Need a new radio

[Aarong23]

Hey friends,
So my trusty ole kenwood single din head unit finally crapped out after ten years of service. I know I need to get with the modern times and get a double din. I'm looking for solid double din unit suggestions and the necessary hardware. The radio/speaker market has changed alot since 2010, so I'm pretty ignorant.

 

[RawbDidIt]

Hey friends,
So my trusty ole kenwood single din head unit finally crapped out after ten years of service. I know I need to get with the modern times and get a double din. I'm looking for solid double din unit suggestions and the necessary hardware. The radio/speaker market has changed alot since 2010, so I'm pretty ignorant.

Double dins fit weird in our trucks due to it being a 1.5 din opening, but if you're set on double din, Kenwood is still a good brand in my opinion. If you are planning on running an amp now or in the future, 5v preamp outs are the way to go, make sure it has all the functions you need, and go from there. You'll also want dedicated channels to each of the speakers and subs too if you're even thinking you might add them. With those selections, you'll narrow down your search in Crutchfield to only a handful of qualified options, then you just decide how much you're comfortable spending and if you'll ever need to add a backup cam or anything.

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[Aarong23]

Double dins fit weird in our trucks due to it being a 1.5 din opening, but if you're set on double din, Kenwood is still a good brand in my opinion. If you are planning on running an amp now or in the future, 5v preamp outs are the way to go, make sure it has all the functions you need, and go from there. You'll also want dedicated channels to each of the speakers and subs too if you're even thinking you might add them. With those selections, you'll narrow down your search in Crutchfield to only a handful of qualified options, then you just decide how much you're comfortable spending and if you'll ever need to add a backup cam or anything.

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After reading your post, I don't like any of that. Lol I'll probably just stick with a single din. It fit the 90s truck better anyway I think.

 

[RawbDidIt]

After reading your post, I don't like any of that. Lol I'll probably just stick with a single din. It fit the 90s truck better anyway I think.

Most of that still applies to single din as well lol. If you're not adding anything to it, find a reputable brand with the features you need and choose the cheapest one.

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[df2x4]

Both of my trucks are staying single DIN indefinitely. I don't like the idea of cutting material out of the inside of the dash to make the back of the double DIN unit clear, which is required with most of them from what I've read. These dashes are already prone to cracking.

If sound quality is important to you, I'd recommend checking out the Pioneer DEH-80PRS. They're around $350 but IMO they're the best single DIN CD receiver on the market. Everything Rawb mentioned (except provisions to add a backup camera) and much, much more. They even come with a little microphone you can plug in to auto-tune your speakers' time alignment, AKA determine the distance of each speaker from your listening position and adjust the audio signal accordingly so the sound all hits your ears at the same time. That one feature makes a huge difference in sound quality in a vehicle.

https://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-DEH-80PRS-Receiver-Crossover-Alignment/dp/B006Y44DAY

If you're more concerned about keeping the factory look, Retrosound does make radios that fit the factory 1.5 DIN dash opening exactly with no extra space. I believe the compatible models are the Newport, Santa Cruz and New York. No CD players in any of them, but they do AM/FM, Bluetooth, SiriusXM and USB audio. You can shop around for them at the RetroSound website here.

https://www.retromanufacturing.com/

 

[Curt]

I installed a Sony XAV-AX100 in my truck and retained the factory 1.5 DIN bezel. One of the best mods I've done to date, zero trimming required to make it fit.

https://www.gmt400.com/threads/what-did-you-do-to-your-gmt400-today.4264/page-2469#post-1099633

 

[Aarong23]

Most of that still applies to single din as well lol. If you're not adding anything to it, find a reputable brand with the features you need and choose the cheapest one.

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Thankfully I already have the dash kit and wiring harness, so hopefully I can just buy the actual unit.

Both of my trucks are staying single DIN indefinitely. I don't like the idea of cutting material out of the inside of the dash to make the back of the double DIN unit clear, which is required with most of them from what I've read. These dashes are already prone to cracking.

If sound quality is important to you, I'd recommend checking out the Pioneer DEH-80PRS. They're around $350 but IMO they're the best single DIN CD receiver on the market. Everything Rawb mentioned (except provisions to add a backup camera) and much, much more. They even come with a little microphone you can plug in to auto-tune your speakers' time alignment, AKA determine the distance of each speaker from your listening position and adjust the audio signal accordingly so the sound all hits your ears at the same time. That one feature makes a huge difference in sound quality in a vehicle.

https://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-DEH-80PRS-Receiver-Crossover-Alignment/dp/B006Y44DAY

If you're more concerned about keeping the factory look, Retrosound does make radios that fit the factory 1.5 DIN dash opening exactly with no extra space. I believe the compatible models are the Newport, Santa Cruz and New York. No CD players in any of them, but they do AM/FM, Bluetooth, SiriusXM and USB audio. You can shop around for them at the RetroSound website here.

https://www.retromanufacturing.com/

I'm not too concerned with a backup camera and I don't run any crazy sound system like I did in high school. I'm going to replace the door speakers and cab corner speakers, but gone are the days of subs that rattle the trim loose. Lol
If I'm sticking with the single din, it's still have harness plug into the factory wiring plug and then wire up to the plug on the back of head unit, right? Although @Curt's setup is pretty cool, especially if I don't have to trim anything. I may look into that. I'm one of the only people out of my group of friends in school who didnt hack up their factory wiring. I always cringed when I seen that and a couple caught fire.

 

[df2x4]

If I'm sticking with the single din, it's still have harness plug into the factory wiring plug and then wire up to the plug on the back of head unit, right?

Yup, that's how it works with all the aftermarket units. If whoever installed your Kenwood used the correct adapter harness then you should be able to re-use it if you want.

 

[RawbDidIt]

Yup, that's how it works with all the aftermarket units. If whoever installed your Kenwood used the correct adapter harness then you should be able to re-use it if you want.

Yes and no, Kenwood has a couple dozen different harnesses. Should come with one and you get the harness that plugs into your truck and solder and heat shrink the connections. I couldn't find one that was pre-built when I installed my Kenwood. Doesn't mean it doesn't exist, just couldn't find it.

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[Aarong23]

Yup, that's how it works with all the aftermarket units. If whoever installed your Kenwood used the correct adapter harness then you should be able to re-use it if you want.

That's what I was thinking. I hooked it up, but that was literally a decade ago and had messed with since. So I've gotten out of practice. Lol