Inexpensive digital media head unit suggestions?

[deevergote]

I'm looking into getting a digital media receiver (audio only... no need for video.) I don't want or need CD functionality. I do want it to be as shallow as possible so it doesn't sit back as far as a standard CD head unit. Single DIN only.

I've seen these things starting at $20, going all the way up to $300+
I'm looking for something as inexpensive as possible, without being total crap. I'd rather spend $50 on something decent than $20 on something useless!

This is for my Miata, so sound quality doesn't have to be the greatest. I'm limited to door speakers and headrest speakers, so it'll only be so good regardless of what I do! I figure any info shared here would be perfectly applicable to CBs, though, so I put it in this section.

Here's the cheapie I was looking at:
XO Vision XD107BT
For the price, I'll admit that it's tempting.

Here's a pricier one:
Pioneer MVH-X381BT
Now, I love Pioneer. Always have. Their stuff has always been good to me. Reliable, easy to use, and reasonably priced. This one is 4x the cost of the XO Vision, but it's a brand that I trust. It appears to be about an inch shorter than the XO Vision as well, which could be a very good thing.


I have no experience with digital media head units, so I don't really know how big a difference a higher quality one would make. If anyone has any experience, please share!

[deevergote]

After a bit of searching, I'm seriously considering the Boss Audio 612UA. The price is decent, it looks alright, and I actually know the Boss name. I know they're not the best, but better than total no-name stuff!

Toying with the idea of getting the Bluetooth model for another $10 or so. Not sure if I'd actually bother using that, since an SD card can hold plenty of tunes.

[Jarrett]

I had no idea stuff like this existed! I really wondered what this market was doing with itself with the fact that the media hasn't been CD-centered for some time now.

I looked on Crutchfield for a high-end navigation setup for my CL not too long ago to see that they were still over $1,000 for the really good ones! I know I said high end, but that's where they were 5 years ago! I know the mobile phone market has us by the balls with prices, but this? Who buys these things at that price? I figured technology would have allowed that stuff to come down considerably. If I can get a 60" 4K Vizio TV at Walmart for $650, I'm not spending over $1,000 for a double-DIN receiver just because it adds navigation to the list of things it can do. Otherwise, it does the exact same thing as the TV does. Just worse.

So this market seems to be in a weird spot. Some of it seems to be handling the transition to digital media and other items seem to want to hold on to the old style of product offerings. No point, really. Just noting it.

[deevergote]

I looked at a lot of the $20-$50 digital media receivers, and most of them appeared to have the same buttons in the same locations... so they were basically the exact same units, likely manufactured at the same facility, with cosmetic differences only. Bummer!

Crutchfield is insane. No idea why anyone buys from them anymore. I mean, you get good stuff, and I guess when you're going high end, they're not obscenely priced... but still... they've ALWAYS been expensive!

Once I have money coming in, I plan on getting a good Pioneer double-din touchscreen unit for the CTS-V (assuming i decide to keep it... which I probably will.) Until then, budget mods for the cheap Miata it is!

I think I may go with that Boss one. It seems to be the best option on a budget.

[illinois_erik]

ive been looking hard at things like this...
http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/1621348...&ul_noapp=true

Quad Core Android 4.4 3G WIFI 7"Double 2DIN Car Radio Stereo DVD Player GPS Nav




http://www.ebay.com/itm/Quad-Core-Pu...3D162134804556

[deevergote]

That's the sort of thing I'll be putting in the Cadillac, for sure! The Chinese stuff is iffy, though. I've had my share of inexpensive Chinese electronics, and the majority have functioned very poorly, if at all. For something like that, I'd rather pay $300 for an older used known brand name than $180 for a brand new but potentially crappy thing!

I'm new to Android stuff, but I MAY be switching from my iPhone to an Android device when the time to upgrade comes. I wonder how difficult it would be to use a droid to get an android-based carputer on the internet.

[illinois_erik]

That's the sort of thing I'll be putting in the Cadillac, for sure! The Chinese stuff is iffy, though. I've had my share of inexpensive Chinese electronics, and the majority have functioned very poorly, if at all. For something like that, I'd rather pay $300 for an older used known brand name than $180 for a brand new but potentially crappy thing!

