Contents

Introduction

Head Units

Cassette Receivers
CD Receivers
CD Changers

Speakers

Amps/Crossovers

Terms

Links:

1. Sizes
   1. Shaft Style
   2. DIN Style
   3. Factory Style
   4. Double DIN
2. What To Look For
   1. Security
   2. Radio

There are four differnt sizes of receivers: shaft style, DIN style, factory style, and Double DIN.

Shaft style:

"Shaft-style" receivers have two knobs on either side of the tuner/tape deck. They fit a "3-hole" dash opening. One hole is rectangular to accept the nosepiece of the receiver. The other two holes are for the shafts, or knobs, on either side.

DIN style:

Modern DIN-stype receivers fit throuh a single rectangular hole in the dash. Some mount from the front into a metal sleeve that attaches to the front of the dash. Others mount on the radio's side support system.

Factory Style:

Factory-style receivers are designed to precisely fit the large factory openings in many GM and Chrysler vehicles. These are about 50% taller than DIN-style receivers.

Double DIN:

These receivers are twice as tall as the DIN-style receivers and fit in some Toyota and Nissans.

If you're looking to guard against theft

Lets you easily remove the control panel of your receiver and take it with you when you leave the car. The stero is useless to thieves without the faceplate, so the temptation to break in your car is greatly reduced. Today, most head units come with detachable face.

A Pioneer exclusive. When you remove the faceplate, you activate a built-in car alarm. If someone opens the door, they trip the alarm. The speakers emit an ear-piercing high-pitched alarm tone that will qickly drive a thief away. Tou determine the volume of the alarm one. Tou can also select the "entry delay time"(how long before the alarm sounds after someone enters your vehicle) Certain versions of this allow keyless entry to your car via a remote control.

This innovative secrity feature is exclusive to Kenwood receivers. MASK deters theft by hiding the control panel. You don't remove the face and take it with you. When you turn off the vehicle, the control panel flips itself(face plate) around to show only a blank panel. There's nothing showing in the dash to attract a thief.

If you're looking for a great radio

This spec tells you how well a receiver can pick up FM radio signals. The smaller the number, the better(the greater the ability to pick up weaker stations). The unit of measure, dBf, stands for decibel femtowatts.

Preset Scan lets you push a button and automatically hear a brief sample of what's on each of your preset stations. Station Scan lets you sample each strong station regardless of whether it's one of your presets.

This feature automatically loads your presets with the strongest available signals. It makes finding stations easier when you're through unfamiliar territory.

Stands for Radio Data System. RDS tuners can automatically tune stations according to the style of music (or talk) they broadcast. RDS also enables your receiver to display text messages(usually call letters and format info) that many FM stations include on a cubcarrier signal within their normal bradcast signal. Some RDS tuners can even break in with traffic alerts or emergency broadcasts when you're listening to a CD.

This plays the radio when a tape is either fast-forwarding or rewinding, except when using music search. On some receivers, this feature kicks in automatically. On others it is a selectable function.