Trying to upgrade Base Radio

[Quackfoo]

It isn't so much that the aftermarket radios are the problem, it's all the crap you have to install for them like the Scorche and Metra kits that are glitchy. They're cheaply made components without a enough testing and QC. I think Scorche and metra rushed their products out trying to beat the other guy to market, and it hasn't gone that great.

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[thxultra]

How? The original source was analog. What's on that tape is on that tape, now it's just in a bigger container than a 16/44.1 rip from CD. The sound shouldn't have changed. That's why early Black Triangles are so f'ng expensive. Most are flat transfers. Hence my statement that what HD tracks is doing is indeed upsampling when compared the original red book value. (If you took that to mean something else??)
If an album is recorded digitally then that is a whole different conversation and in that case if it was laid down in 24/48 then yes down sampling can subtract from the sound. But I'm sure you've heard crap at 16/44.1 and crap at 24/96.
What the album sounds like on vinyl is irrelevant here, we're discussing car audio. I wasn't comparing the HD version to anything except the original CD much less a record played with a 5 figure record needle.

Because music and all sound for that matter is analogue. When done properly a hi res copy from a analogue source will sound better then a cd. Done properly is the key here lots of albums especially later cd albums are compressed to hell. Those German and Japanese pressings sound better then their American counterparts because they were recorded properly. This isn't because of the format but rather the recording process. You can have the best format but if the recording is garbage you have garbage. HD Tracks aren't simply upscaled check their site they go into great detail about this. Here is a link showing that you are wrong about HD tracks being upsampled http://www.hdtracks.com/quality. I disagree with you about the quality of the recordings on this site. I have listened to many on a fairly nice home audio system (Marantz 7702mk2 processor, Emotiva XPA-2 amp and B&W 703 speakers) and I can tell you there is a difference. Going back to the discussion about car audio there will be a difference playing these tracks back on the Sync 3 system when they are downgraded to 16bit 44.1khz. If you like the factory look that is fine. My point is there are reasons some of us like aftermarket.

 

[thxultra]

Seems to me just from reading comments on this forum all the aftermarket units seem kinda glitchy to say the least. I miss the good old days when any $150 deck would work trouble free for the life of the car.

I agree I miss the days when the stereo was separate from the AC controls and the kit was $15 because it was a piece of plastic to make the head unit fit the car and a wiring harness. I hate how all the car manufacturers are integrating everything together.

 

[thxultra]

One last comment it was said the aftermarket dash kits are cheap "made in china garbage" This is actually incorrect the metra kits are American designed and built... http://www.abt.com/product/107908/Metra-Stereo-TurboTouch-Installation-Kit-995838CH.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=sc&utm_campaign=995838CH&camptype=cpcChicagoGooglePLA&pt_source=googleads&pt_medium=cpc&pt_campaign=&pt_adgroup=&kwid=productads-adid^173919325090-device^c-plaid^66999364450-sku^107908-adType^PLA

 

[Quackfoo]

One last comment it was said the aftermarket dash kits are cheap "made in china garbage" This is actually incorrect the metra kits are American designed and built... http://www.abt.com/product/107908/Metra-Stereo-TurboTouch-Installation-Kit-995838CH.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=sc&utm_campaign=995838CH&camptype=cpcChicagoGooglePLA&pt_source=googleads&pt_medium=cpc&pt_campaign=&pt_adgroup=&kwid=productads-adid^173919325090-device^c-plaid^66999364450-sku^107908-adType^PLA

More like assembled in america. Harley Davidson does the same thing, buys parts from china and puts them together here.

 

[thxultra]

More like assembled in america. Harley Davidson does the same thing, buys parts from china and puts them together here.

Sure it contains parts made in China as do pretty much all electronics. The point is another poster claimed the OEM bezel is better because it is made in the USA and the aftermarket kits were cheap Chinese junk. That simply isn't true just like the OEM Bezel the Metra kit is engineered and assembled in the USA.

 

[Quackfoo]

Lol I'd have sworn the oem bezel was made in China too

 

[thxultra]

Lol I'd have sworn the oem bezel was made in China too

Hextail was saying the stock bezel is made by United Radio in the USA. I'm not sure one way or another...

