Car Stereo Deals & Offers

I replaced my existing JVC head unit with this today. It is about half the size of CD head units which is nice. Removed old head unit using metal grips, disconnected aerial, speaker and power connectors. Removed old holding cage and replaced with the new one. Slid the Sony unit in, popped the edge block on and put the face panel on. Took about 15 minutes and then spent another hour playing around with it. I'm happy with it so far and am going to dig out my iPod which has lots of albums on as you can have 2 bluetooth devices connected to it at the same time.

Use to use the Bluetooth everyday when travel to work, It was clear and precise, no one complained from the other callers about not hearing me, so I assume it was good. I fitted the stereo myself, just swap the red wire on to the yellow wire ( switch, to always on, this was the easiest way, but you stereo will still be powered on, when ignition is off. You will need a separate switch wire going to the fuse if you want stereo to be off with ignition, or just get Halford to fit it

Thanks for the review. How good is the microphone in it for voice calls?

I think your just as well off keeping an eye on there main site, I bought This a few weeks back for 60 quid, At the time a never realised it was such a good deal

I've just tried it again and it accepted it fine. Maybe clear your cookies and internet cache and try again. Use a different browser perhaps.

I know they are completely different technologies and phrased it wrong, but would it not help with transmitter amplification/boosting or similar if the analogue signal was turned off, as it did for digital TV? Therefore the total "bandwith" in the loosest sense, although I suppose this may only improve coverage and not actual bit rate?

OOS all gone!

I'm afraid not. They are like chalk and cheese - FM (frequency modulation) is an analogue technology, which uses mainly the VHF part of the radio spectrum with the signal being 'carried' on a carrier wave via the modulation of the frequency of the carrier. DAB on the other hand, is digital, and is broadcast on a very narrow set of frequencies ('ensembles') hence does not compete with FM, or for that matter AM, in any way. Blocks within these 'ensemble' frequencies are limited and therefore impacts the maximum bitrate a particular station is permitted to broadcast in. The more digital stations are available, the more crowded these blocks and available frequencies become. Essentially, the technology itself limits its own expansion.

Removing FM should then improve bandwidth available for DAB, no?

Buy a kinetic dab aerial and your dab issues will be gone, trust me.

Looking at the manual doesn't the connector and fascia plate come with the unit? Looking at pg 31 in the manual https://www.sony.co.uk/electronics/support/res/manuals/4697/46974183M.pdf Edit - and going by this video

I got the deal from Halfords for £99 which I thought was a bargain as it includes the iso connector, fascia plate n fitting. If you were buying separately cost a lot more even though it’s been said it’s easy to fit if you let a pro do it if anything goes wrong you can blame them!! Sound is really good too!!

Yes

Do your indicators work though?

The cable hasn't split, it's the connection inside that's the problem. Loose wire maybe.

ICE has died a complete death now!

Cold for me then

The unit doesn't appear to have Nav so I suspect they're pretty nonexistent, never mind out of date.

No DAB radio :(

Doesnt seem to have android car

Currently have the gps antenna in at the back of the glove box, good reception but i am close to the transmitter. The antenna i made in the link was taped behind the plastic A pillar trim and performed better. Also like that your not advertising you have a dab radio fitted like when you have the windscreen type antenna.

Thank you for the comprehensive reply! It’s still a lot cheaper than the official pioneer antenna, which seems to get some pretty poor reviews. I take it you still had to lead the wire up through the windscreen surround to get good reception?

£5000000000

The item i bought is no longer available. This one is the same but a pound dearer, as long as its smb connector for Pioneer. https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F231643651577 Just plugged it in with gps antenna still on it. I made one previously using the following instructions for a previous dab installation, worked slightly better just cut the gps antenna and use the cable/plug to make the diy dab antenna. https://www.my-gti.com/3691/adding-a-dabdab-aerial-diy

Would you mind posting a link to the antenna you used please? :D

No dab, no bluetooth, no stock. Just thought I would put all three together, saves others the trouble

No Bluetooth ;(

Non available in Newcastle.

Congrats (highfive)

Probably because it's ex-display. If you're near Newhaven instead, the R881BT model is a steal. This one doesn't have Bluetooth.

You can put the wire in the panel above window down side of door seal then under glove box and then into cigarette lighter, one i have i did this way and you only see a little wire at top.

Wouldn't get it installed by Halfords, whatever you do

It doesn’t have to be wired in.

You need the step down transformer or you'll blow the camera up.

Would have thought easy enough to cut the cigarette end off and either use a piggy back fuse into fuse box, or wire directly into cigarette lighter feed?

It’s a head unit that runs android, so effectively having a tablet for a car stereo

What's the Android element of it?

Glad someone snapped it up. It was a bargain.

only showing the one for £218, used one for £71 not coming up when adding to basket so I guess OOO - shame as I wanted one!

Academic now as it's sold out

You really are the end of a bell.

Voted cold, doesn't play 8-track or laserdisc.

Dat salt though... whys he not allowed to not like your crappy deal?

28 quid for a new JVC radio with USB not good value? Get out! I couldn’t give a monkeys about Bluetooth or DAB in my for my Gen 1 Eunos. I’d rather have this than £28 worth of your nonsense any day of the week.

i'll leave it then haha stick with 12 tracks on a CD and 3 radio strations

Wow, we used to pay 10x that in the early 1990s just for tape and FM.

can't give up my Bluetooth just for DAB, shame, been on the look out for a cheap DAB replacement, but has to have bluetooth.

