In dash nav stereos

Bad Moose

Bad Moose

Just a pain in the arse
I know nothing about stereo systems let alone nav systems. My wife has had two vehicles with factory vav systems and me likey. I have an 03 King Ranch and have learned with a little modification that it can be done. So X-mas is comming up and I want one. I just want to get the right one the first time. So which ones are the best. I would like to stick in the $800 range, which I think is reasonable for what I want.

Here's one that I like, with my limited knowledge, I think this is a fairly good one.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Clarion+-+50W+x+4+Apple%26%23174%3B+iPod%26%23174%3B-/Satellite+Radio-/HD+Radio-Ready+In-Dash+DVD+Deck/2363646.p?id=1218323019387&skuId=2363646&st=navigation
 
I'm a huge Clarion fan and run a clarion head unit now. My old DVD head unit was a Kenwood Excelon though so that's all I have experience with for those types of head units...it was super easy to use though and worked flawlessly for years...the double din unit fit great in my ford dash too.
 
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I had a pioneer D3 for a few years. I liked it pretty well. It was reasonably priced, easy to use, and dependable.
 
I just thought of something worth considering during your choices. Stay away from anything motorized. Anything that has to move or flip to load a disc or expose the screen will at one time or another give you trouble. That was one of the reasons I liked the D3.
 
I'm a mechanic so simple is better. Like the thought of less moving parts the better.

Now what is a double din?
 
A single din is the smaller factory radio openings. If you went in to best buy and just bought a real plain cd player it would most likely be a single din. A double din are the larger square looking radios. Your ford has a double din. IMO stay away from the chain stores. Go to independent stereo retailer. From my past experience you will deal will more knowledgeable people and the install quality will be much better.
 
Ok, next stupid question can I do the install myself? or am I better off leaving it to the pro's? I have installed radios before never thought it was that hard, just had to get the adapter right the first time.
 
UNBROKEN said:
I'm a huge Clarion fan and run a clarion head unit now. My old DVD head unit was a Kenwood Excelon though so that's all I have experience with for those types of head units...it was super easy to use though and worked flawlessly for years...the double din unit fit great in my ford dash too.
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What Clarion model do you have now?
 
I just installed a Kenwood DNX6180. I bought it through an ebay store. I have researched and researched the F out of double din nav radios and it is the only one i would ever purchase. I wanted Garmin Navigation, its the best interface and the easiest to use. I pair $750 delivered with install harness and satelite radio cables. Pioneer, Clarion, and Sony GPSs suck c o c k! Garmin/Kenwood is the only way to go.
 
joelc79 said:
I just installed a Kenwood DNX6180. I bought it through an ebay store. I have researched and researched the F out of double din nav radios and it is the only one i would ever purchase. I wanted Garmin Navigation, its the best interface and the easiest to use. I pair $750 delivered with install harness and satelite radio cables. Pioneer, Clarion, and Sony GPSs suck c o c k! Garmin/Kenwood is the only way to go.
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Let us know how it works out. I heard that they are super laggy and the touchscreen sucks sensitivitywise
 
jkidd_39 said:
Let us know how it works out. I heard that they are super laggy and the touchscreen sucks sensitivitywise
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So which brand do you like? I keep hearing Kenwood has the better nav. Pioneer is a winner also. Clarion is up there also, but not many opinions on it.
 
TBH I'm in the same boat. I don't know who is the go to guys at this time.

I've been out of the audio game for 5-6 years. When I was in the game Alpine and Eclipse were the tops..
 
If you do decide to install the double din, you will have to do some trimming to make it fit. You will also need the trim piece. I had a pioneer in my old superduty and now its in my tacoma
 
I read about the trimming. How muc do you have to trim. I sounded like about a 1/16 to 1/8 along the sides.
 
Bad Moose said:
What Clarion model do you have now?
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Mine doesn't have anything you want. No GPS no DVD no iPod no nothing...not even a built in amp. LOL
The bells and whistles are great...just not what I want in a head unit.
My DRZ9255 is perfect for me though. It does things the bell and whistle head units can only dream about and sound twice as good doing it.
 
Laggy...not at all! This has signal faster than my portable gps unit. The Sirius radio works perfectly as well. The toch screen is the same mfg as almost every other tablet and phone these days. It works all as it should, i would definatly buy again. FYI it is also very user friendly, garmin screen is the same as the portable and all icons are large.
I will post up some pics later.
 
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