[MikeM7]

Originally Posted by keithr

I do not like these double-din non-touchscreen units. I think they're ugly as all get-out and ruin the aesthetics of the vehicle. Ask yourself what you're really looking for in this head unit...

Features? You're going to give up HD Radio and satellite radio, if those matter to you... although you can add the satellite radio as an option if you want it. You'll obviously lose any benefits of the full color LCD like album art, NAV (I'm assuming you don't care about that), etc. That HU also only has 2V preouts, which, while adequate, are not going to give you the best signal for clean sound.

Honestly, the only things I ever use on the stock head unit are usb and audio ports for music from my phone or thumb drive, next folder/album, next track, and volume.. so I'm mostly concerned with aesthetics and not so much with features. The only real must is that it has to have options to turn all backlighting/wallpaper red to match the rest of the interior.

I want something that looks really good, and performs well without needing to mess with a ton of features. The only feature I can think of that I really want is blue tooth.

I would definitely appreciate the extra storage space.

Originally Posted by keithr

By this, I assume you mean the OEM Audio+ system?

Well, I haven't heard the OEM Audio+ Reference 400CF in person, but the components you listed above really aren't going to compare to the full OEM Audio+ system. The price tag alone should indicate a pretty significant difference between the two... the OA+ package includes a subwoofer and much more powerful amplifiers with DSP to correct some sound oddities off the factory deck. The OA+ package gets really good reviews in terms of improving the sound quality inside the BRZ. Again, though, I haven't heard it myself.

Yes, I was referring to the two packages, I think one is 600ish and the other is like 1k or 1500. I'd heard that you are mostly paying for the plug and play convenience and not so much for quality.

Originally Posted by keithr

I was able to score all of that for probably 50% of retail pricing and I did the work myself. Still not cheap, but in my opinion, a MUCH more potent bang for the buck and it sounds AWESOME.

How'd you get such good prices?

Originally Posted by keithr

Determine what your wants/needs are for the project. Budget? Superb sound quality or just a step up from stock? Features? etc. Use that list to drive your decisions on the what and how.

I want a significant improvement over stock, but am not looking for perfection. Budget is flexible, I'm in a good financial position, but I just don't think I need to spend more than 600-800 for the substantial improvement I'm looking for, especially since I'm not planning on a sub in the trunk.

I'm less concerned with price though, and more concerned with getting the most value for the money.

Thanks very much for your helpful replies. To be completely honest I'm getting to the end of my mods and am exhausted with reading and researching, and I've been working 11 hour shifts the last few weeks, so the easier this can be made the better. I might just end up copying someone else's set up to make this less painful lol.