Custom Autosound Disaster!

Brooklyn66

New Member
Apr 30, 2005
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NYC
I just installed my Custom AutoCrap in my 1966. It's the USA 6 100 watt head unit. I have 120 watt pioneer kick panels and 6 x 9 in the rear.... It sounds like crap!
Are Custom Autosound really this bad!

Will MustangsUnlimited.com let me return it?

help!

Matt
 
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If you want good sound, you either have to cut the dash, or put the CD player in the glove box or something. This will allow you to get a decent aftermarket radio in there. I assume you want a CD player. The USA 6 probably puts out 14 watts RMS, and stepping up to a good Pioneer(my fav) will put you in the 22 per channel range. I do not like pioneer speakers, and replacing the front kicks with something like Infinity Reference speakers(IMO), along with the rears should make it sound very nice with some good bass. Some companies just offer better products in certain areas. Stay away from Sony for anything. Alpine makes a nice deck too, along with speakers. I dont know if you can return it, but try your hardest because that stuff is a ripoff from them. $220 for that radio would buy you a sweet mp3/cd player with great sound adjustment capabilities.
 
I bet it sounds like crap cause you like to crank up the volume and bang your head on the steering wheel, and even if not, a 100 watt deck blows period why didnt you get a 200 x 4 and put it in the glove box or underneath where the air conditioning switches should be? And those little speakers arent gonna do you any justice without a compliment of at least 6 x 9 or 8 3 ways in the back, preferrably mixed in with some 6 1/2 3 ways.....even with a little 200 4 way amp, thatd sound just fine.....but hey thats my opinion, and thats also the way i rigged up my car the first time.....
 
Think I'm gonna go for a Pioneer or Alpine head unit. They are fully compatible with an ****. Shows the song/artist etc..on the radio itself...that's 10,000+ songs.... just hate to put it in the glove box. BTW, why do we still call them glove boxes? Does anyone ever put gloves in there? Just wondering...
 
I'm running the Kenwood 800. Had several problems with it during the beginning. Blowing fuses when removing battery cables. They finally told me to replace a 1 amp fuse with a 3 amp fuse and it solved the problem. As for sound, I ran the deck to a Hyphonics Amp that powers 2 10" inch rockford fosgate subs, 2 6x9's and 2 3" speakers in the dash. It sounds really good. The 10 disc changer in the glovebox works really nice.
 
I can't really put a radio under the dash where the AC would be... I have the interior with the console and hidden door...I heard somewhere that the detachable faceplates of radios could be wired up and put anywhere in the car, under orig radio, visor etc...while the unit goes in the glove box.. anyone hear of this?
 
Brooklyn66 said:
I can't really put a radio under the dash where the AC would be... I have the interior with the console and hidden door...I heard somewhere that the detachable faceplates of radios could be wired up and put anywhere in the car, under orig radio, visor etc...while the unit goes in the glove box.. anyone hear of this?

CustomAutoSound sells a hide-away type system
SECRETAUDIO 100

There is a link to it
 
Custom Autosound is crap and it's not just a lack of power but a lack of sound quality. I agree with stay away from Sony, I've always been anti-Sony anything. As for the rest of your setup, pioneer has made decent quality speakers before but there is definately better out there. Whether you want to keep them or not depends on $$$. I think they should sound fine for the most part. Get a good headunit.
Yes, you can buy a headunit with a detachable faceplate, hide the unit, and use the faceplate in a remote location and it's not that hard to do. Simply solder wires from the electrical connector on the unit to the connector on the faceplate making sure that the right pins are attached to the right pins on the other end.
 
Brooklyn66 said:
I can't really put a radio under the dash where the AC would be... I have the interior with the console and hidden door...I heard somewhere that the detachable faceplates of radios could be wired up and put anywhere in the car, under orig radio, visor etc...while the unit goes in the glove box.. anyone hear of this?
It can be done easily but it requires careful soldering of wires because the contacts are so close on most faces and headunits. but its a great idea to hide it in a center console or the visor if you wanna get really trick. thats some pimp my ride type of stuff :p its worth a shot. im not personally too concerned about the radio in my car. i love the sound of the car. right now i have the original am which doesnt work, but looks good. i may do the glovebox thing at some point just so i can keep the original looking radio in there and im sure ill get tired of just the rumbling and no music all the time, althought my car is only a weekend every once and a while cruiser. but it would be nice to enjoy a little music on the longer rides.
 
There are still several post/shaft style stereo units out there. You just have to look for them. check out crutchfeild to give you an idea of models that are available. Stay away from those expensive and crappy "mustang" radios that NPD and other supplyers sell. You can get the same thing for $100.

I will put something together to give you an idea:

get a post style head unit, run a 4 channel amp, and an rf cdplayer/changer. Head unit in stock place, amp under the seat, cd changer in the trunk or rear floorboard (I like mine behind the drivers seat on the floorboard). The rf cd changer hooks up via the antenna lead...basically any car stereo with an antenna lead will work. You just tune to whatever channel you set the cd player to and there is your cd. For example, you have the cd changer set to "broadcast" at 90.7, just put the stereo to 90.7 and there is your cd music. There is no bleed over to other stations or anything. The cd changer will come with a remote that you put whereever is easy for you. Best part of this is there is no cutting to dash or glove box and you have a MUCH better setup.

$80 head unit
$?? amp (as expensive as you want to spend)
$180 cd changer

head unit, this does NOTHING in the following build but let you turn the radio on and off and turn the volume up and down. The amp and cd changer take care of the rest. Make sure the head unit you get has RCA preouts so you can run to your amp. The ones listed below do. You dont have to get this stuff at the places listed. Just to give you an idea of what I am talking about.



Sanyo head unit at crutchfield $79

180x4w kenwood on sale at best buy $250

pioneer rf cd changer at best buy ($180)

sony rf cd changer at best buy ($180)


ebay finds:

head unit $45

sony 10 disk rf cd changer $80
 
I used to be really into the car stereo thing in the early 90's, but I admit I haven't really kept up with it too much since that time. However, I have been told that the rf changer setups have a lot of harmonic distortion compared to a stand-alone unit. Just my .02, which is probably overpriced since I am not speaking from personal knowledge or experience.

At one time, you could get nice shaft-type head units that would operate a CD changer. I don't know if those are still available though.

Would it be possible to replace your console door with an aluminum panel with a DIN size hole for a newer style head unit? I can't envision what the console door looks like. I'm thinking in terms of something that would replace the door but would require absolutely no modification to the console so that the door could be put back in place if you so choose. I don't know, however, if this would be possible or if this would give you the look you're seeking.
 
But, MFP, the '65-'66 dash doesn't allow for the normal shaft type radio that fits into your '67. You have to hack the dash to make it fit and they still look like crap. The reason those piece of crap units are so high in price is that that's the only company that make 'em.