dvallere Posted November 26, 2004 Report Share Posted November 26, 2004 Hi all, Finally sold enough stuff on ebay that I can now afford almost any MD car stereo out there (though I refuse to pay more than, say, $700 for it). I need a unit that handles MDLP; am wondering the following: 1. Does anybody have feedback on Audiocubes? They seem to be the only US-based store that has a variety of models. Everyone else seems to be Sony-only. 2. Do you have a specific 2DIN model in your car that you really like? What's so great about it? 3. Do you know of any other online stores like Audiocubes that sell some of the higher-end manufacturers? I have tried browsing the manufacturer websites in Japanese but since that's not a language I know, it's all Greek to me (pardon the mixed metaphor). The only info I get from those sites is the pretty pictures of the units and generally a list showing what formats it's compatible with. Any help will be appreciated! Thanks, Donna Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher Posted November 26, 2004 Report Share Posted November 26, 2004 Audiocubes is great, I've purchased nearly a thousand dollars worth of equipment from them without any issue at all. Their shipping is usually steadfast [despite being in Japan] and the customer support is top notch. I can't help you with #2, but #3, I sorta can. I haven't seen anything comprable except eBay, but even then it's a hit or miss there. What units were you specifically looking at? What's the max budget [or unlimited?]? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dvallere Posted November 26, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 26, 2004 OK. $600 is my top limit. I just can't see any of the "over $600" features being worth my while. I'm looking at all the Audiocubes 2Din units that are black and under $600. It's a complete toss-up between them all, except I don't really like the look of the Pioneer FH-P077MD. So, the Alpine, Sony and Panasonic black units under $600. Thanks. Next week is fine on that other issue, BTW. D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher Posted November 29, 2004 Report Share Posted November 29, 2004 Is mp3 support important to you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dvallere Posted November 29, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 29, 2004 Nope. Strictly MDLP and purchased audio CDs. D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher Posted November 29, 2004 Report Share Posted November 29, 2004 What kind of speakers do you have in your car? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dvallere Posted November 29, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 29, 2004 Dunno; factory standard for an Expedition. I'm not planning to change them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher Posted November 29, 2004 Report Share Posted November 29, 2004 It's a tossup between the Sony WX-5900MD or Pioneer FH-P077MD in my opinion. Both black, good EQ options, etc. You probably already know the features of both by heart, eh? :rasp: Asthetically, the Sony does it for me, but the Pioneer has such amazing functionality for the price point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dvallere Posted November 29, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 29, 2004 Well, I don't like the Pioneer to look at. They had the CD/Cassette model at Car Toys (looks just like the CD/MD before you flip the face down); it's just a bit blah. As you said. I have written to see if Audiocubes can get either the Sony WX-S2000 (similar to 5900MD but orange lighting instead of blue, and the MSRP on the Sony site is quite a bit lower (about 14,000 yen); or the Clarion/Addzest DMZ735LP which I saw on minidisct.com. The Clarion one is a sweetie to look at, but then, DH says Clarion is not as good as Sony or Pioneer for sound quality. Never having had a Clarion component (or knowing anyone who has) I can't say. Audiocubes is checking on those 2 models for me. D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weaves Posted November 30, 2004 Report Share Posted November 30, 2004 Donna, Have you looked at the Kenwood KMD-44? It is a few years old (2001?) and hard to find, but still MDLP and looks nice (no odd colors). I was going to get this for my Land Rover. Here are a few links: http://www.minidisc.org/part_Kenwood_KMD-44.html http://www.car-audio-experts.com/kenwood-m...er-kmd-44.shtml I can't speak for the service from car-audio-experts.com, but the price looks great. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher Posted November 30, 2004 Report Share Posted November 30, 2004 Welcome to the forums, Weaves. I think Donna was looking at 2DIN units if I'm not mistaken.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dvallere Posted December 2, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 2, 2004 You are not mistaken. I want CD (for DH to use) and MD (for me to use) and I haven't found any single-DINs that combine both. Radio features are not, however, required; neither of us listens to the car radio. I'm still hunting down that Clarion model. Wrote to minidisco.com to see if they can get it for me. D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher Posted December 3, 2004 Report Share Posted December 3, 2004 Any word back from Audiocubes? Sometimes they need an additional poke to get rolling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dvallere Posted December 3, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 3, 2004 Oh, I got a reply, but it's not encouraging. They said they're going to try to get the Clarion for me, but that it's up to me to keep checking back on their website; i.e., they can't be bothered to notify me of its availability? Seems like another example of weak customer service. I checked out melting-pot.com too (I bought my first portable from them in '97) but they have not responded to my 'special order' email. I also found 2 Japanese shopping sites that I emailed to see if they will ship to the US. D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dvallere Posted December 4, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 4, 2004 Result! Japan-Direct is getting the Clarion for me. Donna Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher Posted December 5, 2004 Report Share Posted December 5, 2004 Nice..take pictures if you can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dvallere Posted December 18, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 18, 2004 Japan-Direct got my head unit. I emailed on 12/3 to ask about availability. They responded on 12/4. I paid by PayPal on 12/4. They shipped the unit on 12/9. Customs didn't clear it until the 15th, so I didn't get it until the 16th. So, I support Japan-Direct but I HATE US CUSTOMS! On the other hand, I haven't (yet) been asked to pay any duty on it. Car Toys installed it this morning. There were a couple of issues when I drove off - notably that if I started going more than 5mph the power cut out! I took it back later in the day and they fixed it up. I'll put a link to a short video tomorrow because you can change the color of the lighting on it and one of the settings is "Color Scan" where it goes slowly through the entire color spectrum as you drive. But this has to be done at night. In the day the DMZ345BK looks dark grey with a clear overlay. Anyway, I'm a happy chick and will be doing a lot more driving!! D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher Posted December 18, 2004 Report Share Posted December 18, 2004 Sounds great, I googled it and found this: Very nice, and I imagine it's quite the conversation starter.. p.s. My girl has had a very displeasing experience with Audiocubes that I cannot believe whilst obtaining a NH900 world tourist edition [$400]. Bluntly, it's changed my view of the company quite a bit. :elitist: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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