Richard Steinfeld

Now, I'm thinking about replacing the stock Hyundai radio in my
Sonata. The car's a 2000; the radio is a high-end (for Hyundai)
#H935. I believe that the size is known as a "double DIN" -- in
other words, I think, a DIN-sized radio but twice as tall.

I'm interested in acceptable radio performance and good cassette
tape playback. CD players in cars turn me off because those that
I've seen are all designed to damage the CDs. This Hyundai radio
is no different. It also has a CD changer. I've had a similar
changer mechanism apart (from a high-end home stereo brand), and
I feel that it's certain to self-destruct. One is much better off
with a single-disk setup.

The Hyundai radio also doesn't have Dolby for the tapes. There
are very few any car stereos that have been made with Dolby (for
which the maker must pay a paltry sum for a licensed Dolby chip).
(Ironically, my cheapskate Ford's OE radio had it.) "Dolbyized"
tapes (in othe words, all commercially-made music tapes) sound
screwy when played back without Dolby circuitry.

I've got a regular DIN stereo sitting in my garage that I used in
a different car. It's got Dolby, a 5-band equalizer, and an
honest output of about 7.5 watts per channel -- plenty for a car.
It sounds good. I'd bought it on a dare from JC Whitney and
lucked out (I don't recommend buying a car stereo this way). It's
a decent radio; ironically, it bears a trademark that violates
the ownership of that trademark -- it's a fake of the brand
that's on it. And yet a decent car stereo -- go figure. I'm
interested in putting this one in my Hyundai.

I'd like some tips about what to do to humanize the installation
if I want to replace the present Hyundai stereo with one that's
half the size.

Thanks.

Richard