weidmark

I have a pioneer deh-5900 from my old car and was wondering if i should put it in my lexus. I have the nak system in my 92 ls400. so my question is will the pioneer sound better than the nak? i will probably get new speakers too eventually but i was wondering just for now if just replacing only the HU will make a difference.

BLKonBLK98

this is my first toy/lex so i'm not familiar with the nak system, however i am with the bose systems which are similar afaik (feel free to correct me).

the nak system should be sending a low voltage signal to the amplifier. replacing the hu w/ an aftermarket will supply a high voltage signal which will cause the system to be louder quicker. in theory this could lead to less distortion at (equal) higher listening levels, but i'm not sure how it will play out in real life. there will also be the risk of cooking components if you run it too much harder than originally intended.

another thing to consider is factory hu's, particularly the premium systems, may have factory equalization to "optimize" the system to the vehicle. swap out hu's and you may lose this for better or worse.

you may be able to clean up the signal, be careful with the volume, and get a decent "tune" with eq settings but the factory speakers/locations will always be a limiting factor. not to mention every ls400/aftermarekt hu install i'v seen so far looked like poop. i say unless it's broken or you're going to do it complete don't waste your time.

acidfire52

BLKonBLK is right that an aftermarket stereo will pump high levels into your factory amp.
This will actually lead to higher level of distortion as you are overdriving the amp. You will need to get a line level converter or bypass it. If you bypass it, you will want to replace the speakers too as the factory ones are the wrong impeedance.

BLKonBLK98

thats why i mentioned "(equal) higher volumes". i.e. 7/8 of the factory volume (usually well into clipping) vs. matched output from a high level source should send a cleaner signal.

7/8 vs. 7/8 = distortion vs. amplified distortion and probably failure.

the factory door speakers are 4 ohm so there should be no problems there if you chose to bypass the amp.

weidmark

Ok. well i plan on first replacing the HU... then the speakers... then get an amp to power the speakers... i didnt think the nak HU would have enough power to do that... and i also love the ipod option on the pioneer.

is bypassing the factory amp easy? does the amp need to be taken out to do so or is this all done directly from the HU?

BLKonBLK98

make life easy on yourself and do it all at once. you can put a decent system together for a couple hundred bucks and basically not have to mess with the oem wiring at all other than power at the hu.

gmacrae

I replaced my stock pioneer headunit and stock amp with a pioneer DEH-6050UB. I used the stock amp's power supply for the headunit (stock headunit power supply is tiny), and now run the stock door speakers off the headunit. Just like this, after setting the sound how i like it, it sounded much better than the stock system (even minus the sub). I bought a small pioneer amp and cheap 10" sub to replace the stocker. Just had to make sure the new sub was mounted/sealed well - still free-air. Now the system is a HUGE step up from stock - I still havent replaced any door speakers, though may put splits in the rear doors soon.

Do.Man

replacing the HU for me with an aftermarket was way better than stock imo.
still using the stock amp and somehow even got the sub to still work with the new HU.
installion was done by tommy from musicbox here in california.

python

iTrader: (4)

i replaced everything...eclipse head unit,j&l audio speakers in the doors and had to jl 6x9's installed in the rear deck and have a kicker 700 watt amp and 1 12 kicker in the trunk....the stock stereos are garbage,if u r going to do it then do it right and replace everything

lev00221

iTrader: (28)

I think what you need to ask yourself is what is wrong with your factory system before asking if your Pioneer head unit will sound better. Does it sound good but not enough volume? Not enough bass output? Are the vocals not detailed enough? Not enough brilliance in the treble? If you just swapped out the head unit and nothing else it would actually sound worse because you would lose the factory equalization that Nakamichi/Lexus spent quite some time achieving. That is, optimizing the equalization curve to the interior acoustics of the car using microphones and spectrum analyzers as well as some well trained ears. This is not to say that it the factory system is the ultimate in high fidelity but they did do some research and hard work to get it to sound the way it does.

If overall you are content with the sound of the Nakamichi system than I would not mess with it. If, however, you are not happy then you should simply install a complete aftermarket system. That is, leave all the factory wiring and amplifiers in the car but do not use them. Then change the Head unit, speakers, subwoofer and definitely add amplification. Possibly one four channel amplifier for the front and rear speakers and a dedicated amplifier for the subwoofer. This is how you will get the best sound. If you choose your components wisely you will likely need little if any equalization.

You should get some advice from a local stereo shop or call Crutchfield.com (no, I don't own stock nor do I have any affiliation with the company) they are usually very helpful and not in the slightest bit pushy. Their website is very informative as well. Anyway, best of luck and feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

Luis

Sc400on20s

Luis,

Great, great comment!

Weidmark,

There is so many other factors. We will need more info on what you are looking for in a system.

Let's just put it this way, your factory system has limits but is well balanced, from H/U to amps to speakers, even down to electricals.

So to answer your question, your aftermarket H/U has the potential to be better and expandable.

python

iTrader: (4)

i got all my stuff from www.sonicelectronix.com thee best online place

Li Ls4

iTrader: (12)

x2

weidmark

I find it isnt loud enough. I find the sound is alright although i listen to music with lots of base and it doesnt sound good at all when big base comes in... i realize that's probably more of a speaker issue... I do plan on replacing the speakers as well... and figured an aftermarket HU would be better to have when i get the aftermarket speakers.

speaking of speakers... which ones do people recommend?... iv heard i should go for names like focal, MB quart, boston acoustics etc... but how well do these speakers handle the base? and if at all... how much better are these speakers than pioneer and infinity?

lev00221

iTrader: (28)

Hello again, Weidmark,
Ok, now I understand somewhat better. Your system sounds ok to you but you would like some more bass output. In order to get bass output you need to move lots of air. In order to move air you need surface area (cone area) and amplifier power. The extra amplfier power is not only for output but for control and dynamics. The stock 8-inch subwoofer in your LS is not only small but also underpowered.

If I were you, I would do this system expansion in stages. Buy everything wisely so that you can continue to use it and expand your system without having to change out components.

1) You will need good power wires. Do not skimp here even though you may be tempted. You cannot get good sound if you are not getting sufficient current to your amplifiers. I would run at least a 4-gauge power cable from your battery to your trunk. This should be sufficient for two ampliers (4 channel for the front and rear speakers and a subwoofer amplifier).

2) Purchase a subwoofer amplifier first. You should get something with at least 250 watts CONTINUOUS or RMS into 4 ohms. 500 watts would be better. Don't worry about exceding the power limits of the subwoofer you purchase. It is ALWAYS better to have too much power rather than to little power. Too little power kills speakers much faster than too muchof it.

3