Need some help with deciding on a Head Unit.

[1SweetV6]

We have an 05. We have the OEM CD player in the car. For x-mass I got my wife XM, it's the Audiovox Xpress. She loves it. The only thing is, we have to use the broadcast option. It's OK. But halfway to work she has to change the channel. I was look to do 1 or 2 things.

First: Would be to ether find out how to hard wire the AX to the OEM HU or get an after market HU that I can hard wire the AX to. OR:

Second: Buy a HU that has both the CD & Tape deck and use the cd kit that came with it, so I don't have to use the broadcast option.

I thought about just getting her a HU that has the XM option to it. I have that in my car. I have a Pioneer HU with the hard wire kit. But that's going to be another 100.00 on top of the new HU. Also, she doesn't like the display option on the HU. With the AX it shows u all the info right on it. No scrolling or anything. U see the channel, the singer, the song, all that kind of stuff with out touching anything. Mine you have to keep hitting buttons to see all that. Kind of distracting.
Any Ideas?

[CDBryso]

First thing i would do is dump XM and get Sirius!! Sirius is sooooooooooo much better..

1st what is the broadcast option?? and 2nd why does she have to change channels.. The AX should have a FM tuner built in and w/ that should broadcast over any station you set it to.. Now if the station she sets it to has a radio station on it well then just choose a new station that doesn't have any on it before and half way to work and set it for that.. I know sirius S50 lets you choose any channel you want.. I recommend using 88.3 .. Here in South Jersey no station on it..

And for hardwire there are FM DIRECT ADAPTOR that you just hook up the stock FM wire to the kit. Then run a new FM wire from the kit to your headunit.. These kits start around $50 and go up to $130, then the wire can run you like $10 - $20.. On top of that.. Then you still have to hide the whole darn thing!!

[Lts 05GT]

I have the same (or very similar) HU and I don't like it for the same reason (scrolling screen, to many buttons for the song title), I have seen newer versions that have a hard wire spot for any aux unit you have sirrus/xm/walkman... I've been thinking about the new HU and a sirrus like your wife has and hard wiring it. maybe $350 all together. The second option seems like the getto rig version for to much $$$$

[1SweetV6]

You can set what station you want to use on the AX. She normally uses 89.3 around home & changes it to 88.3 as she gets closer to work. We live out in Lancaster & she works near Philly. 100 miles a day round trip to & from work. She can use 88.3 around here but depending where she goes it comes in & out. That's why she normally just changes it to 89.3. If the little ST on the OEM HU is solid the signal is very good & u can hear it (XM channel) very clear. If it starts to fade or blink in & out, then she starts to get static on the channel. I got XM because that's what I have in my Buick. I have it hard wired & have NO issues with quality or signal. But I have an XM ready HU. Pioneer HU.

[rckozma]

If you go with a Pioneer, you do not necessarily need the $100 XM tuner kit, you can always just get the $15 ipbus cable and wire the headset output from the existing unit (provided it has a headset jack on it) to that.

I wouldn't listen to CDBryso about getting Sirius, I have listened to both and the quality seems a little better on XM than Sirius, not to mention XM uses 3 satellites compared to Sirius' 2. Although I did hear a rumor that Sirius may be acquiring XM so soon that may be a moot point.

[CDBryso]

sirius (from what i heard) bought XM out.. But Sirius has a TRI-BAND ( i thinks its called that) where i get 3 signals into my reciever so my signal is stronger and better.. Plus Howard Stern.. Tony Hawk, Football, Nascar, Bam Margera and many many more!!!