I have a 2005 xB. I love it, although I often get annoyed with the stereo system.

I am looking for advice on a good head unit that will fit in place of my old one. I would have it installed, as I'm not much of a DIY person.

I would like it to have an iPod connector, and satellite radio support (I have the dealer installed XM receiver).

I have looked at the Alpine head units, and I am really impressed with them, but I am not sure if they will fit in the car, or if there were any better options out there.

On a side note - Has anyone switched from XM to Sirius? I went with XM because it was cheaper, but now that they are the same price, I would like to switch to the Sirius service. So has anyone tried switching out the receiver units?

Thanks for all your information

 

Well any single din radio unit will fit in with the use of a dash kit, also almost any double din unit will fit in with the use of side filler bracket dash kits. So you have a ton of radio's to pick from, Alpine is an excelent choice, but do some research on what exactly suits your needs. As for the Satelite radio, even if you wanted to keep XM the factory unit would not work with the aftermarket headunit. So no matter what if you go with XM or Sirius your gonna have to get a new receving unit and antenna to get it to work with the new radio.

 

If you replace the head unit you will lose the factory XM. So it'll be easy to switch out the recievers, since your new radio won't connect to the old one you can just get the sirius box. Adds $100 ish to the cost of any head unit.

I like my sirius, never liked XM.

 

I have an older clarion single din deck and love it to death.
I have my ipod plugged into the aux input, sirius hooked up through the standalone module (installed under the seat) so I can use the headunit to control it, and 2 amps wired into and have never had any problems with it.
Also, you can change the color of the face to match your interior (nuke green in my case).
But with any stereo you get, and if you get a shop to install it, they'll make it fit and look good.

Clarion ftw

 

Thanks for all the info.

If I get the Sirius radio installed, can they put the new attenae and receiver in the same place? That is one thing I don't want is a bunch of wires running all over the dash, and carelessly place receivers.

Thanks again.

 

Sure you can, shouldn't be a problem.

 

Will major retail store be able to install it, or would I be better off taking it to a place that specializes in car customization and audio?

Thanks once again.

 

I install this stuff every day at work for C.C., its no big deal. Might even be easy enough for you to do with the right tools and some knowledge. But if your worried about doing it yourself and have some extra cash to spend , pay some one to do it. Make sure they offer lifetime warranty on the install and a deceant compettive price( the lowest price is not all ways the best) along with a good rep about their work in the past.

 

Cool, thanks for all your help.

I might go shopping at either Circuit City or Best Buy tomorrow.

Thanks again!