Aftermarket 80 stereo head unit suggestions

[IdahoDoug]

On the way to church, the CD refused to play the usual medley of kid's songs, so I may be replacing the 80s stereo and am looking for suggestions. Time may be of the essence if it does not recover as we're planning a Utah ski trip at months end.

So. We're not audiophiles and will be happy basically duplicating the stock stereo's CD/Cassette/AM/FM capabilities. I'll definitely upgrade the factory speakers in the near future (or now if it's required), but the priority is on finding out what head unit others have used successfully that looks nice, fits well and is ergonomic to use. Frankly, most of the aftermarket stuff drives me nuts with myriad tiny buttons and teeny knobs that are easy to use in the stereo shop but not at the wheel. I love the simple Toyota unit with its big volume knob and buttons that can be used with gloves on.

But, I'm all ears as to what you guys have found and yes I'll be doing a search. Hopefully there will be some recent finds as this thread hasn't been up in a while, though I see the thread wanting to keep the stock speakers/amps.

 

[landtank]

I'm not all that conserned with being on top of the stereo thing as some, but when I bought my replacement it had to have MP3 capabilities. You can put hundreds of songs on a MP3 cd. Just rip them off your originals and then burn as a data cd. Cheaper than a multi disk unit and since they are the copies you don't take the chance of getting ripped off and out your $$$. I got a Rockford/Fosgate because it was the cheapest I could find with MP3.

 

[80and100cruisers]

Sony sucks, always breaks (my brothers and my friends sony broke). Panasonic has been good to me, close to 4 years of trouble free operation so far. Alpine is also really good for sound quality..but generally has lots of small buttons I think. As for price, you generally get more when you pay more. More power and features. If you plan on upgrading your speakers you may want to see what audio adjustments the head units have (bass, mid, high, seperate sub, etc.) Most single din units will fit, and that gives you an extra storage space under the head unit. Crutchfield will tell you what fits, or any local Best Buy, etc.

-Matt

 

[IdahoDoug]

Rick,

Which R/F unit did you get? I'm guessing you also had to replace the speakers since some(?) of the stock 80s speakers have integrated amps don't they? Also, just had a quick chat with the boss after perusing Crutchfield and finding that keeping a Cassette function instantly limits the choices and doubles the price. So, we'll give up the cassette and go for a CD/tuner model. Which also means an empty pocket below. Anyone heard of a pop out cupholder that will fit in such a space?

DougM

PS - like the MP3 as well. Last year, I left the doors open on a trip and someone made off with my classic CD collection. Whoo, that pissed me off more than I thought it could.

 

[landtank]

Doug,
I'd have to go out and look. Believe it or not I've owned it for more than 1 1/2 years and it is still on the shelf. I bought the stereo, 2 sets of Kenwood Eclipse speekers and a bridgeable 100 watt amp and sub woofer. Had one hellava honey do project which gets over next week. So once it warms up it goes in with the single din cb radio that I've had since last Christmas .

What screwed me up was I originally wanted to just put in speekers. These were a closeout at 95.00 a pair. Once I got them home and opened them up they are a component set with a crossover. I expected a simple plug and play and now I've got a weekend of work just to get the speekers in. Then I figured with those speekers a good head unit would be nice and found this R/F unit for 125.00. Then Radio shack was closing out their car stereo components and I got the amp for 75.00. So a simple speeker swap has turned into a gut and replace on the whole system.

 

[IdahoDoug]

So, has anyone successfully replaced their factory stereo and like it?

DougM

 

[80and100cruisers]

In my 100, I love my Panasonic headunit.

-Matt

 

[otis22]

You may want to try Factory Car Stereo Repair, www.carstereohelp.com

I sent them my factory head unit and he refurbished it so the CD player would play. About $200 bucks includes 1 year warranty.

 

[96Cruiser]

Yes,i have all stock speakers at the moment,but have installed an Alpine cd player in the dash(single din)with a plastic 'pocket" below.
used a set of adapters from Circuit City to plug into the factory wiring behind the dash.
the factory unit uses one plug while there are two(2) other plugs used when adding a aftermarket unit,these bypass the factory amp but leave the rest of the speakers intact(except maybe the woofer,i havnt bothered to climb in the back while its on to check)Eventually i will replace the door speakers,but its not a top priority at the moment.
i have posted on this before,even sent junk a link to the latest,about running a separate power wire from the battery or similar....most modern head units have anywhere from 30/50 watts/or the amp you wire in needs a clean,higher amperage power source.
the power wire on the aftermarket wiring harness taps a "keyed" 12volt wire that is maybe 22 gauge and WILL NOT carry enough current to run even a headunit sans amp(ask me how i know this)
i used a simple 10 gauge wire from battery to a relay bundled with the wiring harness i soldered up from the Alpine harness and the adapters from CC.i used the "keyed" 22 gauge wire to "activate" the relay so i have a 10 gauge power wire "keyed" on.
i believe theres enough room behind the dash to make a power panel with a couple of those relays,giving a constant/keyed power for a spotlite/cell charger etc,plus a junction to run some to the rear as well.havent done any of this....gotta order a camry pocket with a door for the lower dash(the plastic pocket from the stereo shop is just too cheesy for me)and when i have that and a couple more relays and a warmer afternoon it will all come together......

doug

 

[PHAEDRUS]

personally I like my pioneer head unit.
has the big round knob for volume and works well with a 45wx4 channel set up, here is a photo of that and my botched cb mount in the dash of my 92. its not my prettiest work but it is effective.
Dave

 

[IdahoDoug]

Doug,

So, you're thinking that a Camry pocket will fill the lower DIN area? With a door, too - cool. What year Camry, or perhaps you have a P/N? Is it a direct fit, or do you expect to do some rigging to fit it.

