Want to Update Car Stereo but....
 

Greets All!

My wife and I want to upgrade my Jeep Cherokee 1998 XJ Sport 4WD 4.0L audio options. Android Auto, bluetooth, USB, Wifi even (maybe). Problem is, the existing legacy stock stereo is ... yeah... 1.5 DIN. To fit a double din unit involves cutting and other mods to make it fit. SO we decided on maybe a single din unit, even one that has a flip out head screen. But it seems they all go UP and that covers up the air conditioning vents. Where I live, in San Tan Valley ARIZONA, air means LIFE. And we can't seem to find one that flips DOWN instead of up.

I tried bluetooth FM transmitters but the audio sucks. Not really the device's fault... The FCC limits the frequency response of FM transmissions to ... I think... 30hz to 18khz. We do not have thumpers in the Jeep, but we do like our low end.

Any suggestions would be appreciated! If there is one thing I know, it's peeps here know their stuff. I hope someone out there with a Jeep like mine has gone down this road, and any suggestions and or info would be appreciated big time!

Thank you for your time!

Just get a single din unit add in a small 4 Chanel and add in a bass speaker and amp. here's a pic of my bass speaker .I had the infinity radio .what I have noww sound much better .
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...353b81a228.jpg

Did you google single din, flip down radio ?

Saw several options quite quickly that seem to be mostly dvd players, but most have bluetooth & aux audio in capabilities, and many have radio too.........


here's just one..............
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Power-Aco...iABEgK_2_D_BwE

I used a single din I used a kenwood for about the same price your looking at,

https://www.joyingauto.com/joying-la...gital-amp.html

Sony just released a "double-din" unit, which is actually a single din top-mount where the lcd drops DOWN instead of up.
I have been eyeing this and thinking about modding the factory center stack bezel.

https://www.crutchfield.com/S-OK2j8X...XAV-AX100.html



The only negative is it would probably somewhat block the HVAC controls, so you would need to memorize them....

Another alternative is a standalone Android head unit, this one looks like it would fit really well - shouldn't block the HVAC vents or control.
BUT it is a bit more complicated because it is it's own OS, and needs either an offline maps application or you need to run a hot-spot off your phone or some other manner.

I did actually, and all I got back were video units that install in the ceiling and have a flip down screen. The model you linked does what I want, but not a model or brand that I want or trust.

This has promise! Thank you for unearthing this for me. Knowing that the stock radio is 1.5 din and has room around a single din radio installed with a bezel kit, this might work! What I like is that it is not really a flip down, but a middle screen install.

I will have to explore it's OS and see what is possible. I want to use Android Auto with it, and using my phone as the maps application is assumed anyway. Units with their own GPS and mapping are much more expensive anyway. I also read somewhere that I can load an Android OS on a Odroid Xu4 and use the Android Auto application to serve a slave device. Yeah it goes down a few rabbit holes, but I have been there done that.

Crutchfield says right off that it will not fit my vehicle, but the video gives dimensions and with that, I can see what is possible.

I just did not want to cut into the duct work to make a 2 din unit fit flush. Peeps have done that but I'm not going there. Thanks man, I appreciate the info!!!

I have a single din Sony MEX-XB100BT paired with Polk Audio DB652 6.5" speakers and love it.

Has all the bells and whistles, and a slightly more high powered internal amp, so need for an external amp. Needs to be wired to the battery directly with the extras amp power.

Yeah, those are fantastic!
40w RMS x 4. Ch is amazing and you can re-use the factory wiring with that wattage no problem.

And at $200 it is way cheaper than running a standalone amp and having to wire everything up. That is the best head-unit for the XJ without a doubt (XJ stock amplification is like 10w per channel rms on a good day)


Yeah, it would definitely take a significant amount of modding.

A DIY Android Auto interface would be sweet. Liliput has tons of IPS monitors in the 5-7" range which would work great.

I did see this build a while back; really cool implementation. I wish I had CAD skills so I could design my own brackets and just get them 3D printed

http://www.michaeldornisch.com/diy-a...-auto-headunit

Getting high quality audio out of an odroid or raspberry pi is probably going to require a DAC though - and then you would need to figure out volume control going to your amplifier which shouldn't really be that difficult.

I would try to run a few cameras too - that would be sweet to run a full multi-channel car DVR system

X2 on the Polk Audio DB-652 !!!
 

I already have two sets of the Polk Audio DB-652 speakers. They're 6.5" two ways. Plus marine grade ! I also have a set of the Infinity tweeters mounted in the OEM pods. I'm going to try the Alpine CD 149BT. It has dual outputs on back. Going to go with a Subthumper in the cubby hole w/10" Fosgate sub. One or two amps to run the sub and tweeters. I've already lost all of the hearing in my left ear due to an acoustic neuroma ! So I've decided to not invest too much. But it will still sound great for my riders !