Sony Stereos, any good?

Firegod · 21 Nov 2006 at 12:59

thecremeegg2 said:
ive got a sony....never broken, not even chipped or anything....build quality's fine
Tbh unless you have an amp and very expensive speakers, the head unit doesnt make much difference....*expects to get flamed*

[Flame mode on]
My mate's dad recently bought a new Astra, and the sound from the stereo was awful. He went down to Halfrauds and bought a new HU (Pioneer) and the difference was plain to hear. The speakers had more clarity and actually produced bass! The difference was amazing. So I'm going to have to disagree that the HU doesn't make much difference; it does.

[Flame mode off]

In both my cars, I've bought Pioneer HU (mid-range) because the sound they offer is great.

monkeyspank · 21 Nov 2006 at 13:05

thecremeegg2 said:
ive got a sony....never broken, not even chipped or anything....build quality's fine
Tbh unless you have an amp and very expensive speakers, the head unit doesnt make much difference....*expects to get flamed*

Whatever speakers you have, if you put crap in, you get crap out. Especially if you don't have an amp.

agw_01 · 21 Nov 2006 at 13:09

thecremeegg2 said:
ive got a sony....never broken, not even chipped or anything....build quality's fine
Tbh unless you have an amp and very expensive speakers, the head unit doesnt make much difference....*expects to get flamed*

And flamed you will get

When I went from the standard Rover HU to a budget Pioneer head unit, there was a massive increase in the sound... and that was on the standard paper cone speakers.

Then, I replaced the speakers for some Infinity comps and the sound was improved further... still running them off the HU.

Recently, I swapped from the budget Pioneer HU to a higher end Pioneer HU, and again, better quality, more volume...

Go figure

EddScott · 21 Nov 2006 at 13:10

My car came with a Sony HU 3 years ago. Never had a major problem with it. Once or twice its locked on me and I've had to reset but nothing too major.

My only concern is that its doesn't really supply that much bass (Infinity comp on the front and dreaded JBL 6X9s in the back, no sub though). Mate has similar speakers in his (no sub either) and he gets some deep bass from his HU (some unbranded DVD HU thingy)

Don't know if thats the HU or not though. Looking for a cheap 77MP to pop up on ebay.

Firestar_3x · 21 Nov 2006 at 13:17

agw_01 said:
Do the high end Kenwood's use the Burr Brown DAC's?

Dunno mate i will check for you, think i can remember the Model no:

Firegod · 21 Nov 2006 at 13:19

EddScott said:
Looking for a cheap 77MP to pop up on ebay.

I saw that model, looks nice the brushed aluminium. £250 though! :eek:

I settled for the 30MP model, still has 4x50 MOSFET's and lots of features. Just waiting for it arrive now.

saitrix · 21 Nov 2006 at 13:48

agw_01 said:
And flamed you will get

When I went from the standard Rover HU to a budget Pioneer head unit, there was a massive increase in the sound... and that was on the standard paper cone speakers.

Then, I replaced the speakers for some Infinity comps and the sound was improved further... still running them off the HU.

Recently, I swapped from the budget Pioneer HU to a higher end Pioneer HU, and again, better quality, more volume...

Go figure

Havent you amped the comps yet in your Rover? Always thought you had...

agw_01 · 21 Nov 2006 at 13:53

Nope, never amped the comps yet. Just got a piece of dynamat between the door and speaker. Going to dynamat (or secondskin) the whole door and build MDF mounts in the new year.

Used to have a cheapo sub and amp but I sold that a while ago. Just got my hands on a JBL 601.1 and a 12" Directed sub... will eventually get another amp for the comps.

I'm in no rush to amp the comps though. Plenty of bass at adequate volume levels

Guigsy · 21 Nov 2006 at 14:08

Stellios said:
I curently have a Kenwood, but its lacking an AUX socket and i want one to plug my mp3 player

Can't you plug a Kenwood lead in the back that'll give you AUX? I thought they cost about £20. Just route it to your glovebox or something.

EddScott · 21 Nov 2006 at 16:32

This is the one I have :-

I'm pretty much happy with it but don't like the look too much and doesn't suit my car interior (scoob). Even with the bass on max there just isn't any. Its all wired correctly and the Infinity components are supposed to be good 6500 IIRC. I know most don't like the 6X9s (mine are JBL) but it was a means to an end at the time and never got round to doing anything with them.

This is what I'm after :-

Much better suited to car interior and I prefer its understated looks.

Is it the opinion on here that the change would be noticeable - in terms of sound quality?

thecremeegg · 22 Nov 2006 at 00:51

lol fair enough......flameage i got.....i'll bear that in mind with my next HU definately

jellybeard999 · 22 Nov 2006 at 00:57

at around the £70 mark is JVC any good ? Or better with pioneer/alpine ?

silversurfer · 22 Nov 2006 at 01:04

Stick with pioneer at that price

thedazman67 · 22 Nov 2006 at 01:15

I replaced the stock sony head-unit which was mediocore with the high end sony unit i've got now and i could tell the different much much clarity in the sound, punchier bass and that still on stock speakers etc, when i do get round to upgrading my speakers i am sure i will be impressed further. I purchased my current head-unit this year it was a 2004 model which retailed when new for approximately £300 - 350 and its far from crap. I will agree that sony's current offerings in the headunit department are nothing compared to previous models and the current models offered by the likes of pioneer and alpine, it just goes to show newer doesn't necessarily mean better.

thedazman

Geoff · 22 Nov 2006 at 01:40

thedazman67 said:
I will agree that sony's current offerings in the headunit department are nothing compared to previous models and the current models offered by the likes of pioneer and alpine, it just goes to show newer doesn't necessarily mean better.

That's my view too. I still have an old Sony unit (MDX-C8900R) in a car, and it's very good. I wouldn't buy a current model.

robmiller · 22 Nov 2006 at 01:44

thecremeegg2 said:
lol fair enough......flameage i got.....i'll bear that in mind with my next HU definately

Since you're getting flamed: your sig is too big. Read ze FAQ

ramirez · 22 Nov 2006 at 08:01

the pioneer p77mp is a truly excellent headunit - they go for about £100 - £150 on ebay.

McB@in · 22 Nov 2006 at 08:17

Sony, Kenwood, Grundig, Goodmans = t3h suxzorz. Even the high end Kenwood stuff isnt that great and is only comparable to much cheaper Pioneer gear.

Why buy something from a food mixer and white goods supplier? You wouldnt so dont spout on about Kenwoods being good. If you were 18-20 when you had one then fine as clearly you were never experienced enough to know better

Pionner - Alpine or if you are stupid and money is no object - Nakamachimanmaiamamaaiamamauauchi

Firestar_3x · 22 Nov 2006 at 08:30

In what way would you rate a Nakamichi unit better than a high end Pioneer for example?

I find them very cold and clinical on the whole part, whilst they do sound good i like the warmth of an expensive Pioneer

McB@in · 22 Nov 2006 at 08:54

Firestar_3x said:
In what way would you rate a Nakamichi unit better than a high end Pioneer for example?

I find them very cold and clinical on the whole part, whilst they do sound good i like the warmth of an expensive Pioneer

Me too, nakamachi is functional with excellent results but the pioneers win it for me