So, I realize this probably isn't the best place to ask this question, but it's a place.


I'm looking for a dead simple, plain headunit for my Celica, but I have some nitpicky things about it:

-Must be all red. All red. No red with white, all red. Period.
-Must be able to dim everything while still having music playing. I want to be able to turn off the display and lights but still have music.
-Must be single-din.
-Dead simple. No useless crap. I don't want a clock. I want to be able to turn the stupid thing off.
-Not 100% chrome.
-Aux input.


I'm 99.9999999% sure I'm asking for the impossible, though if someone wants to prove me wrong, that'd be great. It seems like all headunits are made for ricers.

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_______________________________________________________________
Security is just a word. The act of being secure is entirely different.
"...but I think that to make your dream a reality, having a dream itself is a mandatory prerequisite"
From A Book: Walking Through The Impossible

Just because it has two clutches, shifts faster, uses a torque converter or has near-infinite gear ratios, requires less driver intervention and is more efficient doesn't make it better in my opinion.
Save The Manual Transmission

That's going to be a tough one. I'd suggest Crutchfield +

I've taken a look at crutchfield.
[www.crutchfield.com]
Is the closest it seems to come.

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_______________________________________________________________
Security is just a word. The act of being secure is entirely different.
"...but I think that to make your dream a reality, having a dream itself is a mandatory prerequisite"
From A Book: Walking Through The Impossible

Just because it has two clutches, shifts faster, uses a torque converter or has near-infinite gear ratios, requires less driver intervention and is more efficient doesn't make it better in my opinion.
Save The Manual Transmission

I don't know whether you want CD, DVD, MP3 capability, etc.-- and I'm not quite sure what "single DIN" means- but there's a pretty big selection at [www.beachaudio.com] under car audio.

(What's a ricer? Does that have something to do with Rocky Horror?)

Boy that is butt-ugly. Do you need a double-DIN unit? Oh, and I think what you are looking for has never been made.

AIWA used to sell a great unit with a mini-jack (1/8") stereo input right on the faceplate.
I have the CDC-MP3 which can also play MP3 files burned to CD. They don't sell AIWA anymore, but if you were interested in the used market I would check out the CDC-X217 for example as it was red, or anything in the AIWA CDC series. No option to turn off all the lights, but you can change the brightness and contrast settings to low.

Almost sounds like you want the factory stereo. I think it's impossible these days to find an after market stereo that is dead simple without lots of flashy stuff, that is similar to a factory stereo. What feature is the current stereo lacking that you need most? Maybe there was a factory unit that year that had that feature, or a compatible from a later year, and you could locate a used one from someone that upgraded.

I assume that that huge double DIN unit that you linked was meant as a joke that was the exact opposite of what you want.

OK, I know what DIN means now . . . I have lots of experience with this stuff, but little of it in relation to cars

RICER:


See also "Rice burner" [en.wikipedia.org]

Oh, and I think the owner of this ricer deserves an award.


Tape & Plywood, can't beat that!

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Uh . . . I see.
You could have just said, "h', you really don't want to know" :=)

Oops. I thought I had a different link on my clipboard.


As far as my stock one right now, the problems I have with it:
No Aux Input.
CD Player doesn't work.
Double Din.
Green lights.



I'm thinking I may get crazy enough to tap an untapped market and make headunits that don't suck.

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_______________________________________________________________
Security is just a word. The act of being secure is entirely different.
"...but I think that to make your dream a reality, having a dream itself is a mandatory prerequisite"
From A Book: Walking Through The Impossible

Just because it has two clutches, shifts faster, uses a torque converter or has near-infinite gear ratios, requires less driver intervention and is more efficient doesn't make it better in my opinion.
Save The Manual Transmission

Quote
microchip13
I'm thinking I may get crazy enough to tap an untapped market and make headunits that don't suck.

You could end up with a beautiful Tiawanese girlfriend in the process and solve two of your problems.

Fiberglass, Red Paint, and aftermarket amplifiers.

Use the iPod as the only source.



That's the only thing you'll find that will meet your needs.

Headunits that don't suck are called OEM. Scrapyard, red Krylon. Done.

The Sony I have can do red or green, but it has the electric blue text (the lower end models are just LCDs with backlight, so I think they go red too).

The Blaupunkts can be set to hundreds of colors.

Pioneers have typically been red.

For all black think a fold down cover (ie black construction paper) or find something that hooks up to a dimmer and dims to black - maybe with a separate toggle switch.

Quote
microchip13
I'm thinking I may get crazy enough to tap an untapped market and make headunits that don't suck.

Nomination for AAA's Hall of Fame thread started a few days ago:

[forums.macresource.com]

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“Live your life, love your life, don’t regret…live, learn and move forward positively.” – CR Johnson
Loving life in Lake Tahoe, CA



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 12/17/2007 11:26PM by Markintosh.

Toyota OEM radios are plentiful and fairly interchangeable. I put a radio with a CD/Cassette from a 2002ish Tacoma in my 1987 Toyota Van. Stock fit. Added a $60 auxiliary input for my iPod. You could add an switch to disable the illumination if you can figure out which wire it's on (you may even have a blank slot in your dash to add such a switch).

My radio is double-DIN with red illumination. Should you go this route and all you find is green illumination, maybe I'll swap with you (my dash is green, but I grew tired of looking for a green radio to match).

Quote
Markintosh

Quote
microchip13
I'm thinking I may get crazy enough to tap an untapped market and make headunits that don't suck.

Nomination for AAA's Hall of Fame thread started a few days ago:

[forums.macresource.com]

Nice one, apprentice.

Target has had some Jensen / Audiovox (cheaper / less expensive) units with red buttons instead of blue as could be found at Best Buy.
Noticed the red boxes walking by the aisle, then had to open one up to see if they were red inside, too. They were. (just the buttons)