Depends what model of astra you have - if it is a stock Head Unit you have that is double DIN sized you'd need a single DIN fascia adapter. Add to that if you have steering wheel buttons for the radio they'd no longer work. I used to have an Astra H ~2009 and I decided against changing the stock HU because I'd have lost all the car data like MPG / Miles to refuel

Does it works on Vauxhall Astra?

No Bluetooth(poo)

Managed to get mine for £50 because it was missing the dab antenna and microphone. Got cheap ones of Amazon and they all work great. Agree with the dim display, but good enough for my needs!

Reserved one at the oldbury branch. Not bad for the money, sadly when I turned up the front of the unit was all scratched up so gave it a miss. I have a higher end pioneer touch screen(£150) reserved at the selly oak branch hope that’s in good condition.

Well at £75 and no touch screen, it's not really surprising.

Shame it doesn’t come with airplay or android auto

Nope, if it did halfords couldn't sell you one lol.

It does!

I'd jump at this if it has Bluetooth! But the Halfords site says it doesn't include it. No one wants to plug their phone into their stereo in 2018!

I remember fonejacker

They're a doddle - give it a go!

Just don't want to pay to have it fitted, but thanks for the input (horror)

I've one of these left over at a northern Ireland store that I'm not going to take if anyone wants the reservation.

Mine looks brand new! Boxed and everything in sealed bags.

unboxed, i'm just missing the warranty, although covered with receipt, the manual, grabbed from pioneer website, and the release keys.

Playing mp3 via USB in the photo above. Tried it with a Sansa mp3player straight into the AUX and that works fine also. In the box is the Pioneer/Warranty/Cage to hold player/Manual/Cable Loom/Two release Keys/Microphone for phonecalls.

Picked mine up.... Struggling to find steering wheel controls for less than £40 so might not bother with them...

Anyone know when the reservations drop off? Mine said they would hold until Saturday but couldn't get to it as been hectic this week, was hoping it would unlock at midnight to rereserve but nothing yet 😔

I have a reservation at Aberystwyth if anyone wants one. Decided not to bother (y)

Because with mine, I’m listening to DAB and I receive a text message...the display flashes an alert and then changes to Bluetooth music, ditching the radio and starting a song that I was playing earlier. That’s not user friendly to me The alerts are annoying and distracting, especially when in a group chat and there are loads of messages pinging through. I just plug mine into the USB port and play my music through that or use the 20GB hard drive in the car. Needs better testing and bugs ironing out before I’d consider using it again.

Thanks for posting. (y) Got one from a Halfords not to far from me with 12 months warranty. Really enjoying using it :D Great piece of tech (y) Linking an iPhone X to it and there’s been no problems :D

Can the VW one be amended for other makes

i can't understand why so many car stereos have these awfull counter intuitive controls, and so much screen stuff, exactly the opposite of what is needed for a device inside a vehicule

Last time you moaned about no CD player, hard to please (fierce)

It' annoying. These new cars with smart features. You can' even controls fans or temt whilst driving because you have to prod the screen to do it. I prefer dials on some features.

blue tooth and steering stalk compatible at this price, get real u moaners bargain

No Dab radio. I would have voted hot if DAB + radio was there at this price. Recently bought one with both cd and DAB + so know this is not a bargain.

£55 now

Ebay sell most interfacing kits.

04 Sable with many more miles and sold the hard top as it’s garaged during the winter. More info here (join the forum if you haven’t already!) https://www.mr2roc.org/forum/index.php?topic=60924.0

I have one similar to this installed in our Civic. We opted for the DAB version, but when realising we would have liked Bluetooth also - We simply opted for a device like THIS. It fits perfectly in a U-shape from the USB port to Aux right next to it.

Also to note anyone buying this will need to buy an extra aerial for the radio.

They had big open reels of tape, I saw one on a newsreel.

No Bluetooth and no CD, anything else to complain about lol

Lack of Bluetooth is a huge pass. Couple years back was looking for a decent price Bluetooth deck with DAB and without CD player. There wasn't many options

Go back to 1982 to get one.

What’s a CD?

No blutooth so no point. Who uses cables these days ?

No cd player either....good deal if you are not bothered by that....I like to have all options,cd, dab and bluetooth which can be had for under £100.

No

Good for the price but I'd rather spend same money on second hand for Bluetooth. An absolute must imo

No, but this one does.

I can confirm, having recieved my unit that it does not work quite as I would expect. It doenst go quite when you speak to google home, and also you cannot control the volume with voice either - when I ask my home group to turn down, all speakers do, apart from the JBL. If you are using it via the home app, then everything is fine. I am looking at returning mine and just using some monitor speakers with a chromecast audio plugged in.

I've not had any problems had mine a week and it works a dream with chromecast (bubbleUPNP with flac, Google Music) spotify connect, bluetooth. Set up easily using Google Home ( done it twice now, itial to try out and again when I moved it to where it will be located). I bought the refurb which look as if it was just open box only a slight snag in the protective material - which you remove anyway.) It is more base focused ( as per the reviews ). I am on the horribly old firmware 1.21.75965, I take it the reviewer is refering to this: https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/chromecast/NAeuKNRxhHg I am on the same firmware so it may be a localised issue.

Review on Amazon states "Horribly old and unreliable firmware, that apparently won't get updated."