Ideas for a Replacement Stereo 04 cv8

[stuartl]

I'm looking at replacing the shocking radio in my cv8. So I'd like to know what people have done in this area. I'd like to keep the wheel controls working so what does and what doesn't work?

Cheers all

[delmeekc]

you need to work out which you want first? dvd or not dvd? are you going to add a cd changer? or get one that will play mp3's burnt to a cd? rds? bluetooth? list goes on and on. When I did mine I looked at the steering wheel controls but all the headunits I was looking at where not compatible so opted for a dvd headunit that plays mp3 and burnt 10 albums on a cd. Lots of the faceoff units (ones where the whole face comes off), like the JVC ones AVRx (with the built in lcd screen) would not fit on the single din conversion due to the curve of the plate. And some of the mechanism's would not fit through the 1 din (iso) cutout on the adaptor plate. pac-audio.com list the controls SWI-xxx pending which headunit manufacturer you use. Found a uk shop that had them instock for about £50 I think.

[swordfishcoupe]

Hello,

The factory unit is not actually that bad, it just need tweaking a little - upping the amp and turning off the equaliser settings.

I have dug out my old shortcuts for the best free sound fix from the LS1 forum:

www.ls1gto.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17659&highlight=stereo
www.ls1gto.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8150&highlight=adjusting+amp

Re the sub tweak, you don't need to remove the amp, you can reach it fine and adjust using your arm down the panel.

Cheers
Steven

p.s. There are loads of stereos which PAC steering adapters work with, the most expensive part of changing the stereo is the Chim Chim face plate (LS1 forum again) or you could use the cheap single din adapter. I went for a JVC double din DVD player and am very happy with it, although the display font is a little blocky.

Edited by swordfishcoupe on Sunday 4th February 16:30

[stuartl]

To be honest what I'm really after is RDS on the radio. It anoys the hell out of me having to retune every 10 mins on the motorway!

I guess a double din headset is what I'm after but I want the steering wheel controls to work also. SO advice on a decent double din head which firts ok and supports the wheel controls is basically what I'm looking for.

[Paul-C]

The best thing to replace the radio with? A Wortec exhaust

[Raggyman]

I have a JVC Double DIN unit... the layout of the display looks like it is running windows 3.1 (crappy looking). Other than that pretty impressed with it, especially cause it plays divx, and often the better half watches a movie on the way home, and the best bit a DVD full of MP3's!

[Demolition Man]

Do the double din Kenwoods and JVC's just slot in??

[swordfishcoupe]

Pretty much any double din will fit, you will still need to Chim Chim or a DIY surround though. Raggyman got a much cheaper one when he got his JVC fitted - looks good. But sorry, not as good as the Chim Chim one, but probably 25% of the price.

Basically the Monaro has an over sized double din stereo, hence you need the extra plastic to stop it rattling about and make it look pretty.

Cheers
Steven