Greetings y'all!

I got my Honda Fit Base MT 2012 last week. Almost immediately I noticed how abysmal the audio system is. The sound feels so empty. Looking at some forum posts, it seems like I can get a much better sound by just replacing the head unit. So here's the question. Crutchfield website mentions that USB input inside glovebox will not be usable after changing the stock head unit. Has anyone come up with a solution for maintaining USB cable usability?

As a side question I'd like to hear some recommendations on head unit replacement. My priority is clarity and crispiness of the sound. I don't care much about other features.

 

this is true. however... a lot of headunits come usb. and work great with ipods. so u wont realy lose it. some of the headunits have the usb input on the front. and the better ones have it on the rear. that way you can wire it to wherever you want like the glovebox.

i personally plug my ipod in and out a lot so i like to have it come out from the rear and underneath the pocket that is under the head unit from the dash kit. if i want to hide the wires i can just tuck them into a pocket.

changing the head unit was a huge difference in sound.

i have the 08 so i dont know what ur car sounds like from stock, or what the usb can be used for (ipod control etc)



thats the kenwood x995 in my car. i just replaced my old head unit because it broke on me. and i really like this one. bluetooth works great, so many features, usb, built in hd radio, and great sound. whats your budget btw?

heres 1 of the other head units i was considering Pioneer DEH-P9400BH CD receiver at Crutchfield.com

 

I don't spend a lot of time in my car so spending more than 100-150 bucks wouldn't make sense to me. So far I've been thinking of this one: Sony DSX-S200X Digital media receiver at Crutchfield.com It hides the USB unit within so that takes care of my concern. Reviews on the sound quality are also good.

BTW your Kenwood head unit looks gorgeous Did you go through a lot of trouble installing the head unit? Is the dash kit Scosche or Metra?

 

my dash is a little different then yours because i have the 08 version. that pic is the scosche kit. i actually had the metra one with my old head unit and i was never able to get it to fit 100% flush with everything. so this time around i decided to go with the scosche because it looks better and fits way better and i would be putting a new head unit in anyway. i was told to get it from the begining, but cruchfield gave me the metra one for free... so i went with that one instead originally. im not sure about your version of the car. but for my year, the scocshe is the way to go.

ive done more then 20 head unit installs.... and this was the hardest. i imagine yours is setup pretty similar. the controls for the heat and ac are actually wires that pull levers to open and close your vents and everything else. so you have to disconnect them under the glove box and screw the controls onto the back of the dash kit. it was a pain in the ass to get everything adjusted to where it should be again. with that being said.... it was still not that hard and is 100% doable if u have done any sort of mechanical or other work.

now for your headunit selection. the kenwood excelon series has been getting nothing but great reviews. check this guy out. hes like my head units baby brother Kenwood Excelon KDC-X395 CD receiver at Crutchfield.com

also these JVC KD-HDR61 CD receiver at Crutchfield.com
Pioneer DEH-4400HD CD receiver at Crutchfield.com

although its def a cool feature to have the ipod slide into the head unit like that, i would not buy a sony head unit. they have not been making good head units for a few years now and they are know to be terrible along with jenson and dual lol.

i would def go with a kenwood, jvc, or pioneer. crutchfield had a whole mess of them to choose from in your price range.

also this one is at the peak of your price range, but its probably the best you can get for 100-150 bucks Kenwood Excelon KDC-X596 CD receiver at Crutchfield.com

 

You are not going to get really good clarity and crispiness with a $100-$150 unit. Bump that up to $250 and I can tell you a few that will be amazing, however the head unit no matter the price will only sound as good as the speakers that are playing. So if you are going to replace the head unit, I would invest a little more and replace the factory speakers as well. Because the factory speakers are just as low quality as the factory head unit.

 

i would also recommend spending a bit more on a head unit. but if thats all you have to work with, u might have to make do.

the stock speakers really arent that bad. obviously aftermarket are going to be better. but if you replace the head unit only, u will notice an incredible difference. and then another difference when u put in speakers. as i did, you can always do the head unit first and somewhere down the line put speakers in later on.

either way. if you plan on upgrading your audio system, start with a head unit.

 

Is it something generally wrong with Sony head units or what? As far as I've looked up DSX-S200X reviews here and there, it's been all positive Although Kenwood Excelon KDC-X395 that you mentioned has great reviews too and it has the same price tag.

I hear you guys regarding spending more on head unit, changing the speakers etc... but I'm by no means an audiophile and I don't care about LOUD or BOOMY sound either and I don't wanna break the bank. So whatever gives me the biggest difference with the least amount of money is good enough

 

Sony just isn't the brand to get when looking for a head unit. You can get more for the same price or cheaper from a different brand.

 

A new head unit and speakers is not going to make you LOUD or BOOMY. But the right head unit and speakers will give you nice clean crisp sound like you are wanting. If you are going to replace the head unit, I would stick to brands like Alpine, Eclipse, Pioneer and the Excellon series of Kenwood. For speakers you can do the same as far as brands I listed for head units. And you will overall have a much better sounding stereo for not much more than you have indicated you want to spend.

