All right, I will start off by saying that I did search, and did not find what I'm looking for, and that I'm also a complete newb when it comes to audio stuff. I have 99.5 A4 with a blown rear deck speaker. I'm going to replace both with a matched set, but I was wondering about converting my single din stock Audi Concert radio to the double din one like on the 2001 model. Also, if I did such a conversion, would the B6's dual din fit? The reason I want to stay with a stock Audi head unit is that I don't like how much of a contrast the new aftermarkets have (blue lights all over the place when the rest of the car is red.) I'm not looking to do huge sound upgrades, but any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

Actually, there are a lot of aftermarket head units that have all red displays and match our cars perfectly. Clarion and Blaupunkt come to mind. I have a Kenwood headunit that has red buttons and matches great, but the display is blue. I really don't mind the contrast too much as it's not too overwhelming at night.

I'm sure you could get the double DIN Concert II to fit in the dash, but it would require some re-work. You'd have to fabricate a whole new bracket for the radio itself, as well as a new faceplate. Not sure how much room would be left for the climate control, but iguess you could just move that down to where the ashtray and lighter are, and be done with it.

 

Hmm, I'll have to look into those two brands. I still don't have my radio code (it was the one thing my car didn't come with.) I enjoy music but I'm not looking to dump a million dollars into just the sound system. Crutchfield good for Audi's? Friend of mine hooked up his Cadillac through them...[&:]

 

Crutchfield is a good start. That's where i purchased my Kenwood from;and their "will it fit" option is handy in determining if the headunit you are looking at will fit your car. Honestly, most single DIN aftermarket units will fit, so i generally ignore that feature. In your search, check to see if thatheadunit doesn't offer customized display and button colors. That way you can change the buttons to red to get the look you want.

My advice is to find a headunit you like on there, and then cruise on over to E-Bay to see if you can't save a few bucks.

There are tons of options available on headunits these days, so let me ask you a couple questions first:
[ol][*]Are you an average Joe who just wants to slap a new unit in and rock out the stock speakers?[*]Do you plan to upgrade your system at some point to include new speakers, and maybe a sub and amp?[*]What's your cap on spending for a new headunit?[/ol]
Let me know and maybe i can help you with your search.

I should also add that: "what is the best headunit?" is a subjective question and there is no right or wrong; only opinions. I have run nothing but Kenwood in all the vehicles i've ever owned, but that's a personal choice.

Of course, if you're dead-set on keeping the stock look, i would just pay the $120 to get the code for your radio.

 

I don't think I'll be doing any speaker upgrades, aside from swapping the rear deck ones out for non-blown ones. A smallish sub/amp is a possibility in the future, and I poked around on Crutchfield and found a Blaupunkt head unit I liked because it was subtle, aux in, and has pre-amp outs for an amp (right?)

 

What model is it? Let me take a look

 

The Blaupunkt Bermuda MP36. I like it because it's clean and simple. No huge motion display or glaring blue, just white and red. The auxilary port is optional, but if I got it I should be able to mount it somewhere out of the way. I really hate clutter, and if I don't have to have a wire running up to the radio that's awesome by me.

 

That's not too bad for the price. I read some of the reviews for its sister head unit: theMP35, and people seem to like it, but it has it quirks. Every headunit has it quirks though.

What about this one on e-bay? It's an older model, about 3 years ago, but it has a momo sub rca output (one)as well as stereo (four) front and rear rca outputs. Of course you really only need separate sub rca outputs if you're going to run a dedicated amp to just your subwoofer. If not, then front and rear rca outputs will be fine.

Not a bad price either. I believe i was even looking at this when i bought my Kenwood because of the fact that it too had red buttons and a redface.

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-BLAUPUNKT-MO...QQcmdZViewItem

or this one:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/NEW-B...44440490QQrdZ1

 

Thanks, I had looked at that second one before and wasn't too keen on it. I'm thinking of the possibility of an all-in-one sub package so I can easilly take it out of my trunk when I race, but it will have a little more kick to the bass.

 

If you're looking to do a package, then definitely give Crutchfield a call, or at least get on their email list. They run specials constantly and those often include package deals. I'm sure you'll find something you'll like.