[mrclean]

I was wondering, I have a 1994 Ford Taurus Gl. It doesn't have a cd player, it still has the stock radio. However since my car has the center column shifter, I don't have the coin holders. So there is a big empty space under the radio, (cover broke off). So, I was wondering if I could put a CD player under the stock radio, so I don't lose the ability to use the Volume controls/mem/seek controls right next to the gauges. If so, what kind of stuff is involved to do this. To add to that, is there any special adapters needed to hook it up, or could I use the stock wires to hook it up? Also, to add to that note, whats a decent CD Player, that isn't super expensive. I'm not looking to build some crazy sound system, just looking to add a decent Cd Player. Preferably under like 130 dollars or so...but if I have to pay more than that to get a decent one, so be it.

 

[stever]

i'd say you're better off getting a new cd player. you could get an ok 1 for $130.

 

[silverknight]

u can go find the mustang or sho radios with cd player underneath..... that way, u have buttons, cd player, and tape player still. and have it look stock

 

[CometGSR]

I looked into this once before..

If you have premium sound, you can do this without any problems. Go to Car-part and do a search for Taurus radios with CD player. There you will find all sorts of yards that have these in stock. Just make sure that they send you the harness that goes in between the head unit and the CD player. You can find these on ebay also.

If you don' thave premium sound, forget it. Buy an aftermarket deck. Its a pain in the butt to add Premium sound to a car that doesn't have it already.

One thing about the OEM CD players from 1992-1998 (and maybe newer), they do not encode MP3 disks. Which means you have to change to format to .wav in order to play the disks. This isn't a big deal really.

I hope this helps,

 

[mrclean]

Thanks, I might look into getting a stock one, then again, if I lose the capability of using the volume controls, its all good. I'm not sure if it has the premium sound, is there a particular way to tell?

 

[silvapain]

Crutchfield sells a DIN unit that is just a CD player, not a HU. It's primarily for people who lease, and want a CD player, but can destroy the stock stereo. I don't know the cost or what's involved in the install; I just wanted to let you know it's out there.

 

[GreyGhost]

Anybody know where I can get just the audio and power cables to hook the cd player to the radio? Some idiot stole my mothers cd and tape heads and I got stock replacements for really cheap that I know are good, but I can not find those cables. I was gonna start a thread about this...great timing. She has a 95 w/premium sound. I've heard the cables are interchangeable with 94-98 Mustangs.

If I have to I will just buy her the same one I put in my bull, but this is the easier way for just a talk radio and sometimes cd listener.
I can post a pic if it will help.

 

[qwertz9586]

I think that if your cassette player says "Automatic" on the front somewhere, it's the premium sound stereo.

I think those Mustangs do use the same radios our cars use so it should work. The junkyard is a great place to get them for a very low price.

 

[CometGSR]

I do know that most any radio from 1992-1998 will fit our cars as long as it looks the same. I even had a radio from a funky 97 Aspire work in a Probe with no problems. All you have to do is look at the pins on the back to make sure they match.

All premuim sound cassette players look like this:
Premium Sound

All Non-Premium sound cassettes look like this:
Non-Premium sound

This will work also if you want a premium CD player all-in-one:Premium Stereo All-in-1

I looked into this for hours when I was going to try to add premium sound to my Aspire. Ford radios are really not that bad unless you plan on adding an amp or go overboard with extras. I like the stock appearence so people are more apt to not steal your stuff.

Anyway, I think most newer aftermarket decks are ugly and distracting.

 

[CometGSR]

QUOTE

Anybody know where I can get just the audio and power cables to hook the cd player to the radio? Some idiot stole my mothers cd and tape heads and I got stock replacements for really cheap that I know are good, but I can not find those cables. I was gonna start a thread about this...great timing. She has a 95 w/premium sound. I've heard the cables are interchangeable with 94-98 Mustangs.

If I have to I will just buy her the same one I put in my bull, but this is the easier way for just a talk radio and sometimes cd listener.
I can post a pic if it will help.[/b]

Go to Car-Part.com and do a search or call a junk yard. They may or may not sell you the cable you need. Most want you to buy the radio too but with u-pulls, its hard to tell.

 

[mrclean]

Yeah, I definately have the non-premium one

, oh well, I guess I'll just keep the stock radio, because with a new CD-Player....it probably would be dragged down by the lousy stock system...

