emperuman

Couldnt find any info on this with the search... so here goes.

I am planning to install a thirdparty cassette player on the 05 TSX ($100 Vs $400 from Acura). Have any of u done this before?? Also the product I am looking at says 50Watts of power, but the TSX CD audio is 360 Watts. How does this work?? I am new to this electronics things, and would appreciate any help.

Mods, i wasnt sure if this should go into the Audio/Video section. But since its pertains to the TSX, I decided to post it here. Feel free to move it.

darth62

FYI: Here is a link to get the Acura casette player for $237:

http://www.handa-accessories.com/tsx.html

elduderino

Yes, IMO it should be in AV.

The RIGHT way to do this (I use that term loosely, since I am not certain at all that there is a RIGHT way to install an aftermarket cassette into a TSX: ) is to pretend that the cassette player is an MP3 player. Run the preamp signal from the deck to the SHOND or Blitzsafe AUX adapter. That will be clean and simple, but you'll squawk at the cost, probably.

You HAVE to use a cassette player with RCA preamp output jacks for this to be clean and simple.

You would be far better off getting the OE cassette player. It would look much less steal-worthy, and the bracket would make mounting a snap. You need to buy the bracket anyway as a mounting kit for the cassette player.

Why on earth are you installing a cassette deck?

Dan Martin

It must be 5 years since I've last even seen a cassette.

elduderino

Oh, btw, leave all the speakers connected to the factory radio. Your cassette will add no watts, it will just be a source unit to your radio - like a DVD player you add to your home stereo.

joerockt

Thats the understatement of the day if you want to install a tape player. I dont think this is something you want to partake yourself.

Eldu will be along im sure...

Edit: Jeez you guys are fast

majormojo

I know it seems like an odd thing to want to do, but my wife has remarked that a cassette player in the car would be nice because a lot of audiobooks aren't out on any other format.

elduderino

I guess the combo of adding a cassette and using a $100 aftermarket unit is the challenge for me.

If you want the cassette option, you really should go with the OE kit. If you have the nav screen, the OSD will match when the cassette is selected, and regardless, it looks right and stealth and all that.

Arcticcl9

If I were you I would convert all those cassettes to CDs, but that would be a lot of work

Is there such a thing as a 1 DIN CD/Cassette/MP3 combo headunit?

emperuman

I dont have Navi on my car. I wouldnt even try to install this myself, would prob have to ask the circuit city guy to install it free for me. The $200 bucks price diff (Vs Acura system installed) is important to me.

Whiskers

Arcticcl9

^^^

elduderino

1) Your CC guy will NOT install it free for you. It is classified as a custom job (and should be).

2) That $200 will be eaten up by the SHOND or Blitzsafe adapter and the install charges.

3) That $200 is important to me too... that's why I'd use it to do this in the most appropriate way. Please don't imply that I don't care about money... I am talking about value.

4) You put a $100 radio in that dash and some night a crackhead might steal it for no good reason. I've seen crappy aftermarket radios stolen, but factory Hu's are rarely stolen. Why take that risk? Your car would be damaged.

5) The OE sound system is not designed to have an aftermarket radio replace the factory radio and still use the "340 watt" (cough cough bullshit cough cough) amplifier to run the 8 speakers. If it were wired in by a good installer, it might work out fine (assuming that you bought a radio with front and rear RCA outputs, but that is questionable for $100, maybe or maybe not). You also might have engine noise that would require multiple install visists to fix (if it is fixed, which I tend to think is possible but not attractive to commit to in order to earn a $100 sale...) , you certainly would lose your steering wheel controls, and the LCD indicator on the top of the dash would be useless (tells you station, source, track number, etc.)

So the preferred method is to add the SHOND or Blitzsafe AUX input adapter into the OE radio, or use the factory system into the OE radio. Anything else is much more complicated and not in your price range. I doubt the two are that far apart on cost once you do the math. The factory system looks better, works better (doesn't disable any functions), and installs better.

Or you could use an FM Modulator on your Walkman... that's cheap. Heck, you oculd use an FM Modulator on your aftermarket deck, but it's still an eyesore in the car.

Tsx536

Get a SNHOND3, a Sony tape walkman, 2 AA batteries...and you're done!

Whiskers

Meh, FMM should be fine. I don't think you will notice with a casette the sound difference.

Tsx536

.....I keep forgeting how bad a cassette tape sounds....It sounds like

That's a classic tape player picture you have by the way! wsklar

Whiskers

I bet you can FMM that too!!!

Tsx536

Maybe I could just disconnect my factory HU and run the entire system off of that thing!

Arcticcl9

Hey don't discredit tape, turn on the Dolby NR and play it on your HiFi and that would be rad!

Pop in a Cr02 or Metal tape and that would be schuweet!



tape ==

Tsx536

Don't forget the "Auto Reverse" feature. If you had a high end tape player with auto reverse. You were the man back in the day!

One thing I do miss is wrapping the cassette tape ribbon around my friends' car antennas when there weren't looking and then waving to them and laughing as they proceeded to drive away dragging about 1/4 of tape ribbon. That was just "classic"

emperuman

Ok guys. All of u convinced me to go with the OEM tape deck even with the higher cost. Thanks for all the inputs.

TdotSSTSX

Sweet, now that's so 80's.

Tsx536

Does the OEM player have autoreverse though?