|
Counterpoint:
I have the oem head unit with amp & dash + door + rear speakers. Aside from the common sticky buttons, and a volume knob that is sometimes a little balky when it is freezing, I am well-pleased with it. It is sonically good, particularly through the midrange which is for all practical purposes about all you can enjoy in a moving convertible. It is visually inobtrusive, which is my preference - I didn't buy this car to play video games or place distractions in the cockpit. It is 15 yrs old, and has aged better than most of the various head units I've had in other cars, both oem and aftermarket. I thought I missed bluetooth, until I installed a motorola unit, then discovered I really don't like using it in the Box anyway. I prefer rotary knobs, and the ones on the oem Becker have just enough damping to be easy to use while in motion, and have a quality feel. Most functions can be controlled via tactile buttons/knobs without taking my eyes off the road, unlike most modern units.
For the record, I am neither deaf nor stupid, and first took an interest in high fidelity audio around 1981. I enjoy music immensely, but math will tell you I am not a teenager, and I no longer obsess over making a studio of my vehicles. (Nothing wrong with overkill in any endeavor, including mobile sound, just not central to my enjoyment of my cars these days.)
If optimum sound for the $ is the goal, I would say there is more room for improvement with 1st speakers, then amp, then acoustic damping/nvr, then head unit and wiring.
While features like bluetooth and inputs or music libraries can be fairly easily added to the oem unit, it will take either time on your behalf or purchased expertise to do so, and it may prove easier to simply update the head unit. Good luck on getting one as reliable and cosmetically sympathetic as the oem, though.
To each his own.
|