I'm new to Android stuff, but I MAY be switching from my iPhone to an Android device when the time to upgrade comes. I wonder how difficult it would be to use a droid to get an android-based carputer on the internet.

it is kind of a gamble, i think theyre slowly learning though so that it wont be really shitty. lol for me that quick clone leaves doors open for hacks where name brands usually have things locked down or proprietary specs

the cpu/ram is mostly cookie cutter, so say itll open it for upgrades to the newer android, or could be a problem with such a customized rom to do "automotive" functions, like how you interact with it so its not just a tablet sitting in the din slot

getting one online with an android phone isnt hard as long as its not locked out or a separate data consumer and plan. (phone gets "unlimited" data, but if its used in hotspot mode its like 4 gigs) its hotspot mode, the newer phones probably even do bluetooth tethering sync the phone and stereo, throw the phone in the cup holder and proceed with calls and internet thru the stereo.
one of the example radios had a sim slot, so you just get a tmobile sim card prepaid and the car has its own connectivity for ~30 a month. gps is over the air, so using a phone to provide data is the better on the go answer

[deevergote]

Ok, so I picked up the Boss unit. So far, so good. My only complaint (other than the fact that it's a bit large for the Miata... but that's more the Miata's fault...) is the blue light... but that's not a flaw, just a feature.

The sound is decent, and it gets loud enough. Quality seems fair. Buttons don't feel like they're about to pop off, and the rotary knob has a nice feel to it. Still figuring out how the thing works (I only glanced at the instructions...)
For under $30, I can't complain. Unless it dies or catches fire in the next few weeks, I'd recommend it to anyone wanting something cheap.

Just get a good installation kit. I got a Scosche kit that absolutely SUCKED. Seriously... I had to break out the hacksaw!

[lbus9168]

Going back to the talk about those Android head units, I've used them and I think they're crap. Quality is quite low. What I ended up doing is getting this: http://www.sony.com.au/electronics/i...ayers/xsp-n1bt

It does what an Android head unit would do, except better because its your actual phone! I use the app automate, and honestly I can't fault my setup.

[GTRON]

Ok, so I picked up the Boss unit. So far, so good. My only complaint (other than the fact that it's a bit large for the Miata... but that's more the Miata's fault...) is the blue light... but that's not a flaw, just a feature.

The sound is decent, and it gets loud enough. Quality seems fair. Buttons don't feel like they're about to pop off, and the rotary knob has a nice feel to it. Still figuring out how the thing works (I only glanced at the instructions...)
For under $30, I can't complain. Unless it dies or catches fire in the next few weeks, I'd recommend it to anyone wanting something cheap.

Just get a good installation kit. I got a Scosche kit that absolutely SUCKED. Seriously... I had to break out the hacksaw!

I actually have the exact same Boss unit in my 87 TA, it's pretty solid for $30!

[BreckAConner]

could build yourself a radio with a pi or actual intel/amd computer. I seen a more complete case a while back and considered building one with XBMC/Kodi. Be a neat project.

http://www.mo-co-so.com/Bybyte-BBX-1...-byb-bbx-1.htm

[deevergote]

Already bought and installed the Boss.

I looked into Pi builds, but apparently they're not known for quality sound output. I'm sure I could fix that, but it's beyond my abilities at the moment!
I had originally hoped to hook a bluetooth system up to the stock tape deck, and build a pi-based system that could mount in the armrest that would work with it. May do that someday... but for now, the Boss unit works well.

[floored]

I gues Im too late but i have 3 versions of this kenwood. 2 have cd players and one doesnt. The most recent one i have is single din and probably about half the depth of a normal cd player. The relative cheap price plus good brand made me buy them. I have 3 because theyre in work equipment and my day or night will never end without music.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/42782170?...&wl13=&veh=sem

[deevergote]

That's not bad! Pricier than I wanted to spend (on a pretty extreme budget at the moment), but not a bad price considering the fact that Kenwood is a good brand! I may consider than if (when) my cheapie craps out on me!

[floored]

That's not bad! Pricier than I wanted to spend (on a pretty extreme budget at the moment), but not a bad price considering the fact that Kenwood is a good brand! I may consider than if (when) my cheapie craps out on me!

Best buy also stocks them and has that extra warranty,again brand (best buy) males it worth the few extra bucks. Any issues and they're pretty good seeing it out.
Hope you don't need to replace the boss though.