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Existing system: Standard radio/cass (and shelf)in STi version 3.
Want: Double-height radio/cass/CD head unit (possibly from STi version 4 or 5). Will this just slot in? If so, I'm hoping to find a member who has upgraded to something far better than the standard Scooby kit. I'm just interested in getting a suitable CD player without too much expense or going down the multichanger route. Suggestions please ...
Double dins will go straight in but I would avoid them if possible. They tend to be a bunch of comprimises and lacking in sound quality. They are beginning to become available in this country. I know that sony make them but they are not cheap at all, also sony stuff is generally very unreliable.
The units available second hand will be japanese frequency expanded units, they will have no rds and only be able to pick up some stations ass even when expanded, they pick up the whole range.
You should really look at a single din second hand unit and multiplay and insert the shelf in the other half that is normally available with imports. I am selling a head unit and cd player, but obviously I am not the only one, they should be very easy to find if you ask around.
I really would avoid double din head units if you can though (future compatibilty also becomes a problem as well as selling it on).
Sony fit UK spec double din to Avensis. Longmill also do one. Clarion launching one soon. Pioneer / Panasonic due to launch double din, UK spec with CD, Mini Disc and Cassette.
Cannot comment about reliability, but I have always been pleased with Sony stuff, although never had a Sony car radio.
Thanks for your advice so far. Is it just a case of unplugging the existing unit, removing the shelf then plugging the new one in?
I'm tempted to track down a written off Avensis and fish it out on the cheap, but I've also been offered a double DIn unit from a STi. What's the going rate for 2nd hand equipment?
you could do worse than shove in TWO single height DIN units... say CD & radio top and MD below (yes, I know ATRAC isn't as good as 16 bit PCM, but you'de be hard pressed to notice while on the move!).
As for double height DIN units, I've always thought that they're clumsy in the extreme and am a bit doubtful of the quality (midi system vs separates etc etc). Alternatively just pop the wee "tray" thing in the second slot; very handy for storing CDs and/or sweets [but watch those CDs when doing a rapid start... I've had some migrate to the back of my car without touching the floor!]
If you're looking at second hand kit, caveat emptor. It can be a steal (literally?) but can be a minefield... at least new kit comes with a warranty!
Kenwood do have some slave units which are quite cute. I had thought of filling my second DIN slot with one, but found that the surround would have to be cut down (just like the head unit) and because of the gap between the surround and the fascia, just leaving the surround off would loook naff.
Also, I didn't like the style of the display; to my mind, EQs and spectrum analysers should have vertical bars, not ones that bend as they rise. <shrugs>
In the end, I filled the second slot with a Pioneer DEQ-9200 DSP. It's got a reasonable display (read: straight), it is an active crossover and 3 band parametric EQ (centres on 1/3 octave), will auto-setup the (4-band parametric in this case) curve by analysing a pink noise it generates, and best of all it does *proper* time alignment (not like a lot of other units that claim to do so but are just LPS jobs). I has a few problems (like low line voltage and an S/N ratio that could be better) but on the whole it works well, and looks great.
IIRC, Alpine now do a "pair" of headunits specifically designed for filling a pair of DIN slots... could be worth a look also.
