Head Unit for an e36

[hammerfang]

it looks as though i will very soon finally get an e36, however the car im looking at has the stock stereo system and i want to replace the head unit with an after market one. im looking to spend no more then $250 for the unit itself. It must have satelitte radio inputs, play mp3 cds, remote would be nice, so would an ipod input, eventually i wanna get subs so i would need an output for that. Other then that im not too picky as long as it provides good sound quality and is easy to use, im not really into all those flashing lights and weird colors, i'd rather have function before form. one of my good friends was telling me that pioneer is the way to go. does anyone have any suggestions, also what about replacing the stock speakers, i have been searching around and looked at bavariansoundwerks and found a package they have for the e36 usings MB quart speakers (sells for $350). im looking for about 200watts in the cabin and eventually around 800 in the trunk. but i don't want it to just be loud i want it to sound as good as possible, thanks for any input

[Bavarian Muscle]

pioneers are weak
alpine is the snip snap snizzle

my buddy owns a 92' 325i, he replaced his stock unit with a JVC chameleon cd player. idk if it has ipod inputs. but it looks very sleek and organized when fitted only in a E36, no kidding around here. it looks soooo hot. one feature i truly love about the JVC player is that it hides itself when you power it off. it has a flip down control pad that hides when not in use. the volume button pops out and in, it has a remote. and like i said when you turn it off it camoulages itself with the sroundings of the cluster. THUS, the name CHAMELEON. standing outside looking through the window at the radio it looks like a black box. very sleek, very secure. you cant tell if its a radio or not! also, when the JVC player is active it has an arrangement of very suttle and accommodating lights and short vid clips that play randomly. colors mainly consist of red,white,blue, go usa! it is a must own aftermarket head for E36 no shitz n giggles here. i cant remember exactly how much it costs, like 300 to 400 around there. also, with a 800W amp to power your subs you should check your alternator amp. is it 80 or 120? sorry for the long reply. this is just one of those things when overlooked you may regret it in the future, i just have to spit it out. ps. ALPINE ALL THE WAY.

[TSA-E30]

Nakamichi CD400, CD500, or CD700.

Anything else is just kids stuff.

[hammerfang]

the chameleon is kinda cheesy, my friend had one in his chevy malibu, i don't want something thats flashy, function over form here, thanks for the suggestion jordan im gonna look into those

[Aradaiel]

Originally Posted by Bavarian Muscle

pioneers are weak
alpine is the snip snap snizzle

my buddy owns a 92' 325i, he replaced his stock unit with a JVC chameleon cd player. idk if it has ipod inputs. but it looks very sleek and organized when fitted only in a E36, no kidding around here. it looks soooo hot. one feature i truly love about the JVC player is that it hides itself when you power it off. it has a flip down control pad that hides when not in use. the volume button pops out and in, it has a remote. and like i said when you turn it off it camoulages itself with the sroundings of the cluster. THUS, the name CHAMELEON. standing outside looking through the window at the radio it looks like a black box. very sleek, very secure. you cant tell if its a radio or not! also, when the JVC player is active it has an arrangement of very suttle and accommodating lights and short vid clips that play randomly. colors mainly consist of red,white,blue, go usa! it is a must own aftermarket head for E36 no shitz n giggles here. i cant remember exactly how much it costs, like 300 to 400 around there. also, with a 800W amp to power your subs you should check your alternator amp. is it 80 or 120? sorry for the long reply. this is just one of those things when overlooked you may regret it in the future, i just have to spit it out. ps. ALPINE ALL THE WAY.

^^ chameleons are great 'till they get ganked. The face doesn't detach, and anyone that knows anything about aftermarket stereos know it's a deck. I had one stolen from my 320 like 5 years ago. In my 325 I had an alpine deck from 3 years ago that lit amber, played mp3's, had an ipod cable and matched the interior. It's definately the way to go. I'd sell you mine but Im keepin it in there because it's perfect. I'll try and get the model number for it, I've seen a lot on ebay for around $200. My m3 has the HK system, and that sounds good enough for me. The $7 tape player to Ipod wallmart special is ghetto fab, but I'd rather hear the engine in the m3.

