Replacing the stereo

But you can use the stalk while youre driving....remote controls for car stereos are like teapots made from chocolate! I have one (a remote not a chocolate teapot ) and have never yet found a use for it as I'm either close enough to the controls on the stereo or have no need for a car stereo. If you hung out at McDonalds and wanted to stand near your car whilst talking to your mates in their Saxos and turn the volume up for your favourite rap number then I could see the point!!!!!

Here was my little beauty, now scrapped!

[img]http://www.rtoc.org/library/fileroot\DMYQBARKZZXSJJQIKTCH.jpg[/img]

[img]http://www.rtoc.org/library/fileroot\KHVEXGNJTTKZKOACDDGC.jpg[/img]

David...you are indeed chavtastic!!!!

My theory is, if your going to do something, do it proppa!

I have a great sounding system in my GTA although its knocking on in age now. Top of the range Alpine set with 6 disc changer, Digital equalizer, custom build in front spare wheel well with 3 Alpine amps active crossover, all gold plated connectors, 6" midbass, 4" midrange in doors, infinity emit n ribbon tweeters in the roof console, 5 1/4 3 ways in the back and a 10" sub in a custom build behind the drivers seat (all Alpine). The system was designed by Chris Brown who was technical director for Alpine Electronics at the time. Over 600 watts RMS at 0.04% THD. All from the 1991 range bar the sub which I've upgraded in the last few years.

[Alpineandy]

I have THE BEST sound system in the yellow A310.
It's called a Devil Sports silencer...............

Just a little point for car audio, if you dont want the space taken up, and the weight of a subbox, its possible to fit up to 10" 3 way drivers in the front doors with out any chopping of the fibreglass, so it gives good front end bass and midrange, without sacrificing space. You can just see one on the far door..Also in the passenger footwell, where your feet rest, is a removable panel, about a foot square, where a small amp can be placed out of the way..

But you can use the stalk while youre driving....remote controls for car stereos are like teapots made from chocolate! I have one (a remote not a chocolate teapot ) and have never yet found a use for it as I'm either close enough to the controls on the stereo or have no need for a car stereo. If you hung out at McDonalds and wanted to stand near your car whilst talking to your mates in their Saxos and turn the volume up for your favourite rap number then I could see the point!!!!!

It's all very well not using the remote, but my headunit has no controls on the face. Everything is controlled by the remotes, and the roller remote does the main functions and can be fixed anywhere in the car as long as it has a clear path to the receiver in the face. I'll probably stick it on the lid of the cubby in the centre console, meaning I can use it when resting my arm (which isn't very often, granted). All the other controls, such as high and low pass filters, sub controller, DSO (digital soundstage organiser) etc. are all controlled via the credit card remote, so I actually do need both, or the headunit is useless, so in this case it's a chocolate teapot with a stainless steel lining!

Hi guys,
I too have decided to replace the original stereo cassette. I was trying to keep my car original, but I really need a decent cd player as I do a lot of solitary miles in my car.
Although I liked the idea of having an Alpine player in an Alpine, I've ended up buying a Pioneer DEH-P77MP from caraudiosecurity.com. If you check out their website you'll see that what attracted me, besides the price (rrp £370, now £215), is the 'retro' styling. I personally think that the understated brushed aluminium-look facia will suit the GTA interior much more than all those flashy modern units.
I've read the info on this website about connecting up the steering wheel interface, but as it seems rather expensive I'm thinking of not connecting this up at the moment. Do I need any special adaptor to connect the cd player without the steering wheel interface? If I decide to add the interface later, do I buy the Alpine KCE840B and KWE842E even though its a Pioneer unit I'm connecting?
My second query is about speakers. Again due to a shortage of funds I was planning to replace only the front speakers. I've bought a pair of Alpine 2-way component units (SXE-1750S) that I understand will fit straight in. I assume I have to remove the door panels to get at the speakers, can someone tell me how to go about this? It doesn't seem to be in the workshop manual.

If you fit the Pioneer unit, you cant use the Alpine stalk control. I sell an interface for the Pioneer for £40 that allows it to be hooked up.

You dont have to remove the panels to do the front speakers. The front grilles twist and come off, as the speaker is actually mounted into the door, not the panel.

If not, just remove all the screws you can physically see, remove the door handle, and a few more bolts hold on the main door handle, remove the small plastic grill on the underside of the door panel, and straight up from the floor youll see a small 8mm bolt holding the bottom of the main door handle to the fibreglass of the door, and youll find the panel slips upwards quite easily.

A cheap alternative for those who want to play CDs is to buy an MP3 player (size of a disposable lighter) and cassette adapter. A reasonable one with capacity for over 100 CD tracks will cost you about £100. Copy the CD tracks you want from your PC. Other than switching it on and flicking from one track to another, you can use all the functionality of the original hi-fi system, including the remote stalk.
- Also easily removed should your car burst into flames.
- Plus think of the weight saving compared to all those CDs and boxes.

This might be useful for those who want to keep their original cassette stereo but still play mp3s: http://www.digisette.com/en/products/DUOdx.asp

The only trouble with those cd's and MP3 players that work through the tape player is they produce tape quality sound not cd quality sound

Rather than start a new thread I thought I'd add to this.

Not that I am quite ready to fit a stereo I have just got a double din alpine unit to replace the old one.

In the installation instructions it says it must not lay back more than 30 degrees off vertical..... The console is definately more than this, but not as much as 45 degrees.

Has anyone ever had problems with the CD mechanism in an alpine unit?

Think I'll fit it anyway.

Can't see why it would be a problem. I fitted an Alpine double din unit in the 610 and it's always worked perfectly, although I do tend to use the ipod connection more than the CD player these days. The previous JVC unit was a complete waste of space though.