Head Unit change makes big difference?

[nohryi]

Hi. I'm a novice when it comes to car stereo and have a big question.....
does changing head unit change sound quality?
Right now I'm running

Fronts:Infinity Reference Components
Rear:Eclipse 6x9
Amp: Eclipse 50wx4 tapped from original speaker wire

Sub:MBQuart 15in
Amp: MBQuart 500w tapped from rear speaker

I liked having the stock factory head unit for the clean look, but the guy at the store keeps on telling me I should get after market deck since that will make the sound 10X BETTER!!

does it really make that much difference? Wanted to hear from other solara owners. thanks

[BradOwens]

yea it makes a difference. i have an eclipse CD3434 headunit. it improved the loudness and quality. im only running stock JBL speakers and a JL 10" sub and e2150 amp. jus make sure u get one with at least 50X4 watts

[SPF 0]

With the funky looking head unit, what does an aftermarket critter look like in the opening?

IMHO, using the home theatre analogy, your weakest link is going to be your speakers. Before I replaced the head unit, I'd add in dedicated tweeters up front. The high sound will be fed into a speaker made just for the reproductions of those sound, leave your mains to do the jobs they were meant for.

Try this first; you'll still want the tweeters even if you opt for a different head unit.

[nohryi]

>SPF
yea, thanks for the replies.
Well, I do have dedicated tweeters in front, 6 1/2in in front, and 6x9 in the rears with dedicated amp channel running those. However, when I compare with my friend's system with after market head unit, it just sounds....different......
I know the audio equipment on my car is quite decent and should be sounding better. I guess I will change the head unit....once I get the money....hehe

I HAVE TO get ones that can play .mpg files with double din size monitor since I want to watch music videos from burned DVD's, not just mp3's

[nohryi]

ok, I guess I'll get different head unit.
I want to get a Double Din sized Navigation or DVD player. I was thinking about the kenwood because it plays .mpg files from dvd-data discs. However, i've heard of some bad things about kenwood from michaelT, and I trust him when he says there a problem LOL.
Does anyone know of any other DVD player that plays .mpg files?
I look into manufacture's site and it seems like it never says anything about .mpg.
thanks

[theprodigy79]

You say you already swapped out the speakers? The headunit would definitely be the next step for improved audio quality, especially if you have the low end system... If you have the "premium" sound system with the 6 disk in dash, you can get better sound from tweaking it, however it's still not going to compare to the quality of a higher end after market unit... Regarding power... 50 watts x 4 on a headunit realistically means around 18-22 watts x 4 continuously... I believe the premium system in the 04+ Solara pushes around 25 watts per channel continuously, as it actually has an external 4 channel amplifier mounted behind the glove box... An good quality aftermarket headunit without an external amplifier will still be cleaner (garbage in, garbage out...), but may actually not be as loud (especially with smaller overall diameter speakers such as the 6.5"s I believe you said you have up front in place of the factory 6x9"s). Regarding what a single din head looks like in the funky 04+ dash, click below:

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/588556/3

Not sure which units play .mpegs, that's a pretty sweet feature you're gonna start seeing more and more... Not personally a Kenwood or Pioneer fan, but they both offer a lot of features that are hard to find from other companies... Check out Pioneer's new unit and see if it has whatcha want.

Good luck,

James

[theprodigy79]

By the way... If you do have the premium system, make sure you don't run the aftermarket radio through the amp... I'd just take it out (get rid of any dead weight).

[nohryi]

actually I have an eclipse 4ch amp for front and rear, and mbquart for the subs. I was gonna get around 700-1100 after market dvd player, but since I can't find any with .mpg playback, I'm gonna just go with cheap ebay chinese $400 dvd player just for now. I'll live with it for year or two until I can get a good dvd player with mpeg playback. thanks for the help

[cam2Xrunner]

Search for a '04 model Eclipse AVN2404. There's a couple on ebay. Definitely in your price range.

[theprodigy79]

^ Agreed, check out Eclipse as well, solid unit for good price.