Bonus time

[tsunami]

Hey guys wanted some input... i am thinking about upgrading my stereo i am currently running the stock mazda3 stereo into 3 amps. 300/2 for each door for the boston Z6 and a 500/1 for the sub. i am getting my work bonus this weekend and was thinking of either getting something along the lines of a clean sweep type unit or getting a new stereo.

i just saw this http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Product/Item/Main.aspx?g=300&i=130AVICD3X&tp=5684&tab=detailed_info and thought it looked like a good deal though i don't know s*** about pioneer or its quality the reviews seemed good and the price seems decent for what you get. if i say i would like to keep it less then 800$ and some of the things i want in a system would be bluetooth for my phone and ipod connectivity first second would be gps but i understand there aren't many units that offer gps at that price point. also what other options do i have besides the clean sweep to keep my factory look as i do like it and don't really like the way most of the aftermarket decks look especially the single din ones.

so any input is appreciated.


wildcard... save my whole bonus return my car to stock and use it and most of my savings as a downpayment on a MS3 this spring???

 

[tsunami]

any one running the rockford fosgate 3sixty.1 or .2??? are you happy with it? is the .2 worth the extra 300$ for the more eq bands and line in eq?

 

[tsunami]

any input would be apprecaited thanks...

 

[1sty]

I would start with the head unit swap first. Dont bother with the clean sweep if you are already thinking of swapping out the head unit.

The EQ stuff is always almost more trouble then its really worth.
If you want something like a 360

If you have to, look into the audio control DQ series.

 

[tsunami]

thats just it i am not really sure what i want i just really don't like the way most of the dash kits and aftermarket units make the dash look... and thats why i was looking at the clean sweep or 360... i want something that is going to add some quality to my system yet still look good not cheesy... in my mind every single din set up in my car i have seen looks like ass...

 

[1sty]

Has anyone done an RTA of A 3's output, not sure if you have bose or not.

 

[tsunami]

i am sure some one probably has i should look it up though you are probably right thinking it was done for a bose only HU?? i will see if i can dig something up.

 

[evilmonkeyMSP]

Ms3

 

[tsunami]

i keep leaning that way but the voices in my head keep yelling at me that i have less then 6k left to pay off so just pay it off and go car payment free for a while... its the promised land really

 

[chuyler1]

I would select the RF360 over the CleanSweep. That way when you upgrade the head unit in the future you can still make use of the EQ and crossover on the 360 whereas the CleanSweep will become useless.

I'm currently running the PPI DCX-730 hooked up to the stock MS6 Bose head unit. Although its a great unit and it doesn't require a laptop to configure...the display is very buggy and numerous people have complained about missing pixels, broken buttons, and the time it takes to go from 1KHz to 5KHz in 1Hz increments. Buuut, on the other hand the 360 has its qirks too, it is very difficult to move the boost/cut widgets and switching between different saved settings takes a long time.

 

[tsunami]

does it take a long time for the unit itself or for you to get your bluetooth/palm unit to log in and change it... i would have to use my laptop with the 360 as i don't have nor do i plan to get a palm device just to make it easier for me... so that was having me lean more towards the clean sweep.

 

[chuyler1]

You can't quickly switch between settings no matter what you use to configure it. The switch takes probably 10-15 seconds so if you are trying to analyze subtle differences in tuning, you won't be able to. I think its because the unit doesn't have any storage for other settings and you are stuck with saving your settings to your laptop/pda.

The DCX switches in less than a second...and you can obviously play around with it when you don't have a laptop/pda handy.