Prius C Aftermarket Stereo

I will post pics of the install and let you know if the AX-USB-35EXT fits the oem location. My order shipped out today so I should have it by the end of the week I hope.

 

Hi guys, new here. I just got my Prius C1, black, last Thursday. I was reading in the thread earlier and saw a simpler set up of adding an Alpine Power Pack along with new speakers. I have the C1 so it only has the 4 speakers. I was just wondering if adding the Power Pack by itself would improve the sound quality.

 

I got the head unit installed today. All steering wheel controls work perfectly. I still havent put in the AX-USB-35EXT as I couldnt figure out how to the the factory one out... I will try that again at a later date. Tomorrow I am going to install the amp and sub. What door speakers have you guys upgraded to? I would like to change those eventually. The single DIN radio will be replaced with a double DIN also but I had the single sitting here on a shelf so I put it to use for now.

 

nice updates, thanks. looking foward to the rest.

 

Got the amp in and wires ran. It was more time consuming than I thought it would be lol. I really need to upgrade the door speakers tho. It sounds better than with stock head unit but those door speakers really are bad with everything else upgraded. I am looking at putting in the Kicker KS5.2 Component speakers. (sorry for poor quality photos, all I have is the camera on my phone)

 

Any luck with the AX-USB-35EXT install?

 

Any luck with the AX-USB-35EXT install?

 

I havent had a chance to try and figure out how the factory piece comes out yet. I am going to try to do that tomorrow or Saturday.

 

It's pop out from inside to outside, probably you had to remove your HU to do it.

 

Any updates here?????

 

how do you remove the stock radio faceplate? Can you post where the factory clips are located that is holding the it in place?

 

Just start pulling on it.

I usually start where the top meets the vents. And go clockwise from there.

 

Thanks B2FiNiTY, I'll give that a shot

 

I'm not an audiophile, but I am considering replacing the factory stereo on my Prius C One with a stereo that has GPS. I'm torn between a stand-alone GPS unit and an in-dash. The stand-alone unit would be cheaper, but in-dash would be more convenient.

 

I would recommend just using your smartphone. It's cheaper and you don't have to worry about updating the maps as Google does that for you.

 

I don't have a smart phone. My phone is very, very stupid. I'm not willing to pay for a smart phone, so I use a prepaid phone. So, it looks like I will need a GPS unit.

 

Sorry... being an Engineer in the IT world... I forget that there are people that don't have smart phones yet...

 

I will wait on the "iOS in the Car" feature to see how viable it is with the Iphone.

 

I've been through that consideration before, and gone against the aftermarket in-dash GPS.

Advantages:
1) Nice & tidy (integrated into dash, no power/traffic cords lying around)

Disadvantages:
1) Expensive - way more than a handheld Garmin + comparable non-GPS head unit.
2) Slow CPUs - depending on the model, the cheaper head units can be really slow calculating routes and updating the display.
3) Graphics - lower end ones have graphics no better (and sometimes worse) than a $79 Garmin. Higher end ones do have nicer graphics; they're also upward of $700-1000 or more.
4) Map updates - Garmin does them quarterly; head unit manufacturers are *very* inconsistent with updates - some are yearly, some have been known to abandon map support for very pricey head units. You're also at the mercy of the head unit manufacturer when it comes to the cost of the map. Garmins, you can buy units with lifetime map updates for an upfront price differential of $0-20. IIRC, a single annual Pioneer map update for their head units costs $120.
5) Obviously not portable. But if you travel you can save the cost of a rental GPS and take your own unit with you. If you travel internationally, you can buy Garmin maps for almost anywhere. Plus with Garmins you can have at least two maps on the unit simultaneously, one in internal memory and another on a SD card - and navigate between them.
6) Traffic - cheaper head units don't have it, though more expensive units with built-in HD radio will have it. Garmins get traffic for a $0-20 price differential upfront or you can add the traffic receiver later for $25 (eBay) to $70 (MSRP). Garmin's free U.S. traffic service displays ads on the screen, but the ads can be eliminated by buying a subscription. You can also add subscriptions for traffic service in several other countries if you travel with the Garmin.
7) Theft - yes GPS units are frequently stolen, but I'd rather have a handheld stolen than a $600-1000 head unit ripped out of the dash. With the c, if you're in a hurry and don't give a crap about destroying the dash and wiring, you can rip a head unit out in way less than a minute.
8) There's more, but I've gone on long enough ...

IMHO if you're happy with your stock radio, get a handheld Garmin. If you're not, get a Garmin plus either an audio upgrade with the Alpine Power Pack amplifier + speakers (not that expensive relatively and lets you keep stock steering wheel controls + stock Bluetooth + stock look) or go all the way with a non-GPS aftermarket head unit. Someone in another thread did the Power Pack + speaker upgrade and was very happy with it.

BTW, there are cheap $300 GPS units like the Pyle/Boss/Power Acoustik units aka "Wal-Mart Specials". If you want to gamble, give them a shot but I've found they get kind of ratty really fast.

 

can someone please post some pics of the rear of the stock stereo (prius c two)?

i'm considering the alpine cde-hd149bt; i just want to visualize the conections, how to utilize the rear usb and rear aux inputs w the stock usb and aux ports, etc.

thanks!