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THRobinson
10+ year member

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Hey guys... haven't been on here in years since I got some good advice on upgrading my Impala. Wasn't a huge/expensive upgrade, but was very happy with the results. Stereo still sounds good... car, well, not so much.

Buying a 3rd Gen Dodge Ram 1500 (2002-2005). I'm a big/tall guy so getting something with room this time. Likely picking up a Laramie edition 4x4 quad cab with the 7 speaker infinity system. Just waiting to hear back about the safety check results.

Downside is that although my Sony speakers (6"x9" 3-way rear, 5.25" components front) will fit in the Dodge, I can't really use them. I guess the rears are full range 5.25", mine are bass only, and the front are 6"x9" but bass only. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crap.gif.7f4dd41e3e9b23fbd170a1ee6f65cecc.gif

Anyways, doesn't matter... speaker are probably fine enough... stereo, not so much. CD/Casette player. I own no CDS, nor do I own Casettes.

Initially, I was looking at a basic single-din head, receiver only with USB, then get am 8GB low-profile USB drive and just leave it plugged in. Then started thinking, double-din, like a Pioneer MVH-S600BS.

Then, I started looking at eBay.... and the Android based double-dins, with movies, music, radio, gps, Torque, etc... some I think even link to the car and can use the built-in sensors for stuff like tire pressure and stuff? Crazy amount of options, under $100CAD... but downside, eBay China no-name brand stuff, and can't ask the seller anything because of the language barrier.

Just wondered... anyone have any experience (not guesses) with these eBay android units? Good? Bad? Recommend a unit? and if will even work with the Dodge Ram for stuff like onboard sensors?

 
Now I'm curious... would an eBay or cheap amazon head like those make the system sound worse than factory?

I know upgrading to a better head with more power and better speakers would improve the sound, but, compared to factory stock... would the quality go down?

I think to make things simple, I'll probably get the amp adapter for the infinity amp in the Dodge and probably stay with stock speakers, at least for now... older truck so other things to address before speakers.

I'm not into spending a lot for high end, but I don't want it to sound bad either. My signature shows what I currently have and honestly, sound is clear, decent amount of natural bass (I don't like cranking the bass) and didn't cost much. Sounds way better than factory, but was a simple upgrade.

I'd like to have the GPS and touch screen, but if sound if bad (and worse than stock especially) then I'll go for fewer features and get a Pioneer/Kenwood/Sony.

 
Now I'm curious... would an eBay or cheap amazon head like those make the system sound worse than factory?
I know upgrading to a better head with more power and better speakers would improve the sound, but, compared to factory stock... would the quality go down?

I think to make things simple, I'll probably get the amp adapter for the infinity amp in the Dodge and probably stay with stock speakers, at least for now... older truck so other things to address before speakers.

I'm not into spending a lot for high end, but I don't want it to sound bad either. My signature shows what I currently have and honestly, sound is clear, decent amount of natural bass (I don't like cranking the bass) and didn't cost much. Sounds way better than factory, but was a simple upgrade.

I'd like to have the GPS and touch screen, but if sound if bad (and worse than stock especially) then I'll go for fewer features and get a Pioneer/Kenwood/Sony.
low quality digital audio convertors, head units built with nothing else other than useless features to market and sell to other people This means garbage sound quality off the bat, More than likely the SQ of the android unit would be as good as the stock or worse. In my friend's case it sounds worse than stock IMO.

If you ever plan on adding an amp, the pre-out voltage is usually less than half a volt vs 4 volt pre-outs which means you wont even get anywhere close to full power out of your amp even at max gain which is really bad, Dirty and weak sh*tty signal and now you are amplifying garbage signal, you just get louder garbage.

The EQ options are trash as well, with literally no crossover functions nor time alignment or anything that makes music sound good. Audio adjustment is near zero even if you root the head unit and install viper4android, it still sounds like complete garbage(although way better than not rooting it).

Cross sony off the list, go pioneer, kenwood or jvc for double dins.

This is the buying guidellines for a head unit. 24 bit dac or higher, 13 band eq or higher, time alignment, 3 pairs of 4 volt preout or higher.

 
Thanks... I'll keep an eye open.

Just heard back from the mechanic and truck passed safety so, getting that this weekend. Again, not sure how the speakers are... upgraded version than the usual ones used, Ininifty so, probably fine for me. But... I don't like the radio, and again, own no CD/tapes so, needs a new head for sure. Single or double.

So, why no Sony? The Xplod I have was a tank... lasted years until very recently the FFWD button died.

From what Crutchfield says for this truck

You'll need a special adapter to connect a new stereo to the Infinity factory amp. Your new stereo must have front and rear preamp outputs to work with this special adapter, and you'll lose your fader control if your truck is equipped with the UConnect Hands-Free System. This adapter is also available at a deep discount when purchased with a receiver.

