What will become of aftermarket car stereos?

With most OEM upgrades you need to retain the stock head unit and attenuate the amplified outputs which you can then feed to an aftermarket amp/speaker system.
 
And people wonder why I still drive my old junkers. <G>

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That's got a double din head stock, so simple enough swap to add a new touchscreen, with backup camera and GPS as a bonus. Support for all formats (including HD Radio), as well as complete AudioBahn speakers w/sub that basically plug 'n pray as well.


Mmmm- Aurora, Shweeet
 
One of our newer rides (1980)

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And the sound system that goes with it.

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Morel mid and woof

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Morel baskets and magnets. Did I mention? These are hand made speakers.

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Finished door with soft dome and ribbon tweet in

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Oh and did I mention? It sounds just fine to my ears.
 
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On my first car, the radio broke, I got a new old unit but it wouldn't fit, I unplugged all the wires and hooked them up to the new old unit, which I put in the glove compartment. Also, the contacts for the horn in the steering wheel broke, so I unhooked the wire and attached the to a push button switch that I taped to the shift lever, it was a few weeks before I fixed it so I just stuck my head out the window and yelled when I needed to use horn, I think my words were" Get the F**k outta my way!"Also, my wiper motor broke, so I attached a length of string to each wiper and fed them through the window on each side, I couldn't go anywhere while it was raining without another pesron in the car because they had to man the right had string. Also, I had to plan my trips so I was always in range of a gas station because the gas gauge was broke so I didn't know how much gas I had(ran dry a few times), Also, there were a few weeks when I couldn't go anywhere without my bud because the throttle cable broke, and I had to have him lie on the floor under the dash with a pair of pliers to pull on the end of the cable where it went through the fire wall, I would tell him to go and he would pull the cable, talk about teamwork. Oh yeah, and the tailpipe rusted out and the muffler fell off, sounded like a banshee from hell, sorta pissed of the neighbor a few times because I worked at nigh and there were always people parking in my apartments driveway, so I would park in my neighbors driveway while I tried to find a place to park, I didn't turn the car off because, you know, that pesky solenoid, anyway my didn't like my car burbling away in his driveway at 1 in the morning. I miss that car
 
So many other automobile functions are tied into the head units these days that replacing them is no longer practical. For those that can still be replaced, some other vehicle functionality is lost. It's not a case of ingenuity--it's necessity to keep things in place. Speakers can still be upgraded, subwoofers added, and power amps still have speaker level inputs. But even there, some cars now feed noise cancellation signals through the audio system, and those need to be defeated if aftermarket equipment is added. I still think the sound of any factory system I've ever heard (even premium systems) is abysmal. Auto manufacturers live for cutting costs and trimming weight first and foremost; good sound is limited to how many of their phony overstated watts they can claim on the spec sheets.

I put a touchscreen Pioneer into my current ride (a 2009) that handles Android Auto, plus the ability to play back high-res digital FLAC files up to 24-bit/192kHz. Stuck a small class D Kenwood 4x50w RMS amp in the dash as well, put Morel speakers on all four corners, and a Focal sub in the back. Life is good. :) I will miss all this when I upgrade to something newer in a few years, I'm sure. I'll enjoy it while it lasts.
 
My old car has Bravox closeout drivers from Parts Express including nice aim-able dome tweeters and woven carbon fiber woofers. Gonna miss those speakers....but I may take em out of the car just in case. :cool:
 
To address the original post; I assume the improved sound quality of modern factory sound systems will make aftermarket uneccesary for most of those who merely want good sound, as opposed to the best possible sound (or a hobby).

In the last several years I had two fancy Fords with their best factory systems and they sounded very good--gone tone and clarity and low distortion even at fairly high levels. I now drive a rather austere 1 liter stick shift Ecoboost Fiesta with the base stereo and it sounds solidly good. On the other hand I now would rather listen to the motor than the stereo when driving anyway. ;-)
 
I certainly haven't found factory sound systems "abysmal" - from my perspective - in any of the autos that have passed through our ownership in the last couple of decades.

Plus: It's just a car -- as long as the sound is pleasant, I'm happy. They've all been pleasant enough.
 
I certainly haven't found factory sound systems "abysmal" - from my perspective - in any of the autos that have passed through our ownership in the last couple of decades.

Plus: It's just a car -- as long as the sound is pleasant, I'm happy. They've all been pleasant enough.

Nothing will ever sound better to me in a car than "Satisfaction" over WLS through a factory 6x9 did in 1965.
 
I drove a 2014 Ford Focus on a 300 mile trip yesterday, pretty well appointed car but the factory stereo sounded boomy in the mid-bass. Obscures the truly low bass (if there is any, maybe there isn't...). Probably a lot of people like it that way.

Hopefully my new-to-me Civic will either sound great or have some EQ controls in that screen somewhere. :bigok:
 
I've been putting aftermarket stereos from the early 70's when AM radios were standard. I was an early adaptor of tbe fames Jensen 6x9 coax and various head units. I liked Sanyo and later Marantz and some high end Realistics.

The last aftermarket unit I had installed (I'm a little old to do it any more) was a Sony in my 2004 Hyundai Elantra. The sound of the factory unit was just "OK" and I could have lived with it but I wanted an aux input. That, and some sony rear speakers did improve the sound considerably.

