My stock 1999 honda accord coupe stereo choked after swalloping a CD and is now needs to be retired.

I plan to change it for a decently priced stereo but one that supports my iPod for better sound than using my current monster FM transmitter.

I am considering the following options from crutchfield for stereo:

- Aiwa CDC-X204
- Aiwa CDC-X304
- Dual XDM6820

Any opinions on above.

Earlier I was inclined towards Dual due to support for ID3 tags, MP3 and WMA compatability but now I am inclined towards Aiwa since they have FRONT Aux input.

Quick Qs:

- Could Front Aux input make installation easier or is it the same?
- Sound with Aux input should be better than FM transmitter, right?
- How easy is it to replace the stock Honda Stereo with Above stereos? Can I do it myself? Dont want to pay Best Buy or CC, if I dont have to. Never done something like this before. Does front/back aux make the installation any different?
- When I use Aux, it does not transfer song info, etc, right?

Really look forward to your comments/suggetions

Thanks

 

As far as the radios that you are looking at, IMO they are all junk. I would be looking into an Alpine and if you don't have the bucks to spend on one, save the money.

The aux input will dramatically make the sound much better, its like going from the radio to listening to a cd.

The install is super easy considering that it is plug and play.

With the alpine it will display info from your ipod on the display which is especially nice b/c you can control the ipod from the radio too. This means that you don't have to have the ipod out in the car, it can be hidden in a glove box or somewhere.

But a regular aux connection will not transfer song info just the sound. Its just like having a set of headphones just on a much larger scale.

Hope this helps

 

LOL. Thanks for your reply ricerocketdave. I know the stereos aern't the best but I shall be getting rid of the car within a year and therefore this is an interim solution as I need to have music in the car!
Now for my other car I shall be looking into a better solution (like IceLink).

However does it make the install easy/hard if the deck has aux rear or front? I like more features in Dual player but it has rear aux in. Also seems that it has RCA plugs rather than 1/8 pin. Does that make a difference in install/sound/cost diffence?

 

I would say the RCA's would be the best bet.

As far as the inputs being on the back, I would say its better there b/c it will allow for a much cleaner install. It would be just a matter of running one wire to where you want your ipod mounted. Its not that hard.

 

Ok now I have successfully installed the Aiwa Stereo and am loving it. Could not believe that same car with same speakers could produce such a better sound. Honda stock radio sucks big time!
However I am having an issue though while connecting stereo to a Belkin AutoKit..details in this thread: https://honda-tech.com/zeropost?cmd=fshow&id=27