HU for 1998 Toyota Camry

[Unregistered]

I own a 1998 Toyota Camry and have decided to finally replace the HU with something with better sound. I have budgeted myself between $190 to $230 for the HU, and have narrowed it down to three units. It will be either a Pioneer Premier DEH P440, Kenwood KDC 519, or the Kenwood KDC 5019 all within my price range.

I would to ask caraudio.com readers' advice on which of the three would be a good choice for my Camry, with the knowledge that I will in the near future replace my stock speakers with Infinity 6.5 in the front and Infinity 6x9 in the back.

Also, I would like to try and install this HU myself though I do not have much experience in this field. Would it be fairly simple to install myself or should I have it done professionally? I have read all I could on the installation of these HU's and they all seem to be the 'drop in' type of install without modifications or an install kit.

Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated from caraudio.com readers

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[natem33 10+ year member]

I don't think any of those decks are really better than each other. Just look at the options and make sure that they will fit your needs with room for amp expansion in the future. The install shouldn't be too difficult. Taking the stock HU out is the hardest task about it.

 

[Unregistered]

Thanks for your opinion, natem33.

 

[SAVAGE SOUND 10+ year member]

CAMRY'S ARE THE EASIEST CARS TO INSTALL ON. I HAVE A 95 WITH A SONY. ID GO FOR THE PIONEER (I JUST LIKE THE SOUND AND IM GOING TO GET ONE MY SELF) MOST OF THE DASH POPS RIGHT OFF. IF U WANT A BETTER PIC/DIAGRAM TAKE A LOOK AT A BOOK CALLED "CHILTONS". ITS LIKE A MEGA OWNERS MANUAL.

 

[NasdaqTrader]

Thanks for your opinion, Savage Sound. I have read that Pioneer head units have the reputation for good quality sound from their HU's and reasonable prices. The reason I am also looking at the Kenwood is because of it's MASK anti-theft system. Knowing that I do not have to manually remove the face of the HU and let the MASK sytem do it instead is just great, otherwise it would have been Pioneer all the way.

 

[natem33 10+ year member]

If you like the MASK feature, then go for the Kenwood. Both Pioneer and Kenwood have excellent sound quality and durability. Which one of the two are actually better will be determined by personal opinion.

 

[NasdaqTrader]

Thanks again natem33 for your advice. Does anybody have any opinion on the speakers I will be installing? Infinity 6.5 in the front, Infinity 6x9 in the back, any other brands in the same price range of the Infinitys that would just as good as those? Would the power from the head unit be sufficient enough to power the speakers or would an amplifier powering them be a more logical way to go?

 

[natem33 10+ year member]

Which Infinitys are you looking at? The Kappa's or the reference series? Kappa's are excellent speakers and the Reference series are decent as well. I have owned 2 pair of the reference series and I blew them out rather quickly (more my fault than the manufactur's) but they sounded good. My personal favorite is Boston Acoustics. MB Quart also makes an excellent line of speakers. Your HU will supply enough power but depending on how loud and clear you would like your music an external amp will offer great improvement. I would get the speakers and HU first and then determine if a new amp is necessary.