Need some advice re: Car Audio

[GoinAllTheWay]

Ok, 2 pronged question here:

1) I drive an 05 Mazda 3. Pretty envious of friends/family that now have newer cars that can stream music from their phones via bluetooth. Anyone have the same car and have upgraded the stock stereo in it to something more modern? I've never in my life purchased an after market car stereo and have no idea where to look. I don't need anything flashy as I certainly don't now but just want to be able to play music off of one device and not have to burn discs anymore. Places? Prices? Does it have to significantly change the way my dash looks?

2) My phone is an HTC amaze, can I transfer my entire iTunes library to it? If so, what do you guys use? Several of the past updates for iTunes on my PC make me hate it so much I'm looking for something else. Where else can I buy music online these days? What are you using to play music on your PC?

Any help/input would be appreciated.

[Russic]

1) I had the stock stereo on my 07 Corolla swapped out at Futureshop for a basic deck that has a powered USB port and bluetooth. All in I think it came to about $225 including install.

[psicodude]

I actually just did this for my wife's '09 Impreza last week, although she wanted an in-dash GPS and hands free phone as opposed to music. We looked at several places in town and ended up buying from Visions of all places. The salesman there (Shabi at the location on Macleod) was extremely knowledgable and walked us through many options. Here is what you need to know:

- All newer car stereos are either single or double DIN. Basically, this is the height of the unit. Single is about 4 inches, double about 8 inches.

- You can buy a wire harness for every car made pretty much. This harness basically allows you to plug in the wires from you car to the new deck, regardless of make/model. Think of it as an adapter.

- No, it won't change your dash much because the new deck will just slide into the space your factory deck currently uses. I assume an '05 doesn't have steering wheel controls, but this adds to the price a little more as well if you still want them to work.

- Install from a professional is pricey. I think Visions wanted over $250, so I did it myself. It wasn't too hard to do, but working in cramped spaces isn't easy either. There are a couple of specialized tools that they use that make life easier, but you can get buy with normal tools. You need to be comfortable with connecting wires and have a working knowledge of electronics to do it yourself.

- As far as iTunes go, this will probably be your largest source of pain, depending on where you got your music from. If you purchased from iTunes, the songs will be m4p format which won't work on your Android phone (unless there is a hack I am not familiar with). Converting your songs to mp3 is an option, but not very easy without paying for an application and taking a lot of time.

You are probably looking in the $200-$300 range for the deck plus install if you want. The double din units with GPS are more like $700+.

Maybe start by looking at a few stores and then reading some reviews online. My research told me that Pioneer and Alpine are both great, but there are a lot of good options.

Hope that helps some.

[DownhillGoat]

If you're into the DIY route, check out Crutchfield.ca. There's a car selector which will show you what's compatible with your car, and they'll point out the correct dash kit and wiring harness. If you order from them, they'll also include a step-by-step PDF of how to take your dash apart and install it.

They sell some pretty good products, competitive prices, and really good service if you get stuck or want some opinions.

As far as replacing the head unit, that's about as easy a DIY as it gets for interior stuff if you're comfortable with a screw driver and soldering (or crimp connectors).

[Robotic]

I just recently went through the same experience as you here.

I decided to install the head unit myself as it would be a learning experience, and saved myself some money. I went from a single DIN to double DIN, so the head unit would no longer fit into my car. Therefore I had to buy a double din dash kit. This essentially holds the head unit, and covers any visible gaps. This is a must if you’re going from single to double. Futureshop didn’t have this in stock, but recommended I call Auto Temp. I called them and they don’t stock parts on their locations, but will deliver it to the shop from the warehouse. If you call earlier in the day you should be able to pick it around 2 as they have good customer service.

I also highly suggest getting the harness as psicodude mentioned. I bought mine from Futureshop for about $12 i believe. If you let them know what kind of car you have they can help you out. If they dont have the harness in stock, you can also check out Auto Temp.

