Installed the new sony head unit
 

THING IS SICK...

I'm a little disappointed with a few things but over all it's the nicest headunit I've ever owned...

The don't likes:

1. You have to either use the remote ALL the time or use the ugly silver face that is angled awkwardly... especially with how high the civic stereo mount location is...

I may relocate it to the lower section of my 944 center console. That would also make it less obvious.

2. It's non-removable face and not a pull out so it's just sitting there waiting to be stolen...

If I do move it to the lower console then it will be less obvious and I might make a dummy plate that goes over the top of it that looks like something stupid that no one would want.

ALSO to top it off I couldn't get it to lock into the din chassis so it's not even locked in there... it's a tug away from being taken... you dont' even need the keys to remove it... Not like that has ever stopped a headunit from getting stolen though.

3. I don't really like the DSO it's alright but I makes the highs to intense but that may be a problem with my stereo... I have NO idea how the retards I paid to do the initial stereo install wired the fronts.

4. Display is a little too busy... you can get it down to a dull roar but I mean if you leave it the way it comes it literally plays movies in the background... it's weird. It would be alright if you could put movies in a format to play those but I'm not really too interested in watching some lame display movie on a non-lcd headunit... leave it to the DVD's imo.

THE GOOD:

1. Apparently Aiwa and Sony use the same harness... SO a couple weeks ago I spent a lot of time wiring in an aiwa harness for a temporary headunit... SO last night I basically unplugged one and plugged in the other... I only had to move one wire on te harness over one space and that was it.

2. It sounds AWESOME

3. It's WAY adjustable... it's got that EG7 thing... I've always said if you can control even 3 dif frequency ranges you have plenty of control... High Mid and Low is all you really NEED... but 7 is great because you can soften the transitions between high mid and low... It's F'ing great. Only thing I don't like about it is there is only one custom setting and I like to have at least 3 customs... they have like 6 other standard settings like Rock, Jazz, etc... but I don't really like those.. I'd rather be able to edit them all... but no big deal.

4. It's got 4 volt preamp outputs 3 of them high mid and sub. I haven't run the sub yet... My previous stereo only had one set of outs so I have those running to a active crossover then split to high and low from there... I figure once I wire it right it's going to be even better.

5. The MP3 navigation is great... you put all the songs from one band or genre into a folder and it treats that like a disc... so you can skip through folders and then through the songs in the folder... It also has that text crap so you don't have to play name that tune.

6. It's got an aux. input that can take any rca input or use unilink to control different accessories like cd/md changers...

Apparently there's an ipod controller for it to... depending on how the navigation and display work I may look into that eventually.


THE CONCLUSION

I freaking love this thing... and the fact that I got if for 199 when it lists for 360 makes it even better... I LOVE IT I LOVE IT I LOVE IT...

Now I'm going to spend some money/time on wiring it all up PERFECT.

sounds awesome! are the speakers aftermarket?

Well I had Pioneer Components in the front before anyway... and a Crunch subwoofer (they were DIRT cheap when they came out but short of a real top end sub it was the best one on the market)... It's actually partially seperated and it still thumps like a bastard.

I had infinity top of the line components before that, that I still have and have been tinkering with the idea of re-installing those so I have front rear and sub... but I'm not sure yet... I think I'm missing one of the crossovers from the infinity's so... that will put a damper on that...

I'm running an old JBL GT400 for an amp... it's 100x4 or you can bride it to 200x2... I have it set up with the front 100x2 and the rear bridged to 200x1 to the single 12" crunch.

I'm gunna spend some money on getting it all wired up properly (the place I paid to do the initial install did a ghetto job) and eventually dynomat the ENTIRE car... then after that I'll prob. worry about upgrading the speakers... I hate to install nice stuff into otherwise ghetto surroundings...

I'm all sketched out about this headunit being hooked up to the mess they left me with as it is... I just got to get on ordering all the stuff I need to clean it all back up...

The guys who wired the stereo just cut the harness off of the body side so there's no clean way to install it... there are wires dangling every which way.. it's great... I gotta order a new harness from honda which I'm guessing doens't come with any pins or pigtails so I'm prob. better off just getting one from a junkyard...

Then it's all soldering inside a 2.5x7" hole... which should be a blast.

Then to top it all off they have the front speaker wires run from the amp in the trunk up to the freaking dash... so they could just splice the amp wires onto the stock wires so they didn't have to run REAL wires to the doors... that's GOT to be killing the quality of the sound coming from the front speakers.

but the head unit is a HUGE improvement. I'm way happy about it... and I don't really park my car anywhere but at my apt. (kinda ghetto so that sucks) and my work (nothing to worry about).. SO I SHOULD be ok...

Nice! Good job!

just take out the whole climate control assembly and screw the deck into the chasis. It kept mine from getting stolen :yes: