Can We Talk About Radios?… Again?

[neohic]

I’m on the hunt for a new head unit for my Eliminator and I love simplicity. Don’t think I’ve bought a new radio since 2005?… I’m a bit out of touch. What are the cool kids running these days? Here’s what I’m looking for:

 

• Auxiliary input that charges an iPhone would be nice
• Looks somewhat period correct if it’s got buttons and not like a spaceship

 

Looking around online, I can easily find a ton of cheap junk. Right now I’m leaning towards the Power Acoustic CP-71w because it nearly looks like blank block off when it’s off, and I’m familiar with how it functions already being my ‘18 Ford Focus also runs on CarPlay. Are the usual manufacturers still the good ones or is there some whiz-bang units from cheaper sources that I don’t know about?

 

Thanks, all. 

[fiatslug87]

I remember @Salvagedcircuit looking at testing a couple of these.

[neohic]

6 minutes ago, fiatslug87 said:

I remember @Salvagedcircuit looking at testing a couple of these.

Yup. I was hoping he’d pipe in.

 

 

[Salvagedcircuit]

Hey guys. I'm in the middle of a very long writeup about it. Here's the gist of it:

$40 clonezone radio

I did some rudimentary tests involving a signal generator on this radio. It completely clips low frequencies which is why folks with the $40 radios complain about no bass. It's pretty simple, she's gone! The main amplifier chip is shenzen market special. There were no western components anywhere to be found in the radio. It was essentially a repackaged android phone in a shell. Ironically, this radio has a better interface and more responsive android auto than the Power Acoustik $140 one. This $40 radio has multi-touch and it works with maps, so you can search and wander around a map while the vehicle is moving.

 

$140 Power Acoustik radio

I did some rudimentary tests involving a signal generator on this radio. It does not clip low frequencies which is great. It uses a toshiba amplifier chip which is hopefully better than a no-name, but the unit is a repackaged clone radio that is sold under many brands. It uses an automotive multimedia io-chip instead of just a repackaged android phone but the Power Acoustik radio crashed on me 3 times in a row. While first setting up my surface duo phone the entire unit boot-looped. This is unacceptable. Besides this, the display looks great but is not multi-touch which is a let down. You also cannot wonder around on the map while the unit is in drive. so if you wanted to search for something nearby, while on route, it cancels out of navigation mode and your vehicle location is no longer being updated on the map. You just have to rely on voice commands, which is not ideal. I emailed Power Acoustik about it asking for a fix but I am convinced that they do not do any software development for this unit and simply just repackage an ODM design and place their sticker on it. Edit: this reboot problem may only effect my unit and not every one. The surface duo is also a very strange and unfinished phone from microsoft. I have not found any other thread showing the Power Acoustik radio boot-looping like mine did. However the multi-touch is an absolute oversight and many folks are complaining about it. What a let-down.

 

TLDR: wait for a better company to make a single din unit that looks and performs like the Power Acoustik. It's a shame, really. It was mostly there but they botched the implementation. I have many photos of the analysis too.

[89 MJ]

Here’s my plan for my vehicles, if I ever get around to it. You can get faceless Bluetooth radios like boats have and mount them somewhere inconspicuous. My MJ one might end up behind the seat and my Eagle one will probably end up behind the passenger kick panel. I’ve got OEM radios in both, but they don’t work and most of my local radio stations both in AZ and WI suck, so I listen to my phone anyways. 
 

Something like this, but I’m not spending $300 on it. 
https://www.amazon.com/Memphis-Audio-Headless-Smartphone-Bluetooth/dp/B09GCTY6KD/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Uncs_AUnIw-qluo4REHYqbKfnj--QxFABNoTpUqESCERTsSNOuVpb4IXIDR7QJ9gvpENEMdb7rZNnbQr_OlLhS4PDj0kSDviNnZEcvkGSWflwCR-Ocf_C1FrJIED8uexmJDR4JOzpdEQXUqR9geL9r528_1_ud17rehsQwoFu7xF4CLW6V9xXB7ZFdM1UDZHOHa9Eekc4VRC8Zu1MCfL6w.ldC5vtncNJ1WQdE2nAyyHUsoeKjYaki4AIZ56fTCzts&dib_tag=se&keywords=hidden+car+stereo+system&qid=1732501129&sr=8-4

[ghetdjc320]

I had considered this for some time. It’s a nice all around option:

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_020M508/Clarion-M508.html

[TurboedMJ]

Are you looking for a touch screen as well or just a single din head unit? Quick Google search found me this.

 

https://www.80s-modern.com/product/period-correct-80-s-bluetooth-radio

 

Also I know for gmt800 Chevy's you can get a factory radio with Bluetooth integrated, around $300, not sure if there's a jeep community member that does that sorta thing...

[TurboedMJ]

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/oem-rad-era-looking-radio-options/194972/page1/

 

This might be helpful. 

[neohic]

13 hours ago, TurboedMJ said:

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/oem-rad-era-looking-radio-options/194972/page1/

 

This might be helpful. 

I found that also. Lots of good info! A bunch of them have the look, but they remind me more of GM based products from back in the day. The allure of the Power Acoustic to me is that it doesn’t look like anything when it’s off. I think I can deal the fancy appearance when it’s on. Touchscreen isn’t a necessity for me, but I wouldn’t turn it down. 

[neohic]

16 hours ago, ghetdjc320 said:

I had considered this for some time. It’s a nice all around option:

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_020M508/Clarion-M508.html

These are beautiful!