The install is easier then it may look. I honestly just read the manual which tells you what each wire colour represents, and then crimped it to the same wire which was labeled on the harness wires. Only took about 2 hours, and was happy with it in the end.

[cDnStealth]

Originally Posted by psicodude

- As far as iTunes go, this will probably be your largest source of pain, depending on where you got your music from. If you purchased from iTunes, the songs will be m4p format which won't work on your Android phone (unless there is a hack I am not familiar with). Converting your songs to mp3 is an option, but not very easy without paying for an application and taking a lot of time.

Not that I have much to add but you can actually convert songs in iTunes itself, even ones you've purchased on the iTunes store.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1550

Select one or more songs in your library, then from the Advanced menu, choose one of the following (The menu item changes to show what's selected in your Importing preferences):

• Create MP3 version
• Create AAC version
• Create AIFF version
• Create WAV version
• Create Apple Lossless version
  

[DownhillGoat]

Originally Posted by Robotic

I went from a single DIN to double DIN, so the head unit would no longer fit into my car. Therefore I had to buy a double din dash kit.

A lot of cars will use the dash kit, even for single DIN, since a lot of stock head units aren't single or double DIN. A friend of mine has a Mazda 3, and I think it's larger than a single DIN. If so you'll need a kit to fill the gap. I've only installed a deck on one vehicle that didn't need a dash kit. IIRC the Subarus were a single DIN size too. Although not sure if they still are.

[DoubleK]

If I was looking at an aftermarket head unit, I wouldn't buy anything other than this

[psicodude]

Originally Posted by cDnStealth

Not that I have much to add but you can actually convert songs in iTunes itself, even ones you've purchased on the iTunes store.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1550

I am not an expert, but I believe that only works with the non-drm music on iTunes. I guess it depends on your library.

[BloodFetish]

Amazing coincidence. I am looking into the same thing with a 2009 Mazda 3 hatchback.

I've already tried the xcar-link from RPM motorsports in Texas, and despite their assurances they shipped the right unit it never did see my ipod correctly. The ipod would charge but could not play through the OEM head unit.

I've been doing some research and the Eonon D5151 looks like a decent buy at $250 USD, and for that price it adds BlueTooth calling (including music streaming), Navigation, and iPod integration. It's designed specifically for Mazda 3s so it installs with an OEM look to it. There is a 100+ page thread about it Mazda3Forums.

I'm trying to figure out how it effects the tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS). I saw one post in that large thread that the TPMS warning light stays lit once the D5151 is installed, which for me would be a deal-breaker, however this isn't a common complaint. I do know that the D5151 will not work with the Mazda TPMS transmitters since they operate on a different frequency. Will the OEM TPMS system still operate?

(UPDATE: I re-read that first post on that large thread and it states "The unit also has a TPMS function that will work with the sensors that Eonon is selling. But right now, they are only offering sensors that have a frequency of 433Mhz. Our cars have a 315Mhz system. So if you have the OEM TPMS and you switched to Eonon's, you will have the warning light on all the time in your gauge cluster." So from that I infer that the OEM TPMS will still work fine.)

Since you have a 2005 there is also a significant difference in that it doesn't use the newer wiring bus, and therefore the LCD screen will not be functional in the same manner as in 2007 or newer cars. I think it likely that no matter which head unit you install the LCD will become useless, but on the good news front you can buy a "metro" kit to turn it into a storage pocket .

I'm still trying to convince myself to spend the bucks on it.

[drew24]

Originally Posted by GoinAllTheWay

Ok, 2 pronged question here:

A) I don't need anything flashy as I certainly don't now but just want to be able to play music off of one device and not have to burn discs anymore.
B) Places?
C) Prices?
D) Does it have to significantly change the way my dash looks?

A) I did something similar to this on my 07 Accord. Love it. Not flashy at all. Great quality audio. You can get Bluetooth if you want but I just added a iPod connecter and a regular headphone jack. Not sure if you can do the same to your car but I'd wager you could.

