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YOUR RESEARCHRecommendations for CDR23 replacement
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Replace amp and hu
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Suggestion · Original poster
I plan on changing the amp and HU, but really want to keep as much of the OE look as possible, I don't want a full screen HU with nav.
Leading evidence: 'Replace amp and hu' (no explicit attributable resolution; this is a reported action or suggestion). Across 1 matching discussions, The most frequently discussed action is 'Replace amp and hu' (1 discussions). For that action, 0 discussions report a resolution and 0 report an unsuccessful attempt. No action has an explicit, attributable resolution report under the current rules. These are forum reports and suggestions, not a confirmed diagnosis.
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Suggestion · Original poster
I have the dreaded, CDR23 HU now intermittently failing, read the threads and it seems to be the amp, with most replacing the amp and the HU.
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Suggestion
You can Change the display colors to match the 996 interior lights almost perfectly.
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Suggestion
If you do have the MOST system then you can't just replace the head unit because the head unit talks to the amp via fiber optic and no aftermarket head units do that (or at least none that I have seen).
Replace lot of settings including sound delay, x-over settings etc
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Suggestion
Very good sound tweaking options, you can change a lot of settings including sound delay, x-over settings etc.
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Suggestion
If you do have the MOST system then you can't just replace the head unit because the head unit talks to the amp via fiber optic and no aftermarket head units do that (or at least none that I have seen).
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I have the dreaded, CDR23 HU now intermittently failing, read the threads and it seems to be the amp, with most replacing the amp and the HU.
I plan on changing the amp and HU, but really want to keep as much of the OE look as possible, I don't want a full screen HU with nav. All I want is decent sound, with iPod integration, I'm not interested in nav or BT.
Any recommendations? Any pics of head units that look standard?
Thanks for any suggestions
Kenwood excellon KDC-X996.
You can Change the display colors to match the 996 interior lights almost perfectly. It is almost all black too so it matches well. Very good sound tweaking options, you can change a lot of settings including sound delay, x-over settings etc. I've had one in my last 3 cars. Has iPod/ Iphone support, pandora (never plays ads when plugged in), HD radio, Sirius ready, Bluetooth with included microphone. Highly reccomend.
It also has 3 seperate RCA inputs (front/ rear/ sub) some other decks I've had only had two.
That's a first. Seems like everyone and their grandmothers want that huge honkin display or an iPad so they can watch movies or wonderful album art instead of just driving.
Becker, followed by Blaupunkt is your best bet IMO if you want the look of full OEM.
I had the same issue for my 2003 and replaced the cdr23 with a single din Alpine keeping 10 of the original 11 speakers. The sub-woofer was the wrong impedance for the new amp, so had to put in a new one. Now have ipod, Bluetooth phone etc that still looks somewhat stock with a great sound.
Alpine CDE-HD138BT
JL Audio XD700/5
Will try to post pics later, the Alpine has blue lights which somewhat clash with the existing orange. The pioneer head unit may be a better match for the colors if you care about that stuff. The shop did an OK job under the hood.
I had a Nakamichi CD-500 in and thought it fit perfectly... but if course I'm now moving to a nice big screen for nav and backup cameras like everyone else... !
Here are the pics of the Alpine 138 and the JD Audio XD700 in the Frunk where the 6-changer CD and stock amp was located. Notice the Valentine radar remote unit plugged-into the lighter hole in the 2nd pic.
10 of my 11 OEM Bose speakers worked with the aftermarket amp. The aftermarket head units don't generally work with the OEM Bose amp due to the fibre-optic connections between the cdr23 head unit and OEM amp.
How many speakers are there with the Bose option? FWIW, in audiophile circles, Bose is considered the last choice for speakers, and I agree. Ask me how I know.
Sent from my iPad using Rennlist
Most of the Bose car audio stuff is superior to Bose home speakers. That said, I am happy that my Porsche had the non-Bose HiFi package so I could swap in some Focal and Memphis speakers. Allowed me to keep the Becker CDR220 head unit (great sounding and looks perfect in the dash) and put in an iPhone cable.
I have had three Bose systems in German cars (non-Porsche) -- one okay, one good, and one very good. Even better are offerings from makers like Focal, Dynaudio, (top-tier) JBL, and the like.
Those would be my choices, as well. The Kenwood looks better than most others from an OEM blending perspective, but Becker and Blaupunkt just look the part and send a perfectly fine audio signal.
I have a 2003 C4S and I assume it is a MOST system. How do I know what head unit I need to look for - I can't seem to find any indication on the manufacturer websites
Hey Gator,
Sorry for the delay. I have the Pioneer DEH-P9400BH. I chose it because it has something like 7 million possible colors and I wanted to try to match the interior lights as closely as possible. It also has 3 USB ports, Bluetooth (which works well for music but of course you still can't make a call in our cars) and a host of other features. So far I love it.
narkose,
If you do have the MOST system then you can't just replace the head unit because the head unit talks to the amp via fiber optic and no aftermarket head units do that (or at least none that I have seen). You have to replace the head unit AND the amp (not a big deal really).
When I replaced my OEM radio, I originally tried a Blaupunkt Toronto 420 BT. It definitely looks a bit more 'OEM' than most of the Japanese brands, and can color match the lighting. Decent functionality (bluetooth phone, ipod integration, usb, etc) and decent sound , but I wasn't thrilled with some particulars of the USB implementation (I wanted to interface an iPad to it and needed high current USB ports, and preferred two rear USB's), so I swapped it out for a Pioneer head unit (DEH-X9500BHS). The Pioneer doesn't look as oem, but definitely had better functionality for my specific needs.
Here's an image of the Blaupunkt Toronto 420 BT (about $170 on Amazon)
Stock config:
With the Pioneer head unit, with iPad, just for reference:
By the way, it looks like pioneer just announced some of their 2014 car audio components earlier today... As I have zero use for CD functionality these days, their new 'digital media receivers' look interesting, the MVH-X560BT in particular. At $130 list price, street price will likely be under $100. Bigger display, lower cost.
brand is Fusion
They do high end Marine application.
Cool thing about this one is that it is mech less (no cd player, only SD card and USB) so it saved some weight on the car :-)
PFBZ: The iPad install looks amazing. How did you mount it there ? I was also wondering, why do you need the head unit at all ? Couldn't you just connect the iPad to the amp directly ? I acknowledge that you would give up broadcast radio, but I am not sure that would be such a big sacrifice. Thanks !
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