Car Audio

[pauld]

Right, just got a new motor and the radio's terrible, especially on AM. Trying to listen to 1st half of Germany-Italy on way home last night was like a bloody seance - indistinct voices behind a fog of crackle. So, I'm thinking of just ripping the thing out and getting a new DAB headunit, with MP3 CD support, natch. Thing is I know sod all about car audio so at the moment, I'm inclined to toddle on down to Halfords and lash out 200 quid on the Sony (includes DAB aerial and fitting apparently) but it occurred to me a wiser strategy would be to consult the experts on here first. So, any recommendations? Bear in mind, I have more chance of growing a womb than I do of fitting it myself so that plus DAB aerial needs to be factored into costs etc.

[Batch]

I have reservations about how well DAB works in a car going from region to region and in signal blackpots. I guess it would be OK round town though.

I'm not speaking from experience mind. Might all be fine.

[sonic youth]

it's pretty easy to fit it yourself, but i couldn't figure it out.

bloke in halfords fitted mine on the spot for free, i got my stereo there and thought i'd fit it myself though.

[pauld]

I have reservations about how well DAB works in a car going from region to region and in signal blackpots. I guess it would be OK round town though.

I'm not speaking from experience mind. Might all be fine.

I've got a portable (ie walkman stylee) DAB radio and that actually works pretty well in the car, even without the proper aerial. You get some blackspots but it certainly works better than a portable FM/AM radio does in the car. Retunes OK going between regions as well generally. Admittedly tho I am taking a punt that the DAB aerial is going to improve the blackspot/region hop issues as it would be annoying to shell out and end up with something no better than my portable DAB

[genf_stfc]

If it was possible, next thing I would get would just be an FM radio with a line-in so you could plug an mp3 player (or anything else for that matter) into it through the headphone cable.  or alternatively one of those little FM transmitters that cost a tenner seem pretty good.  Advantage being that you don't have to mess about with CDs and the expensive thing is the bit you plug in and can carry around with you to stop scratters chucking a brick through your window to nick it.

[oxford_fan]

DO NOT GO TO HALFORDS

if you can't fit it yourself, go to your local car audio centre, they'll know much much more than the retards at Halfords and won't rip you off or misadvise you.

these 2 sites are tops:

http://www.caraudiodirect.com/
http://caraudiosecurity.com/shop/home.html

[pauld]

If it was possible, next thing I would get would just be an FM radio with a line-in so you could plug an mp3 player (or anything else for that matter) into it through the headphone cable.

I kind of had that - got one of those adapter things you plug into a cassette player that has a headphone cable coming out you can plug into MP3 player, DAB radio etc. However, my new motor's got a CD player and no cassette so that's out, and it doesn't solve the rubbish aerial problem.

[Panda Paws]

Right, just got a new motor and the radio's terrible, especially on AM. Trying to listen to 1st half of Germany-Italy on way home last night was like a bloody seance - indistinct voices behind a fog of crackle. So, I'm thinking of just ripping the thing out and getting a new DAB headunit, with MP3 CD support, natch. Thing is I know sod all about car audio so at the moment, I'm inclined to toddle on down to Halfords and lash out 200 quid on the Sony (includes DAB aerial and fitting apparently) but it occurred to me a wiser strategy would be to consult the experts on here first. So, any recommendations? Bear in mind, I have more chance of growing a womb than I do of fitting it myself so that plus DAB aerial needs to be factored into costs etc.

Hiya Paul

I've got one of the Blaupunkt DAB Woodstock units in my car, and I'm very, very happy with it.

It cost about £200, and I bunged in an extra £100 for a powered aerial on the roof of the car to aid with reception.

Like you, the main reason I picked one up was to listen to Radio 5 with some semblance of quality. Also, you can get Talk Sport on it .. v handy.

Reception of the multiplexes is pretty decent. I've hardly ever lost the BBC and Digital One (the one with the nationals on it) ... when I have I've been in the middle of nowhere like in Devon & Cornwall.

Local multiplexes are pretty decent. I can get Radio Wiltshire all the way back to the edge of Bristol when I drive home.

If you want, I can give you a look at the next home game if you can wait until August ...

[DMR]

Halfords did a perfectly good job on mine OF and gave me the adapter thing I needed (13 quid) for free.

[oxford_fan]

Halfords did a perfectly good job on mine OF and gave me the adapter thing I needed (13 quid) for free.

fair enough, they were a bunch of dribbling mongoloids when i needed some help with mine.

they did give me some money when i complained, so fairplay for that but i've not been back since. now i'd much rather give my money to the motorists discount centre or an indipendent stereo shop.

[pauld]

Right, just got a new motor and the radio's terrible, especially on AM. Trying to listen to 1st half of Germany-Italy on way home last night was like a bloody seance - indistinct voices behind a fog of crackle. So, I'm thinking of just ripping the thing out and getting a new DAB headunit, with MP3 CD support, natch. Thing is I know sod all about car audio so at the moment, I'm inclined to toddle on down to Halfords and lash out 200 quid on the Sony (includes DAB aerial and fitting apparently) but it occurred to me a wiser strategy would be to consult the experts on here first. So, any recommendations? Bear in mind, I have more chance of growing a womb than I do of fitting it myself so that plus DAB aerial needs to be factored into costs etc.

Hiya Paul

I've got one of the Blaupunkt DAB Woodstock units in my car, and I'm very, very happy with it.

It cost about £200, and I bunged in an extra £100 for a powered aerial on the roof of the car to aid with reception.

Now, you're just tempting me to blow my budget ...  

If you want, I can give you a look at the next home game if you can wait until August ...

I don't think either my patience or my cash will last till then (I'll have spent it on something stupid like food for the kids if I wait till August), but if I'm still faffing about in a flurry of indecision then I'll take you up on that. Alternately, if I've got one by then and it's not a Blaupunkt, we could have a DAB-off in the car park! Erm, maybe not then ....

[Panda Paws]

Hehe ... now that would be a sight. "No, MY Five Live sounds better!"

These ones are supposed to be good:
http://www.caraudiodiscount.com/acatalog/blaupunkt_dab_digital_radio.html

I have this one:
http://www.blaupunkt.com/uk/7641705310_main.asp
... Which is v good.

[pauld]

Oooh, get thee behind me Chris K. Like the look of the 54, don't like the price tag, but .... tempted .... tempted. On a related note, which is better glass-mount or roof-mount aerial? And what's the difference? (Yes, I really am this clueless)

[Danjackson10]

glass mount attaches to your windscreen usually behind the mirror! roof mount goes on your roof, both do the same job!

[pauld]

Cheers, so just a question of the mounting then? No difference in performance (which is what I was wondering)? Makes sense - glass mount on the glass, roof-mount on the roof.