I’m considering replacing the factory radio in my 2008 Sierra 2500. I haven’t put a radio in a car since the late 90’s. I’d like something touchscreen, Bluetooth compatible and ideally, Apple CarPlay compatible. Should I stick with one of the big 4 (Alpine, Kenwood, Sony, Pioneer) or would I be ok going with something from JVC, Boss, Jensen, etc? Some of the reviews I’ve read on brands other than the 5 are less than glowing. I’d like to stay under $400 for the head unit, so I know that limits me somewhat, but Crutchfield has quite a few options under or close to that price point. What are your thoughts?

do some research on each brand,

years ago my father replaced the factory Foad radio in my shop van with a unit that had way too many buttons, shitty reception, and was basically a PITA to use,
no idea why, he still listened to the same station,,,,,,


so I replaced it a few years ago with an Alpine model,
works ok with Pandora, Blutooth, etc, but the reception for radio is not any where near as good as my Tundra or Civic (factory radios)

so basically, if you listen to FM or AM, make sure it has good reception,

the rest, work fine

My F150 factory radio is misbehaving, so I went to a car audio shop and they did not sell a plain jane am/fm radio comparable to the factory original. A factory replacement from Ford is overpriced (by a lot). I guess I'm stuck so to speak.

Stick to the big 4 as you said. Roll by a Best Buy that has a car audio installer/section. They’ll get you fixed up. $500 and change.

quote:

Originally posted by wrightd:
My F150 factory radio is misbehaving, so I went to a car audio shop and they did not sell a plain jane am/fm radio comparable to the factory original. A factory replacement from Ford is overpriced (by a lot). I guess I'm stuck so to speak.

eBay and auto recyclers (particularly big chains with more reach) can be decent sources for replacement factory radios. They will be cheaper than a new replacement, but still probably more than they are worth.

No recommendation on brands etc. but I have purchased from Crutchfield a couple of times. Their equipment almost always comes with installation instructions for year/make/model of many different brands. My last purchase was for a Porsche which really isn't all that intuitive for installing aftermarket stuff. They are a bit more expensive but IMHO worth it.

Any of the four you mentioned should be good. Try to find something with a physical volume knob or you'll miss having one.

I second Crutchfield. I had bought from them in the past. At that time they didnt have specific harnesses for installations. So much easier now.

If you are going to do this yourself, the value of a model-specific wiring harness cannot be understated. It will save hours on the install, and tons of wire stripping, measuring, re-doing, etc. in a very cramped workspace. If you have installed (or plan to) additional or replacement speakers, make sure you take these into account when evaluating head unit specs. Crutchfield is a valuable resource whether you are going to DIY or have them do the install.

WRT to AM/FM radio reception, most poor reception is caused by a low-gain antenna or inadequate frame ground. These are not so much a concern for satellite radio services.

While you are at it, if your truck doesn't have a backup camera add that as well. I bought a Sony unit for my 2003 Silverado and a $100 or so backup cam that screws on behind the license plate. I don't think the stereo was more than $400. Crutchfield is the way to go, they even have an option where they will pre-wire your adapter harness for you with a slight upcharge.

FWIW watch some of the truck forums for someone selling a radio that they removed when they upgraded theirs.

My Jeep’s radio AM and FM bands went away, common problem with the IC chip and cold solder joints, base radio, non touch screen, CD and Sirius only. Local FCA dealer wanted 475 plus labor for a factory reman from United Radio. Went to the Jeep forums, got a touch screen with Navigation for a lot less money, around half price.

I looked into the Best Buy and a couple similar places around here, everybody was approaching the thousand dollar mark for the name brand aftermarket radios out the door.

Are you just replacing the radio?
Using the same existing speakers, amplification?

Nothing wrong with the second tier you mentioned if it has the features you desire.
FWIW, I replaced my truck unit a few years ago with Alpine, JL Audio, Focal but that was way more than $400.

However, speakers especially will improve sound if that is of concern to you.

If you posses modest handy skills, self install is fairly straightforward.

I installed a few from Crutchfield. Their customer service, installation manual and technical service is top notch. I found their prices to be competitive.

You need to contact our member honestlou He's been in the business for many years.
He put a radio in my truck. Great guy.