I like the heavy wire via relay idea.

Doug

 

[landtank]

Doug, I had a 96 Camry with the pocket w/door. Should be no problem bolting that in.

 

[96Cruiser]

C-Dan supplied me with the p/n:The Camry pocket w/door is a 55521-33010
i have read that it is a bolt in but have not ordered it yet......

pm him for ordering/pricing info


doug

 

[Landpimp]

Doug I can't comment on what works in a 80, but for a nice SIMPLE to use and well made head unit look at the Eclipse CD players, very few buttons, easy to use and have a DIAL for the volume, they don't look overely BLING BLING, very subdued. And easy to use!! good sound as well. I have one in my fj60, paid $220 for it. And when I looked into replacing the head unit in my 100 I looked at another Eclipse. Also have 4 Alpines in other Cruisers.......they are a good unit but not as easy to use as the Eclipse and look a bit more Bling. Eclipse is made by the same folks that have made Land Cruiser stock head units............sense the begining of time(I have a 1967 TEN speaker in my fj45)

 

[ginericLC]

IdahoDoug,

If you are happy with your factory unit, would you want to replace it with a factory unit? I'm pulling the stereo out of our 94 this weekend to install a CD head unit with an MP3 changer. Everything works on it fine. The rig has been a mostly highway rig and has been kept extremely clean. The previous owner had not even taken it on a gravel road. If interested PM me.

I've had mixed results with Sony headunits currently I'm on 4 years with my current one. Alpine head units are great unless you travel on dusty roads. Their dust seals suck. For awhile I was replacing an Alpine unit every 60-80 days. The older Panasonics were awesome units. The newer ones have gotten pretty fancy and with that they lost some of the ruggedness of the former models. Their recent dampening systems are not as good as they used to be. Kenwood has some pretty decent units for a reasonable price, don't buy their very bottom line unit. Pioneer also has some decent units, but I would shy away from their base units and the ones that they sell at places like Wal Mart. Eclipse makes some great stuff. Never had any complaints about any of their stuff other than price, but they are more competitive now. I would stay away from the no name brands or the really fancy stuff. Nakamichi is awesome stuff but it is very precise and just a little glitch can set it off. Just some things I've seen over the years. I did car stereo professionally through 94. I'm sort of out of the loop but I've been researching a new head unit for my 91 too.

 

[wob]

[quote author=ginericfj80 link=board=2;threadid=11518;start=msg107264#msg107264 date=1077205578]
Nakamichi is awesome stuff but it is very precise and just a little glitch can set it off.
[/quote]


my Nakamichi 400 is in transit. I wish I would have known about this yesterday!

 

[ginericLC]

[quote author=wob link=board=2;threadid=11518;start=msg107278#msg107278 date=1077207938]
my Nakamichi 400 is in transit. I wish I would have known about this yesterday!
[/quote]

Is it going in your Cruiser? I installed a Nakamichi 400 in a Lexus LS400 not too long ago. He had the factory Pioneer system not the factory Nakamichi. It wasn't until the 3rd unit that we got one that worked well. The local stereo store said it was because it was being mounted at an angle. What I couldn't figure out was is the factory Lexus Nakamichis don't seem to have a problem with the angle. I installed a Nakamichi system in a Ferrari a few years back. It was the best sounding sytem I think I ever did. Or maybe that was the 12 cylinders ringing in my ears. I really hope you have good results. They are fine piece of audio equipment.

 

[TomH]

[quote author=IdahoDoug link=board=2;threadid=11518;start=msg104973#msg104973 date=1076795402]
Frankly, most of the aftermarket stuff drives me nuts with myriad tiny buttons and teeny knobs that are easy to use in the stereo shop but not at the wheel. I love the simple Toyota unit with its big volume knob and buttons that can be used with gloves on.
[/quote]

Doug

One thing to keep in mind regarding the controls is the availabilty of a remote control. I bought an Alpine for my Tacoma a few years back and it came with a remote control. I couldn't image using a remote control for the car stereo so I just threw it in a drawer and forgot about it. Well, after changing lanes a few times trying to set the radio, I decided to try the remote. Works great! Just like sitting at home watching TV, you memorize where the buttons are and never have to take your eyes off the road.

Tom

 

[96Cruiser]

maybe that was the 12 cylinders ringing in my ears

oh yea,that be the best music of all!!!!!!!


doug(closet ferrari fanatic)

 

[REDDER1]

Pioneer MP3/CD Deck..with COBRA CB.

BEFORE i put the COBRA CB in..has the pocket below.

later
joe