past and sony was never really on my **** list jvc on the other hand. but i wouldn't spend 500 for the sony if you were going for walmart special then sony would be your best bet.

Wilsky

Yea the only reason for the screen is the look, it doesn't come with navagation or bluetooth. The sony is the best model they have at bestbuy, and has bluetooth.

DarkSouljur

I'm telling you, get the same thing from online for like half the price. Best buy in canada is really over priced.

lowlife9

ive had my flip out for years now i still love it but i never really watched movies on it.

garden772

wait is JVC that bad? im considering buying this JVC headunit from crutchfield that will replace my stock 01 Civic LX headunit you guys are making it sound like a bad purchase but i read up on it it looks pretty good.http://www.crutchfield.com/p_105KDHD...-KD-HDR70.html
Thats the link its HD radio tuner built in,29 color options for the Display and the Buttons being able to be different colors. Its pretty good to go

lowlife9

i have had 3 yes 3 different JVC head units die on me for no reason also numerous friends with the same occurrence . you can get it if you please but don't say we didn't warn you.

sl33pyriceboi

iTrader: (3)

yea jvc sucks. worst than sony...and i hate sony HUs

Wilsky

Im more concerned about a normal head unit vs a screen not a brand. Thanks for helping me with the posts I got it all fixed up. I'll go check out that site right now

green01civic

1. Check out SonicElectronix.com to make your purchase. I bet you hands down they're gonna be equal to or cheaper than anyone else, and they include free install gear (dash kit, wiring harness, and antenna adapter if one is necessary) and free ground shipping. Also, the dash kits from Sonic are sometimes better than Crutchfield.

2. JVC is a good brand. I've had no problems with them, and the decks I've installed have been solid (all in the KD-HDR series). They have a 1 year manufacturers warranty, and if you purchase it with a real credit card (Amex or some Visa cards) they'll give you a free 2nd year warranty. I always purchase electronics with my Amex or Visa Signature cards for that reason.

In fact, I've installed that exact same HU (the KD-HDR70) in my sisters 01 Civic Coupe. She likes the pink color scheme I set, and likes the direct USB for her iPod touch (it charges it, and the audio is digital over USB). You can also control the iPod from either the HU directly or the iPod. And last, but not least, in my area we get a fair number of HD Radio stations, and so the quality of the radio tuner is pretty good. The only downside is under direct sunlight the LCD display is a little washed out, but it might be because of the pink color scheme, lol.

I'd also recommend a similar unit, the Clarion CZ401, which also has a built in HD radio tuner, or the JVC Arsenal KD-AHD79, which is basically a higher end KD-HDR70 (5v preamp outs, parametric EQ, and 2yr warranty).

JVC KD-HDR70: http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_...-KD-HDR70.html
JVC Arsenal KD-AHD79: http://www.crutchfield.com/S-qmnKLKD...-KD-AHD79.html
Clarion CZ401: http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_...ion-CZ401.html

All three have HD Radio tuners built-in, front USB port for direct iPod connection OR flash drive OR external hard drive, a front 3.5mm input, MP3/WMA CD support, a remote, and a detachable faceplate. And are CEA-2006 compliant.

garden772

Thanks green. I was sort of worried lol. Im pretty easily influenced when it comes to Simple Electronics that can easily dictate how much you enjoy the bigger picture. With you saying so that you've had experience with the HU I want it definitely makes me feel like its more a good buy.

07exNavi

For that much money I would try to go with an alpine head unit. Might be a personal preference, but I think they make a high quality product.

Also if I were you I would not buy any stereo equipment from best buy. From my experience they are overpriced and they do not have that great of a product selection.

To go along with trying sonicelectronix I would see if there are any local car audio shops in your area. I have had good experiences with the ones around me as far as prices and selection.

As far as getting a screen I say its not worth the extra money, just my .02

raigen18

I'd go for the pioneer deck. They have a lot of features (lpf,hpf, sla, eq, sub control, sound retriever, etc..) and the interface is very simple and easy to use. Only problem i've heard for pioneer decks is that the pico fuse is easily blown but that can be fixed by simply grounding the rca shields to the deck itself. I personally have the deh-p4200ub and I really like it.

