Car Stereos: 96 Infinity I30 Replacement Stereo?, infinity i30, premium sound system

Question
QUESTION: I have a 96 I30 with the Bose premium sound system.

Is there something more modern that I could replace this unit with that would include remote, GPS navigation and perhaps iPod connectivty?

I would like the end-result to look factory.

Thanks.

ANSWER: Hi Gary,

Because the factory stereo in your car is (almost) an ISO DIN, if you want GPS, you'll have to get one of the decks that has a screen that scrolls out and up  Looking factory is a personal thing, as finding one that looks like it came out of the factory will be tough, but looking for decks that might match your interior LED colours, etc, is possible.  Visit some local car audio stores and tell them what you're looking for, just about any ISO mounting in-dash GPS receiver will do what you want (and iPod connectivity is usually already there or available on these systems due to their price point).

The only thing you'll need to particularly pay attention to in your car would be that the factory deck has weird outputs that (sort of) carries the kind of signal you'd normally find on an RCA out what appears to be normal speaker wires, as the speakers are seperately amplified.  As such, you'll need to buy an adapter (should run you anywhere from $20-50 depending on where you buy it) that converts the amplified output signal of an aftermarket deck to a low voltage output for your speakers, otherwise, you're looking at hours upon hours upon hours of work to make it all work as expected.

An example of the adapter can be found here:

http://www.nextag.com/Scosche-Industries-OEM-Amplifier-55290356/prices-html

Justin

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: The factory unit is a double din Premium Bose.  It has the stereo, CD, and cassette.

I thought a DD unit would be easier to find an in-dash GPS unit for...?

Thanks

ANSWER: Hm.  I didn't know there was a double-din version of that stereo -- I thought it was single DIN.  Sorry, I must 'mis-remember' as Roger Clemens would say.

If you want to stick with the 'factory' look, then, you'll have more options this way.  A double din GPS receiver such as the Pioneer AVIC-D3X might work for you.  You'll likely still need a dash adapter to make it fit properly, though.

Other than that, the rest of the info I gave is the same.

Justin

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: EVERYONE seems to have forgotten, or never knew, about that DD Bose. <g>

I checked the Crutchfield site and even they didn't know so I came here.

So, you thinkg the Pioneer is a good unit?  They have the AVIC-D3X for about 7-8.

Answer
Yea, I once had a Nissan that had a 'premium' system in it, but it was only a slight offshoot of an I DIN, and I thought they were the same.

As for the value of the Pioneer, I can't honestly answer that, as I have no experience with it.  It's just the type of thing that has the featureset you're looking for.  The most recent install I've done of a GPS type system was an Eclipse, and I can unequivocally tell you it's NOT worth its pricetag.

Generally I suggest you go to a big box store and play around with their various systems.  Get a feel for what you like, and then go buy it somewhere else. ;)

What I'd suggest is to play around with friend's stereos and remember all your old stereos, etc.  Think about the various functionality you NEED and then think about the features friends stereos have (or don't have) that you'd REALLY wanna use, or that REALLY annoyed you.

All that functionality is fantastic, but if there's one feature that drives you up a wall, you're going to find yourself regretting the purchase.

An example I have is myself with the deck I have in my car right now.  It had all the functionality I wanted, and it was dirt cheap, I couldn't argue, right?

I installed it, and was marvelling at its RDS functionality when I realised that it will auto-sync its time with any RDS station that broadcasts CT (clock time), and I can't turn that off.  There's 2 radio stations in proximity to me that have their clock time wrong, so I either can't listen to them, or I have to change to another CT channel that has the time right after listening to them.

It seems small, but in hindsight, I probably wouldn't have bought it had I known that.