Sorry, I only did minimal research on this as a lot of it seemed foreign to me. I have 2 10" older L7s with a crappy older 1000w :lol: Explode Amp. I usually install stereos myself, but I got an Acura and no way was I diggin through that console. So I let a local shop do it. They did not use an RCA cable (which I always have) so I was unsure how they hooked up my amp to my rear speakers. They spliced 4 wires into my rear speakers and connect the wires to 4 ports I never used on my amp before. I bring this up because I wanted a new head unit and was unsure if just swapping a new one in would mess up my subs. Will I need an RCA cable with some HUs and this method with others or is it up to the installer on how they want to connect the subs? What do you guys think? Also, what head unit would you recommend looking at? I am looking for a 6.5-7 inch touch screen, my head unit on my Acura was desinged for Navi so it is big (so I don't think a pop out DVD player would look good). I want a DVD player (do any work while driving?), it needs to have good SQ and radio reception. I would prefer if it were able to work with my steering wheel controls but that is not essential. I don't really care about I-Pod connection, HD radio, XM, obviously it is a plus, but not essential. Picture is more important then those options. I don't want to pay for a Navi, myabe someday I would get a seperate unit I could plug in. If anything I would later update to 2 new 10" Kicker L7s and a comparable amp. Nothing more really. I am looking at spending around a $1000 or less on the head unit. Below is my short list of products I found matching my criteria, but I have no idea what all 7000 features do, if I need them, or if I am missing something I want. Any help is appreciated, thanks. VALOR DDA-650WT DUAL DIN 6.5 inch monitor Kenwood Excelon DDX7015 DVD 6.5" Receiver/monitor BOSS IN-DASH 6.5" SCREEN MONITOR LCD DVD/MP3/CD BV9250 Panasonic CQ-VD6503 In-Dash Color Monitor/DVD Receiver AVH-P6800DVD PIONEER DVD PLAYER MP3 CD TV LCD
i'm sure the installers used the speaker level inputs for your amp.since no rca's were used.as for watching while driveing....not a good idea. so your car has factory NAV or has a large opening for a radio that does?
When installing the new HU, i suggest that you run 2 setd of RCA cables to the rear, one set for the sub amp, and another set for a high's amp which you may decide to install later on down the road (oh, and a pair of 18 awg speaker wires too) Will save you from having to tear the car apart again!!!
I can't bash old Sony Explode amps at all. Mine is a 1600watt Class D. Its about 6 years old.. still works great. Also, recently, it fell about 6 feet from the closet shelf onto a concrete floor and yes.. it still works. It may not be the best but I sure as hell got my 120 bucks i ended up paying for it out of it. Now onto the next issue I would have to agree on Viking about running RCA cables if you get a new HU.. might as well just go ahead and do it. Might actually want to run 3 sets .. 2 for a 4 channel amp and 1 for a sub amp. As far as your brands you have choosen there.. out of those.. I would stick with Pioneer or Kenwood. Most people prefer Pioneer when it comes to the flip out screens. Though Kenwood always makes a good product when it comes to headunits.
Thanks for the quick responses. Nav is actually the only option on 03 Acura TLs so it has what would be a big hole if I used a small HU. Although I assume there is some type of install kit that would cover that up. As far as driving, I know its easy to say in the internet, but it is intended for my passanger's use. We are going to FL form IL to watch my Bears and wanted something to keep the passengers awake. I never talk on my cell phone in the car, even though it currently legal here, becuase of the dangers. I know its apples to oranges, but I am disciplined enough to ignore my cell when it rings in the car, I believe I would be disciplined enough to not watch. I certainly appreciate the concern and advice though. My Sony has worked pretty good, but I don't think the 1200w it claims is accurate. It gets pretty worked up with my 2 kickers and they don't punch as much as tehy could. I paid ~150 new when best buy had them for like 400 so it was well worth it. And it certainly has taken a beating, it used to be loose in my Evo RS (no carpet in trunk). Needless to say my trunk needed repainting. So I will look at the Kenwoods and Pioneers. Probably Kenwood becuase of price. I will also grab two or three pairs of RCAs and some speaker wire. Thanks again.
