Tunes

I recently got one of these for the 911: http://www.retrosoundusa.com/

Honestly, it was cosmetics as much as anything, as the recently installed, late-model CD player just looked out of place.

That got me thinking: What's everyone else doing for car audio? Stock? Something from the big box store? Or just the exhaust note?

122S = original AM radio (gets turned on maybe twice a year)

1800S = exhaust note only (and lots of it)

I like music, but ... there's a cheap original equipment am/fm/cassette in my Miata, which I never use because the aftermarket exhaust system I put on sounds better. In my '68 Spitfire I ripped out a previous owner's idea of a sound system. I don't get it. There was so much that needed serious attention in the car, I have no idea why he wasted his time installing a radio (or even painting the car red over the original BRG, but that's another story altogether). My daily driver '98 Contour SVT has the original am/fm/CD but is only used occasionally for am talk radio. The SVT exhaust sound system is pretty good. I don't think I'd ever spend money on an aftermarket sound system for any vehicle.

What? What did he ask? My engine was running and top was down.

Cheers Ron

I've got a super-snazzy Sparkomatic AM/FM/ Cassette in the TR-6. It is quite craptacular, but I haven't bothered to change it out as the TR-6 sounds so nice. I did use it on a long roadtrip, mainly to help pass the time. It would only hold a radio station for 15 minutes or so.

The 911 has a Nakamichi CD400 in it that doesn't look too much out of place.

I use a battery powered -iLuv Player- and swap it between my cars (MGB, Miata and van). It's powered by a bunch of C batteries and works pretty well (also has AC adapter). Nice to bring to events too. It's also an AM/FM radio.

The MGB also has a BMC-made AM radio but no aerial.

The other cars have normal radios. I'm thinking about getting a radio with USB port for the Miata so I can run the iPod. I have one of those little iPod radio transmitters, but it doesn't sound that great. Probably should look at new speakers too, but my hearing is crappy, so I might not notice.

My MGB has a piece of crap dealer installed AM/FM Cassette radio. Years ago, I had it parked in our apartment's parking space . The tonneau cover was pulled off but the radio was deemed too crappy to be stolen!

Every other car on that side of the complex had its radio taken!

Dave

The Mini has no radio, and it's not missed. Neither did my Fiat 124. My 60s pickup will get one, however. The oem radio is a weirdo size AM unit that requires dash butchering to replace, so I'm going to look for a remote controlled unit I can put under the seat or something.

914 has a modern unit, with craptastic speakers. It gets the job done.

122 Wagon has no radio or speakers. There is wiring there, but no tunes. I plan to add something, but the period units are as expensive as those new modern ones with the classic knob configurations. It's last on the list.

I have a pair of Becker Mexico's for my next two classics. I really want to buy the new Becker Mexico 7948 which looks old but is actually new underneath. They are only available on eBay right now. Check out this story on them: http://gizmodo.com/177832/becker-mexico-retro-head-unit

My 77 Mercedes has the original Becker radio in but I had to replace the speakers, the cones dried out. When I'm on a trip I use an FM transmitter connected to my mp3 player because it too only has a 10 minute attention span for any external station. Andy, I like the conversion, I need to keep an eye out for one. Working replacement, used ones, are an arm and a leg.

My Spitfires didn't come with radios and the kids bugged me for tunes so they have modern Sony CD/MP3 radios installed.

mike

I would look for a Mexico at swap meets for Mercedes and such. Also Mercedes junk yards. They made a zillion Mexico's.

I was reading yesterday that there will soon be a radio tuner app for the iphone. At that point, I would look at wiring my iphone/ipod directly into an amp and dispensing with the head unit altogether.

This is a sour point for me. I've had one of my cars since I was 'younger'. I had a stereo installer butcher the rear deck, to install 6x9 speakers. I now regret the metal cutting and seeing these two ugly speakers sitting back there. And by the way, I have not turned on that stereo in 5 or 6 years. The exhaust note is music enough.

I just put a $19.99 sppeaker box from Wal-Mart, a used $10.00 amp, and a connection for my Blackberry. No head unit at all!

Scott

I managed to find head-units that nobody but me can figure out (as it should be!) with iPod inputs and such, but still look decent in the E30 and the Spit. The Spitfire has some speaker boxes on the rear package shelf at the moment, but I'm just going to put some 5"ers in the footwells in the original cardboard grilles. The E30 has 5" Alpines up front, and 5x7s in the rear, under the original (hollowed out) speaker box things.