Question about a aftermarket head unit

[doodlebugs-93]

hello, my name is Patrick, I have a question I'm going to upgrade my factory head unit and upgrade my factory speakers, my question is this. does anybody know how to use an aftermarket head unit with my
factory six disc cd changer? any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[ExplorerTom]

I’m surprised people still use CDs. I haven’t used a CD (in a car or otherwise) in probably 14-15 years.

Your new stereo will almost certainly have Bluetooth connectivity and I’m assuming you have a smart phone.

 

[rexster314]

You could rig up rca plugs for input into the new head, but doubt you'll ever wind up being able to control the player through the new radio head. Rip the cd's into mp3 files, then use a memory stick to play them on your new head unit

 

[1955moose]

Give Crutchfield a call. They might have an adapter plug that will let you keep the 6 disc changer.

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[1955moose]

Well Patrick just got off the phone with Crutchfield, and he said their is no adapter that will let you keep that 6 CD changer. You might want to upgrade speakers and keep the factory head unit. I have the same setup as yours. Mine is 2000, what year is yours. I also was under the assumption that the top Mach Stereo had a separate 4 channel amp for the front 4 door speakers. Well I was wrong, it has a built in one in the head unit, probably no more than 14 watts per channel. Their is a subwoofer amp, so you might be able to boost the bass by using a higher wattage one with a wiring adapter. As far as speakers for the doors, choose a set with a high sensitivity rating, 91 or higher. The factory sub might be able to handle a wattage increase. The factory amp is only around 35-45 watts mono. It's small in size, so if you want to just pop another small one in same spot, with say 60-80 watts, the woofer should handle it as long as you don't overdo it. As far as the speakers take your time, audition a few of the efficient 6x8 ones. Infinity and Jbl come to mind. But everyones ears are different. Hope that helps.

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[purevw]

You could rig up rca plugs for input into the new head, but doubt you'll ever wind up being able to control the player through the new radio head. Rip the cd's into mp3 files, then use a memory stick to play them on your new head unit

MP3 is a lossy audio format. Think of a low resolution, grainy photo. I assume you're concerned with sound quality or you wouldn't be replacing the head. If you want to keep CD quality, try converting to flac. Most modern head units can play flac files and some can play 24 bit flac. Since flash drives are quite cheap now, file size is no longer a concern. Why carry 20 CDs when you can have the same music on a flash drive the size of a penny?

 

[Old Guy]

On my 03, the 6 cd changer is in the radio or as you call it, head. Its a one piece unit
Yes, I use CD players. I am a fanatic for 50-60s oldies music. There are NO broadcast stations which broadcast it around here. Same for in my boat.
The radios are OK. Get better speakers. If your Expy is a gen 2, the speakers are what, 15 years old. Paper cone speakers go bad.
I changed out mine 2 years ago, because they rattled. Man, what a difference. I got mine at Best buy. Take out the old ones and bring 1 each with you. They can match the mechanical so you do not have to drill/cut to get the new ones in. If I remember right, I paid about $175 for all 4 speakers.

 

[TobyU]

I heard they're working on that head transplant procedure. Didn't know they had it figured out yet. I might have to look into getting one of those. Aftermarket head replacement. Yes.

 

[1955moose]

Size Wise isn't an issue. Their 5x7/6x8 inch size for all 4 doors. The thing you need to match is sensitivity, and impedance. Most replacement car speakers for doors are 4ohms impedance. The impedance in layman's terms is the load the amplifier sees and works with. As I stated in another post, the biggest thing your looking for is sensitivity of new speakers. The amplifier in the head unit in dash is small. Wattage is only about 10 watts per channel clean undistorted power. They advertise on most aftermarket units like Pioneer, Sony, Kenwood, 25 watts x4, but that's at a very high distortion rate, say 10 percent. When you go shopping for new speakers within your price point, look for ones that cover the most of Audio spectrum 20 hz to 20khz. And a sensitivity above 91. They will play cleaner and louder without running out of gas, and start distorting and breaking up.

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[ManUpOrShutUp]

MP3 is a lossy audio format. Think of a low resolution, grainy photo. I assume you're concerned with sound quality or you wouldn't be replacing the head. If you want to keep CD quality, try converting to flac. Most modern head units can play flac files and some can play 24 bit flac. Since flash drives are quite cheap now, file size is no longer a concern. Why carry 20 CDs when you can have the same music on a flash drive the size of a penny?

+1. I'm using a Samsung Fit flash drive in my truck. It's tiny enough that I can still use it with a Console Vault.