Audio advice needed for my future Eunos Cosmo!

[Antoine]

What's up guys...If everything goes smoothly...I should be the proud owner of a Eunos Cosmo in the near future

I'm already thinking about audio upgrades and being that I live in Japan...I'd like to get a navi unit and possibly upgrade the stock Cosmo speakers...Any advice, suggestions or input would be greatly appreciated!

The car I'm looking to purchase actually has 2 dins occupied with a cd & md combo as shown below...The units are made by Pioneer (Cariozerra)...I have no idea how old they are or when they were installed...

I'm thinking about replacing one of the occupied dins with a navi unit like this one...ECLIPSE AVN076HD...I'm not sure if this is or will be sold in the States...On a related note...What sort of reputation does ECLIPSE have these days?

As for speakers...I'm not sure about the factory specs but I believe there are 4 total...2 in the doors...2 above the rear seats...I would like to maintain the factory appearance of the stock setup but replace the stock speakers with high quality ones...Any suggestions for "all-a-round" high end speakers that will make the most of the stock locations???

Here is an example of the Cosmo interior...note the speaker locals...

I'm looking forward to see what you guys think...Thanks!

 

[chuyler1]

Eclipse is still a great brand when it comes to head units but be sure to check out the competition from Pioneer and Alpine too. It is best to demo them at a store because the NAV portion of each has its quirks and you will want to find one that is easy to use.

As for speakers, I don't see any in the photo. My suggestion will still be the same though. Get a set of components for the front (the largest that will fit) and a subwoofer for the trunk. A 4-channel amp can power it all unless you want more power in which case 2 amps may be in order.

 

[Circuit]

Eclipse FTW! I love all of their stuff (except the hideous AVN2210P). SQ is great! and they have ton's of features.

The AVN076HD is a Japan only model (we get the AVN7000 in the states). Why not go with a double DIN HU to fill that nice space you have?? Wow I just checked out the Eclipse Japan page and they have some AMAZING stuff on there that I wish we got over here. Check it out: http://www.fujitsu-ten.co.jp/eclipse/product/navi/index.html

Pioneer makes really good Nav pieces too. The problem I have with Alpine is that they don't make an integrated Nav solution. You have to buy one of their In-Dash Monitors ($800-$1000) and then buy the Nav brain ($600-$900) separately, causing lots more hassle since you have an extra box to hide and connect.

 

[Antoine]

Thanks for the prompt response Guys!

Eclipse is still a great brand when it comes to head units but be sure to check out the competition from Pioneer and Alpine too. It is best to demo them at a store because the NAV portion of each has its quirks and you will want to find one that is easy to use.

As for speakers, I don't see any in the photo. My suggestion will still be the same though. Get a set of components for the front (the largest that will fit) and a subwoofer for the trunk. A 4-channel amp can power it all unless you want more power in which case 2 amps may be in order.

It doesn't seem like there are a lot of single-din navi offerings on the market here...unless I missed something but I do plan on heading down to the store and checking out all the offerings in person.

In terms of the speakers...They are located in the lower front portion of the doors and above the rear "seats"...I have yet to confirm the sizes but I'll take your advice and go for the largest components that will fit...As for a subwoofer...I hadn't yet thought of adding one but now that I think about it...I should have one to round-out the system and the same goes for a set of amps.

Speaking of amps...What setup would really complement this system?

Eclipse FTW! I love all of their stuff (except the hideous AVN2210P). SQ is great! and they have ton's of features.

The AVN076HD is a Japan only model (we get the AVN7000 in the states). Why not go with a double DIN HU to fill that nice space you have?? Wow I just checked out the Eclipse Japan page and they have some AMAZING stuff on there that I wish we got over here. Check it out: http://www.fujitsu-ten.co.jp/eclipse/product/navi/index.html

Pioneer makes really good Nav pieces too. The problem I have with Alpine is that they don't make an integrated Nav solution. You have to buy one of their In-Dash Monitors ($800-$1000) and then buy the Nav brain ($600-$900) separately, causing lots more hassle since you have an extra box to hide and connect.

Yeah...From checking out the JP site...I got the impression that the AVN076HD is Japan only but I'm glad to hear Eclipse has a good rep!

As for Double vs Single DIN HU...I'm still undecided but I like the fact that with the single din...you can hide the screen (from potential damage & from attracting unwanted attention when parked)...Also...with the single din the screen would be at a slightly higher position in the Cosmo...making it easier to view when driving...At least I imagine so...

I'll make a note to check out what Pioneer has to offer

Hmmm...interesting...this is my first audio "build" so I'm not sure what the best products for the job are...Any suggestions for the following...I'm looking for a high quality/high performance setup...

- Speakers
- Amps
- Subwoofer
- Other?

Thanks!

 

[Circuit]

Oh I was under the impression that the hood in your first picture folded down as a cover.

Well I'm sure you can get some crazy nice stuff in JP that we can't get here, especially from Japanese manufacturers like Eclipse.

I'm not sure of the availability of brands out there, so it would be useless to suggest stuff that you can't get. Care see what the local shops around are dealers of?

 

[chuyler1]

I hate to recommend brands and models because everyone has a different budget. I would suggest sticking with a 5-channel if you aren't looking for crazy "impress your friends" bass. I normally don't bother with rear speakers but that is another preference. If you don't install rear speakers you can run your front components "active" off a 5-channel amp and that gives you a little more configuration options...but there is nothing wrong with using passive crossovers either.

 

[Antoine]

Oh I was under the impression that the hood in your first picture folded down as a cover.

Well I'm sure you can get some crazy nice stuff in JP that we can't get here, especially from Japanese manufacturers like Eclipse.

I'm not sure of the availability of brands out there, so it would be useless to suggest stuff that you can't get. Care see what the local shops around are dealers of?

Actually, you might be right...I haven't checked but some Cosmos have that feature and if the one I'm looking at does...then I would definitely consider a double-din unit.

I appreciate your input though...In anycase, I'm going to shop around and see what's out there...Let the audio adventure begin!

I hate to recommend brands and models because everyone has a different budget. I would suggest sticking with a 5-channel if you aren't looking for crazy "impress your friends" bass. I normally don't bother with rear speakers but that is another preference. If you don't install rear speakers you can run your front components "active" off a 5-channel amp and that gives you a little more configuration options...but there is nothing wrong with using passive crossovers either.

Thanks for the setup suggestions...Now I've got some idea of what to look for...I just want a well rounded high-quality/high-end system...I'm not looking to shake my car to pieces and set off car alarms or drive a club-on-wheels.

Stay tuned...(drive)

 

[Proze20B]

Cosmo sound nightmare

Hey,

my Cosmo has been a b**** to get the sound right, ended up having to get a complete custom system for most of it. Eclipse HU is a definite, unless you really hate the function set up (lots of ppl do) and as for speakers, you do need the rears in if you want to get decent mid and high range SQ. Easy option if you are going for the sub is replacing the rears with components (weird I know) a simple bit of carpentry will sort out replacing the stocks with an ok set of splits (JVC top end or VR JLs). With subs definitely get shallow mounts as your boot is tiny, best option is the JL audio 12TW53 or 13, packs a huge amount of bass into well under 1 cubic foot and just won loads of awards. Cost is up there but getting bass through that fuel tank and rear seat is a b**** so the space you save and the sound you get is worth it. Front speakers either go all out and get a set of Focals or a really good set for the price are the JL audio VR series, the ZR series and Focals are much better but $$$. As you'll be getting splits go the extra yard and have the tweeters mounted into your a-pillars for the best staging (easiest bit of fibre glassing I ever did, but getting it re-trimmed was a different story).

Amps, well the new PDX series from alpine are hot, expensive but small and powerful with really clean sound and if u check out ebay you can usually score them new for well under RRP a PDX1.600 and PDX4.100 will look great, sound great and take up almost no space. If ur a an SQ nutter tho then there are a couple of better options but not many, the newest soundstream reference series are ok and cheapish but don't get anything but the reference series, everything else is just really poor.

Ultimately dude don't forget that a car isn't a good audio space to begin with so going all out won't be noticeable to most people.

Whoa, massive first post, I'm done (freak)

p.s. I'll try and get some pics up when I'm done boxing my two JL 12TW53's so you can see what I mean about their size and the boot as well as the rear speaker set up.

 

[DMRH]

Talk about a resurection.

Didn't know the Cosmo was so hard to get sounding right. Guessing my Clarion tuned ears aren't appreciative enough. Still anything over 0db is blowing yours ears out anyway

REgards