 

[Coyote Red]

Bit rate compression

Ya but does the ford sync system downgrade 24bit 192khz flac to cd quality? Do you have a spec sheet to show this? I can't find any information to state weather it does or not. I also can't find anything stating that DSD is supported.

I'd like more information on this unit's specs or a schematics.

 

[HextallS550]

Id love to take some of the people in this thread to work with me so you could just see for yourself exactly what we on the OEM level of infotainment test on a daily basis.
I don't give a shit if the people at Metra engineered that piece of the shit while wearing MAGA t-shirts and jeans made from American flags while Toby Kieth whined on the radio... What Ford engineers, Metra cobbles together, it's a terrible looking kit that looks cheap as fuck and apparently functions that way too.
And yes Ford bezels come from United Radio in New York assembled with componentd from several countries including China.

 

[thxultra]

Id love to take some of the people in this thread to work with me so you could just see for yourself exactly what we on the OEM level of infotainment test on a daily basis.
I don't give a shit if the people at Metra engineered that piece of the shit while wearing MAGA t-shirts and jeans made from American flags while Toby Kieth whined on the radio... What Ford engineers, Metra cobbles together, it's a terrible looking kit that looks cheap as fuck and apparently functions that way too.
And yes Ford bezels come from United Radio in New York assembled with componentd from several countries including China.

My whole point is the OEM kit doesn't use parts that are any better quality then the metra kit. Both are designed here by companies that have been doing this stuff for years. Metra is hardly some back room someplace. This is an American company that produces aftermarket kits for many different manufacturers and has done so for years. Hardly cobbled together as you say. I personally think the kit looks much better then the factory kit and the screen for the HVAC controls can even be used for the rear cam so you can run a nice single din unit if you want. The Metra kits have been stable also. The scorsche kit has issues with the HVAC board not the metra.

 

[Quackfoo]

Meh, I'd argue Ford employs much much better engineers than metra... I'd expect the Ford stuff to last a lot longer too. I wouldn't bet on longevity with the metra kit... and it's ugly as sin.

 

[thxultra]

Meh, I'd argue Ford employs much much better engineers than metra... I'd expect the Ford stuff to last a lot longer too. I wouldn't bet on longevity with the metra kit... and it's ugly as sin.

You are basing this on what exactly? Opinion? It has already been talked about that the ford panel is made by United Radio not Ford (not that there is anything wrong with united radio). Metra makes good kits they have been around for 60 years. I have used their kits in other cars and they have been solid. I'm yet to see any issues with this metra kit except someone with a stuck button which I'm pretty sure is a install issue. If you don't like the looks then go with the sync 3 system. Personally I don't like the sync 3 interface. Plus I don't want to be stuck with the technology. The part of the car that goes out of date the fastest is the media system. I wish Ford was more like Subaru and just put a double din head unit in.

 

[Quackfoo]

I have no problem with metra's dash kits, it's their electonics that give me pause. And that stupid touch screen is just horrid and tacky.

After I put in an aftermarket amp, speakers, sub my factory radio sounds great. (and acm hack, though I'm not sure how much that really does on the shaker systems as there seems to be some debate on the proper settings) Sync 3 isn't great but it usually works fine.

 

[thxultra]

I have no problem with metra's dash kits, it's their electonics that give me pause. And that stupid touch screen is just horrid and tacky.

After I put in an aftermarket amp, speakers, sub my factory radio sounds great. (and acm hack, though I'm not sure how much that really does on the shaker systems as there seems to be some debate on the proper settings) Sync 3 isn't great but it usually works fine.

I don't mind the touch screen screen A/C controls and actually think they were smart about it because that screen can be used for the backup cam if you get a head unit that doesn't have a screen. Only thing that looks a bit awkward is the bump in the kit but they didn't have a choice because it had to be done to make the head unit fit (once again wish ford and other companies would have kept to standards and just had a double din opening). My car has the base head unit and the screen on that is awful. As long as I have to upgrade it to get car play/ android auto I would rather go after market because I like the interface better on aftermarket head units then the sync 3. I also want to be able to play hi res files at full resolution and the kenwood dash cam is also very tempting. Plus when new tech comes out I can easily swap out the head unit. If I had the sync 3 system already I would have left it and saved the cash because it does 90% of what I want anyway.

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