Having obsessively researched head units and CD changers in the last few weeks mostly of the MP3 variety I have narrowed things down to the Alpine 9812 with the 6 CD changer or a JVC because they have 12 disc MP3 Changer. My ears and reviews suggest the top range JVC's and the Alpine MP3 player are on a par so it comes down to the look.

What is surprising are how few manufacturers have MP3 changers and how vague they are about what kind of control and info you can expect. Reading the small print in the JVC catalogue I discovered the tasteful black 909 only does track numbers from the changer. Thus one is forced to look at other models in their range mostly they are in silver or look like children's toys. Alpine of course does green blue and red.

Pioneer does a great 77 unit but no changer - a great shame.

What do people think fits best in the Octavia dash ?

I'm under budget restraint until the new year ( no darling not another bloody gadget!) and have Pioneer speakers to fit if they ever arrive from MCS. I trying persuade myself i could live with a silver HU but i drive an estate so i'm an understated sort of guy.

Thank you for your time and information

:wave: - I have a silver HU and plaggy surround, and it looks quite nice in the black dashboard that's around it. That's in IMO as I like more than one colour in a dash and think an "all black" affair is a little boring TBH (and I ain't talking about the NZ rugby team)

Now I have my digital camera, which arrived today, I'll get a piccie of it. It would be nice to have a chrome effect gear stick now to mix the silver/black ratio more toward the silver.

Thanks for that it won't take much to convince me as MP3s from JVC seems well featured. The camera is of course in siver?

The camera is in silver as it happens... :shocked: Was that a guess? It's also got some Imac style blue bits on it - another case of not liking things in just monotone.

Silver is the new black. Everthing is in silver these days my TV, video, DVD, cooker, digital camera my car used to be silver and now its black

I guess that's why I went for a metallic silver Fabia??? Some things you do without really thinking too hard about it.

and that is another reason why i sold my silver furbie it is just too common these days

I don't like too many colours in my dash. I wanted to match the head unit as closest as possible but still opting for a good quality head unit with the features i wanted, which were mp3 playback and id3 tag capability. I selected the Clarion 738, pic below. It allows you to change from yellow to green to red and all the shades in between like orange and yellow. no blue display though, for that you have to go for the next model 838?? i think. With the 738 you can connect an mp3 changer or dvd changer in the boot.

hope that helps

g

Personally I think the Blaupunkt units look well. But then I would say that...

Depending on model the displays can be a bit colourful (dare I say it, a bit VW) but the Blaupunkt 'matt black' look of the surround seems to suit my RS.

Personally and I guess it is always a personal choice at the end of the day, I think that Blaupunkt looks best - it has more of an OEM (original fit) look and ususally the units have sensible size buttons. I can't get on with a multitude of small fiddly buttons on a head unit!

This is the set up in my L&K - the head unit is a Woodstock DAB52 & the silver unit is the DVD player - would have preferred this in black too!!

John.

Just the odd one or two gadgets then, John!!

Love the tower of power you've got going on there John, do you have a crack team SAS guarding that lot. Its a shame Clarion and Blaupunkt don't seeem to do mp3 changers. This market seems to be in catch up mode with the idea of music as digital data. Thanks for the pics - the woodstock and clarion both look fine, perhaps young folk don't like them which is why there is no mp3 changer.

The silver does rather jump out at you but maybe i could live with the strumpet JVC as its pretty well featured and has the biggest changer.

Young folk probably like the bling-bling displays on offer by Kenwood, Panasonic and JVC - these are the brands that have jumped on the mp3 thing best. IIRC, Kenwood was the first with a 10-disc mp3 changer.

I would love a top-of-the-line Kenwood without the multi-colour display but instead the Clarion look that was posted by Leyland. The green display would match the green of our dashboards perfectly. Sadly I have a blue-red-and-yellow Kenwood display doing its Xmas lights personification against a green Skoda dashboard backdrop... :(

Kenwood and other brands don't seem to grasp that there are people who want a simple display and lots of (mp3) features bundled in a single product. Kenwood's best displays are used for their entry-level cassette HUs!

My Kenwood is not bling bling at all - none of this graphic equalizer style flashing or anything...

The only thing that moves is the track number/time elapsed. I'd be worried about distractions if anything major was bling blinging on my H.U.

PS: Like the set-up John! - But I'd want everything to be able to be removed and taken inside, for security...

Jason... do you have an adapter so the new HU fits in the non-standard size space? can yer post a pic?..

I'm picturing him making about half a dozen trips in and out of the house when he locks the car up for the night.

Or sitting in the car in the morning going 'Oh bu99er - I forgot to bring the remote control for the DVD player'

I thought it was bad enough with my TrafficMaster, but I think I'd need a carrier bag to get that amount of gadgets in and out of the car!

Colin - The audio specialist had "Fabia" adaptor kits in stock. I don't know any more than that TBH. The kits even came with a blanking off panel because the Kenwood HU is about an inch narrower than the original. I should be able to post a piccie tonight - Would be a good test for the new digital camera.

:cheers:

Yeah, Jason, would love to see how your Kenwood display isn't bling-bling! (And would it be green as well? Utopia!)

But does it have mp3? And does it have the DMask+ auto-switchback panel? And why didn't I notice there was such a Kenwood if it does?

BTW, how can anyone of these (http://www.kenwood.nl/products/ListCateg.aspx?k1=2&k2=4&k3=23) not be termed bling-bling?

Oh, and this one (http://www.kenwood.nl/products/ListProduct.aspx?k1=2&k2=4&k3=23&pr=1017) is mine. As I said, Xmas lights to go with the tree...

No MP3, or even a multi-changer... But then I don't need either really, as I can rip MP3s to .wav and stick em on "cheap as chips" blank CDs. It does have a removable face though, but rarely remove it TBH - no need. Oh, and it's not really "green" but more of a "white" display colour.

Promise to post a piccie - I reckon about 7pm (GMT) tonight. :cheers:

Thanks for the info ahead of the picture, Jason.

Oh well, as I thought - the Kenwoods get more bling-bling with the amount of features added. I wish someone would tell them that's a cheap and tacky approach, scaring off the discerning Skoda owner...

Let Dutch design car audio i say. If i go the green route maybe the Alpine 9813 could be squeezed in the buget. Crikey as for that Kenwood my boy would love it, can it help with counting and learning his ABC. I wear sunglasses in the car most of the time and you'd need'em with that thing. I'm guessing it has great MP3 features?

MB - Just get the Alpine...

Rob.

Ah yes to Alpine but now i'm trawling through Kenwood trying to find the acceptable face of bling. That Kenwood, don't seem to do that model anymore Dutch?

Originally posted by menacing banjo in this post

Let Dutch design car audio i say. If i go the green route maybe the Alpine 9813 could be squeezed in the buget. Crikey as for that Kenwood my boy would love it, can it help with counting and learning his ABC. I wear sunglasses in the car most of the time and you'd need'em with that thing. I'm guessing it has great MP3 features?

Yes, it has. That's what won me over. Not a shred of delay between songs too - it's brilliant. And that nifty switchback trick, which was a BIG bonus if you leave in/near Amsterdam. But boy, do I need those sunglasses...

So yes, if a simple removable front is good enough for you, go with the green Alpine. Why can't they steal the switchback panel concept from Kenwood?