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Aftermarket Head Unit...

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Old 01-13-2018, 04:40 AM
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Default Aftermarket Head Unit...

I just bought my first full size truck. It's a 97 454ci truck 2500. It has a cassete player than I'm looking to ditch soon. The truck is go be used as a spare vehicle when needed and a tow rig when needed. Not a daily driver. What head unit is best for under a 100 dollars? #single din

Unfortunately for me I have no knowledge at all about audio at all.... so I'm asking for help. What brand cd players do you guys REALLY like? Do i always get what I pay for in audio?
Here is a pic of my truck. I'll be randomly posting pics of what's on the market that's under my budget.
Old 01-13-2018, 04:44 AM
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Old 01-13-2018, 04:47 AM
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Old 01-13-2018, 04:49 AM
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Old 01-14-2018, 06:40 AM
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Always been an Alpine and Kenwood fan. Had an all Kenwood system in my S10 that sounded great. I now have a mutant system with an Alpine head unit, JBL subwoofer, who knows amplifier, and who knows about the speakers. For what you're wanting to do in your application, any of the above options will work great. Really all about brand preference...
Old 01-14-2018, 08:21 AM
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Originally Posted by Treyvs
Always been an Alpine and Kenwood fan. Had an all Kenwood system in my S10 that sounded great. I now have a mutant system with an Alpine head unit, JBL subwoofer, who knows amplifier, and who knows about the speakers. For what you're wanting to do in your application, any of the above options will work great. Really all about brand preference...
Thanks for the response. I know MOST guys are brand loyal which I kinda understand but then again I'm not brand loyal when it comes down to audio/electronics. So me mentioning that I'm looking for my best BANG FOR THE BUCK.
Old 01-14-2018, 08:47 AM
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Any one of those will work for your purposes. Just pick the one you like best. You're not going to find much difference between them at that price point.

However, you should never buy from Sonic Electronics!!! They are not factory authorized dealers so you won't have any factory warranty. In fact, both Pioneer and Kenwood specify on their websites that items purchased from Sonic will not be covered under warranty. Buy from a reputable site like Crutchfield or even Pep Boys or Walmart if you want authorized devices.
Old 01-14-2018, 09:26 AM
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Stay away from "BOSS" Brands, Stick with Kenwood,Pioneer,JVC,Sony,Alpine.
I've found that Kenwood and Pioneer have a lot of features at a low price. You should be able to find a decent stereo with Bluetooth for under $75.
Old 01-14-2018, 09:33 AM
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Originally Posted by WhiteBird00
Any one of those will work for your purposes. Just pick the one you like best. You're not going to find much difference between them at that price point.

However, you should never buy from Sonic Electronics!!! They are not factory authorized dealers so you won't have any factory warranty. In fact, both Pioneer and Kenwood specify on their websites that items purchased from Sonic will not be covered under warranty. Buy from a reputable site like Crutchfield or even Pep Boys or Walmart if you want authorized devices.
OKAY thanks for the heads up.
Old 01-14-2018, 09:46 AM
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With Bluetoothhttps://www.walmart.com/ip/Pioneer-D...rial/376133916

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Kenwood-K...ooth/358562930

Without Bluetooth.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Kenwood-K...iver/880796076

There are other is you take the time to look a bit.
Old 01-14-2018, 10:05 AM
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Yes it takes time to really look at all them.... if I knew what I was looking at as far as features like Pandora, Sirius, Bluetooth etc I wouldn' be bothering people people.
Old 01-14-2018, 05:12 PM
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If it's a rarely used vehicle then just get a basic name brand stereo/cd without Bluetooth, If you end up out in the boonies with no reception you can always listen to a CD or plug your phone into the aux plug to listen to the media you have stored on it.
Old 01-14-2018, 09:21 PM
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Originally Posted by LLLosingit
If it's a rarely used vehicle then just get a basic name brand stereo/cd without Bluetooth, If you end up out in the boonies with no reception you can always listen to a CD or plug your phone into the aux plug to listen to the media you have stored on it.
I love the reliability of a CD but they getting harder to get....
Old 01-14-2018, 11:17 PM
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I have a Sony GT550UI in my truck (which I don't think they make anymore), but it does what I want. It's cheap, takes CD's, and has a USB port which I stick a 16GB thumb drive into. The factory truck speakers suck anyway, so you don't need anything exotic.
Old 01-15-2018, 02:56 PM
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Originally Posted by Spartan7
I have a Sony GT550UI in my truck (which I don't think they make anymore), but it does what I want. It's cheap, takes CD's, and has a USB port which I stick a 16GB thumb drive into. The factory truck speakers suck anyway, so you don't need anything exotic.
How much was your Sony? Im go replace the factory speakers with some cheap aftermarket anyway. JVC and Pioneer both has some 6.5" door speakers for 25 dollars.
Old 01-15-2018, 04:56 PM
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No more than $100. I replaced the front speakers in my truck with these, they turned out much better than the stockers. I'm not sure how yours are held in, but mine were attached to a factory bracket that clipped into the door frame. Rather than drill holes in my door panel, I used some countersunk screws from the back and nuts on the front to reuse the bracket.

https://www.crutchfield.com/S-D8BDYM...KFC-1665S.html

Old 01-15-2018, 05:02 PM
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Those speakers look solid!!
Old 01-30-2018, 02:44 PM
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Is Sirius XM worth the money?
Old 01-30-2018, 02:58 PM
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That depends on what you like to listen to. The sound quality is not great because of the compression but there is a lot of variety of music types (genres, decades, specific artists, etc.) and all music is commercial free although some channels do have DJs. It's great if you travel a lot because you can listen all across the country without constantly searching for local radio stations. However, if you have a good data plan, there are less expensive options available via streaming. I bought a lifetime Sirius subscription many years ago so my cost has averaged out to somewhat under $3 per month but I'm not sure I would pay the $11 to $21 per month for their current plans.
Old 01-31-2018, 01:04 AM
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Originally Posted by WhiteBird00
The sound quality is not great because of the compression
XM had better sound quality, but Sirius bought out XM (and became SiriusXM). My XM Radio in my Firebird does still connect and work. Also, I think the compression varies on Sirius.


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