Best affordable head units?

[Ozuye10]

I don’t know crap about audio and the internet is a black hole of info. I’d like to know the units that actually fit my 2004 Ranger XL. I’m considering putting new speakers in the doors as well. Any advice would be appreciated!

 

[rumblecloud]

Crutchfield.
Audio equipment buying made easy.

I was in the same boat as you with my 94. Someone here mentioned Crutchfield.
The instructions were simple and easy to follow. Some wiring involved, but extremely simple. Everything is color coded to match your wiring.
You'll still have to decide on the unit you want, but that's another issue.

 

[Deiimos]

You should be able to fit a "double din" in the 2004 with no issues (unless you prefer a single din for some reason), speakers should be 6x8", but you can run round speakers with an adapter plate if necessary as well. Figure out which features you need / want, example; does it need to play CD’s, DVD’s, have AUX Input, USB Input, touch screen, does the USB need to work with your Android or IOS, AM/FM tuner, etc.

Yeah Crutchfield has always been pretty easy to use, at the very least enter your truck info, and see what it says fits.

Name brands like Sony, Alpine, Pioneer, Kenwood, etc., have been pretty solid over the years.

I try to steer clear of the cheaper flea market head units like Boss, Power Acoustik, etc. My past experience with them, even the touch screens, were like MS-DOS compared to Windows 10, just not very good in comparison.

Depending on your goals, pretty much any modern 6x8 speaker would work well enough, even the budget minded speakers. I'd even say to just try the new head unit with the stock speakers first, and swap speakers if needed.

 

[fastpakr]

I didn't like the lower tier HU's at all in the past, but with COVID related parts shortages I was forced into a Boss unit maybe 18 months ago. It was far better than I expected and eventually I installed two more of them. The main interface is pretty mediocre, but if you're using it with Android Auto/Carplay, you basically never see that anyway.

 

[oldgeek]

I try to steer clear of the cheaper flea market head units like Boss, Power Acoustik, etc. My past experience with them, even the touch screens, were like MS-DOS compared to Windows 10, just not very good in comparison.

Using both MS-DOS and Win10 nearly every day, I'm not sure which is the bad comparison?

 

[scotts90ranger]

I put an Atoto head unit with backup camera on my '00 Explorer a few years ago, it's been ok but if you have your phone in your pocket it looses bluetooth connection within about 10' of the rig... and it's been degrading over the years...

l put Boss speakers in my '97 Ranger when the factory units gave out in the doors, for $40 as the cheapest I found on amazon at the time I'm not upset, they sound better than the factory ones did 2 years ago when I got it...

I put a Boss head unit in my '97 F350, simple $40 deal with bluetooth and whatnot but no CD, The OBS trucks are single DIN so a little different but it's fine, there's some stupid issues I had with it where the first two times I powered it up I had to unplug the speaker connector then plug it in with the stereo on before it would play sound for whatever reason but it worked after those 2 times... I'm sure that's a fluke though...

 

[rubydist]

I put in a Jensen CAR710W recently. It is the least expensive wireless CarPlay/Android Auto unit I can find. It is fully capable and AA works just great wirelessly so I can listen to Spotify and use Google maps with my phone in my pocket. The only things I don't like are: no volume knob (nearly impossible to find now) and it takes about 20 seconds to boot up when I start the vehicle. I have a separate amp, so I cannot tell you how good the Jensen amp is, but the preamp is just fine. If you can live with those couple of negatives, its a very good choice.

 

[55trucker]

I don’t know crap about audio and the internet is a black hole of info. I’d like to know the units that actually fit my 2004 Ranger XL. I’m considering putting new speakers in the doors as well. Any advice would be appreciated!

How much do you want to spend on an audio upgrade?

Did you have a ceiling in mind?

 

[Ozuye10]

How much do you want to spend on an audio upgrade?

Did you have a ceiling in mind?

Under $250

 

[rubydist]

In today's world, under $250 won't buy you anything worth having, imho.

 

[fastpakr]

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/boss-audio-audio-systems-elite-be7acp-carplay-android-auto-double-din-car-radio-with-7-lcd-black/6443853.p?skuId=6443853&ref=NS&loc=101

 

[superj]

i got a pioneer from walmart to put in my 04. it was something like 60-80 bucks and the mount kit and wiring adapter kit are also from walmart. works fine. i had originally bought one of those with the screen that slides out and pops up but it blocked the two center ac vents so i went to the regular old single din pioneer.

works great, hooks to my phone via bluetooth when you turn the truck on , no issues at all

 

[Roert42]

Big fan of those $60 Pioneer Single din units. Have on in my mustang and had one in my F-150. Still have the radio.


I don't really like the looks of most aftermarket double din radios. Massive screens and everything is lit up bright red or whatever. I replaced the factory speakers with some kickers and installed an upgraded version of the factory head unit with the 6 CD changer. The speakers made a big difference.


I mostly listen to the radio, so you really can't tell that big of a difference in audio quality. Only really when your listening to CDs.

 

[Chapap]

Alpine type S speakers are my favorite. $100 per pair. In the car world, 5x7 and 6x8 are the same size. There are others out there, but price goes way up. Price goes down too, but there are some real pos woofers out there that are made to look prety but sound terrible.
EDIT: I've changed my mind on speaker brand after doing some shopping for my newest truck. Alpine seems to be getting expensive and quality is going down. I'd go with Image Dynamics over Alpine. They're cheaper and better i think.

A single din head unit will be $100 too. See this thread for my choices. I ended up with the Alpine, but am not too satisfied with it.
Edit: The pioneer is vastly superior to the Alpine. Highly recommended.

Head unit availability/ chip shortage?

I’m shopping for a head unit. I’ve decided to go with a Pioneer unit. Looks like they basically 2 different models, one looks different and does a bit more. Msrp is like 90 and 130 range for the two. I’m finding that market prices are a good bit higher and they’re hard to come by. The cheaper...

www.therangerstation.com

 

[fastpakr]

It takes some cutting, but 6x9 is also possible in the back if you're up for a little tweaking. Not something I'd recommend in general, but at the time there was a set on sale for a lot less than comparable 5x7/6x8's.