GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Looking to replace my aftermarket head unit. The currently installed KDC-BT952HD is starting to develop issues with the HD tuner and Bluetooth. Firmware updates and other actions were unable to solve the issues. When I got it, worked great. As modern electronics go, things are disposable rather than repairable.

Looking at obtaining a Pioneer DEH-80PRS
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-ZXn3d4ifpz ... 80PRS.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Aside from the audio settings, it saves your settings when the battery is disconnected (Why couldn't more systems do that )

Was looking a the APP radios and double din display units. Realized I want tunes when driving the car, not a radio that could become obsolete as attached devices become incompatible. The DEH-80PRS sound adjustment settings should accomplish what I was trying to do with the KDC-BT952HD. Enough adjustment to compensate for the Vibe's interior noise. The DEH-80PRS also has me interested with its low distortion level. So many head units I hear today have a crunchy sound, whether it be from the audio sources file compression or head unit distortion.

So the question, for those with aftermarket head unit and speakers, did anything knock your socks off with pure audio quality? Most of the threads I read on this forum dealt with features they were looking for rather than audio quality or models no longer in production.

Of course if money were no object, this would be great:
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_130DEXP99R ... s&skipvs=T" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Until I bought the needed quality amps and sound deadening, I would have more in audio gear than I paid for the car...

The head unit isn't going to have that much effect on sound quality with stock speakers. You're much better off getting a midlevel HU and replacing the speakers, and maybe adding an amp.

Already replaced the OEM speakers, bypassed the OEM amp, performed first phase of sound deadening. Looking for thoughts on excellent sounding head unit.

Went ahead and bought the DEH-80PRS, found a deal that was to good to pass up. Also got more sound dampening material, thanks to Black Friday special. Gearing up to finish what I started. The first upgrade made a huge difference to the rear and slight difference to the doors. Problem was, without testing, their was no way to verify how well the items worked. Research to see how to best document the results to share with the rest of the community. One of the frequent comments in the audio and tire section is road noise. Unfortunately their is no quick fix, yet several small cheap things can add up to decrease interior noise. To achieve the Vibe's great overall performance they had to figure what items were a need vs want. Interior noise appears to be one of the things they left at acceptable, while focusing on make the rest of the vehicle safe and reliable. Goal of the project is to take others have posted on here, decreasing interior noise, and quantify the results.