[pduncan]

I didn't see anything in the archives. If I missed it let me know.

Had the car out today for the first time this spring. That first ride sure gets the juices going again. Hopefully the snow is gone for good for us northerners this year.

One project this summer is an updated sound system. I am not looking for anything too exotic, just some decent sound. Can anyone share some experience with the Custom Autosound product as far as quality and reliability goes? Looking at the USA 5 package with CD in a 1967.

Any comments, pictures, experience, or alternate recommendations are greatly appreciated.

Thanks, and enjoy your rides.

Dunc

[1COOL70]

Dunc, If you check the archives, you'll see I asked about member experiences with Custom Autosound products a while back. When I first got my car it had a Custom Autosound unit that did not work properly. Not knowing at the time what JUNK they were, I bought another one. That one started to develop problems about 6 months after it was installed. I never did find the solution to the crackling/popping sound coming from the speakers although I did rule out the speakers as being the problem. Now the unit doesn't even work at all. The green display area lights up, but there is no text/numbers visible and nothing works - no sound whatsoever. My advice - steer WAY clear of Custom Autosound. It's nothing but junk. I'm going to leave the unit in place as a dash filler and install a quality unit in the glovebox. Good luck with whatever you decide.

Steve - 1COOL70

[Ralph67]

I have a ken harrison unit from npd seems ok

[gspan1830]

I bought one of those way back in 98 or 99 with a cassette player. I paid a small fortune for it and it works but if i had it to do over again i would have looked for an original am/fm to put in for looks and put something better under the dash or in the box. Not supposed to vender bash but you get my point.

[Sgtpop]

Dunc, my wife purchased an auto sound with the six disk CD changer approx 2 yrs ago. I installed it in my 67. My son has since added a 800 watt amp and two 8 inch subs in the rear in addition to the rear speakers. I also added the twin speaker system that replaced the old speaker up front. Everything works well except the memory. If I switch to CD and turn the ignition off the radio looses it memory. If I switch back to radio prior to turning the ignition off it doesnt. I have checked and the hot lead for the memory is wired up correctly. So far the radio and CD have worked fine. If it goes out Ill do like mentioned above. Leave it and install another system elsewhere. I noticed that Auto Sound has also come out with a 10 disk CD changer since my purchase.

[Patrick]

Had one installed in my 64 - seemed to work OK. I too was thinking about getting the CD changer but I'm glad I didn't. Do you have an iPod? For <$50 you can get an FM transmitter and have access to more music than 6 or 10 CDs can provide... Good luck!

[1COOL70]

I did not intend to "vendor bash" in my reply. Sorry if I got carried away. I do think, however, that based on the number of responses indicating problems with Custom Autosound products, this information needs to be brought to the attention of anyone considering making a purchase from them. Their lack of response to phone messages is also problematic and speaks to their level of concern for their customers. All I'm saying is I have had bad experiences with two of their in-dash units, wish I would have known about all this before, will never make a purchase from them again, and will let anyone who asks for my opinion on Custom Autosound know how I feel.

Steve
1COOL70

[RedSS454]

We put A usa-1 in our car, it works for a while ,Hit a bump no more music,every once in a while it comes back on.
The hidden antenna is not a great reciever either.
But the best music comes from the 454 with flowmasters,they never skip a beat.

[Cecil]

Steve, remove the wire harness plug from the back of the unit (completely), give it a few seconds, plug it back in, and see if your numbers and stuff come back. That sounds like what was going on with my USA-2...

Actually, I had troubles with mine for a while, but haven't had any in a long time. I'm thinking they're really susceptible to power problems, mine seems to like being hooked to the big power cable going to the amp under the passenger seat...

[1COOL70]

Thanks Cecil, I'll try that.

Steve

[d1_bradley]

I had the config you're considering in my '69. It was so - so. Worked OK but sound quality was about like an original AM radio. You had to really crank up the volume to even use the CD. My next setup will come from an "installer" that will work like I want or I don't pay....... They can also supply head units that fit the opening but the other components are WAY better.

[Cecil]

I should add that I use an RCA Lyra mini player hooked into the RCA jacks on the back of the unit, plays just fine. Now that it doesn't lose its brains anymore it's a good, inexpensive unit with decent sound.

[pduncan]

Thanks for the honest input guys, I appreciate it. I think I will be purchasing a namebrand product and put it in the glovebox.
Dunc

[oscar_a_wiggy]

pduncan thats the best idea. i saw i nice pioneer am/fm/CD that also plays mp3 and wma files. it come s with a wireless remote and you can buy a wired remote as well. i plan to stick it under the passenger seat. i could sneek the wired remote up by the console. fill a CD with 140 mp3s and go to town!

oaw