[bbfoto]

With these items i have. View attachment 333658
View attachment 333657
2 sets of NOS never used a/d/s 300i plate speakers (Vintage 1985) and a Mcintosh 420 amp.
I don't want cd or tape, only flac files or higher. I called crutchfield and he sent me 6 decks and not one was available even lol. I don't care the cost it just has to be available.

I know that you said no CD or Tape, but a 1980's old school dual-shaft Concord AM/FM/Cassette head unit would be a nice match or that Nak posted above. Or the McIntosh MX-5000 with Digital Coaxial I/O. My preference would be an old school Sony ES CDX-C910 or CDX-C90 with the digital output if they were still available and reliable. I still use the CDX-C90 in one of my installs and even via its analog RCA outputs it holds its own against any other source I've used.

If you're going for pure SQ and want to play FLAC files exclusively, I would use a high end portable DAP, or an Android tablet or smartphone with the USB Audio Player Pro app, or the Onkyo HF player app on iPhone/iPad with a CCK3 via USB input to the DSP.

I use an iBasso DAP via its analog LO or digital coaxial into my DSPs and it's as good as anything I've heard. Michael Meyers ( @audiophile25 ) was using the Analog out from an iBasso DX-160 DAP in his Subaru Forester SQ system and has done well with it in competition.

If you want modern convenience features, a high end double-DIN or large floating screen head unit would be the way to go. Some of these use a single-DIN chassis and adjustable placement screens in order to fit in older vehicles with a single-DIN opening.

The new Alpine Halo iLX-F509/F511 or iLX-507 units are amazing (7" DD and larger 9" & 11" floating screens), as well as any of the Kenwood eXcelon Reference (XR) DD & floating screen units, or the Sony XAV-9500ES (which is the update to the RSX-GS9 and has a better DAC).

In one of the recent 5 Star Car Stereo livestream YouTube videos, Dean (installer) said that Paul (the shop owner) had just got in a large shipment of many of those hard to find DD and floating screen head units and was willing to ship them. The phone number was in the YouTube video, or look them up in Clearwater, FL.

 

[bbfoto]

The rca outputs can be used as full range? Or are they filtered high med and low?
Can the filter be defeated ?
I have the sony on the way but I'd like a couple other units to try. One being the 99 and a Japanese version of the 99 for collectibility. I don't see how to make the rca outputs full range output.

Download the Installation and Owners Manuals at the bottom of the page...

DEX-P99RS - Stage 4 Reference Series CD Receiver

Stage 4 Reference Series CD Receiver

www.pioneerelectronics.com

 

[bbfoto]

Money no object?

I would get an iPad Pro maxed-out storage wise (I happen to be in the Apple camp) and an audio interface like this and get them integrated into the dash --- or if for some bizarre reason you were weird 😉 and preferred Android you could get a high-end Android head unit that already has digital out.

I would get an unlimited data plan for my device (iPad or HU) and stream new stuff in lossless mode; and load up the on-device library with the best FLACs I could get my hands on.

Then I would run the digital out to a proper DSP system, and go analog from there to your McIntosh.

And I'd hire a squad of ex-Marines to guard it so it didn't go AWOL on you...

*yeah, yeah - I know - once a Marine, always a Marine 🫡

For a while I was using my Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 8.0" SM-T715Y phone/tablet and also the 12.4" Galaxy Tab S7+ with the UAPP app in one of my vehicles connected via USB to a Mytek Brooklyn Bridge DAC for bit-perfect Hi-Res playback. The Brooklyn Bridge uses an optional but preferred 12vdc input on the back that made it super easy to implement in the car.

The back of the Brooklyn Bridge also has a USB 2.0 input for a USB thumbdrive or portable SSD/HDD, and will play your audio files directly from the drive. I had a 2TB SSD connected to it.

I could also stream music from the tablets to the Brooklyn Bridge DAC wirelessly via WiFi (I used my phone's hotspot) using UPnP via Foobar2000, Audirvana, and JRiver.

I could plug in my IEMs or headphones into the Mytek's headphone output to help me tune and compare them to the car's speaker system for proper tonality, detail, and correct image placement.

I have to say it sounded pretty [email protected] good! But I wanted to keep the Brooklyn Bridge as the centerpiece in my home system because it is an excellent DAC & system preamp...and partly because it also has an excellent headphone amp and MM/MC phono preamp.

And I was also always a bit apprehensive and worried that it would be too easy for either or both the tablet and the Mytek to "walk away" if my car was ever broken into.

Both tablets have sharp, bright SuperAMOLED displays and expandable microSD memory card slots for up to 1TB of storage. You can also stream Tidal HiFi directly via the UAPP app into the USB DAC.

The Galaxy Tab S2 8.0" is comparable to an iPad Mini in size & form factor and was actually pocket-able. With some help from the XDA Developer forums, I rooted it and removed all of the unnecessary system apps and bloat so it ran incredibly fast and smooth.

This particular Galaxy Tab S2 8.0 (international model #SM-T715Y) is also an actual "phablet" with 4G GSM cell phone for calls, texting, Whatsapp, and cellular data. It worked perfect as my backup phone here on AT&T, and I could swap in a local SIM card into it for use when I traveled to Australia and abroad.

There is a new Mytek Brooklyn Bridge II ROON model, and they're offering a decent trade-up program, so I've been contemplating that as well, but it's still major $$$. But the new model is designed to work perfectly with an iPad PRO.

Brooklyn Bridge II - Roon Core • Dac • Headphone • Phono • Preamp

Brooklyn Bridge II is the result of a major redesign of our best selling original Brooklyn Bridge.

mytek.audio