TiggerDX

iTrader: (1)

If you are going to get a JVC, get this one JVC-Arsenal-KD-AHD79
Their standard line does suck but the Arsenal series is their top of the line. I have one and it works very well. I have always had Denon or Alpine HU so I was taking a chance with this one. Have had it for about 6 months and no issues yet.

TheSituation

Hey man. I dont know if you already got your head unit but I have done and tried alot in the sound department and my opinion seems to be the same as everybody on here. I use pioneer and love it. I would recommend it. But why 500$? My head unit was like 200ish and I will take on anybody that thinks their sound is better than mine. Is their something that I missed?

07exNavi

Now that I think about it, you would be better off getting a head unit with 4 channel pre-outs and getting a 4 channel amp and hooking your speakers up to that. You will be much happier with that then getting a really nice head unit. You will get more adjustments and it you put the interior speakers on a high pass and pair them up nicely with a subwoofer crossed over around the same freq you will able to go super loud and be very clear. For the amount that your spending you could get a decent 4 channel and a headunit. Mine was around $180 and it is 50x4 @ 4 ohms 75x4 @ 2 ohms and bridged 150x2 @ 4 ohms. (its one of the alpines from a couple years ago i forget which number) I use it to power the tower speakers in my boat (2 6.5s @ 50 watts each) and it has plenty of power to max them out. And with them on a high pass I get good clarity and more tuning options than if I ran them from the head unit.

Just another option to think about, also I know a guy with a ranger that amped all 4 of his interior speakers and his system sounds very nice. He is running a 5 channel though which might put you over budget... or not depending on if youve allready got a sub and amp for that.

Moral of the story if I could do it over again I would get a 5 channel amp and a decent headunit and it would be simple and sound good and probly in the end less expensive. I think 5 channels run 300 to 400.

Kennykid2002

iTrader: (1)

Lawl, Everyone's hating on the Sony HU's

TBH, they are awesome starter HU's when you buy the ones that are like $100~150 range

But like most have said, with a $400 budget, I would go all out and get something nicer.
Pioneer and Alpine are pretty much up there and I would consider one of those.

I pretty much dislike all JVCs because they look bulky, feel cheap, and their menus are a pain to navigate.

I've had my Sony HU for nearly 2 years, and I can guarantee that they aren't as bad as people hype them up to be. Hell, even 2 of my friends got the same exact model as me after listening to mine.
...but then again, they also followed me and got Polk speakers and JL Subs =.=

Wilsky

Well I ended up going with the Sony. Everything is good except one thing went wrong. When I plug my iPhone into the "Tune Tray," the light that indicates that a device is connected turns on, but when I select the setting USB internal, it says that there is no device

Kennykid2002

iTrader: (1)

Are you sure you have a iPod Data cable and not just simply a charging cable?

green01civic

I probably have about a dozen assorted ipod cables, new apple ones, old apple ones, and a variety of knockoffs... and all of them are data and charge. Do they even make a charge-only cable? I don't know of one.

I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest that the HU is garbage, and if he listened to... I don't know... anyone in this thread, he'd have been better off. I mean, how many people do you have to have hate on it before someone listens. See relevant review below:

Kennykid2002

iTrader: (1)

Yes, there are charge only cables, and the usb port connecting the ipod must be ipod ready on certain ipods.

Its retarded, not just on Sony's end... (I do partially blame Sony too, but then again, Apple isn't perfect) (I'd like to add that Sony has probably THE worst customer service in the world.)

I have a wall charger for ipods, and it would charge my ipod video fine, my 1G itouch fine, but for the love of me, will not charge my iphone 3G, or my iphone 4

Wilsky

I listened to your reviews, and went against them because the sony had the best display. It had four lines so when you were browsing through your music, it was very fast. The alpine I tried out was slow, and I don't want to take time looking at the HU when I should be looking at where I am going. The thing is, it wasn't broken right away, it happened two or three weeks later. And it happened once and started working again I don't know why

mysunsuion

Most of the time, the changes only happen to the wiring system..
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Kennykid2002

iTrader: (1)

I agree, Sony has the best menu system IMO, easy to navigate, and a lot of customization on EQs
But the problem I'm having with yours is not the HU itself, but instead the price tag you paid for it.
Could have probably gotten it for under $200 and self installed.

Anyways, don't know whats up with the ipod thing, but hopefully it stays working?