El Karacho1647545492 Posted July 10, 2004 Report Share Posted July 10, 2004 DISCLAIMER: Don't know if this is the spot for it, so please move it if it's wrong. I'm looking at buying a new MP3/CD player for my car, and I am wondering about the importance of a preamp. Considering that I'm not investing in any awesome speakers or subs, and I'm just getting it for the MP3 ability, is a preamp necessary/preferrable? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest stevil Posted July 10, 2004 Report Share Posted July 10, 2004 Originally posted by 10xworse: DISCLAIMER: Don't know if this is the spot for it, so please move it if it's wrong. I'm looking at buying a new MP3/CD player for my car, and I am wondering about the importance of a preamp. Considering that I'm not investing in any awesome speakers or subs, and I'm just getting it for the MP3 ability, is a preamp necessary/preferrable?Preamps aren't really important, unless you plan on having an amplifier(s), subwoofers, and other high end speakers. Your setup will use the normal speaker wires and such. My Kenwood X579 has 3 sets of preamps, and I'll probably never use them. It was under $200 too, I like it alot. Most units usually have at least one set of preamps these days. You may look into other features that you like though (AUX inputs for other future stuff, satellite radio ready, ID3 tags, etc). One of my deciding factors this time was to find a nice red display to match the interior lighting of my car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mudbutt Posted July 10, 2004 Report Share Posted July 10, 2004 as stated above, they arent really needed, but mose radios include them, even cheap ones. It isnt bad to have atleast one pair incase you change your mind down the road. My suggestion would be one of the lower priced alpine units. You can pick up an mp3 model cda-9827 for example for around $180. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BiG BeN Posted July 10, 2004 Report Share Posted July 10, 2004 i recently got a lower priced clarion cd/mp3 thats pretty nice. it looks OEM in my 240.also eclipse has one under 200 that looked really nice.but the unit i bought had all the crap ripped off the back(purchased new from CCA) and they didn't have a replacement so i ended up with the clarion. i don't know jack about preamps,but mine works good just hooked up to the factory speaker connections and bypassing the factory amps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
street pilot Posted July 10, 2004 Report Share Posted July 10, 2004 You want a unit that has an internal amplifier definitely, but pre-amp outputs are not needed if you dont plan on using external amplifiers. However, I am guessing pretty much all mp3/cd decks will have at least one pair of pre-amp outputs onboard anyway. I just picked up an older kenwood MP425 for about $160. Pretty neat, but I did notice that many songs will have glitches that you cant hear on the PC. The only exception is if your car has factory amps, and they require low-level inputs. Then you want pre-amp outs on your deck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest minion4343 Posted July 11, 2004 Report Share Posted July 11, 2004 buy a eclipse cd player all my friends have them back home and one down here and its an awesome cd player for around 200 bucks i recommend it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Karacho1647545492 Posted July 11, 2004 Author Report Share Posted July 11, 2004 Thanks for the great advice, I'll definitely take it into consideration when putting the money down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaSSon Posted July 11, 2004 Report Share Posted July 11, 2004 Pre amps send a low-level signal that an amplifier can use. If you were going to use aftermarket amps, or use a subwoofer, then you'll be using the preamp connections. CD-players with 3 sets of preamp outputs are especially nice because they genereally have a built in low pass filter that allows the subwoofer to play just the low frequency sounds (IE: 120hZ and lower) that setup would also allow you to adjust subwoofer volume independently of the music volume. Some stereos with 2 preamps will allow this feature as well tho. 3 preamps = 1 output for the front speakers, 1 output for the rear speakers, and one output for the subwoofer(s). If you plan on using the stereo's on-board amp to power the speakers, then those features won't necessarily apply to you, but they will give you more room to grow without buying another stereo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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