I'm very happy with the way the speakers and sub-woofer sound in my truck. I am beginning to get very dissappointed with the stereo. The FM stinks and using an FM transmitter with my MP3 player doesn't work very well either.
I'm looking for a good make to replace mine with. I'd like to get MP3 and Sirius as well as be able to hook up my portable MP3 Player. What is a good brand these days?
How hard is it to match up the premium speaker system with a new stereo?
How hard is it to do this myself? Last time I did a stereo install was before CDs were popular!
Thanks!
Brian
Stereo Upgrade Advice
Moderator: bajabob
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Atomic Baja
- Scoobytruck Contributer
- Posts: 28
- Joined: Tue Jul 12, 2005 5:11 pm
- Location: Los Alamos, NM
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cliffhanger
- Scoobytruck Master
- Posts: 354
- Joined: Sun Feb 13, 2005 7:31 am
- Location: NORVA
i've only had one other model than a kenwood in my cars/trucks, it was a pioneer, and i hated it. after i bought my first kenwood i never looked back. i think that there are other good brands out there, i have just never had the need to go searching for one since i starting putting kenwood stereos in my vehicles.
you should be able to get mp3/sirius for in between $100-$200 dollars, and to hook up your mp3player (or anything else with a headphone jack) just make sure you get a model that has "aux inputs", they will be a extra pair of rca cables coming out of the back of the stereo, then all you need is a headphone(1/8" stereo jack)-to-rca cable, you can pick them up at any radioshack($2-$3). the gold plated ones offer better sound quality, but are a little more expensive($3-$6).
the installation of the stereo is a whole lot easier than choosing which stereo to buy (imho). go to the baja library at the top of the page and click on subwoofer installation to see how to remove the trim and radio. the new stereo will come with a plug that has a lot of wires coming out of it. you will need to get some shrink tubing($3) and you will have to buy a subaru wiring harness adapter($8-$14) from a store such as circuit city or best buy (or any place that does stereo installs). now use the stereo instruction manual and the package the subaru harness came in to match up which wire is for what (very easy) and twist these wires together and slide the shrink tubing over the twist (it's a good idea to put the shrink tubing on the wires prior to the twist
), and shrink. once this is done you have completed your wiring harness, the hardest part is done. this will plug into the back of the new head unit and into the 14-pin plug that you took out of the factory head unit. now on to mounting the stereo...
keep in mind that we own a japanese vehicle, so if you buy a japanese made head unit, all you have to do is screw in a couple of screws on the side, in same places (with the same screws) that you took out of the factory head unit. kenwood is a japanese unit, that is how i figured that out. this means you don't have to buy a mounting kit, so you will save money. so plug in the harnesses, screw it in, and put it back together. its that easy. the head unit that you are taking out is a double-din type head unit (twice the size of a normal head unit). so you have three options: buy something (anything) to go in the other hole (an equalizer, another pocket); make something to go in the hole (a blank made out of a piece of black plastic you've got lying around); or buy a double-din head unit.
all-in-all this is just a lot of words for a pretty easy install,under an hour usually, you can estimate 2-4 hours since it is your first time doing it in a while. i know this is a little long winded, but i hope i answered any question you may have, if not, just give a holler!
--greg
you should be able to get mp3/sirius for in between $100-$200 dollars, and to hook up your mp3player (or anything else with a headphone jack) just make sure you get a model that has "aux inputs", they will be a extra pair of rca cables coming out of the back of the stereo, then all you need is a headphone(1/8" stereo jack)-to-rca cable, you can pick them up at any radioshack($2-$3). the gold plated ones offer better sound quality, but are a little more expensive($3-$6).
the installation of the stereo is a whole lot easier than choosing which stereo to buy (imho). go to the baja library at the top of the page and click on subwoofer installation to see how to remove the trim and radio. the new stereo will come with a plug that has a lot of wires coming out of it. you will need to get some shrink tubing($3) and you will have to buy a subaru wiring harness adapter($8-$14) from a store such as circuit city or best buy (or any place that does stereo installs). now use the stereo instruction manual and the package the subaru harness came in to match up which wire is for what (very easy) and twist these wires together and slide the shrink tubing over the twist (it's a good idea to put the shrink tubing on the wires prior to the twist
), and shrink. once this is done you have completed your wiring harness, the hardest part is done. this will plug into the back of the new head unit and into the 14-pin plug that you took out of the factory head unit. now on to mounting the stereo...keep in mind that we own a japanese vehicle, so if you buy a japanese made head unit, all you have to do is screw in a couple of screws on the side, in same places (with the same screws) that you took out of the factory head unit. kenwood is a japanese unit, that is how i figured that out. this means you don't have to buy a mounting kit, so you will save money. so plug in the harnesses, screw it in, and put it back together. its that easy. the head unit that you are taking out is a double-din type head unit (twice the size of a normal head unit). so you have three options: buy something (anything) to go in the other hole (an equalizer, another pocket); make something to go in the hole (a blank made out of a piece of black plastic you've got lying around); or buy a double-din head unit.
all-in-all this is just a lot of words for a pretty easy install,under an hour usually, you can estimate 2-4 hours since it is your first time doing it in a while. i know this is a little long winded, but i hope i answered any question you may have, if not, just give a holler!
--greg
'05 Baja-T M/T white/silver
370 awhp
370 awhp
Re: Stereo Upgrade Advice
One of the best places to look is http://www.crutchfield.com where they have a lot of specs, info, and helpers and will also support you through the install...
JVC makes a couple of head units that include a front aux jack as well as rear aux inputs.
Chuck
JVC makes a couple of head units that include a front aux jack as well as rear aux inputs.
Chuck
Atomic Baja wrote:I'm very happy with the way the speakers and sub-woofer sound in my truck. I am beginning to get very dissappointed with the stereo. The FM stinks and using an FM transmitter with my MP3 player doesn't work very well either.
I'm looking for a good make to replace mine with. I'd like to get MP3 and Sirius as well as be able to hook up my portable MP3 Player. What is a good brand these days?
How hard is it to match up the premium speaker system with a new stereo?
How hard is it to do this myself? Last time I did a stereo install was before CDs were popular!
Thanks!
Brian