So I guess I'll have to be watching for that, and get one of the adapters. Though on the site when you click the link for 'special adapter' it says doesn't fit the Dodge so...yeah...

 
sony's quality is down the drain dude. only a select few single din head units are okay. All of their double dins are garbage as of now. Specific models matter, the name alone doesnt bring up the quality of every line. Best to just stay clear away of double dins from sony. not until they actually do something proper about it, their technology is miles behind everything else and so is quality. Only thing they have going for them is their 2000 dollar head unit.

 
That's a shame.... always liked their design. Though they kinda went away from simple. Looking at the current XPlods, they're a mess... buttons all over the place.

Still a coin toss between double DIN and single.

Gotta say though, heads I'm looking at, even downloaded the PDF manual, does show half of what you listed in the specs (24 bit dac or higher, 13 band eq or higher, time alignment, 3 pairs of 4 volt preout or higher). Maybe higher end than what I've been looking at. I've been looking at the under $150CAD range.

 
If you buy a double din you have to cut the inner dash to make it fit and get the navigation bezel for it. I have a 2005 regular cab with a kenwood excelon x998 and its great. I didn't want to cut my dash. Stay away from cheap ebay head units they are JUNK.

 
Yeah after some research and just overall looks/simplicity, I think I'm getting a single-din. Nothing overly fancy....

... confusion I have now is what do I need.

Crutchfield has a 2002-2005 article about the Dodge Ram stereo and says that if you have the infinity system you need a $100 adapter for the amp. When I click it it says not compatible. Emailed Crutchfield and they said 2002-2003 only needs a $20 wire adapter not the full interface. So now not sure what to believe.

It has the infinity logo and 7-speakers... what I don't know is, does it have a special infinity amp? or (because for example, the door speakers are subs only) are they using resistors or something?

Again I don't wanna spend a lot... or wire up elaborate crossovers and amps and such... just a basic upgrade.

 
Well, decided name brand not eBay no-name, and single DIN... didn't see the advantage in the bigger one and wanted to keep the factory dash the way it is.

Got it narrowed to JVC KD-X255BT and the Kenwood KMM-BT322U. I also liked the Pioneer MVH-S501BS, but more I look the more the budget keeps going up and up... so sticking between the JVC and Kenwood... blue matches the dash, I have no need for flashing colour changing lights.

I also plan on getting the Axxess ASWC-1 adapter, which cost more than expected... but been enjoying the radio controls on the steering wheel. Easier than having a remote like I used in my last car... especially since in the truck there is no convenient spot to keep the remote within reach, unless I use velcro.

Any feedback regarding those two choices?

 
Thanks but outta budget and as per my last post, getting single din instead. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 
Well, decided name brand not eBay no-name, and single DIN... didn't see the advantage in the bigger one and wanted to keep the factory dash the way it is.
Got it narrowed to JVC KD-X255BT and the Kenwood KMM-BT322U. I also liked the Pioneer MVH-S501BS, but more I look the more the budget keeps going up and up... so sticking between the JVC and Kenwood... blue matches the dash, I have no need for flashing colour changing lights.

I also plan on getting the Axxess ASWC-1 adapter, which cost more than expected... but been enjoying the radio controls on the steering wheel. Easier than having a remote like I used in my last car... especially since in the truck there is no convenient spot to keep the remote within reach, unless I use velcro.

Any feedback regarding those two choices?
jvc 340bts or jvc 350bts for a cheap budget head unit. cross those other ones off the list completely, they are junk.

 
we just bought this kenwood recently with the install kit and harness for cheap on crutchfield recently (of all places to get a good deal).

KMM-BT518HD | Receivers | CAR ENTERTAINMENT | KENWOOD USA

Not a big fan of kenwoods displays but the feature list was great for the money and it literally made a positive sound difference in my stock system. Blew me away.

Audio:

Maximum Output Power : 50W x 4 (MOSFET Power IC)

Dual USB (Front / Rear)

3 Preout (4.0V)

Kenwood sound reconstruction, restores musical to compressed music

Equalizer (13Band)

Time Allignement

Drive EQ

Subwoofer Level Adjustable

System Q

Bass Boost

Loudness

Built-in LPF/HPF

Other:

MP3, WMA, AAC, WAV, FLAC Decoder with ID-3 Tag Display

iPod/iPhone Direct Connection with Optional cable*1

iPod Skip/2 Speed Search Function

Pandora / iHeart Radio App Ready (iPhone App)

Drive Change (For Android or Card Reader)

Android Music Playback

Android Rapid Charge

Tuner:

Built-in HD Radio

Sirius XM (SXV100/200/300) Ready

Backup Memory for Tuner Preset

FM/AM 24 Station Presets (18FM, 6AM)

RBDS with Radio Text

AME (Automatic Memory Entry)

Features:

Bluetooth Built-in (Hands-Free Profile / A2DP/ AVRCP1.5/Aptx)

NFC

Dual Phone Connection (up to 5 phones can be paired at the same time I believe?)

Wireless Music Browsing

Pandora / iHeart Radio App Ready (Android App : A2DP/SPP/Multi Profile)

Rear Wired BT Microphone included

Remote App for Android, iOS via Bluetooth

OEM Remote Interface

Up/Down Seek Tuning

 
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THRobinson

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