By lynden on Thursday, June 14, 2001 - 04:22 pm: Edit

Can you add a CD changer to these? I thought I read somewhere that they don't make adaptors any more and that you need to go official LR. Again, I don't like the price. What have other people done?

Thanks,
Lynden

By RVR OVR (Tom) on Thursday, June 14, 2001 - 05:23 pm: Edit

If you can wait, they are often sold used at around 300-350. Another option is an FM modulator CD player that comes across onto an FM Channel.

Of course, you can always swap out the head unit, but I don't know what that entails.

Tom

By Murray (Cdnrvr) on Thursday, June 14, 2001 - 05:29 pm: Edit

Two things you have to consider with swapping out the head unit - you will lose weather band and functionality of the buttons by the steering wheel ... both of which are rarely used. I went the FM modulator route ... worked out very nicely - just needed the tool to pull out the head unit. I installed a Sony MDX65 mini disc player in the console glove compartment ... fit in perfectly and easily accessable! Just had to run a wire through the console rather than routing under to the seat.

By lynden on Thursday, June 14, 2001 - 06:43 pm: Edit

I remember a friend had one of those in his car. You have to have the radio set on some channel then it comes through there. How does this work, is the disk changer actually connected to the head unit or does it just transmit the signal? That might be the best route, keep it stock but have a disk changer. Let me know.

Lynden

By Greg Braswell on Thursday, June 14, 2001 - 06:46 pm: Edit

There is no need to stick with LR for any additions to the audio system. Personally, I would avoid any form of an FM modulator for use with CDs or other formats. When you do that you are limiting the frequency response to that of your FM section.

The steering wheel controls are useful and you can keep them with a proper converter. I used a Lightning Audio SWC-2 (www.lightningaudio.com)on my '01 DII LE and it works great. The SWC-2 converts the output from the steering wheel switches through a converter to a small IR transmitter which is mounted on the console. The switch was only $80. The switch installation will take a custom installer about an hour.

Get rid of the OE head unit and replace it with a good single (or multi)disk CD player with IR remote feature. While the OE head unit appears to be a 1.5 DIN system it is actually a standard 1.0 DIN unit with an oversized faceplate. There were no dash kits available for my DII so we had to cut a custom cover plate to fill the empty space and painted to match the rest of the dash. I replaced the head unit with an Eclipse 54430, kept the OE speakers in the doors and "A" pillars (for now anyway)and mounted my existing Alpine MRV100M 100 watt sub-woofer amp in the compartment for the rear jump seats with a 10" sub-woofer in a custom enclosure in the back.

Sorry, that's probably more than you wanted to know. I can send you photos via e-mail if you would like.

By Eric N (Grnrvr) on Thursday, June 14, 2001 - 06:49 pm: Edit

Could always get an MP3 Jukebox (I/O Magic NEO or Creative Nomad) and hook it to an RF Adapter.. Both models come in a 20gig harddrive version that is about the same size as a normal portable CD player. They can hold any where from 250-450 CDs worth of music depending on the quality you want. You can take it with you too.. Much better then getting a 6-10 CD changer.. Here are the links if you want to check them out.

http://www.iomagic.com/products/neo2200.htm

http://www.creativelabs.com/products/portable-audio/55.asp

http://www.pjbox.com/

I have a 20gig NEO and it is pretty cool..

By Jeff Bieler (Mrbieler) on Thursday, June 14, 2001 - 07:07 pm: Edit

Depending on your needs, FM Modulated is not bad. It is the equivilent of "perfect" radio reception. It's not digital clarity, but it's certainly not crap. You can get a good changer for under $200.

FM Modulated or a LR unit will go in with minimal work and will work with all the current radio equipment in the truck.

For me it was a no brainer. I just wanted a decent player to use with the stock system. I'm not an audiophile, I almost always have the windows down, don't turn up the volume enough to entertain my neighbors, and playing the radio's is a big no-no when off-roading anyway.

By Eric N (Grnrvr) on Thursday, June 14, 2001 - 07:31 pm: Edit

For the MP3 juke boxes you can hook them directly to a head unit without using an RF mod. but, you would need to buy a new head unit that has a "line in" either on the face plate or in the back of the head unit.. They also make a tape adapter thing but, I hate those things. I just like the MP3 players due to they don't take up much space, are portable, and hold a large amount of CDs.. However, I currently have a factory CD changer in the Disco that I will most likely remove when I get a new head unit next year.

By Murray (Cdnrvr) on Thursday, June 14, 2001 - 08:12 pm: Edit

Greg - thanks for the tip on the switches - never knew you could do that. Eventually I will replace the head unit but for now, the FM modulator will do the job. When I do, highly recommend Eric's suggestion by getting a line in for the MP3 player - I am going through a cassette adaptor and it's not the greatest. I should be able to support all three formats of my music.