Old School - I NEED to Update my CD Player

Thanks for the info. I will reach out to them later. I 'am going to have it professionally installed. I spoke to someone yesterday at a local tint/stereo installer, told him what I wanted, and tried to sell me a Sony stereo without a CD player. I asked him about buying one and bringing it in and he said it would not be covered under warranty.
This is sensible for a bloke trying to keep the lights on at a brick and mortar store. They likely rely on some of the profit they have in the MSRP of the stuff they sell when they quote install prices and of course they have the option to only use brands they trust if they have to be on the hook when something fails. Best Buy may install stuff you buy elsewhere if you're dead set on something in particular you can't find local, but, loss of a retail sale aside, try to put yourself in their shoes and think about the can of worms you open up installing things that a customer hands you over the counter.

For what its worth I've been using mostly Sony head units for many years now and I've always had great luck with them and feel price to performance ratio is about the best in the industry at the moment. If there is some feature you wish to have just ask that shop to order you a Sony that has those features.

I would also suggest talking to Crutchfield if you were going to DIY or find a shop who will install something you buy elsewhere since they really are top notch with customer service before and after the sale and if I know what features I need but don't know which makes/models have those features the folks at Crutchfield always seem to know what's available on the market AND returns/tech support/exchange are no hassle and you deal with competent Americans who speak English as a first language when you call up. Might even call Crutchfield, feel them out on what make/model you like and just ask the local store to match their price so that they can still make a profit and feel safer installing something they buy from their distributor.

I'm a big fan of Harmon International (JBL/Crown/Infinity family). I've been using their products since the 80s and have always been happy with performance. Generally if you stay out of the junk drawer most of the off-the-shelf component sets from the big name brands should perform all about the same.

Lastly, you say something about sensitive hearing. Do you mean sensitive to certain frequencies? If so you may consider figuring out which head unit has enough built in processing power for you to be able to apply some aggressive EQ to your sound so that you don't get into fatigue. It may start to get spendy but you can get some very serious processing power in the dash these days. Or again, call up Crutchfield and they can probably give you a list of options of models that will be able to do what you need. Also along those lines, and if you've never tried it, try to buy something with a remote control. It sounded like the corniest thing ever when they first started coming out many years back but today I find models without (like the Alpine in my Jeep) I just don't like. It's not so much about reaching up to the dash is too much effort, but that once you have muscle memory for where the buttons are on the remote you never have to take your eyes off the road to change station/tracks adjust volume, pause, etc.
 
I'll also show Sony some love, people tend to skip over Sony, but they have really nice head units. I have a big stack of old head units of various brands, and Sony would be my next buy, should I ever buy a modern head unit.
 
This is sensible for a bloke trying to keep the lights on at a brick and mortar store. They likely rely on some of the profit they have in the MSRP of the stuff they sell when they quote install prices and of course they have the option to only use brands they trust if they have to be on the hook when something fails. Best Buy may install stuff you buy elsewhere if you're dead set on something in particular you can't find local, but, loss of a retail sale aside, try to put yourself in their shoes and think about the can of worms you open up installing things that a customer hands you over the counter.

For what its worth I've been using mostly Sony head units for many years now and I've always had great luck with them and feel price to performance ratio is about the best in the industry at the moment. If there is some feature you wish to have just ask that shop to order you a Sony that has those features.

I would also suggest talking to Crutchfield if you were going to DIY or find a shop who will install something you buy elsewhere since they really are top notch with customer service before and after the sale and if I know what features I need but don't know which makes/models have those features the folks at Crutchfield always seem to know what's available on the market AND returns/tech support/exchange are no hassle and you deal with competent Americans who speak English as a first language when you call up. Might even call Crutchfield, feel them out on what make/model you like and just ask the local store to match their price so that they can still make a profit and feel safer installing something they buy from their distributor.

I'm a big fan of Harmon International (JBL/Crown/Infinity family). I've been using their products since the 80s and have always been happy with performance. Generally if you stay out of the junk drawer most of the off-the-shelf component sets from the big name brands should perform all about the same.

Lastly, you say something about sensitive hearing. Do you mean sensitive to certain frequencies? If so you may consider figuring out which head unit has enough built in processing power for you to be able to apply some aggressive EQ to your sound so that you don't get into fatigue. It may start to get spendy but you can get some very serious processing power in the dash these days. Or again, call up Crutchfield and they can probably give you a list of options of models that will be able to do what you need. Also along those lines, and if you've never tried it, try to buy something with a remote control. It sounded like the corniest thing ever when they first started coming out many years back but today I find models without (like the Alpine in my Jeep) I just don't like. It's not so much about reaching up to the dash is too much effort, but that once you have muscle memory for where the buttons are on the remote you never have to take your eyes off the road to change station/tracks adjust volume, pause, etc.
Thank you for taking the time to give some great advice.
 
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