Car stereo place in austin?

[blacklab 12064]

Which is the best?

or should I buy the stuff online and get it installed somewhere?

[Sam Lin 3597]

I don't have a regional rec for you, but you'll find much better pricing online for most components. However, in some cases warranty coverage will differ, and in all cases the installer tends to hate you if you bring all your own stuff (if he sells the same stuff.) That said, don't let him talk/force you into the brands he sells if your research makes it clear something else is clearly a better fit for you. Get your own stuff and explain why.

What I tend to do is buy some of the more expensive stuff online but then buy some portion of the equipment from the installer.

[Handcruser 2815]

What are you trying to buy/install?


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[rage-a-holic 4732]

buy stuff online, get installed locally

[ShaggyBevo RIP 3873]

If you enjoy working on cars just order from Crutchfield and do it yourself.  In my experience by the time you round up speakers, any speaker mounting adapters needed, wiring harnesses, etc. your going to be really close to Crutchfield's price, have spent a lot of time figuring it all out, and not get Crutchfield's detailed installation instructions and ability to call them for any help needed.

That 4Runner is a secondary vehicle that is pretty noisy inside.  You're not going to hear the details of putting a fancy system in unless you tear it apart to put a thou$and, or more, worth of sound dampening in it.

[blacklab 12064]

Not too worried about high fidelity, just want 

a nice head unit that has Bluetooth, Waze, etc

[blacklab 12064]

Rage you got a local place?

[ROFL BOX 6655]

I will send you a text that has info on my installer; he lives in San Marcos but may possibly travel to you if the $$ is right (typically does his thing in front of his house & under a pop up canopy).

This is his kind of work (assuming a pic from FB will properly post up here):

 

He will discuss what kind of ride you have & make suggestions from the Crutchfield catalog or possibly even offsite to another retailer.  This can be a "head" unit, amp, speakers, all 3... whatevs.  Delivery is made to you & then y'all arrange a time & date for the install.  I think @Steel Shank had him do an installation last year.

This guy doesn't use cheap ass butt connectors; he solders his connections & does competition quality installs.  I'm scheduling the text, so you should get it in the AM.

[ROFL BOX 6655]

Well, since you're up now I'll reset that text to go out now.

[Steel Shank 9552]

Big thumbs up @ROFL BOX 's guy. Good guy, honest, does great work and not crazy expensive. He'll tell what you need to get and he'll put it in. Dude takes pride in his work. If I were putting in a new unit, it'd be a no-brainer that I'd go back. Plus you can hang out in San Marcos while he does the work and check out all the hot TS chicks.

[Loco 3754]

7 hours ago, blacklab said:

Not too worried about high fidelity, just want 

a nice head unit that has Bluetooth, Waze, etc

If all you are doing is a head unit, that's probably a 30 min job if you spring for the "pig tail" that converts your factory harness to the head unit. You can easily do that yourself between cold beers.

 

Just ignore the back camera stuff....  ezpz

Edited May 23, 2019 by Loco

[phdhorn 6225]

I just did a shitload of research on this since I'm in the same boat myself.

First, there are 3 places I recommend; unfortunately most of 'em are northeast (I believe you live sorta w/sw of town):
1) The Car Audio Shop... N. Lamar just S. of Rundberg... this guy is friendly and he'll install something you buy (you also need to buy the harness).  I'm going to go to him when I get my stuff... about $135 for the install, 2 hours, he has a little room you can wait in (big plus).  No frills, what I need.
2) Pro Car Audio - these guys get excellent reviews and I talked to the owner... great friendly guy, the only reason I'm not going to him is I think it's a little more youth type/super custom install place.. the kind where they specialize in 1,000 watt units with mondo speakers in the trunk... however, he was very nice and interested in doing my simpler swap (only the head unit), and I'd go to them without question if I needed more.  The only other thing is that he sort of wants to push his in-house stock of units (which is fine, they're all good quality and not all super-expensive... he has a variety of unit grades).  If I wanted to start from scratch, I'd use him.  The place is about a mile north of The Car Audio Shop... not the best neighborhood but the shop is first-rate and not seedy at all.  Like I said, I'd go to these guys if I needed super-duper custom stuff.
3) TXR Custom Auto - on Burnet just south of Roger Beasley - great reviews although I didn't talk to him, he did the stereo in my Mustang (which I want swapped out).  Only problem here is that it's a single-DIN Clarion and the chip went out which controls the Bluetooth sound (video works but sound doesn't transfer).

As I say I'm going to #1 above... he needs about 2 weeks out... he can also work with you to choose a product if you want... he has his own products that he stocks but I like his install your own choice thing.  Plus I like the waiting room.

