[WGH]

The vibration and heat finally did in my trusty CD receiver and I need advise on a replacement.

I drive a '77 Jeep Wagoner so only a single DIN unit will fit. The old receiver was a Pioneer DEH-P3100 with 45w x 4. I used all 4 amps to bi-amp the front 4 speakers.

The Jeep doesn't have room for external amps, this ain't no show wagon, it's an everyday work and a weekend take the dogs to the mountains vehicle. I need a unit with a good tuner, CD player, a USB for a thumb drive would be nice, and plenty of clean power. The other stuff like bluetooth, Siri, iPod, Android, Pandora is not necessary.

Got any good recommendations?

Wayne

[Rocket]

Hi Wayne,

I've only ever used Alpine head decks which have provided very reliable.  My first unit lasted for over 10 years until I sold the car and my current head deck has been in use for 7 years.  I presuming the build quality hasn't reduced over the years.

Cheers Rod

[mresseguie]

Wayne,

I've got two Alpine head units--one in my '07 Tacoma; one in our '03 Honda Odyssey.

The HU in the Tacoma has pretty much any capability (half of which I never use). I've got a JL Audio HD600/4 amp powering 2 pairs of ZR650-CSi speakers. The amp is set beneath the driver's seat. I'll wager you could place an amp beneath your driver's seat, too (assuming you want more power). This is about 2 years old. This system rocks. 

The HU in the Odyssey has something like 20 watts per channel powering 2 pairs of C3-525 speakers. It's about 4 years old. This is a decent system for an older minivan though a subwoofer would really help a lot.

I'll check the HUs in the morning to see which models I have. I read somewhere recently that Pioneer HUs are quite good, but I have no experience with them myself.

[WGH]

Thanks guys, after doing some research there doesn't seem to be any agreement who makes a great sounding head unit so I guess they are all about equal. I had Alpine in 1991 and it didn't last that long, the Arizona dust did it in. The Pioneer has lasted 10 years, with any luck a new one will slip into the existing DIN housing.

The price of Pioneer HU's have gone down since I got the P3100. Looking at the Pioneer DEH-X3600UI and other models up the food chain.

Wayne

[Folsom]

But the most important thing is speaker matching. Those 45w ratings on good days are maybe 18w....    They'll sound much better with higher sensitivity speakers that are rated lower. Otherwise your best bet is better an amplifier. The more expensive JL units are leagues better than most available. There's lots of quality brands like Arc, that reflect a side of car audio more like brands on Audio Circle don't reflect Cerwin Vega or whatever... side of home audio.

[WGH]

The Jeep speaker system has always been esoteric.  In 1977 the sound system started as an AM radio with a single center dash speaker, cup holders in vehicles were not even invented yet. I eventually had to take a hacksaw and grinding wheels to make the 3 hole radio opening into a single DIN so a modern receiver would fit.

After a rough beginning the door speakers evolved into a KEF B110 woofer and Vifa tweeter in each door panel which has remained stable for years, maybe as long as 20. At the time there was nothing available at a price i could afford that would match the KEF/Vifa combo and it still sounds pretty good.

18w is the same as what I have now so it should be adequate but I can always get one of those $100 plate amps if I need more.

Wayne

[jarcher]

My recollection from a few years back when also shopping for the same was that the Pioneer and JVC's sounded the best - i.e. in terms of being more analog / musical.  Because of the brand & looks I went with an Alpine head unit + alpine "r" series component speakers.  Kinda mistake : VERY bright & HIFIy.  I should have gone for the Pioneer. 

Alpine does have this sweet super compact amp that'll fit behind the head unit ("Power Pack" amplifier series) - but if it has that super bright hifi sound, might be a mistake.  But if your going to use stock speakers (vs very hifi alpine speakers), could be ok.