 

[CometGSR]

After someone stole my POS Sony Xplod reciever, I decided that stock was the way to go. My days of booty bass blasting ended 10 years ago so I really didn't need such an outragous cd player.

I went out and got an FM Modulated CD changer and it worked great for me. They play with your normal FM radio and the sound is good for a basic system. I was never upset about the sound quality.

I have one for sale for cheap if you are interested. Its a 10 Disc changer with a wired remote. I was going to put it in my GENIII but decided to go with a factory one since it was an easy install. PM me if you are interested.

 

[CometGSR]

Recently, there have been questions about factory GEN2 stereo upgrades here so I made up a website to explain the differences between premium and non-premium sound factory stereos. I also added a bit about possible upgrades people can do.

I plan on adding to the site as time goes on. I also made this for the Aspire page so it would apply to both.

Ford Factory Audio FAQ

I hope you find this useful. As always, comments are appreciated.

 

[Twilight]

I disagree with "upgrading" to any sort of stock system. Aftermarket doesn't have to mean insanely amazing super omg holy crap. I mean the most basic of basic upgrades could consist of a $100 Pioneer deck (which you could probably get cheaper on Ebay) and four super cheap Pioneer or Sony speakers. This would give you very, very good sound quality and you will laugh when you hear someone else's stock system.

If you are really into music I'd suggest doing that. Even buy used, keep an eye on the local papers too. You could probably get a complete aftermarket setup for like $80 that would sound more than decent.

If you just want to fill that hole, you can get a DIN filler from Ford for a few bucks. A lot of people have put gauges in theirs or just used it to cover up the hole. An alternative is to snatch a cupholder and coinholder combo off a Gen 1 in the junkyard and use that to fill the hole.

 

[qwertz9586]

My aftermarket stereo sounds pretty good on the stock speakers when using CD mode, but AM/FM sounds about the same. You could fill the gap with a SHO storage bin.

 

[CometGSR]

I can understand what you are saying but I have to disagre. I like the stock look to my car and I think that stock systems have come a long way from the late 80's/90's POS systems they used to have.

I like to keep my cars looking stock whenever possible. I am not a big fan of the looks of most aftermarket radios. They don't blend into the interior very well. My Sony Xplod looked awful in my Aspire. It looked so out of place that someone stole it from my dash. My old Kenwood KDC-7003 was nice enough to put in any car, but the new Kenwoods look like something from Star Trek.

Its just what I think,

 

[Twilight]

Stock systems are certainly better than they were before, and Ford (ok Visteon lol) makes better head units than GM (AC Delco), but I still think the factory head unit just lacks the solid audio reproduction. And building around it is a pain (which is what I've had to do because of the digital climate controls) with an amp and speakers...now if I want to listen to cd's I have to either a) go with an FM modulated changer which will not give me perfect CD quality sound, or

buy a factory changer which costs about double the price, won't read mp3s, and will inevitably break because it's a bad design to begin with.

There are some decks that don't look bad at all. Sony makes some okay looking ones that will fit in with your interior somewhat. Pioneer has some decent cheapies too that don't stick out like a sore thumb. And then there's always Alpine/Clarion which is about all function and not so much looking insane. Also, check out Nakamichi head units, they look stock as anything, and the Panasonic Ghost Panels are really cool too, and look like nothing when they are off.

 

[CometGSR]

My Wife's Villager comes with a Alpine (it says it on the cassette door) designed Ford stereo installed with the CD changer in the dash. That is a great design. The sound is right up there with the aftermarkets for sure. I am sure it could use better speakers but it really doesn't sound bad.

I really do think that most stock systems would sound better if they had more advanced speakers installed. Dual cone speakers really suck. I had my Kenwood in my 1992 Taurus after having it in my Festiva, Tempo, Aspire #1 and Probe and the head unit sounded the worse in the 1992 Taurus. If I turned the bass position up it would pop the door speakers really bad.

So you don't have a CD player installed at all? What about those aftermarket ones that plug into the unit in the trunk?

 

[Twilight]

I thought about it but production on these seems to be limited horribly. By the time it gets shipped, crosses the border, and then Canadian customs taxes me, I'm paying almost dealer price ($400).

I read on V8SHO.com, the Mach speakers Ford uses in the "up level" system are worth around US$20 each. Way to go Ford.

 

[CometGSR]

You can get them on ebay pretty reasonable. I am not sure how good they are but they are.. He has a 10 and a 6 disc version. I was considering getting one. What do you think?

CD Changa!