Really Cheap, Really Good, Really Loud Stereo?!!

[bobstad]

I was just at GOODWILL and picked up a combination CD/cassette/AM-FM CHRYSLER model no. P04704385AC(MR217320) made by MITSUBISHI($6.99) to see if my tech here thinks this can be serviceable I'd like to use as a pre-amp/source only.(I assume the device isn't particularly powerful?)

I like the CD/cassette combo as I have lots of cassette tapes and an even better CD collection and don't mind using the individual recordings, though I'd also be grateful if I could patch in some other source some how?

While there I also came away with two small Boston Acoustics Gateway 2000/Media Theater speakers that look like they are probably designed for computer use, but massive magnets on their 4" speakers.(99 cents each)

I'm already thinking of mounting them atop the rear shock/strut tower covering sheet metal all the plastic sheathing is gone from, likely pointing forward though maybe aimed at the rear hatchback glass to get an acoustic bounce?*

The CHRYSLER/MITSUBISHI deck has a neat looking joystick for Front/Rear/Left/Right sound control.(in fact the whole deck is really cool looking** and ergonomic, black with bright white lettering easy to see, with bass/mid/treb equalizer vertical sliders, and what looks like push buttons for a 5 CD changer also able to play five CD at a time shuffle mixes!!!)

I also have set of 10" PIONEER cabin cruiser speakers now in the Festiva rear fender well***sheet metal in the car's interior which I'd like to mount inside the front wheel fender wells facing rearward and down towards the front tires from the corner above and behind the headlights.(I don't think I could make the exterior sound loud enough to be heard while in traffic or at speed say on the freeway because I don't think the PIONEERS could pump that much, but I've never tried to see how much power they'd take the PIONEER deck that came with the car even in better days didn't have much of, now on its last legs-I guess since made for a boat exterior they should drive pretty good?)

I've not really thought about a sub-woofer, but if I could figure out a way to include one I would, to match the Boston Acoustics.(I imagine their mid-range and even some of the bass is good with their big magnets?)

If the Boston Acoustics work nicely inside I'd shine trying have speakers up front for awhile at least, but I do have the four PIONEER 4" speakers the car came with I think all still work okay and I could leave the two front ones intact and mount the two from the rear in the front doors I've aleady taken out of the back.(given I could figure out how to do all this, which depends on how I might be able to amplify every thing?)(perhaps an either/or or one/or the other switch between the PIONEERS in front and the boat PIONEERS outside in the front wheel wells?)

The use of the CHRYSLER/MITSUBISHI deck as a pre-amp only is something I have no imagination about, nor the ohm levels of the Boston Acoustics speakers?(the PIONEERS are 4 ohm)

I'm wondering what might even be scavenged to use as the power amp? Or if not scrounged, what might be the best bang for the buck appropriate to both the Boston Acoustics and the PIONEERS, if they are compatible?(always willing to snoop around pawn shops and trust my tech to get the specs back to par, or junk back to the seller)

With the relatively humungous magnets on the Boston Acoustics speakers I'd guess they could take a lot of power to drive, so I'm hoping they will have a strong enough volume; combined with decent audiophile values.(which shouldn't take much in a car for sure)

If they can be played really loud, that could make just using the two Boston Acoustics in the rear a good set up for driving, without having to use speakers inside the car in front.(?)

I'm not a fanatic for lots of bass, though nothing I'd not mind having and/or adding if I could snoop around for the ideas and look around for cheap pieces?(I like techno, funk, fusion, r & b, world music, metal, thrash, reggae, etc. all which can sound great pumping lots of low-end!!!)


*With all the road noise in my old '66 VW square-back I'd had great luck with a top of the line KRACO cassette deck/receiver and SONY 6" x 9" speakers I'd mounted inside two gallon COLEMAN fuel cans with the styrofoam they came in, inside the gallon gas cans to "load" the sound.(I'd opened the backs up on to allow acoustic transparency) Mounted above that car's hatchback aimed forward, which sounded great; I could also take out of the car easily for stationary listening outside near the car.

**Were I really a fanatic I could probably carefully remove the tiny MOPAR pentagon just below the CD slot, that looks like its just painted on. Cool!

***All plastic inside is removed except the dash and headliner, carpet and seats, steering wheel and gear shift knob...I think the Festiva came with a warning their interiors were carcinogenic; I'm not sure, but I'm told many Asian vehicles have been labeled thus,(likely where most people would never notice) due to the plastic which can irritate anyone hypo-allergenic. Me, I simply like the bare sheetmetal look, convenience, and all the neat storage this opens up inside.

[getnpsi]

scoche sp. has a product, about 15-20 bucks that lets you feed speaker wires signal in, and rca cables out. that is what i used in the past. it let me leave oem front and rear speakers but use the signal for the add-on subwoofer. hopefully your unit has the diagram sticker to tell what wires do what.