I had an 2005 1500, should be same generation radio. I replaced speakers & added amp/processor as I didn't want to change factory head unit - bluetooth/smartphone wasn't on radar then.

There's plenty of aftermarket support & harness adapters. Pick what you like in your budget & get the kit. dash is easy to take apart too.
my vote is crutchfield too.

I will do the install myself and don’t plan on replacing the current speakers. I will also be adding a backup camera and it seems most units I’ve looked at have that capability. I’ve watched a handful of YouTube videos and it seems to be a pretty straightforward install. I don’t want to break the bank, but also don’t want to buy something and have it crap out in a year or two. That was my main reasoning on the brand specific question.

Thank you everyone for the input this far. Greatly appreciated!!

Do you have steering wheel controls for the radio, and if so do you want to keep them working?

Does your truck have the Bose system, or is it a basic radio with no factory amplifier?

The four brands you mentioned are fine; JVC is as well, as it's a sister company to Kenwood and many units are very similar if not identical. I can tell you that Kenwood/JVC are the most complicated units to operate. Interfaces are not the most intuitive, and while they have a lot of capabilities, they are complicated to navigate through.

Sony has the the most straightforward operating system-pretty much everything you need, without the complicated extras that the vast majority of users don't want or need. But the Sonys don't necessarily work perfectly with some steering wheel controls, particularly regarding phone buttons, answer, hangup.

Alpine makes a great unit, but can be overly complicated as well. Pioneer is fine, simple enough to operate, works well with steering wheel controls, but may not be quite on the top tier with the others as far as quality and longevity.

Let me know if you have any specific questions. And check your speakers individually with your balance and fader. I'd be a little surprised if they are all playing in a 2008 GMC. If one or more isn't working and you haven't noticed it, it's no big deal. Just don't wait to check them all after you put in a new head unit.

Thanks Lou! Appreciate the input.

Yes, I have the steering wheel controls and want to keep them. I’ve read up to see I’ll need a wiring interface adaptor. Crutchfield recommends the PAC brand. Thoughts there?

Truck has the Bose system. I’ll check the speakers individually. Haven’t noticed any issues, but could have easily missed it up to this point.

Lou,

Coming back with another question. I’m looking at the JVC KW M560BT. For the wiring adaptor harness, Crutchfield is recommending either the PAC RP5 GM31 or the Crux CS GM29. The only difference I can see is that with the Crux, I’d have to make a connection myself to the parking brake. For half the price, is that a big deal? I’ve read on some forums where people are saying to the wire just needs grounded vs actually connected to the parking brake. What’s the best way to go here? I’m probably over complicating this, but I want to make sure it’s right.

quote:

Originally posted by Erick85:
Lou,

Coming back with another question. I’m looking at the JVC KW M560BT. For the wiring adaptor harness, Crutchfield is recommending either the PAC RP5 GM31 or the Crux CS GM29. The only difference I can see is that with the Crux, I’d have to make a connection myself to the parking brake. For half the price, is that a big deal? I’ve read on some forums where people are saying to the wire just needs grounded vs actually connected to the parking brake. What’s the best way to go here? I’m probably over complicating this, but I want to make sure it’s right.

I use PAC and really aren’t familiar with the CRUX piece, but another difference I see is that PAC allows you to manually program your steering wheel control functions. This may not be an issue, but sometimes you can repurpose a button, like seek up and down, to use as “answer/hangup” for phone functions, if you don’t have phone buttons on the steering wheel (and I don’t think you do). Fair warning, manual programming can be a little tricky and you can’t always guarantee certain functionality.

The parking brake wire is usually not hard to find to wire manually. And you can usually do a “bypass” with a manual toggle switch to ground. Parking brake wire from the radio is looking for a ground, so if you run it through a toggle switch to ground, when you flip the switch the radio thinks the parking brake is on. This is the easiest and cheapest way to do a bypass if you want to be able to access certain features while driving. Some radios work fine if you just permanently ground that wire, but some require the parking brake to be engaged after the ignition is turned on, so permanently grounding it won’t work. I don’t remember offhand how the JVC works, but I could ask my guys if you’re interested in that option.

Let me know if you have any other questions.