As for DIY, I almost always do that and could... but since I want to wire a mic up thru the console coming out above my driver side visor, I figure fuck it for $135 he can get the thing done, plus you hope that the harness is the right one, if not more delays.  Plus I want him to check my speaker condition and make sure nothing's blown, and to make sure the Shaker 500 system I have is wired right.  I've got my unit picked out (via Amazon) as I can get it cheaper there (or mail order)... most of these are certain stocks that Amazon dealers reserve... they're almost at cost as opposed to the slightly more ($25-$50) markup on most dealers' stock.  I've seen enough YouTube videos to know how to pull off a shitload of stuff on my interior panel and get to the head and swap out the wiring... but it's kind of a pain and something that's well worth it to me to spend the $ for a pro on, plus my interior is pretty new looking and I don't want to fuck it up... I gotta take shit off the console between the buckets, pull off about 3-4 panels, and go from there. If this were my old beat up Explorer I'd DIY in a second.  But since I bought this Mustang used I want to get the guy to give it the once-over.  Plus install the Bluetooth (at this point I'm not interested in a fucking backup camera, my eyes work just fine) but to each his own.   I'd do my own in an older/beat up car but not this one.  Just my choice. 

[Loco 3754]

Yeah, I just assumed he was putting a unit in the old 4runner he just bought.  

 

[blacklab 12064]

Thanks phd for the great write up and loco for the video  

yes loco I’ve considered doing it myself, and it seems easy, till it’s not.  Taking off my alternator to swap out the brushes was easy, and then I broke the bolt for the electrical connection. I’ve even had the console off already to fix the cigarette lighter, so I know what it takes.

i guess I should open it back up and see what wiring is there, and if a kit should take care of it I can just do it myself, if it’s a mess then hire someone. A fairly recent head unit is in there, but it’s face plate is gone, so it may not be too bad  

 

 

[phdhorn 6225]

Oh yeah BTW I'm probably going to get a Pioneer MVH-2400NEX - it's got Apple play shit whatever and Android play shit whatever and is about the cheapest unit for having both. 

Frankly, I'm not in my car enough to enjoy super-duper GPS laser-guided Full Theater Sound pick up stations on Jupiter install 36 apps that do laundry while mowing your lawn. so I want a simple installation (no trunk amplifiers that cause 3.4 earthquakes behind me) with a basic unit that does what I want (bluetooth and Android-compatible, although Android Auto gives you of course one step up, your phone screen rep'd).  As it is I prefer Android compatible only because (for now) you need the USB chord to work Android Auto and Apple Car Play, whereas I just run my web-based radio and tunes through Bluetooth over my car (I don't store music on my phone, it's always from an app or web station for me).

For that reason I can get it cheaply and installed cheaply (relatively speaking) by the guy I put first above.  I don't want someone pushing all kinds of custom power shit for me, don't need it for 20 minute hops around town.  But others want that I guess.

[Bigpoppapump 535]

Depends on what you want to do.  Stereo, do yourself.  Speaker replacement and door lining, do it yourself.  If you have an easy path to the battery from the rear of the car or under the seat, sub and amps aren't bad. Anything more, probably better to have someone else do just on the amount of time alone. I've done all my own work, but if i did it all at once, I'd pay someone to do it.

[William_Cannon 86]

I had Audio Mobile install a Pioneer head unit and backup camera a couple years back. It’s south off of Lamar. Victor is the owner and operator.
Similar to you I got it for android auto and apple car play.

[RPM 26622]

If you're only swapping out the head unit, DIY. It's easy. Get the pigtail and the release key.

[TXLNGHRN10 341]

It's not that hard to most of everything yourself, but I honestly can see how it's worth paying someone to do it for you. 
I don't have a rec for installer but here are some components to go with your head unit
I just added all this to my truck 
Pioneer GM-D1004 400W 4-Channel GM Digital Series Class FD Amplifier  Great little amp, fits right behind my dash
Pioneer TS-WX130DA Compact Active subwoofer This is great, gives good bass, not comp level or nothing, but solid for a little 8 and it fits behind my rear seat
JBL GTO629 
JBL GTO609C Premium 6.5-Inch Component Pretty pleased with these, I have normally been an Alpine guy, but these sound pretty good and for under $100

[blacklab 12064]

Went up to fry’s today, got a Sony with car play and android and was able to install with one trip to Best Buy to get the wiring harness and a stop at Lowe’s to get wire connectors. Took less than an hour of actual work. 

