seeking advice: Where to buy head unit in banawe?

[millsguevarra]

Hello tsikoteers! Im planning to upgrade my Toyota Vios 1.3J's headunit from stock to something better. Now I went to banawe and didn't feel like all the shops where selling original items. (I had a bad gut feel about buying there)

Now can anyone tell me a shop that is sure to be trusted and can install my head unit without fail in banawe? Cos I heard some shops did a bad installation job such that you could hear static once the head unit is turned on.

Any help will be appreciated!

FYI, I'm looking for a head unit which has:
-mp3, usb, graphic equalizer (low to high pitch)

Pero responsibility ko na bumili ng brand at model. Just want to know a trusted shop. Thanks!

[jedi]

taga saan ka sir?kung dito sa south madali sana.

[shadow]

punta ka na lang sa tsikot shop!

[OTEP]

Yes, Tsikot shop is a good place to start.

If you are hell bent on Banawe, you can try C3 Audio Banawe near corner Dapitan. Ok ang prices.

However if you are looking for an indash monitor, Tsikot.com shop and other online vendors (you can PM me if you need ideas) can beat C3's prices.

No matter where I buy my head units, all my installs are handled by Jemson at 809 Banawe St.

If you are more daring, you can try to go to Raon. That's where we bought my friend's head unit for Php3,500SRP (he paid less kasi nakatawad pa siya). Can play DVD's (has a video out for the headrest/ceiling mount monitor), MP3, has iPOD capability, SD card, Aux-in, etc.
It won't win any sound off competitions, but for the price, my pal is satisfied. If I had excess cash lying around, I'd get one for our ambulance also.




This China made Soundlab head unit cost me Php9,000SRP online (may bawas pa after a little haggling) TV/DVD/MP3/SD/USB/IPOD/Backing camera ready/Subwoofer out/AUX in/Video out/etc...:


But if you wanna play safe, stick to buying from a store.

Btw, I don't own any shop.

[[archie]]

kung sa banawe, c-3 audio tapat ng dating dencios. prices are good and they are good with installation.

[userfriendly]

Other good shops in Banawe are: Candyshop, Jetcar and Maspro. Wont go wrong with any of them. The 3 are regulars in car shows and sound offs so no worries with install quality. Another shop that does decent work is Team Cars. Team, Candyshop and Jetcar are all beside each other near DOLE. Maspro is located in old banawe.

When buying headunits, ask them if its "bumbay". Thats the term they use for units that were not sold by the authorized distributor. Also ask them if it has local warranty. Parallel imports usually only have store warranty. This is very common with Pioneer and Alpine head units.

[millsguevarra]

Salamat sa lahat ng nagreply!

*jedi
Sir actually taga makati ako, pero I heard that I could get the best deals in banawe kahit medyo unsafe. May ok ba sa south?

*shadow
tsikot shop can beat banawe prices? wow! my first pay day is coming on the 20th of july. Will buy soon! fresh grad kasi from college. hehehe

*sir otep and userfriendly and archie
maraming salamat po. Now I know which shops to buy from and which to avoid. At sige "bumbay" gagamitin kong term.
By the way, I am not looking for a monitor, cos I do not watch inside my car. I think delikado din pag nagddrive tapos watching DVD diba? so sa bahay nalang may LED TV naman kami. All I really want is MP3,USB,good equalizer and sound quality. At long lifespan ng CD Reader

Thanks for all the comments! Will try tsikot shop kung mas mura nga dun. Sir OTEP PM ko kayo pag may sweldo na ko. hehe

[jhnkvn]

Any reason on why you want to change your stock head unit to an aftermarket one? Do you have any interests in sound quality? entertainment? etc.

[black ice]

sir try to visit Vios Club Phil. forums & pa member ka sigurado madami ka matutunan din dun just like here in tsikot..

[millsguevarra]

Any reason on why you want to change your stock head unit to an aftermarket one? Do you have any interests in sound quality? entertainment? etc.

*jhnkvn
Hi Sir! The primary reason would be MP3,USB capabilities. Cos the stock HU only has CD Player :| I can only burn 60 minutes worth of music into 1 CD which both a hassle and costly.

The other reasons would be for a better equalizer, I would like to be able to control the sounds that I hear better. (not only with Bass and Treble). One last which I am not so sure about is for better sound quality. Do aftermarket head units produce better sound? Or is it just the same as stock?

*black ice
actually member ako ng toyota club ph. though mas active ako dito sa tsikot hehe. Will try it out. Thanks!

[OTEP]

You PM Jedi for Tsikot.com store inquiries. He will be more than happy to assist you.

Medyo malapit kasi sakin ang Raon at Banawe so I usually browse there.

As for the monitor. I just use it to keep juvenile passengers quiet or to listen to TV shows on the road. There is a monitor off mode wherein only the audio part of the TV broadcasts are utilized.

My pal who bought the Php3,500 head unit from Raon also has no interest in car audio. He just wanted something to play his SD card and iPod on. We were surprised that the product is quite good for the price.

