not up on audio now days,please give me ideas

[John R]

As I am waiting on my 1997 ck regular cab to get finished up at the paint shop;I will next do/have some maintenance work done; then I am thinking of new radio and speakers. As I am completely lost here and gotten a headache from reading the forums;hope some of you may get me going in right direction.
Now, I have the factory am/fm cassete player.
Wanting something with a cd and some type of usb (so I can copy music from my computer).
I dont care for the loud boom boom thing. Just want something that has a decent sound and I can crank just a bit.
Many thanks,
John

 

[99SUB4X4]

The answer to your question will completely depend on your budget. I recently installed a Pioneer double din AVH-2550NEX with Apple Car Play and am totally satisfied. You can invest less and get a single din that will sound great as well. Check Crutchfield as they include wire harness and install kit at no extra cost. Good Luck!

 

[DavidAlan]

So you know any Audio store can help you,but with my 27 yr old truck,didn't come with radio,so I went to walmart bought a plug set that is set for Chevy trucks,and lucky had tons of radios at home,or buy at your favorite store and get a CD player. Crutchfield is good,but so is Best Buy as well.

 

[LouF]

...hope some of you may get me going in right direction.

There is so much to consider, that it is very difficult to speculate. With assuming what I think you want, I suggest the Pioneer DEH-S4220BT, $84. You will have CD, Bluetooth and should easily be able to install it yourself.

You might even try the $40 range units - AM/FM radio, CD with front USB capable of playing MP3/WMA files.

A significant next step would be an instrument cluster panel made for double-DIN units that can feature navigation on a touch-screen - say, in the $1,000-1,500 range.


Here is a good article:
https://www.crutchfield.com/S-wjgZY260DrK/learn/car-cd-receiver-buying-guide.html


These may be a compromise from your home Pivetta Opera Only 120,000 watt, 8 ft. high, 3,307 lb., $2.2M (hand-made) amplifier, but we'll have to make practical considerations due to stock 12V electrical supply in the truck.

 

[Bondovw]

I would also recommend the Pioneer. If you buy something from crutchfield and absolutely hate it they will return it!

 

[Eveready]

Lots of guys recommend the Pioneer. For some reason I had trouble getting one to work and took it back. I ended up with a Kenwood that I am very happy with. Like you I just wanted a decent stereo that would play a CD or Mp3s from a thumb drive. The Kenwood does a good job. Be sure and replace the crappy factory speakers even if you put new 3 x 5's in. Also I highly recommend going to one of the 100 buck class units that will handle Bluetooth phone connections. That really modernizes the truck and hands- free phones are very important to keeping out of LEO's clutches.

If you don't mind the center mount type radio the Kenwood would do a fine job for you.

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[LouF]

The it reason I was recommending a Pioneer was that I have a suspicion that their tuner section may be better. They used to have the SuperTuner, and I'm assuming it had particularly good reception. I don't know about today's implementations, but it, at mimimum, should be equal to the known good brands.

I have a nice JVC unit (in a car), but I'm a bit surprised by its reception of a particular channel. It's tuner section shows a good specification for the sensitivity, but It may also have to do with the car's antenna. I think a truck with a mast would be good anyway, now that I think of it.

These year vehicles should be very easy to wire - they shouldn't be tied in with any theft system, chime system or information center etc...

BTW, the above picture is for an earlier style than in '97, I believe. Single DINs will work in a '97 with an adapter (and a double DIN would need an aftermarket inst. cluster insert that I've seen).

BTW2, I put an old 6" Bazooka tube in my truck (behind the pass. seat, regular cab), and it brings it to a whole different level. I do recommend this - it's nothing too boom-boom; just adds MUCH more complete sound even with the factory speakers (the money is better spent here). You'll be disappointed with replacement speakers (trust me) - you can change the factories out later if you feel that is what you want to try (and the back ones are difficult). You'd be surprised how good my stereo sounds with how little money I have into it (and 26 year old factory speakers).

I'd be interested in what you chose.

 

[Eveready]

louF you are correct in that mine is a '93. The single din adapter option would be good on a later model truck. I personally like the center mount, I guess because people expect to find a radio in the center and that leaves the cluster area open for a GPS I intend to install there.

I have no idea why the very nice pioneer I got didn't work in my truck, it might have been an installation error but I found the manual to be less than intuitive. Either way the OP should be fine . The standard "spike" antenna does work really well with the aftermarket radio and and adapter for the antenna usually comes with the radio. I will be interested in seeing what the OP comes up with.

 

[James Clark]

I would go with a kenwood. As someone that does radio installs for a living everyday i can 100% say that Kenwood is leading the stereo game right now (for Headunits) i never say a brand is bad but i have had more than a couple pioneers come back from clients this year all from software issues. Im also not biased i run an older Pioneer and i love it but i bought a kenwood DMX7706S for my mom! again not biased just always trying to rep the best gear for the TIME. If you have any questions lemme know im more than happy to help you out.

Some other questions though. Are you looking for a screen? are you looking to add a backup camera in the future? do you use Sirius XM?

Also Boom boom thingys aren't always bad. Yes i have a 15 in my car, but its not entirely about slapping. I install ALOT of the kicker hideaway subwoofers in my bay. Cheap and has a bass knob so you can turn it up and down as you please. the big thing with me and subwoofers and trying to explain them is you dont need to get a subwoofer to be heard down the street.... get it for YOUR enjoyment. Door speakers cant hit any low frequencies, so your missing out on alot of music in your audio build.

 

[JSlezak83]

I’ve always gone with Pioneer for head units. Just personal preference. I’ve got a 15ish year old Double DIN that’s still going strong. Powers the factory speakers just fine. I added a loaded 8” Pioneer shallow mount enclosure I picked up on Amazon for like $80. Fits under the seat, and sounds great. I can crank it up and the body panels don’t rattle.