And people wonder why I still drive my old junkers. <G>
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.
Nope. 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.
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
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.
And to think we're sharing the same road with them, sometimes within feet or less!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..
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.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.