herbeapuce

Hi.

I'm a 46yo man trying to buy a decent replacement radio and speakers for a Toyota matrix. I will be buying my gf's used car in the sprig but I find the sound quality of the car pretty poor right now. I would like to upgrade to a better system.

I told my age so you should know I'm not really into big boom boom machine. and I would like to spend as less as possible on the new unit. I don't need loud, just clear.

I'm looking for a basic system, with maybe an mp3 plug, CD and decent radio FM reception. that's all.

I would also like to replace the OEM speakers with something with better sound. I'm looking for the same size/dimension as the OEM one. they should fit the same openings...

now for all the young guys out here, or maybe a few sage ...can you recommend a good brand that isn't too expensive. what model would you buy? what's the best brand for price/quality ratio ?

same question for the speakers. what are the good and cheap brand/model out there?

I'm open to buy online, or in the States if it's cheaper. or eBay, again I would like to keep the cost low. not really thinking of spending more than $300 total

what would you get with $300 ?


one last one for the road: do you know of good website with basic car radio reviews/testing ?

thanks for your help
stef, Montreal.

DeadlySones

iTrader: (4)

You should look through our classified section. There are many good used decks for sale. You could pick up a really nice deck.

Denonite

iTrader: (1)

Any good brand name will work well. Look for a decent co-axial preferably with dome tweeters. You should be able to find alpine, pioneer, clarion, kenwood, and others that have a deck and 2 speakers for under 300. Specifically, alpine sps series, infinity ref, jbl gto, polk db, and many others feature soft dome tweets, 100.00 price ranges, and co-axial mounting. Most companies have decks in the 100.00 range that offer what you asked for...choose the one with the most clean power (rms), best features and aesthetics for you as all good brand names are reliable enough.

herbeapuce

thanks guy for your help

would you mind listing our choice for me setup?

what exactly would you get for my matrix ? for $300, more or less...

Stef

MR2NR

iTrader: (66)

A Pioneer system could be yours in that budget for sure. A word of advice here though, there is not too much wrong with your factory speakers, in a lot of cases they actually sound better than the cheapo aftermarket ones. If I were in your shoes I would get a solid head unit, get it installed and watch and listen to the factory speakers come to life. Then and only then would I tackle the speakers. I think if you try and do it all under $300 you are going to be leaving a lot to be desired.... solid info from one old guy to another....

jalat

iTrader: (6)

very true statement.
might also be interest in amping your stock speakers (via an external amplifier)

herbeapuce

And all that time I was under the impression that the speakers weren't good . I was going to change the speaker first.... OK then...I will start with the radio . In my dumb mind, the speakers were always the bad guys....

thanks again guys.

if you have too much free time , shoot me a good model to look for...

Stef

MR2NR

iTrader: (66)

If bluetooth is law in your province as it is about to become here, the eclipse CD5030 is the place to start.

ECLIPSE CD/USB Multi-Source Receiver/ Built-in A2DP Bluetooth wireless technology CD5030 | Fujitsu Ten

Here the ticket for using your cell phone while driving is $164.00 + 3 points. 1 ticket + a basic cd player = more than the eclipse is worth.

RomanticMoments

Good call, MR2NR. I would suggest the JVC KD-R800 for the same reasons. Solid looking and sounding deck, easy to use (and changes colour to match the dash), gives you Bluetooth, an AUX port for mp3 players, and also a USB port to run USB thumb drives and iPod/iPhone playing and charging. Retails for about $249.99CAD. Keep in mind, that vehicle will need three parts to install a deck: Dash kit (to make it fit in the dash and look OEM), a wiring harness (to adapt the deck's wiring to the vehicle's without having to modify the vehicles wiring) and an antenna adapter to recieve FM signal (GM uses a mini FM adapter for factory radios, and the Matrix is the same platform as the Pontiac Vibe). I used to work for Best Buy as an installer/salesman and I can tell you that the parts run approx $30.00CAD for the dash kit, $18.00CAD for the wiring harness, and $18.00CAD for the antenna adapters. Part #'s are BKGMK420, BHA2003, and BAA4B respectively. herbeapuce, you are correct in thinking speakers make the biggest difference in terms of audio quality, but the deck has to be able to provide the good quality power and signal to begin with. By hitting the deck first, it'll up your available power and sound quality (and choosing one of the two decks already up here) you will have hands-free calling in the car. I've provided the parts and prices based on my knowledge from Best Buy, so outside of them and Future Shop, I'm not sure who else carries Best Kits parts, and at what prices you can find these things at. I am in no way advertising for these stores, just trying to provide a baseline for you to start with.

Ciao

herbeapuce

hey thanks to everyone how helped me here. I learned a lot here. again didn't know about the fittings and adapters...

I will have the car this spring, so meanwhile anyone willing to chime in, please fell free to educate me more on the topic. you may give more suggestion for unit, or even speakers... Just willing to learn more stuff from you guys.

a big thank you again

cheers
stef