B/C) I bought my pieces online and did it all myself. I think it was under $150 and an afternoon (looooong afternoon) of work. I bet you could get you dealer to if you are nervous about doing it. I suck at this kind of stuff but went for it anyways. Thought I broke my nav screen but everything turned out okay once I charged my battery.

D) Best part for me is that it didn't change my stock stereo at all. I keep all nav and CD changer functionality. I can even control my iPod with my steering wheel controls.

It's a really nice middle of the road between FM transmitter and a whole new deck.

[DownhillGoat]

Originally Posted by psicodude

I am not an expert, but I believe that only works with the non-drm music on iTunes. I guess it depends on your library.

Anything purchased in the last 4 years is non-DRM. Anything still under the old DRM can be upgraded for 30 cents a song.

[calgaryrocks]

just a thought on your itunes music
PowerAmp will play it, and it is a really good music app. sometimes it does read the wrong tags for some songs, in which case you can get a tag editor

[Huntingwhale]

I got my '08 Mazda 6 done up with a new deck and sound system a couple years ago. This is the deck I got, and it's pretty good.

Pioneer MVH-P8200BT



As you can see, it's a single din unit, plays videos, has bluetooth and an usb input for mp3 playback. I personally find it way easier/less dangerous to use a usb with mp3 songs, rather then hooking your phone up and having to fiddle with it while you drive. I bought the deck at Best Buy and all the harnesses and stuff at Canadian Tire. I'm also lucky enough to have a friend who does professional GPS device installs as a living, so he guided me on how to get everything and he installed it for me as he has all the tools.

If you do want to use your phone, it has an AUX input as well it takes SD cards. One of the best products I've ever bought. I no longer had thousands of CDs lying in my car and its so easy just putting a USB stick in and off I go.

[GoinAllTheWay]

Great info guys, thanks.

My car does have the steering wheel controls. I love DIY projects but my limited experience with car dashs and body panels has tought me I never manage to get them back on the way they came off. I'll happily pay someone to do it for me.

I don't need GPS at all, just a new deck that will get done what I need and bluetooth music streaming is basically it. I despise cables running all around the dash so if I can get one that will just do the bluetooth streaming, I'll be pretty happy with that.

I think my first course of action will be to try out what Russic did. Does exactly what I want and a great price to boot.

I'd say about 90% of the music in my iTunes was aquired during my torrent days. The other 10% was purchased off iTunes and certainly within the past 4 years so I don't think I'll have any trouble getting another app to play it from the sounds of things.

[GreatWhiteEbola]

I just bought a Parrot Asteroid Classic. I am pleased with it.

[GreatWhiteEbola]

If you go the DIY route you'll need:
Harness
Dash kit

[8sPOT]

Did this upgrade on my '06 Ridgeline and '07 Camry last year. With the proper harness and dash kit it's pretty simple. But as mentioned its working with a bunch of wires in a cramped space. Both my vehicles have steering wheel controls, the intstructions I got with the steering wheel kit were a joke, so that was somewhat tricky.

All said and done, got both double din units installed, and working great. Cost about $550 from www.sonicelectronix.com . Including shipping, and the steering wheel kits.

One thing I'd advise is to look for a unit that allows you to change the display colours. Then you can match your dash lights or any other colour you'd like. Really makes it fit in that much better.

[GoinAllTheWay]

Originally Posted by GreatWhiteEbola

If you go the DIY route you'll need:
Harness
Dash kit

And a double thanks to you, good sir!

[sclitheroe]

Originally Posted by kunkstyle

Anything purchased in the last 4 years is non-DRM. Anything still under the old DRM can be upgraded for 30 cents a song.

Subscribe to iTunes Match for $20 a year, delete all DRM protected purchases locally, and pull the files back down from the cloud in shiny new non-DRM 256kbps format. Cancel iTunes Match when done, if you don't want a cloud based backup and sync of your music going forward.

While you are at it, let iTunes Match match your poor quality MP3's..then delete those, and pull down the nice DRM free AAC versions. Consider the $20 penance paid for the sins of acquisition.