[hammerfang]

Originally Posted by Aradaiel

^^ chameleons are great 'till they get ganked. The face doesn't detach, and anyone that knows anything about aftermarket stereos know it's a deck. I had one stolen from my 320 like 5 years ago. In my 325 I had an alpine deck from 3 years ago that lit amber, played mp3's, had an ipod cable and matched the interior. It's definately the way to go. I'd sell you mine but Im keepin it in there because it's perfect. I'll try and get the model number for it, I've seen a lot on ebay for around $200. My m3 has the HK system, and that sounds good enough for me. The $7 tape player to Ipod wallmart special is ghetto fab, but I'd rather hear the engine in the m3.

i hear ya, but im not lucky enough to have an m3 yet so i wanna upgrade the stereo, although im sure the ecis intake and RE DMS exhaust should hold me over for a year or two

[hammerfang]

those nakamichis look really sick but they r alittle more then i want to spend (especially on something thats used and has no warranty) plus it seems as though they don;t have ipod interfaces, does anyone have anyother ideas for head units that cost less then $250, i might be willing to go alittle higher if i got a really good deal on a significantly better unit, thanks.

[Aradaiel]

Yeah, I know what you mean.

The model number is cda-7894. That's the one I HIGHLY recommend.

There are a few on ebay for under 200 bucks, I'm thinking of trying to get one now actually...

Here's an auction to a good one:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ALPINE-CDA-7894-...QQcmdZViewItem

[Bavarian Muscle]

omg i love this pic HammerFang, meet JVC KD-SHX750. found it for $360 on special. http://www.cardomain.com/item/JVCKDSHX750?vq_id=none once again no ipod input here, but you might like the SD slot capability. its more orgainzed, you can flip throgh thousands of songs safer looking at a screen near eyes view of the road instead of looking down at your ipod. not to mention it would save the cluter around your deck. no one likes a cluster fuck! damn those lil ipods!

[Aradaiel]

Ho-ly Sheet. I have a badass DSL and that picture took like 2 mins to DL

[Crazy 13immer]

Originally Posted by Aradaiel

Yeah, I know what you mean.

The model number is cda-7894. That's the one I HIGHLY recommend.

There are a few on ebay for under 200 bucks, I'm thinking of trying to get one now actually...

Here's an auction to a good one:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ALPINE-CDA-7894-...QQcmdZViewItem

whats the difference between the 7894 and the 9847? I was going to get the 9847, but now I'm confused

[Aradaiel]

The 9847 is a newer deck. It might be the same thing. When I got the 7894 it was the higher end one, it lights amber and plays mp3s. They had a 7893 that didn't light amber and didn't play mp3 cds. Other than that they were identical.

With the newer ones I think they all play mp3 cds, but you would have to look into the amber illumination. I also don't like the 9847 because the face is silver, where as mine is black. Looks better to me.

[PermaGrin]

Since you mentioned a subwoofer, I though I would offer some priceless advice. A subwoofer in your BMW will really put a smile on your face:
Regardless of what route you take on the head-unit/amp, you are going to need an external subwoofer; the smallish speakers that fit in the tight spaces of the doors/shelf just aren't sized to move enough air. The problem to get balanced sound in BMWs (balanced = balanced, not Bazooka-like weaponry) is almost strictly in the domain of the low-end. Just go to eBay and search on BassLink. Not only will you find BassLink subwoofers under $200, you will also find BMW-specific install kits. The $250 or so you spend on the upgrade will likely become the most memorable $250 you will *ever* spend on your Bimmer. In the case of BassLink the subwoofer connection comes from the (noise-free!) so called 'high-level' outputs from the amp, so you have a much wider range of head unit choices.

You can read a post/article at:
http://www.wakajawaka.org/bmw-audio-upgrade/
or just go to eBay and do an eBay search on BassLink.

[Bavarian Muscle]

^^
to the post above me. hahahahahaha. basslink??? are you serious?? that crap is soooo weak. trust me you will never notice a 250watt sub bumping even on full blast. that my friend is a fact. if your looking for a real bass system setup, check out http://www.infinitysystems.com/ i wouldnt catagorize them as competetion, but overall a great company. also eclipse audio would be the best alternative but that junk is expensive. hahaha basslink what a croc of sh*t.

[One 328is]

I have an alpine system in my car. So far have had 6 weeks of it out of my car in repairs. So if I were you would pass on them and get something else.
Alpine CDA 9847
After I get some other items I want replaced or upgraded will get a new head unit.