Looking into getting a new cd player

[bentley429]

Well I think I decided to finally break down and get a new cd player for my car. It currently has a Jenson thats a easy 15 years old and is getting pretty flaky. Not looking to really spend over $100 or anything so Ive been looking around ebay. Looks like I can get one with MP3 playback but I am not sure what that even really means. Got a Zune(microsoft ipod) that if it means I can copy files off of that and put them on the cd player that would be neat. Had a kenwood, pioneer, and sony decks in the past and I liked the kenwood the best so thats what Ive been looking at. Never will I have any plans for a sub or anything like that, wont even have the dash speakers pretty sure those are coming out for the cage so they will be moved to the doors. Just looking for something that will last and sound pretty decent. These are the ones I am looking at now:

http://cgi.ebay.com/KENWOOD-KDC138-...18&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&timeout=1218765460564
http://cgi.ebay.com/KENWOOD-KDC-MP2...08&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&timeout=1218765460564

Any suggestions?

 

[Darkwriter77]

Kenwood's good. Avoid Pioneer at all costs. Every one of their CD players I've had has developed weird issues at some point with eating CD's, spitting them out at random, and/or refusing to read them, at all, after a relatively short service life (6 to 12 months).

Sony, JVC, and Panasonic have been pretty good and cheap name brands for me, as well. Just cruise by Wal-Mart and see what they've got on sale - usually at least two or three different worthwhile decks for under $100 each.

 

[FrankenStang]

Kenwood's good. Avoid Pioneer at all costs. Every one of their CD players I've had has developed weird issues at some point with eating CD's, spitting them out at random, and/or refusing to read them, at all, after a relatively short service life (6 to 12 months).

Sony, JVC, and Panasonic have been pretty good and cheap name brands for me, as well. Just cruise by Wal-Mart and see what they've got on sale - usually at least two or three different worthwhile decks for under $100 each.

Mine lasted me a little over a decade.

 

[Darkwriter77]

Mine lasted me a little over a decade.

Their products must have cheapened, then, because the past 3 or 4 I've had of Pioneer's in the past 5 years have crapped out on me in short order.

 

[LiquidGT]

I've been using a Pioneer for about four years, it went from Mustang, Merc. Tracer, and back to the Mustang.

Kenwoods are nice, but I'm sold on Alpine stuff now, I put a cheap Alpine head unit in my parents car and it sounds better than anything I've head so far.

I had Alpine speakers in the front doors of the Tracer and those things rocked, and they were just 5 1/4" too. I couldnt hear the cheapo rear speakers at all; and I got them for $25 off eBay, they were 'new' display speakers.

For the ones you listed I like the Kenwood MP208 because it plays MP3s, it comes in handy when one of your friends gives you a MP3 format CD.

 

[Darkwriter77]

There was a Kenwood CD player listed in an ad at a stereo shop locally for like $40 the other day ... AND it plays MP3's. Dunno the model number right off hand, though. I might have to snap that sucker up, myself, and poke it in ol' Stinky... (heh ... poking it in teh stinky... )

 

[FrankenStang]

There was a Kenwood CD player listed in an ad at a stereo shop locally for like $40 the other day ... AND it plays MP3's. Dunno the model number right off hand, though. I might have to snap that sucker up, myself, and poke it in ol' Stinky... (heh ... poking it in teh stinky... )

*plans to buy one too*

 

[Blue Notch]

Get something with a USB input.

 

[Beasty306GT]

kenwood suck....ie had pioneer in every car ive owned..not 1 problem

 

[riceslayer302]

i use an itrip in all my cars. wireless, works great. ive got an alpine in my car and with infinity speakers and that dumb amp it sounds pretty good.

 

[bentley429]

Why does kenwood suck? I am not looking to blast 50 cents and put on 20" wheels and a 6" drop just want something that will sound decent(basicly just work) and not crap on me in a year. Looks like I can pick up some door speakers for $30 or so too which sounds pretty cheap to me.

 

[LaserSVT]

I used to work at Tsunami Electronics as an installer and we sold Kenwood, Pioneer, Alpine, Clarion, Eclipse and Rockford. We carried Sony for a little while but they sucked to bad so we dropped the line. Anyway the best sounding decks I have ever used have all been from Pioneer. Longevity is better than Rockford or Clarion and Kenwood. The Alpines are nice when you get to the higher end ones but the low end ones suck
You can get a Pioneer Premier 3900 new on ebay for $80 and it will have High/Low x-overs, MP3, Ipod controller, Quasi EQ, remote controll, sub controll and they can bridge their rear out puts to drive a sub at 2 ohms mono!
Great decks, you will not be dissapointed
And the lower end Kenwoods sound like crap

 

[bentley429]

Thanks for letting me know. Searching around ebay I found:
http://cgi.ebay.com/PIONEER-DEH-P39...39:2|66:4|65:15|240:1318&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

Pretty sure thats what your talking about looks pretty nice to me.

 

[strtrcr50]

I was always partial to eclipses myself.

 

[2BADSTANGS]

I was always partial to eclipses myself.

Eclipse, Eclipse, Eclipse! I have been a MECP 1st Class installer since '00 and have used every brand under the sun. My vote goes to Eclipse, there not flashy and will cost a couple extra bucks, but there worth it!!! Thats why there are Eclipses in both my GT and Cobra.

 

[LiquidGT]

Thanks for letting me know. Searching around ebay I found:
http://cgi.ebay.com/PIONEER-DEH-P39...39:2|66:4|65:15|240:1318&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

Pretty sure thats what your talking about looks pretty nice to me.

I think thats the successor to mine, sounds pretty good to me; plus it has an open slot. Fliping the face down is one more thing to do while driving, open slot FTW.

My installer buddy said that the flip down face keeps the CD slot clean, but how dirty does your car have to be for the CD player to get screwed up? I had mine for 4yrs and it still looks and funtions like new.

I do like the usb feature that Blue Notch has, I think I might get the blue tooth feature on my next head unit since all these 'hands free' while driving laws are coming around. I can talk through the car speakers now, but in involves a wire.

 

[LaserSVT]

I love Eclipse, and when I worked for a shop I would use them but they are really hit and miss and all to often you get a bad unit. Plus Eclipse will be way over his budget

 

[LaserSVT]

Thanks for letting me know. Searching around ebay I found:
http://cgi.ebay.com/PIONEER-DEH-P39...39:2|66:4|65:15|240:1318&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

Pretty sure thats what your talking about looks pretty nice to me.

Yep, thats it. I had one in my last Cobra, great deck

 

[2BADSTANGS]

I love Eclipse, and when I worked for a shop I would use them but they are really hit and miss and all to often you get a bad unit. Plus Eclipse will be way over his budget

This ones close. http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-ECLIPSE-CD3...ryZ39754QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[bentley429]

The pioneer is $40 cheaper, to me thats a lot extra to spend on a cd player, could spend that extra $40 on some junk speakers or something. Think I will order that pioneer this week.