Crutchfield vs. Sonic Electronix

[AdmRose]

I've dealt with Crutchfield and been very satisfied but someone on another forum told me about Sonic Electronix....they seem legit but something about it just seems a little shady. Has anyone ever dealt with them before?

[cptnsolo77]

I heard about Sonic through this site actually. I almost bought a pair of Polks DB651s from them but I decided to go to Crutchfeild because they offered a speaker harness & speaker bracket with the purchase. Sonic was only about 10 bucks cheaper with shipping total. If it was a signifigant difference I would have bought from Sonic.

[BlueCrush]

Everything I have ordered has been thru Crutchfield. I almost pulled the trigger a couple times w/Sonic but something never felt right about them so I ended up going back to old faithful.

[cptnsolo77]

So its 2 for 2 for Crutchfeild !!!

[audiovibe]

I know people that have dealt with both companies. I have never heard any bad about either company. If it were me I would pay the extra an go crutchfield because of the authorized dealer/warranty issues that may come up. you wouldn't want to get a $1200 radio and find out that the supposed warranty does not cover when you could have bought authorized for $1400.

[AdmRose]

Quote, originally posted by audiovibe »I know people that have dealt with both companies. I have never heard any bad about either company. If it were me I would pay the extra an go crutchfield because of the authorized dealer/warranty issues that may come up. you wouldn't want to get a $1200 radio and find out that the supposed warranty does not cover when you could have bought authorized for $1400.Was hoping you'd chime in on this one lol. Apparently (so I'm told anyway) the only difference is with Crutchfield you can deal directly with the manufacturer when it comes to warranty issues. With Sonic you have to go through them and they will deal with the manufacturer (at least with regards to Pioneer, which is what I'm interested in). Apparently they're an authorized Pioneer dealer in the state of California but not online due to their wholesale pricing. I'm kinda torn here. The prospect of spending only $169 for a Pioneer GM-D9500F instead of the $249 it costs at Crutchfield is tempting. On the flip side though I remember that old addage about things that appear to be too good to be true.

[ColonelPanic]

I've bought from Crutchfield and they were great! But Sonic sure has some tempting deals. Someone here has bought from them (that's how I discovered that site) but I don't recall who now!I want to go back to a double-DIN in the Hyundai for aesthetic reasons and user friendliness. The microscopic buttons on my DIN Pioneer have become tiring. I know Kari hates driving that thing since the radio is so difficult to operate. They've got a huge honkin' OEM-lookin' Eclipse there that I've got my eye on for $109 with all installation accessories. I can't touch a double-DIN for that price anywhere else - not sure if it's any good, but hey it's cheap. If I jump on it I'll let you guys know the outcome.

[djkeev]

I've only purchased from Crutchfield. They send what they say they are and when they say they will.No issues at all.....zero....zip.....nada.Dave

[AdmRose]

My concern is more with accuracy...for example THD for the Pioneer GM-D9500F is listed at .06% on Sonic and even the Pioneer website, however it's listed at 1% on Crutchfield.

[audiovibe]

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic »They've got a huge honkin' OEM-lookin' Eclipse there that I've got my eye on for $109 with all installation accessories.I think Eclipse made an excellent product, and their customer support was second to none. With that being said Eclipse is no longer making aftermarket car audio, they are solely working the Toyota OEM stuff. My advice if you want the radio I wouldnt wait to long or you might have to buy used.

[glennpert]

Cannot say that i have dealt with them. I have dealt with crutchfield a few times and have been very pleased.

[ColonelPanic]

Quote, originally posted by audiovibe »I think Eclipse made an excellent product, and their customer support was second to none. With that being said Eclipse is no longer making aftermarket car audio, they are solely working the Toyota OEM stuff. My advice if you want the radio I wouldnt wait to long or you might have to buy used.Thanks. I went ahead and jumped on it. (link.) It seems to be a pretty rare unit and I didn't want to let it slip away especially at that price. Aside from a couple on ebay, Sonic was the main source for these things (they bought up a lot of the stock on this unit.) It went out their door quickly, now I'm just waiting on UPS to haul it across country. Hopefully it all works out ok.This thing has switchable red/green illumination so it could look good in a Vibe too if someone wants a basic OEM-style double-DIN.

[BlueCrush]

Cool, CP! Look forward to seeing pics of it installed. I took a chance and just bought one from Ebay (saving $50).

[ColonelPanic]

I'll post up a new thread when it's installed later next week.

[cptnsolo77]

I installed the Polks that I bought from Crutchfield & im glad that I did because the speaker harness that it comes with makes the install WAYYYY easy. I wont buy from anyone else just for that alone.

[unfairtebo]

I have ordered from sonic a bunch of times. Very legit company pretty quick shipping for being all of the way across the country. There are no worries with this company go ahead and order away!

[ColonelPanic]

My transaction with them went pretty smooth. No complaints here, got a great stereo for not a lot of money. Took a few days to get the stuff (and was delayed by last Monday not being a business day) but all things considered I could have been waiting much longer.I guess I should post up pics to appease BlueCrush but that's another thread.