New radio

[nissantech06]

Well, I finally did it. I put an aftermarket radio in my car. Am I the first Sentra around with one? No, but I'm the first with pics! I bought the Sony CDX-GT710. For anyone who says Xplod radios suck, listen to mine. I managed to keep my Fosgate amp/speaker setup that came with the car. The fidelity is UNBELIEVABLE. Here are some pics (with my custom-fitten Nismo Titanium shift knob, on order until my carbon-fiber one comes in).

Here's a pic of the unit installed with the pocket below it:

Here's a pic of the unit turned on:

Here's a pic where you can see my new shift knob:

[nissanrocks]

How well does it work with the bluetooth controls and the factory information screen?

[NSR_s30]

Cool radio. How much was it?

[nissantech06]

How well does it work with the bluetooth controls and the factory information screen?

It doesn't. Only thing I miss about the info screen is the temperature readout. The trip computer is a waste, I have a clock on the stereo, and I don't use Bluetooth. The steering wheel controls don't work; either, but I plan on buying the trim for the wheel that remove the controls, and I'm also thinking about putting the SE-R gauge pod up there with two custom gauges.

With the iPod adapter, it was about $210. The only complaint I have so far is that the CD player has such a high signal-to-noise ratio; 120, that the CDs sound PERFECT and the iPod is still an analog audio connection (the box has an iPod dock connector, and on the other side plugs into the cd changer port and has RCA audio out that goes into the "bus" audio in) and the sound difference is big. You can only have one EQ setting, unlike my old Kenwood which let you set an EQ for each source. So, I have to set the EQ to be equal with the CD and iPod, then use the DSO (can't remember what it stands for) and "enhance" the sound 1X on the iPod source, and now I'm playing with the fader to boost some of the bass out of the factory subwoofers. I am such an audiophile it's crazy.

[nissanrocks]

Why did you buy the car with those features if you were not going to use them. If you went to sell it I think the resale would be lower than normal because you put that aftermarket crap in.

[nissantech06]

Why did you buy the car with those features if you were not going to use them. If you went to sell it I think the resale would be lower than normal because you put that aftermarket crap in.

I wanted the RF system and it sounds great with it. As far as the resale value, I could care less. I didn't buy the car to turn around and sell it again. I plan on keeping this car for a LONG time since I work on Nissans and I have parts readily available. I saved the original so all I gotta do is pop it back in and that's it.

I got such a discount on the car that I couldn't pass up having all the other features...

As far as aftermarket CRAP is concerned, I hate stock radios. None of them are made with good signal-to-noise ratios and; therefore, the sound of the CD sucks. But, to each his own.

[Spaceman210]

I have the RF upgrade and find the sound harsh/tinny despite EQ adjustments - lacks richness and warmth. Did you happen to remove trim to look at the door/dash speakers? Appreciate any tips if so. Crutchfield indicates there are no aftermarket drop-in fits for either, though - hard to believe.

[nissantech06]

I have the RF upgrade and find the sound harsh/tinny despite EQ adjustments - lacks richness and warmth. Did you happen to remove trim to look at the door/dash speakers? Appreciate any tips if so. Crutchfield indicates there are no aftermarket drop-in fits for either, though - hard to believe.

I do believe the tweeters are 2 ohm, seeing as how the door speaker is and the combination of the 2 speakers running together create a 4 ohm load. I haven't torn apart the door yet, but the older RF systems are the same way, and that's why you don't need an adapter to add an aftermarket head unit to the car. The Bose systems all run 2 ohm speakers, so if you don't buy the $100 or so adapter you will need to run all new speaker wire.

[Golgi]

Hi Nissantech06,

Nice job. Congrats. I have a question: I don't want to replace my factory radio, but the AUX input is in the front and I hate it. I do want to take the auxiliar input for my Ipod from the back, or something like that. To do that, I would have to remove the radio, find the AUX jack and do some wiring out of the unit. Could you help me a bit about how to remove the radio from the dash...? Is it a sealed unit...? Does it look easy to access the AUX input...? Thanks so much,

Golgi