Who has an FM cd changer????

 

And did you notice any sound quality difference?? I just ordered a 12

disc changer for my 98 outback... The only thing i will find

annouying is that the antenna will always be up, when i played cds in

my factory head unit (which broke) it would retract into the car...

 

Thanks for everyones help....

Looking forward to being able to play cd's again!

-JON

You could put a manual switch on the power antenna if it bothers you that much. It's just one little wire.

For CD changers it is recommended that you go to eBay and pick up a used 6 disc in dash changer unit from a WRX or Forester. They often sell for less than $100 and plug right in.

 

Fm modulated CD changers sound like crap...... The FM tuner in the radio has a very limited frequency response and very poor stereo separation. The CD tape deck interface is not much better.

My 02 OBW has the factory in dash CD/weatherband radio. Its great. I suspect that the McIntosh (spelling?) unit is even better. My 97 OBW had just the weatherband radio and no CD. I installed an FM 6 Pack CD onto its existing radio unit, and loved it. To be honest, I don't think that I could tell the difference between the 2 CD units, even though they were 8 years apart in design and technology (the FM unit was from another vehicle and 2 years old already when installed in the 97). I prefer my in car music on the loud side, and the 02 has a much better bottom end, not so much due to the head unit as to the speakers, but that's it. I don't think that you'll be disappointed with an FM CD unit, particularly when you consider that you can move it into your next vehicle very easily. When I bought my 02 OBW I gave the unit to my dad, and its been installed into another vehicle since then. Not bad for a unit purchased in 95. Its been in 4 different cars since then and still sounds great.

The FM/CD interface in my dad's Hyundai was great, I never noticed any interference at all. I don't remember who made it, I think Panasonic? but the car and changer are long gone now. I do agree that the cassette-to-CD stinks. I'm using a cass-to-minplug adapter on my iPod and more static comes through than music. Just make sure you aren't near any radio stations broadcasting on the same frequencies when you use the FM/CD adapter. That causes significant problems, for obvious reasons.

listen to different brands at the sotre. my sony fm mod changer was clear, but had a bit too much of a warm, bassy sound with a touch of harsh treble. a friend's kenwood sounded way clean and crisp, and I listened to a pioneer that had lots of hiss. YMMV (your mileage may vary).

 

mike

I have a JVC 12-disk FM changer in my 1994 Lincoln Mark VIII. The unit is mounted in the trunk right next to the antenna, and sound and reception are fine. It has been a great alternative to the problem of running wires and all the problems that always crop up in connecting these sort of things together.

 

It works, it sounds very, very good, and it is simple to install and set up. Car audio snobs probably won't be satisfied -- the sound is only 98% of perfect and not 99.99%.

 

--K9Leader