Purchasing aftermarket stereo system, just a few questions!

1. Do all aftermarket stereos retain use of steering wheel controls with an adapter (metra for instance?)

2. How much better does it sound than stock (in terms of bass and just the overall quality of the sound?)

3. Can you run a chance of blowing out the stock speakers with the additional 200W aftermarket stereo?

4. What are your opinions on:
a. Alpine stereo:

Alpine IDA-X305

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001QDOOVQ/ref=gno_cart_title_1
b. Pioneer stereo:
http://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-AVH-P...UTF8&coliid=IY8CCE62F659W&colid=1XR00MC1971S2

I really appreciate any questions that you guys may be able to answer for me! Thanks

 

Both the Alpine and the Pioneer listed have the ability to add steering wheel controls by using an adapter. I can't comment on either but I would say they would sound better than the stock head unit.

For the speakers, I did not check the output RMS rating but I doubt they are 200W unless using an aftermarket amp. Most Pioneer outputs are 14W RMS and 50 peak from what I've researched...that being said 200 watts will kill your factory speakers definitely...

edit: just checked Crutchfield, the output of the Alpine is 18W RMS and 50W peak and is also a Digital Media receiver, meaning no CD player installed... For a good source of reference I'd use Crutchfield for comparisons and then shop around for the model you are looking to purchase...or go to Best Buy, Circuit City, local stereo shop or whatever.

 

I would do the speakers too--that alone increased better sound.
now have1200 watt amp ,equalizer,speakers,head unit.
Is the head unit not working?-Speakers are my #1 first swap.

 

See response below

 

what aftermarket stereo is 200W?

 

if you buy the metra steering wheel control it will retain the function on the wheel. i have the metra control kit and im very happy with it.even after the battery died on my truck,it did not require and reprogramming,so thats a big plus.

it can be used with stock speakers and it doesnt do any harm to them,it adds a good amount of power in them to make them sound not so stock imo.i installed a pioneer avic x930bt in my 2000 land cruiser with stocks speakers,and the sound is like 3xs better,but i would like to get pioneer door speakers just to make them even better.

i dont think you can really blow the stocks out unless youre really cranking the volume up ALL THE TIME..just in case you do, i hate best buy,but they have decent sales on speakers and they arent too bad..but if you buy new speakers,you will have to buy the adapters for them,unless you are skilled enough to dremel out the old ones,but thats a lot of time.

as far as my opinions on units,i will always favor pioneer units heavily. reason being is that i like the brand,its user friendly,and it does everything i need it to do,plus a little more.the only complaint i have on it is that gps on my unit isnt very fast to recalculate distance,but its a great unit to have and quality is great.

good luck OP and heres a pic of my unit

 

I found my HU accentuated how crappy the stock speakers are. They were better in some ways, but made the bad more noticeable for me.

Also, the sentence in Mr. Marv's install about the stock speakers has always echoed through my head.. ..paraphrase... "...and once you get done laughing at the stock speakers..." Well thats no joke, but the stock speakers are! I say do it right and go with speakers too!

 

1. No, not all aftermarket decks are able to use an adapter to retain steering wheel controls. This is something you need to check on.

Beyond that, some aftermarket controllers only work with certain brands, others are universal. Check that out as well.

2. A head unit will make a big difference with stock speakers. That extra power is nice. Speakers will make a bigger difference.

3. You run a chance of blowing any speaker with the factory or aftermarket deck. But they dont put out 200w, usually 15-18wx4 at higher volumes is more realistic.

4. I like the Pioneer DD better, as it is a DD, and plays CD's and DVD's.

 

Are you planning on playing from USB or iPod? Different HU's have different quirks and I recommend testing them all before you decide. I can answer questions regarding USB storage performance.

 

Wow this is great, thanks guys! In terms of speakers, how much am I looking at to get a decent speaker system and have them installed?

And only reason I am looking at full din / single din is because it gives you the slot underneath the stereo to put my iPhone, rather than having a cord run from the stereo down into my cupholders to put it...

But, I like the Pioneer one and if I can find one with navigation that's even better as my iPhone map app has been sucking HARD for a while now (and I don't know why)

 

you can run your cord in the glove box if you get the double din,thats where i have my itouch..if you buy the ipod cord for your unit,you can control it from the screen and it will charge your phone..As far as speakers go,I picked up my 6.5 pioneers for like $40 and the 6x9 were i think $65. So the speakers are cheap,but you will need to buy adapters unless you want to try and dremel out the old speakers.Adapters are about $25 a pair on ebay