anyone know of a good cd player to put in my car?

Question

im looking for a new cd player to upgrade from my factory system. i have an 05 pontiac grand am and im looking for something really good but wont break my budget. i dont need any xm or hd radio so nothing real expensive.

Answer 1

You can always rely on a Alpine head unit.

Answer 2

Any name brand will work great. Sit down and make a list of all of the options you really want in your head unit. For instance, perhaps you want a cd, built in equalizer, 1 set of pre-amp outputs for future expansion, MP3 disk compatibility, and a jack on the front to hook up your IPod. Search the major brands and pick the cheapest model that meets all of our needs. The main difference between the entry level head units and the high end ones from the same companies is the options included, not the quality of the product. I have used Sony, Pioneer, Panasonic, JVC, Aiwa, and several generic HU's. Steer clear of the generic ones. Some were ok, but some were not too good.

I don't know what the factory radio looks like, but if it is din and a half or double din, don't spend the extra money for a double din replacement, just get a kit to fill the empty space below the new HU and use a standard single din sized HU. Double din's are twice the height of a normal HU. Some companies used to make double din's with tape and cd player, but they cost like $500 + so it's not worth it. No one needs a tape any more so most of them don't make them anyways. If you have a whack looking dash with a weird shaped radio (ford loves to do this) than you will need to buy a kit for your car so you can fit a standard radio. If your stock radio is square, you probably won't need much more than a connector. Buy the connector too, it's way easier than trying to figure out the wiring in the car, and it's easily reversible if you sell the car.

Answer 3

I had the same problem as you, so I went for a Sony xplod for $99.00 it has a great bang for the buck and here is the cool thing it has custom eq,50watts,its easy to control, lights up blue but last but not least it has a port right on the front to plug in your mp3 player with out the outrageous extra cost.I paid twice as much for my alpine an I still don't have that port for the mp3 player the adapter was a extra $30 .If you go to circuit city or best buy like I did you can get same day install for free also keep your eyes open at those two stores for open box items you still get the full warranty and they normally give you a gift card that's right on that item because its open so they won't have to take a loss.

Answer 4

This only works on some factory cd units. Push and hold the eject button for 5 seconds with the car started. This sometimes resets the CD system. Another option if that does not work is to disconnect the radio and then reconnect it back, this will reset the unit for sure. But before you do this, does the factory unit have an anti-theft system? If it does make sure you have the code for the unit before you remove it. If this does not work, replacing the unit will be cheaper than fixing it.

Answer 5

i own a repair shop,and i always go with a pioneer or a Sony ,i have always had good service from those,and there not to expensive either,,wal-mart always has a good sell on them,but that's about the two best and cheapest ones i know of,i think the pioneer sound better than a lot of the expensive ones,good luck i hope this help,s.

Answer 6

I would look up clarion. Even their older model cd players are better thatn most other new model cd players. I have been using them for over 10 years now and loved each one i had.

Answer 7

try alpine, they make new cd players for the newer style cars, almost like a direct fit. expect anything from $350 and up.

Answer 8

Check out www.crutchfield.com and see what they have available for your Pontiac.

What I like about crutchfield is that they provide you with all the extras needed for your install for free. Plus they offer you the ability to buy from them but have the kit installed somewhere else like Best Buy or Circuit City.

Good luck, and I hope this helps.

Answer 9

Eclipse, Alpine, McIntosh or Denon are the only head units I would put in my car.

Answer 10

I bought a Pioneer Premier series and love it! It has a motorized removable face plate and you can plug in your i-pod and has little video pictures and it only cost $350.00 installed.