[TurboedMJ]

11 minutes ago, neohic said:

 but they remind me more of GM based products from back in the day. 

That's a bonus, that way it matches the ignition cylinder and keys

[Eagle_SX4]

I have thought about using a retrosound radio. But haven't gotten on yet. They seem to mostly do radios for cars older than the Comanche but I think it would be a good option.

 

https://www.retromanufacturing.com/

 

[fiatslug87]

There are a couple pictures of the retrosound unit installed in a 96 XJ in one of the reviews.

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_068GRANM1B/RetroSound-Grand-Prix-M1B.html?tp=49934

[neohic]

24 minutes ago, fiatslug87 said:

There are a couple pictures of the retrosound unit installed in a 96 XJ in one of the reviews.

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_068GRANM1B/RetroSound-Grand-Prix-M1B.html?tp=49934

[AnotherOldJeepGuy]

If you are updating the speakers at the same time and have a blank spot in front of the door handle that I assume was for maybe a power window and/or door switch option that I didn't get, it makes for a nice location to add a small dome tweeter.

[Spinnakerblue89]

I will say this, because one of the links on here mentioned it. I had a Blaupunkt in the Stang and it served me well. However, I'm not exactly what you would call an audiophile, to me, music is music and often I can do without. My audiophile friends commented that the Blaupunkt wasn't as good as some of their older models were. That seems to be the going theme with them. 

 

That said, I run JVC currently which is fine but I definitely wouldn't mind swapping out for a more retro styled radio design in all of my rigs.

[NickyV]

I've tried two different options in the past month. I had a factory radio with tape deck that sat in my basement for years. When I finally tried to hook it up, it didn't work. Super frustrating. I removed the faceplate and crammed a smaller Dual radio way back in the space where the radio goes. Then I used magnets to have a faux OEM faceplate. It looked pretty convincing, but it was not very functional.

 

I've since moved onto my current setup, which is a working stock radio from a '91 XJ. I also have a bluetooth module tucked up under the dash. I switch between them with an RCA channel selector that I mounted under kick plate beneath the steering wheel. I took advantage of some holes that were already there for some option that I don't even think any MJ comes with... a yellow box that I've seen on XJs at the junk yard with an AMC sticker on it. This current setup all looks pretty slick and era appropriate. Only issue is I'm starting to think the radio I pulled from the XJ has a bad ground.

 

I'm running all of this through a pair of amps behind the bench seat. One is for the single 12" sub and the other is for all the mids and highs. When I'm streaming from the phone it sounds damn good. When the radio is playing it also sounds pretty darn good. But when the volume is low, I'm getting the thing where I can hear a high pitch whine that increases with acceleration. I know it's gotta be a ground issue. But the thing is, when I had the Dual crammed behind the faux faceplate, I wouldn't get the whine with either the radio or the bluetooth, which has me thinking the bad ground is in the new/old, functional factory stereo. I could have screwed something up when I put the new radio in, I suppose. 

[AnotherOldJeepGuy]

It's possible you just a noise sensitive radio.  You may be able to eliminate that noise with one of these filters although the success of these is sometimes they work and sometimes they don't.  https://www.crutchfield.com/p_120ANR1000/Axxess-AX-ANR1000.html

 

If I remember correctly from many years back, one test for this noise being external is hooking power direct to the battery and see if it goes away.  If it dose then you at least know noise free is possible and the filter is more likely to work.  Or you could just leave the power coming from the battery as a solution but then you have to always turn it off/on manually (unless you want to rig up some kind of relay solution) so not that user friendly.

 

 

[89 MJ]

4 hours ago, NickyV said:

yellow box that I've seen on XJs at the junk yard with an AMC sticker

Sounds like cruise control to me

[NickyV]

2 hours ago, 89 MJ said:

Sounds like cruise control to me

Looks like you're correct. There are holes down there for mounting the box, which is yellow with an AMC sticker on it. For my current solution, I took 

[Ωhm]

7 hours ago, NickyV said:

I'm getting the thing where I can hear a high pitch whine that increases with acceleration

 

Not sure if this could help, but Volvo used a suppression capacitor for radio interference. No help with capacitor value (Farad).

 

ICM_EARLY RENIX VOLVO_2.pdf

[NickyV]

For the purposes of inspiration, here's V 1.0 (I didn't like this, but maybe someone who is much savvier with electronics could get a Jeep faceplate to control a more modern stereo?

 

This "faceplate" was from one of the RX series with a tape deck:

 

 

 

 

And here is how I rigged up V 2.0: 

 

I got this working radio. I believe it's one of the AR series.

 

 

I hooked it up to a line converter which, come to think of it... I hope I grounded this... I must have. I don't think it would work if I hadn't.

 

 

 

And I tucked this up under the dash. I still need to secure it.

 

 

Then I got something like this. (Note, this is not the exact one.) The one I have has a the knob running perpendicular to the RCA ports. I have found push-button versions of this. Basically an A/B switch that I think I might be able to mount on the dash in one of the factor switch positions.

 

 

I removed the big knob and the post that the knob sits on was long enough to fit through one of the holes for the cruise control. It was more complicated than that... I had to remove the metal housing and do a few more things, but hopefully this gives you a sufficient picture. I mean, this is a horrible picture that I grabbed as a screenshot from a video, but you can see the little post/knob. That is what I twist to switch between the radio and the bluetooth inputs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[NickyV]

11 minutes ago, Ωhm said:

Not sure if this could help, but Volvo used a suppression capacitor for radio interference. No help with capacitor value (Farad).

Interesting...