We bought the wife a 2009 Elantra and the sound system was quite passable, and it had the all important aux input. I saw no gnawing need to replace it.

Now, we just bought a 2017 Sonata (yes, we love Hyundai) and it comes with a touch screen head unit with the ability to link to a call phone, an aux input and, most importantly to me, the ability to suck music directly off a memory stick via a USB port.

And, the kicker is that the sound is excellent! If my other cars sounded this good and had the features I needed like this one does, I wouldn't have had to go through this stuff to begin with.

So, it seems that car manufacturers have upped their game (well, at least Hyundai did) so after market car radios may not be the necessity they once were. Of course, there are always those bass heads who want to go booming down the street while destroying their hearing but the tech will be more difficult to integrate than simply connecting a power line and speakers....
 
Today upgrade of "audio" system in the car is mostly for functionality, not sound. Not every car maker offers stock Internet connected Android based system with 4G network. Some people cannot live without their Twitter stream delivered while they are driving to/from work.
 
We just helped our daughter buy a brand New Nissan in August 2016. It was quite fun. I didn't let them push anything on her that is a pain in the ass to work on. Being a girl, they tried hard to push her into an automatic, and then a CVT. I spoke up and told them that she has a 5 speed S10 and has driven it since her 16'th birthday which has been 5 years now. And that she learned how to drive with my 1975 Chevy dually with a 4 speed with granny low... a mans truck that I let her drive me around in all over the place the whole year she had a learners permit. And that she could drive that 5 speed Nissan probably better than he could. In the end, we left with a new Nissan Versa for 11,000.00 exactly, plus sales tax. It has no type of security system (I refused anything that did), no chipped keys, zero bells or whistles and a simple stereo that can be tossed out the window and replaced with something else just like the old days. It does have A/C, but that's it. The ignition key is all metal just like a 1973 Ford truck. Simple vehicle, simple price, very easy to work on if need be. And it has 2 years free oil changes and free tire rotations, but it's never been back to the dealer since the day we bought it. I am the mechanic here and take care of our vehicles myself. I've worked in both-dealerships and independent garages and know that if you want something done right, or don't want to be screwed then you are better off doing it yourself. I am not one of those mechanic's that try to up-sale, or charge what the book time calls for even if it only takes half the time it allows you to charge them. Many shops and dealers do, and make good money while paying their techs hardly anything. I turned my old hay shed into my shop and have no overhead. Already had my tools..
 
I just pulled this one out of the garage. Wish I knew where the knobs went to. They should turn up in a year or two.
I'm not sure if the tape door is there stuck or if it fell off yet.
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Been sitting on a garage bench for around twenty years. Still works great. Even the cassette drive with smart fast forward/rewind works. Took me a while to dig out a tape.
 
Today upgrade of "audio" system in the car is mostly for functionality, not sound. Not every car maker offers stock Internet connected Android based system with 4G network. Some people cannot live without their Twitter stream delivered while they are driving to/from work.
And to think we're sharing the same road with them, sometimes within feet or less!
 
We just helped our daughter buy a brand New Nissan in August 2016. It was quite fun. I didn't let them push anything on her that is a pain in the ass to work on. Being a girl, they tried hard to push her into an automatic, and then a CVT. I spoke up and told them that she has a 5 speed S10 and has driven it since her 16'th birthday which has been 5 years now. And that she learned how to drive with my 1975 Chevy dually with a 4 speed with granny low... a mans truck that I let her drive me around in all over the place the whole year she had a learners permit. And that she could drive that 5 speed Nissan probably better than he could. In the end, we left with a new Nissan Versa for 11,000.00 exactly, plus sales tax. It has no type of security system (I refused anything that did), no chipped keys, zero bells or whistles and a simple stereo that can be tossed out the window and replaced with something else just like the old days. It does have A/C, but that's it. The ignition key is all metal just like a 1973 Ford truck. Simple vehicle, simple price, very easy to work on if need be. And it has 2 years free oil changes and free tire rotations, but it's never been back to the dealer since the day we bought it. I am the mechanic here and take care of our vehicles myself. I've worked in both-dealerships and independent garages and know that if you want something done right, or don't want to be screwed then you are better off doing it yourself. I am not one of those mechanic's that try to up-sale, or charge what the book time calls for even if it only takes half the time it allows you to charge them. Many shops and dealers do, and make good money while paying their techs hardly anything. I turned my old hay shed into my shop and have no overhead. Already had my tools..

I'm shocked they actually make vehicles like that anymore! Well done.
 
I'm going to hold on to the 2003 Suburban as long as possible. It is a car that fits my needs and my Alpine is just great. It is also the last year that Chevy put metal bumpers on the Suburban. Now they are chromed plastic. Boooooo!!!!!
 
I drove a 2014 Ford Focus on a 300 mile trip yesterday, pretty well appointed car but the factory stereo sounded boomy in the mid-bass. Obscures the truly low bass (if there is any, maybe there isn't...). Probably a lot of people like it that way.

Hopefully my new-to-me Civic will either sound great or have some EQ controls in that screen somewhere. :bigok:
Good ears. The OEMs won't ever sell a vehicle with an audio system capable of reproducing the lowest octave in our range of hearing. Why? Because that leads to warranty claims of loose and rattling panels. So, 45-65Hz is boosted unnaturally to give the illusion of low bass.
 
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