you guys are making me jealous! . I'm trying to decide between that 6-disk CD changer or the Mach MP3 or another MP3 headunit... I just wished other aftermarket head units looked closer to stock...

 

Well, I'm not going to get a 3rd party head unit because of same reason: They look like crap with all that wizardry lighting crap which is useless by the way (absolutley no functionality). Those flashy looks also seem to attract not so flashy thieves. Don't know about you guys, but I've had alot of units stolen over the years.

And, the buttons on them are so small they are virtually unreadable. Not to mention most of them are difficult to use. By difficult, I don't mean to hard to figure out, I mean you have to hit seven keys and arrow down a menu and hit select five times.... to change the fad setting. Give me a break already with all that crap!!

As for the Mp3 players. I just don't see why people want em?? Yeah, they can hold lots of music on a CD, but there are two problems with them:

1. You first have to make the CD, which is a pain in the a___! Who has time to be pulling music and burning MP3 CD's all day.

2. The sound quality of MP3 files SUCK. So, why would you spend close to a grand for new speakers, amps, subwoofer.... so your system sounds clean and loud, and then go play an MP3 which brings the sound quality back to less than what the factory embarrisingly is calling a "premium" sound system.

Am I missing somthing?

 

well yes certain MP3's do sound like crap... I wouldn't realy want it for ripping CD's off the net then burning them to CD, I rather see the functionality of taking 12+ Cd's and combining them on to one though. And when you do it yourself with the right programs you can tell no differenc ein sound quality and it takes virtually no time at all (press a few buttons, set the layout, burn the CD) but Id efinately see your point.
And I'm glad to hear someone finally agree with me that the looks of aftermarket head units suck. Hell with my old kenwood deck in my Explorer, every time I'd reset the battery I'd have to change the clock and I had to go through so many friggin menus I'd have to get out the manual to remember how. I just wish I could find a stereo with excellent sound quality of an aftermarket unit, with the looks and functions of a stock headunit.
I recall someone a while ago (I think it was installer.com) that this guy would put aftermarket decks in but hide them like in the truck, he'd have the stock controls control the head unit int he trunk. Pretty wild, mainly for classic cars and people with tons of dough, I believe that service was about $750, not worth it to me, heh heh.
I really want the CD6. Wish I could find a great deal online like the other guy did

 

Yeah, me too!! I don't understand why there asking $600 for it?? If they sold them for 300, they'd sell billions of em. Instead, they sell em for 6 and only sell a few. Go figure.... I'll have to wait to find one under 400 somehow.

As for MP3's, it doesn't matter what software or method you use, you are chopping up to 90% of the data off (via the compression method used). In other words, your loosing the % of highs and lows you paid all that money for to here. We "normally" only listen to the other 10%, but our better equipment allows us to here the rest. And yes, you can here the difference.

 

Thanks Spoon!! This thing is perfect for me. Change the 4 speakers to real speakers, add a nice powered subwoofer (I'll have to wait for this I guess since nobody has made one yet....?) and I'll be in bidness.

Now just have to find out how to get one of these CD6 units for $400 or less. Cause I'm a tukey eatin chicken if I'll pay 600 for a stock type HU.

 

You're welome. Definately check out eBay, as there is usually 2-3 for sale at all times. I searched using the keywords "Ford CD dash". Sometimes you do get lucky. Good luck!

 

Thanks, already on it!!

 

spoondog, your a genius! I just found four of them up there most of them damn near new! One questiont hough do you happen to have the part number? I know you put int he IC3F-18C815-AB and I just want to make sure that's correct before I get a CD changer I can't use, heh heh. I had tried searchign for all kinds of things nad never found a single one on ebay, from "CD6" to "visteon" to "ford in-dash cd changer" and for some reason never found it, but the "ford cd dash" did the trick .

Also I'm sure this question has been asked a thousand times, but how do you get the stock deck out? As I recall there was some sort of a tool you could buy that you insert in to the holes on the side?

 

just realized you gave the correct part number, duh.
Just wanted to confirm one more thing, other then cutting that plastic piece, is it pretty much a "pop-out, pop-in" install or are there any seperate harnesses that need to be installed, etc? Dang now you've got me excited for my next stereo mod .

 

I got the stereo removal tools from Walmart, about $4-. They are the silver 'U' things in this photo.

One last thing I did, which I keep forgetting, is to swap the rubber "*ick" (sorry, that's the best way I can describe it...) from the back of the stock stereo to the back of the CD-6. The CD-6 I got just had the white plastic thing that would fit over a horizontal metal piece, but the stocker uses the rubber thing to fit into a metal hole at the back of the dash opening.

 

I see the CD-6 changer has a built-in 80 watt amplifier. What does my stock CD player have for power specs? This is great if it means I will have more power going to my 4 speakers. I would then upgrade them to something a bit better.


http://www.visteon.com/technology/au...ulti_CDx6.html

Thanks

 

My guess is it's the same since its almost the same unit. But good question!

Lets not all outbid each other now on Ebay!

 

HAHA

Yea, I am watching a few of those bids as well. Happy bidding!

 

hey Ccarara, how funny I was just going to tell you the same thing, I got outbid on two of em today, but thats ok, I have patience and I know what I want to pay. By the way my ebay user id is mattbert so don't outbit mattbert! .

 

My Ebay name is "nimos001" I am undecided if I really want this, but if I do be prepared to pay....