need some help, Uk.Rec.audio.car is pretty dead.

I saw an add for a PC sized to fit into a single DIN slot in this months PCW. It had a URL, is that of any interest to you?

Slot loading CD/DVD on the front panel from the looks of things.

It will be based on a traveller C134.

To get a CD/DVD in you need to use very special 18mm high ultra low profile dimms that are twice as much as a normal one.

As the screen is near double din (there aren't any VGA single din pull/pop out screens and I really must use VGA for map clarity) I won't have room for a headunit sized PC anyway, hence why I was going to hide the PC behind the dash.

It's finding a nice small low powered AMP that is the biggest problem ATM, everyone seems to make bigger, better, louder, more type stuff, when what would be ideal would be a slightly better version of those old Amp/equaliser 1/2 din things you used to be able pickup at Maplin/Tandy (branded as Realistic at Tandy). Not overly powerful, but better than radios of the day.

Sony do small amps that could be fitted into the dash on most cars. I'll have a look to see what I can find.

Doesn't look like they make them anymore, the XM-3020 it was only a 2 channel amp but very small (about 15cm,10cm, 4cm) Sorry I can't be of more help, but you may find a couple somewhere. IIRC they were 30w and bridgeable.

What sort of output are you after? If you can live with

In news: snipped-for-privacy@news.individual.net, MeatballTurbo decided to enlighten our sheltered souls with a rant as follows

I've got one of those very same Realistic Eq / Amps in the garage. Might have a few dodgy connections by now, but I'm sure it still works. If you want it, it's yours.

In news:L5B6d.4$ snipped-for-privacy@newsfe6-win.ntli.net, Depresion decided to enlighten our sheltered souls with a rant as follows

I think I might have a small Pioneer 2 channel amp kicking about somewhere as well. Somewhere being possibly under the stairs. Yours if you want it, I'll drop it off next time I'm going to see Sarah.

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That might do the job if I can enay for one or two, cheers.

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Was looking for a 4 channel Amp, any thing arround 35-40 watt ideally (sort of basic headunit, although I guess that thats more like 25 watts really).

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Sounds good mate. how much do you want?

Don't know if I can use it, but it might give me a few ideas if not. If you are passing one evening give us a knock and drop it off.

Cheers fella.

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Oh you are such a superstar. fantastic. just seen the other post too.

Oooh what else is on offer in 'Mr. M's Bonanza Giveaway'? :)

-- Chet

HF Integrale 16v - Gettin there!1993 Renault 19 16v - Subtle extras like a T3 - But soon a fancy T28!1998 Audi A4 - I don't know why, but i did.

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I think I may have found something if those ones of petes don't work out.

Seems the XM-423SL is a 4 channel 20w RMS (Sony themselves say 4x55watt (max) should be about right for 14 year old factory speakers)

Not a good idea to mount your chosen amp behind the dash - they get pretty hot !

Go for something like a

or

Either will be more than upto the job of driving your factory speakers, and they're plenty cheap. Both those are two channel, so either use two, or look for a similar four channel one - you can mount them somewhere out of the way - boot or under the passenger seat are the usual candidates.

As long as you don't get some mentallist amp, it doesn't matter if it's over-powered for the job - just keep the Gain set low.

To be honest though, I'd budget to replace your factory speakers at the same time - it's only very recently that car manufacturers have started fitting better than absolute tosh into their cars - replacing the amp & speakers & headunit makes an inordinately huge difference to the sound quality in anything older.

You don't *need* to, but you'll *want* to when it's all complete. Speakers and amps are cheap - and if you do a proper job right from the word go, there'll be less back-tracking and wasted bits further down the line.

Give us a shout if you want any more info - I've kitted out a fair few cars for people in the past :)

That was why I wanted something with a factory type low RMS. Luckily I=20 don't have the factory "Livesound" 10 speaker and AMP system to contend=20 with. Low power tends to mean lower heat output from a known brand. =20

I was thinking of one of these

Oh don't worry megakilawattage wasn't something I was even dreaming of. =20

The Toyota stuff sounds OK. Maybe it is a particularly good antenna and=20 headunit for a 1990's factory setup, but it sounds better than the=20 Blaupunkt Headunit and Kicker speakers that I had in the Saab.=20

I know that speakers should be first thing changed before anything else,=20 but this will be a big change to get GPS and MP=A3 (plus CD) into the car= =20 and making sound. Anything after that is improvement. =20

Cheers, I might take you up on that.

--=20 Carl Robson (The poster formerly known as Skodapilot)

25W RMS per channel (given you've got 4 channels) is loud enough in a car, IMO. The vast majority of car stuff is sold on the basis of ludicrous PMPO or as I like to call them "made up" power figures. Think what an actual 40WPC hifi sounds like, and how loud it gets, and imagine that crammed into a car...

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That's what I was thinking, something small, with just about the power of a semi decent headunit, rather than a monster street shaker system.

I sat in car that was build for SPL and SQL competitions, he only had it on 50% and when a certain bassy part of the test CD came trough, I felt like certain parts of my internal organs were moving arround my body as the music moved arround the speakers, and my Sphincter started to seriously loosen from the vibration. Very scary. Had to get out quick, and that was his daily driver car.

Perhaps he installed it to get his girlfriend to TIUTS...

Perhaps he installed it to get Carl to TIUTA....

. o 0 (Eww, what a horrible thought )