Here we go again... Car Stereos

[black roadster]

My Sony finally bit the dust. It works, all functions work but no display. I need to see if there is a reset button but if that doesn't fix it, I'll be replacing it. I did try cleaning the contacts on the detachable face.

I tried the Alpine iDA-X001 but the display washed out bad so I returned it.

I'm kind of digging this one.


My requirements are the following...

Must have amber or red illumination as an option. I hate when the radio illumination clashes with the rest of the dash. While switchable illumination used to be common, it is actually a hard thing to find. All Pioneer seem to use blue only.

Must have some way to connect an iPod. Aux-in but controls are a plus.

Rotary knob. I just prefer this for volume control.

3 Sets of pre-amps for my amplifier.

Also, what are your thoughts on HD Radio? I'm just not interested in paying for satellite radio. I hardly listen to FM radio because of the repeated play lists, annoying commercials and obnoxious DJs.

[Walsted]

AS far as HD, I've read a few things that may or may not be true, so take them with a grain of salt, and maybe a shot of tequila to go with it. Supposedly, HD is being driven by Clear Channel, and the receiver is saddled with a $50 licensing fee when manufactured. Consequently, the quality of a receiver wth integrated HDRadio would likely be a lot lower than others at the same price point. As HDRadio isn't broadcast at the precise same time as FM, (a few seconds delay,which is significant,) switching to FM when the HD is lost and back when it is regained would be REAL annoying to me, but may be acceptable to some others. Again, take that with a grain of salt or two, and something to rinse it down with while you verify it or find out it is wrong.

The JVC models that I have considered in the past didn't have separate power antenna controls and amp power controls, so if the unit was powered up, the antenna was extended, even if a CD or other non-radio source was selected. If you have a power antenna, this may be an issue with a JVC - I haven't looked at the installation manual for that particular model to be sure.

Hope this helps.

[trickyrix]

Does HD radio carry any more content than FM? Are there extra stations that carry decent music? I know Dallas radio pretty much sucks as far as music goes, but I'm not sure HD would be any better, content-wise. My Alpine is billed as "HD Ready" but, as I understand it, I would still have to go out and buy another black box to turn it on.

F Clear Channel, btw...

I pretty much stick to AM when I'm home (my tuner's stuck on 1310), but I use the hell out of the satellite on road trips - usually more so than the iPod. I'm a fan... and I think now you can wrangle the price down to around $5/month (something I should probably look into). Try it and you might like it...

[Radio-Active]

I bought the HD radio for my Pioneer receiver a couple of months ago. I would make sure you have a y splitter so that you can go back to the regular tuner for long distance trips. I purchased my add on tuner from Amazon for $50 and it works with my 5 year old Pioneer deck as an External device input. I have heard it will work with any Pioneer deck with an IP bus input. One guy even had a 10 year old deck he was using.

AM is much better quality when you can receive the HD signals. It is almost FM quality stereo. Not many are HD yet, but who needs Rush Limbaugh in stereo.

FM has quite a few extra channels and will work in McKinney, but you might want to see about getting an antenna booster. It will depend on the channel whether or not the HD signal is synchonized with the analogue signal whether or not you will hear the transistion.

I also have a HD radio alarm clock at home. It requires the use of my outside tv antenna to get a strong enough signal, but the sound quality is excellent. I think it is worth getting one just to try out.

Linkie:

[CosmosMpower]

The crap Blaupunkt radio in my Elise probably matches all your requirements.

1. Change the color of the display via preset colors or RGB input, check
2. Ipod ready (just buy the cable), check
3. Rotary knob for volume, check
4. Not sure about how many sets of pre-amp

[motorollow]

I just bought an Alpine CDE-102 and really like it, but you cannot change all of the colors. If you can find an Alpine 9884 (my son has one) it allows you to change all of the colors to red. I would highly recommend any 2006+ Alpine HU that has the black harness plug on the back because you will be able to easily add the Alpine Power Pak ($99 on some websites) which gives you 45 watts X 4 RMS per channel. The Power Pak is plug and play - No wires or amps in the trunk!