Colton9182

Has anyone put a navigation system in their GTO? I want an in dash navigation/dvd/radio/etc combo thats voice activated and fills the spot of the stock radio but I have no idea where to start looking or what would look good.

 

BrazenGTO

I've been also looking around some. I was into some of the pioneer in-dash screens. The avic d3 is good if you're on a tight budget being under $1000 but I don't think it's voice activated. I believe the avic z2 is voice activated however, the price is a lot more. I saw some pictures on here a while back with the avic d3 installed in a gto. looks good! just do a search.

exwrx

Well... there are any number of units that are amazing, and have numerous features such as Bluetooth, DVD playback, etc.... It's really a matter of picking one you like. It's tough to get a bad unit if you're spending between $650-$2000 on name brand equipment. Try crutchfield, sonicelectronix, and a few local shops. Get a look/price on some units, and I'd be more than glad to help you pick the one for you.

I did car audio for 9 years, (all through College and Law School), working as Sales/Install, and even owner for a few years, so I've seen my share of units. The only thing that held me back was the finish on the Double Din kits from Metra. I've seen and worked on some that had these kits/units, and just didn't like them. You'd have to wrap the kit in either matching suede, vinyl, or paint it with the whole dash in order for it to look right. Then again, I'm extremely picky.

What features are you looking for? Price range you're keeping it in?

exwrx

I know you listed some features.... so to help you narrow your search...

How important is iPod control, sound quality, do you want single din/double din, Navigation interface/ease of use, size of display...etc.... the more information, the easier your search becomes. So far... the only differentiating feature you listed was "Voice Activated"... which appears to mean that you want to be able to give input/data to the Nav unit, by speaking, rather than typing. How important is this in your choice of units, as few come with this, only some are capable, and cost can be frightfully dissuading.

Colton9182

I'm not too sure what exactly i want other than touch screen, no buttons on the sides, voice activated, price is a non-issues and for sound quality I would like something very clear and crisp. Ipod features or anything like that i dont really have any intrest in but if it comes with one it's not a big deal.

exwrx

I'm a little short on time... but here's some food for thought.

Alpine W-505/205 (not a big fan of the 205... in fact I think it's garbage and should be branded as a Dual/Jensen, even though that may be too much credit here) will dock with the Blackbird... pretty cool, as it'll give you a flash based (rather than dvd) nav system. Does BT, and a number of other tricks, but no voice recognition with the Blackbird. It will accept voice commands with the NVE-N872A... but it's DVD based. flash based systems are much faster, and don't rely on a disk. Think of them as giant memory sticks. Prepare for sticker shock on this one though!

Pioneer.... Both the Z2 and Z3 will take voice recognition.... they're good units, but expensive, though not near the astronomical Alpine prices. Pioneer has never failed... but also never impressed me. Think of it as a camry. Nice, good looking, reliable, and sensible choice.... but nothing to go bragging about. The have an internal hard drive that will store "some" but not all the Nav info.... meaning you should never leave home without the dvd's, even though you might never use them. The screen is decent, interface is smooth and intuitive.

Kenwood DNX7120... now is a ringer in my book. I've not really been a fan of Kenwood over the years, but they've been pretty innovative. It's a Garmin GPS (Flash) based unit, that can also control trunk/garage door devices. Big thumbs up for thinking outside the box.... but no voice recog. P-Nav packages are also worth looking at.


From eclipse... AVN 6620 is the newest unit... no voice recog there either. But I like Eclipse nav units. It's a little different, a class in itself if you will. Good quality (only lately, they had a rough patch for a few years)
and AVN 5495. Both good choices.

Personally... I'd get the kenwood. Either a P-nav or the 7120. But that's me. If you need more feedback, help explaining features between the units.... let me know.

Ronin GTO

The Pioneer AVIC-Z2 and Z3 models are top of the line and demand a pretty hefty price tag. They offer all the bells and whistles, including Voice Recognition, rear-cam, Bluetooth, both Sirius and XM ready, a 30gig HD (20 for nav and 10 for music, pics, etc) and the installs have been pretty sweet looking. No knobs, all touch screen. The only drawback other than the initial high pricetag ($1200 - $1800) is that some of the options will require you buy extra add-on stuff (i.e. Bluetooth adapter, SatRadio adapter, rear camera, etc). Yep...more $$$.

The D3 is also a very popular model and not near as expensive (less than $600 if you search the internet), but you will also have to buy add-on stuff to take full advantage of it's features. Pioneer has just come out with the F-series line-up and it seems to be more end-user friendly. Bluetooth is built in, as well as some other features. There are 3 different F models, with the basic starting at about $600. I haven't heard or seen one in person, nor do I know anyone who has gotten one yet. Still, the price range does seem a bit more practical unless you have an unlimited supply of funds.

exwrx has pointed out other brands as well, which seems to be a pretty good list. Since I've recently become a Pioneer fan for H/U's, I have done a little more research on their models than I have on other brands.

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Colton9182

Alright I just ordered a Pioneer AVIC-Z3 In-Dash Navigation/DVD Receiver w/ 30 GB Hard Drive & 10GB Music Storage 7in LCD for a little under $1100 with shipping and everything. I will let you all know how it is and maybe even get some pictures up when it's in.

Ronin GTO

Cool, looking forward to hearing a review as well as seeing some pics. I'm envious of that 30GB HD.

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