[bobstad]

Yeah, there is one diagram for feed connections; BAT, ACC, ILL, PARK, RF-, LF-, MUTE,(though I only know what BAT means, the power; and the two speaker connections) and one that says SPEAKER CONNECTOR; RR-, LR-, RF+, LF+, RR+, LR+, ANT.(that seems easy to understand-I guess ANT is for a power antenna?) The connections are all round pins about 7/16" long and sort if skinny though strong looking for their size; not cheap wires-in rows of seven in two deep recesses parallel to each other)

The tech person here should be able to explain the rest.

[getnpsi]

bat is constant power to not lose the radio station memory, acc is to turn the unit fully on, ill is hooked into the dimmer switch for brightness control. You can use the ANT as a signal to turn on the second amplifier. Will the whole unit fit into the festiva without lots of fabrication to the dash? That big cubby has always begged for custom add-ons.

As far as pinning, you should go to the junkyard and see if you can find the same radio so you can get the harness. Solder your new wires to the wires straight off the head unit.

Most people myself included usually just buy a new aftermarket radio. We can't touch your 6.99 parts tho Ive seen some really good oem stereos in cars, but none are "great." Now i look for radios that have a front input jack for the ipod, and can play mp3 burned cd's. There are oem's that do that now, but wrecking yards are going to charge more than a nice radio at your local best buy or a company online.

I still have a whole bunch of casette tapes, mix tapes if you will. I could go download all the mp3's and assort them the same way, but what if the other half saw a bunch of folders with girls' names...with sappy songs? Better left intact on the tapes.

[bobstad]

The deck was returned to GOODWILL because the cd player was no good.

I sure fell in love with the looks of the thing though, I'd guess may've been out of a truck?

Nice easy to see and read lettering; simple and easy to use controls.

I was going to use the cubby below the dash, or maybe remove the whole thing.

I doubt they sell combo CD/Cassette decks any more; and this one's cassette player looked unused judging by the condition of the tape wheels inside, which were clean and with the rest of the inside all shiny new though likely from the early '90s.(the 99 cent Boston Acoustics speakers are good though; I'm going to hook up to my stereo to see how loud they can be made to play?)

[anomoly40]

http://mnrelectronics.com/pap0amca31.html

93-95 Jeep GRAND CHEROKEE

There is one on ebay.

http://tinyurl.com/6rvmn6

[Gomez]

OK, there is a super easy, fool-proof, and fairly cheap way to wire a factory radio from one OEM to another. You say you want one of the Chrysler radios to put into your Festiva. All you have to do is buy the aftermarket wire harness that plugs into the Chrysler radio(Metra 71-1817), the wire harness that plugs into the Festiva (metra 70-1781), match the colors up, then plug it in and enjoy.

Metra 71-1817 to plug into the Chrysler radio in above link by anomoly40
Metra 70-1781 to plug into the Festiva plugs
Match colors up on both and your done.

[bobstad]

tune in, tune up & tune out...(the ambient noise of civilization gone wrong)

Hey,

I've got a good PUNCH brand cigar box* all ready; inspired by the cigar box ukuleles done by the former Arcata, CA musician and musical instrument repair person Keith Wilcox then associated with WYLDWOOD MUSIC(a friendly local mostly strings music store) who after two decades discouragement with Humboldt county returned with his similarly discouraged wife to their previous home of Boulder, CO.

I specialize myself in making less than $5 total cost saxophones using plastic automotive automatic transmission fluid funnels a certain style of's small end is a perfect fit to an alto saxophone mouthpiece. Though I've yet to be able to figure out a way to place the finger tone-holes to get the right pitches for an accurate musical scale.

I did once get as far as developing the simple(the only way I could've figured it out!) formulae whereby I'd discovered that the volume of a sphere is 2/3 that of a cylinder the same height: Which a few years later watching a PBS television special about the ancient Greek philosopher/scientist ARCHIMEDES was the formulae he'd insisted be inscribed on his tomb.(THE SAXOPHONE IS THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE so I guess he like many of those ancient Greeks, had been WAY ahead of their time!!!)

*p. s. I got this particular PUNCH cigar box at a Portland, OR tobacconist's shop as an empty they were selling for $3 each; whose unusual deep and more square shape seems ideal for such a musical instrument: Though my long held stringed instrument dream is to have a solid body electric Greek bazouki; an eight string model which is tuned like a long neck mandolin.(nice jam at the U-tube site!)

[bobstad]

Yeah, I know; turn up the noise until you can afford a real mechanic.

[Festiva_tunner]

Ive seen some really good oem stereos in cars, but none are "great." Now i look for radios that have a front input jack for the ipod, and can play mp3 burned cd's. There are oem's that do that now, but wrecking yards are going to charge more than a nice radio at your local best buy or a company online.

They make in line filters and amps to make a stock deck sound like a aftermarket head. They are easy to use - plug and play - I used one in our impalla because I wanted to keep the stock look.