[Loco 3754]

Just handed our old crv off to the boy.   Wanted him to have handsfree phone/ waze/ maps /car play /backup cam functionality.   So I bought an Alphine ILX-650w and the stuff to put it in.... (really nice unit for the cash)   Son and I pulled the dash apart and installed...   only things that were a pain was the reverse wire (for the backup cam) and the parking brake wire.  Evidently the new units require the parking brake to be set in order to enter the setup menus...  so that blows....  but also I know he won't be fucking with that stuff while he's driving, so that makes it better.  Used Crutchfield to make the harness for additional $25....   ezpz and their prices are competitive with Amazon and you get good support. Worth it since you save a lot on install.

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_500ILXW650/Alpine-ILX-W650.html  

I replaced his CRV with a low mileage one fresh off lease.  The plan is to have this be the grocery getter until my daughter needs a car in a few years.   So I'm putting in a Kenwood DMX-9706s this weekend ... which is a little bit nicer and has wireless carplay...  since the wife and I will be driving it for a couple of years.

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_113DMX9706/Kenwood-DMX9706S.html 

 

also Bestbuy will install any stereo over $100 for "Free" but they'll bend you over on a harness and trim kit...  but if you have a simple install that is really tempting.  I would have done this except 1) I wanted to have my son learn about the car he is driving and 2) The installer kids at Bestbuy looked like Jugalos and not the reliable hard working Jugalos either...  so pass

[Sam Lin 3597]

Many head units, you can just wire the parking brake detection to constant power and they'll work fine. Smarter ones check for this by detecting if the signal is toggling on and off - for those, there are "parking brake bypass kits" available for most brands of head units, to let you have full functionality at all times regardless of Park or parking brake. Look on Amazon.

Don't have Best Buy install a stereo on a car you plan to keep.

[William_Cannon 86]

Many head units, you can just wire the parking brake detection to constant power and they'll work fine. Smarter ones check for this by detecting if the signal is toggling on and off - for those, there are "parking brake bypass kits" available for most brands of head units, to let you have full functionality at all times regardless of Park or parking brake. Look on Amazon.

Some brands are not compatible with some of the bypass relays that emulate toggle off and on. As a result, theoretically one could just install a switch to toggle on and off manually If needed.

[ROFL BOX 6655]

Latest stuff from my recommended guy; he's building for the "triple crown" high end car audio competition in Kentucky (I have no idea how this World Series of car audio landed in that state).

He built the A pillar speaker mounts himself & behind the shift knob on the center, there are some kind of custom dialing things on there.  I have no idea what they do.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[SDG 3336]

On 10/30/2019 at 6:50 PM, Sam Lin said:

Many head units, you can just wire the parking brake detection to constant power and they'll work fine. Smarter ones check for this by detecting if the signal is toggling on and off - for those, there are "parking brake bypass kits" available for most brands of head units, to let you have full functionality at all times regardless of Park or parking brake. Look on Amazon.

Don't have Best Buy install a stereo on a car you plan to keep.

Kits?  Can’t you just use a generic relay?  Back when I was doing custom installs I would use the parking brake wire as normal but add a relay and switch to bypass (I only did this on my own cars or for people I know). 

[SDG 3336]

43 minutes ago, ROFL BOX said:

Latest stuff from my recommended guy; he's building for the "triple crown" high end car audio competition in Kentucky (I have no idea how this World Series of car audio landed in that state).
 

 

What brand of amps are those?  I like the design.  

 

Edited November 2, 2019 by SDG
Apple isn’t letting me write outside the quote....

[Sam Lin 3597]

If he's willing to answer, ask if he can tell how he's getting a full range signal out of the Mazda head unit. Did he edit the Linux code to use one of the USB ports as a spdif output, or a signal processor onto the factory analog outputs? I thought the analog outputs all had a low freq cutoff and have been trying to confirm where to find a true full range signal.

It's for my Mazda in a foreign country. If it was in the US I'd have tools in the garage to hunt the signals myself.

[ROFL BOX 6655]

7 hours ago, Sam Lin said:

9 hours ago, SDG said:

 

If he's willing to answer, ask if he can tell how he's getting a full range signal out of the Mazda head unit. Did he edit the Linux code to use one of the USB ports as a spdif output, or a signal processor onto the factory analog outputs? I thought the analog outputs all had a low freq cutoff and have been trying to confirm where to find a true full range signal.

It's for my Mazda in a foreign country. If it was in the US I'd have tools in the garage to hunt the signals myself.

Sent him a text with both of your questions; don't think he has joined Surly but did have 3 or 4 responses on Shag.

Provided thread links, so let's see how busy he is.