I honestly think if you go the $100-$150 head unit route and use the factory speakers you won't be too pleased with the outcome, but it's your car and your money.

 

Eclipse is simply the best. Too bad they don't make them anymore.

My first head unit in the fit was an eclipse cd5030 and I ran it on stock speakers for a few months and it sounded great. But then again I spent 3x as much and you can't expect the same results from a lower end headunit.

The eclipsed died after like 2 years

 

Yeah I run nothing but Alpine now, my last unit I bought in 2004 still works flawlessly and is in use by a friend, and my current unit a cda-9887 is badass and works amazing and sounds amazing.

 

Nice. I almost went with the cda-117 but chose the kenwood over it. Idk if I Woulda liked the alpine better but im really liking this kenwood.

I bought a alpine 9886 for 40 bucks for a friend and put it in his car this weekend. Sounds really good.

Onion that note..... you couldcan always try buying used. Im not a fan of buying used electronicsbut u Might be able to get something really good for cheap.

 

How can you say a 100 to 150 dollar cd player will sound worse than a more expensive one? A 100 dollar Kenwood is gonna have the same cd palyer in it as a 300 dollar Kenwood, the only difference is options built into the cd player, ie. xm, hd, i pod controls, ect. the pre outs and sub out will make a difference in sound but it dosent sound like hes going that route. Also, take your time installing the kit, you do have to unhook all the door flappers behind the glovebox, but its not difficult if you pay attention and take your time! Good luck!

 

im sorry to say this but some one has to. and this is 100% incorrect. a more expensive head unit will have different internals and a higher quality built in amplifier along with some other features like a higher band eq and will sound superior to any 100 dollar unit.

theres a reason that it costs a third of the price, and its for the same reason that the stock radio in the fit is garbage.

 

Forgive what may seem as a bit of rage, but after 25years in the car audio industry I can say your statement is just plain WRONG. A $100 pioneer unit DEH-2400UB for example will be NOTHING like the quality of the DEH-80PRS which is one of the new top of the line units. The component internally are MUCH different.

Such as the Burr-BrownŽ 24-bit D/A Converter, which is NOT in the $100 unit, or the Four Layer Circuit board design or the Full-Custom High-Capacitance Power Supply Capacitors.

So when you try and say a $100-$150 cd player will sound as good as a $250+ cd player that just tells me you are very NEW or very ignorant when it comes to car audio and the equipment that encompasses that industry. By your logic a BOSS Audio 1500watt amplifier is just as good as my Sundown Audio 1500D amplifier. And I would bet $500 cash, that you can buy that BOSS amp, and we will test them side by side and the Sundown will destroy that amp not only in power output but in clarity of the signal.

Bottom line is there is a reason high end Sound Quality audio freaks buy the top end units, they are better built, better quality and better sounding.

 

Thanks spl.... I felt like punching a kitten after reading that post

 

You two obvisouly didnt read my post, I said the cd mechanism is the same, nothing more nothing less, yes the options are different, as I stated, and I have been in the car audio industry for twenty years, and I have my own business, and have build some very high end cars, metalhead88, fit4spl, you guys are the reason noone wants to post things on forums, go punch a kitten, dummy. and of course your amp comparison is very biast, LOL, I used to build and modify home audio. The guy was asking about a cd player with factory speakers, thats why I said hes fine with a cheaper cd player. damn guys I like this site, I hope it doesnt turn out to be a bunch of douche bags like other sites.....................

 

First thing you said was about sound. That's what this thread is about no?

Im glad I've got a fan.

 

Now let's all chill fellas!!

I know this is a generic question but what specifications, other than brand, would you say are major factors in good separation and clarity? I would have gone to a shop to hear a bunch of these head units personally but the damn 8-5 job really takes so much time and energy.

P.S. Take a look at this unit. It's $120 and it does have a 24-bit D/A! Kenwood Excelon KDC-X395 CD receiver at Crutchfield.com

 

sorry bout that poly..... thats actually a hard question to answer without physically hearing the unit and thats why i always stick to a brand i feel confident with.

i just put my kenwood in a few weeks ago and when i was shopping around i made a couple posts on a few sites, and everyone who posted that had it said it was good. so i bit the bullet, ordered it and hoped for the best.

i was very concerned with any head unit i bought because i was coming for the eclipse which i loved. and i was pretty sure any headunit i got might be a downgrade. and i have to say im happy.

i cant speak for the kenwoods your looking at because i dont personally have them, but i can say this - im really liking mine and those are its baby brothers. so i imagine they cant be too far off. and the kenwood excelon series is looking pretty badass. i havent heard much bad about any of them.

as long as you stick to a decent brand, they are all going to do pretty much the same thing.

oh and that burr brown is completely different then whats in that kenwood