[sternyy]

So im doing it... spending the money for a in dash double din dvd system. Taxes have been wonderful to me this year Hopefully by the end a february i will have everything installed. Ill post some pics once i get everything.

Ebay has some nice deals... NEW NOT OPENED ITEMS. Im looking around 1K msrp from crutchfield, but on ebay they run about $600 - $700 delivered.

Good times.

:klavergreg:

 

[Jaysen]

Congrats. Be sure to take alot of pictures and maybe do a write up.

 

[kchill]

Why are these units so expensive?

 

[sternyy]

you can get an off brand name like pyle for around $300 - $400 NEW UNOPENED on ebay. I have no idea what those head units are like so I dont really trust them. Im with clarion's or alpine's double din head... around $600 NEW UNOPENED on ebay. Crutchfield has them for around $1000 so its a huge savings. Im leaning towards the clarion because it looks like they have a better iPod control, which is really what I want it for, as well as playing dvds and ps2 for my passangers.

 

[canyon85]

I jumped in last week as well and ordered the Jensen VM9021 unit. I think they are closing them out for the new units coming in and picked it up for $550.00 with kit and free ship. Watufuka also has this unit in his fusion (I have the italian version) and had good things to say about it. The ipod integration is second to none and the main reason I went with this rather than hang on to the factory head unit (which ain't too bad itself). Don't forget the pics when completed!

 

[thereisnospoon]

They are so expensive because they are in so much demand. One of my old college roomates is in the biz and works as an exec for Motorola. Of course we all know that Motorola's cost for a Razr cell phone is ridiculously low. The cost of today's Nav units will be 200 bucks total in a frew years (if they're even available). Forced compliance is a big part of why electronics stay expensive.

For example, when it comes to cell phones, I love simplicity. If I wanted it to play MP3's, I would have an Mp3 player. If I wanted it to play video, I'd have a portable DVD player. If I wanted to email or text message, I'd have a damn laptop with wifi on me that could do it. Yes, bluetooth is an excellent achievement, and I support that. But, you're going to be hard pressed to find a cell phone that has bluetooth plus ONLY cell phone and voicemail capability. You can't find one that won't play either videos, mp3's, do text messages, surf the web, etc. By eliminating the older technology, they can keep charging exorbitant prices for the new stuff even if it is only slightly better than the crap that came out before it.

 

[sternyy]

ehhh i'd be carrying tons of equipment around with me then if i needed a seperate piece for email, texting, music, internet and phone lol! I use them everyday with my Pocket PC Phone. Its a computer shrunk down to the palm of my hand and I love it. Of course I am a webdesigner so its important that I am connect 24/7 wherever I go lol.

Anyways I am going to be ordering it this weekend with rush shipping so I can install it by next friday. Saturday I am traveling (by car) from Detroit to Denver and Id love to enjoy a nice new system. The Clarion prolly has the simular control as the Jensen for iPods. All the reveiews I have read have stated: "if you have an iPod then this is the unit you want!" Thats what I care about most, is the control of the iPod. If it is not as easy as controlling it in my hand, then I dont want it. I dont need navigation at all. hell i have never been to Denver and If i look at mapquest once thats all i need lol.

 

[sternyy]

Hey what bracket and harness did you get for the Jensen? I think I am going to try it out while I am on my trip. CC has it on sale for $579. If I like it i will keep it, if i dont i will return it after my trip. well worth the try

 

[canyon85]

It's the one for the Ford F150. I think it was the Scoshe FD1426. I also used the Scosche FDK11 wiring kit which I'm not sure is the proper one yet until I get back there (I have the "premium" system) but it looked right. Let us know how it turns out.

 

[sternyy]

how did you do the ebrake thingy...? I want to be able to play a dvd while driving

 

[pkoko]

I know you can just ground the DVD e- brake connection and it should work.

 

[sternyy]

so after driving in my car for a day i love the indash double din dvd player. i hate the jensen. The EQ on it is horrible. I messed around with it for around 3 hours and could not find a eq that I liked. There are NO mids. Everything is either high or low. It hurts my ears so much i had to return it today.

The question is, will it sound like this with any stereo because of the factory tweeters, or is it just the jensen's EQs that make it bad? Im scared to purchase a better unit (alpine or clarion) from ebay because its not returnable. If I find out it sounds the same as the Jensen, then i know its the factory speakers. If it doesnt sound the same then i know its the jensen. I home hoping its the later part of the two. The jensen is cool because it comes with all the features but im hoping the lack in quality is why its so cheap.

 

[pkoko]

No it is the Jensen unit. Most brand name Double Din DVD have at least 5 band eq. Again instead of buying on e-bay w/o warranty buy authorized. Those DVD players have more problems with them than you think. I would buy from http://woofersetc.com/
or Crutchfield.com or sound domain. All those online places are authorized and you can return the product.

With these reccomendations don't forget to do pricegrabber on them. They may be cheaper else where.

If want DVD & navigation; this is the best unit.
http://www.woofersetc.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&Product_ID=5024 for $1350

If you want just DVD player. The best unit on top:
http://www.woofersetc.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&Product_ID=5083

either
http://www.woofersetc.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&Product_ID=4059
or
http://www.woofersetc.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&Product_ID=4767

I would try to save up some more and get the eclipse nav unit.

 

[sternyy]

so i bought an alpine today and it still sounds like crap...

 

[pkoko]

did you play with the eq?? How does it sound like crap??? At the very least it should sound like the stock head unit.

 

[sternyy]

yup... its a bit better than the jensen but the his are horrible. Its almost like everything is up all the way above 6k - 17.5k. I guess the alpine doesnt have a graphical EQ as more expensive models do, but you'd think at this level it would... IM gonna look into getting a eq for it anyways...

 

[canyon85]

I doubt it's the aftermarket radios. The factory speakers are very cheap. Many times when you replace a stock head unit, the aftermarket units are so much better at volume that they actually reveal how lousy the stock speakers really are. Also, I'd check the music source. Is it bad on all sources (FM, CD, & ipod)? I know that I have to run the factory unit at full treble boost for it to sound decent. What may be happening as well is that the aftermarket systems do not have as much treble boost as the stock unit did...

 

[canyon85]

Did you say that it sounds like there's no bass or no treble?

 

[sternyy]

yeah i think it might be the speakers but also the eqs... i got a couple of options. I also installed the perihpherial ptr7 so i didnt have to wire up the brake and foot brake wires with the Alpine you cant get into the system controls without having your brake on... i know its illegal to drive with a dvd playing but the system controls... come on Anyways the ptr7 fixed that... my next option is either steering controls or look into no speakers tomorrow.

 

[sternyy]

oh yeah iam also getting a loud hiss and what sounds like a hard drive running whenever i use my iPod... i cant find anyone anywhere else on the net getting the same thing.