Bumbay, Hapon, Aleman, I really don't care. So long as functional and the price and quality are right. Hindi po audiophile grade ang tenga ko.

[jhnkvn]

Actually, you shouldn't be too scared of Banawe. The beauty of it is that most people know each other there so even a simple "saan ba pwede bumili ng headunit?" and they'll refer you to nearby shops.

You can opt for unknown brands or you can go for the usual Pioneer and Alpine head units. I believe that Pioneer has released so many products that you're bound to find one for your taste. Hell, magkamukha pa nga sila sobra that I have a hard time differentiating. It's your choice whether to risk buying cheaper but unknown products versus reputable but more expensive head units.

Aftermarket head units (especially those from Alpine, Pioneer, Eclipse, etc.) are better sounding versus, let's say, a stock Hyundai head unit. Stock head units tend to have factory pre-set equalizer settings (ex. Chevrolet has "bass boost" in the past I believe) and are limited in frequencies to protect the stock factory stereo (ex. your stock midbass can't go up to 60hz so the head unit doesn't bother processing it anymore). What aftermarket head units have is a flat EQ and full-range frequencies. Another benefit is better internal components.

More expensive aftermarket head units have heaps of features for the audiophile. Processing, time alignment, etc. but you wouldn't really need these. Fellow tsikoteers have already given reputable shops in Banawe like C3, Candyshop (kanila Nogs :D), Maspro, Jetcar, Goldcars malapit Serenitea, etc. You might want to drop by Perfect Circle too since they're the distributor of Alpine products in the Philippines.

Q: "Will I hear a difference between stock versus aftermarket head units?"
A: You will hear a difference but it isn't much. It's to the point of bordering "no difference" if you aren't really used to critical listening. So focus on the features rather.

And to rest your fears, most Banawe shops offer re-installation if any issue arises naman so don't worry much about it.

[millsguevarra]

*OTEP

sa totoo lang malayo ako sa Banawe kasi taga makati ako. Just want to buy there because I heard they had various products at the cheapest prices. Ingat lang daw sa mga bumbay, hapon, etc. haha.

And oh yes that is one more feature I want. IPod ready I'll probably buy from tsikot store once I have my first pay day since most are saying it can beat banawe prices. Thanks po!

*jhnkvn
(side comment, ang pogi ng ride niyo sir Sonata! drooool :>)

Ill probably go with pioneer since I also heard (from banawe people) that they have the most accessible service stations in PH (for warranty purposes). And alpine is quite expensive. Also, I'm quite an audiophile, I am able to detect even the slightest difference in sound. haha. Naiinis nga ako kapag yung speaker ng Vios ko nag vivibrate na kasi lakas ng BASS. Will opt to get pionner Head Unit i guess then upgrade my speakers later on.

Salamat sa lahat ng input mga sir! I will make a list of these reputable stores just in case I go to Banawe, but as of now, might as well try the Tsikot shop since most comments suggests doing so. (I hope they have warranty)

My questions have been fully answered! Thank you tsikoteers and I hope may iba ring natulungan ang mga inquiries ko! Thanks!

[african888]

any updates kung ano nabili mo and saan ka nakabili?

[desert fox]

any updates kung ano nabili mo and saan ka nakabili?

lakasan mo bro, di ka nya nadidinig sa lakas ng bagong sound system nya....nyahaha...jk.

[Fargin]

Try evangelista also, dun ko nabili sa autogard yung deh-1150mp ko for 4k mga 2 yrs ago...

[Fotonista]

Sa Evangelista may mga mura nga din daw, though I am not that familiar with the stores.

As for the shops in Banawe, I buy my items kay Jetcar, C3, Ginza but first time ko makipag transact kay Blueline... All I cna say is grabe yung price niya, UNBEATABLE!!!

I got a brandnew Pioneer AVH-3250DVD. It has the Pioneer Phils. warranty sticker seal of the box, in and out serial number (not bumbay unit) and installation was clean. Mervin (the owner) is very good to deal with, I got the AVH-3250DVD for only 13K free install. It was really a BANG FOR THE BUCK!

The shop is very near Phil Orthopedic. He has other items for sale too that are dirt cheap.

note: I am not related to the owner, I am just one happy costumer who wants to share the experience.

[african888]

any comments on CDR king HUs? meron sila 2.5k,dvd/usb/aux

[ronan_rr]

If you are more daring, you can try to go to Raon. That's where we bought my friend's head unit for Php3,500SRP (he paid less kasi nakatawad pa siya). Can play DVD's (has a video out for the headrest/ceiling mount monitor), MP3, has iPOD capability, SD card, Aux-in, etc.
It won't win any sound off competitions, but for the price, my pal is satisfied. If I had excess cash lying around, I'd get one for our ambulance also.

Doc, looks like the one your friend bought in Raon and the one being sold in CD-R King is the same. Rebranded lang??? They exactly look the same. ...
CD-R King Unit


CDR KING