like the subject says advise required on head unit.

i want somethin that is double din, cd, mp3, cassete an radio.
which one r u runin and do u like it.
budget=$800 +- abit

i also thought that as i got a mid series head unit, the cassete, i could get a good cd unit and hook that up then run the main power through a switch and if i want to listen to cd flick it up and down for cassete, would this work. or is there an other way i should go abt it?
i'm after clarity and not all out power, so i'm not gonna get any amps or subs.
also i already got some pioneer 6' out the back, and need some for the front with abt $300-$400 to spend.
any recomendations
thanks ppls

Since the mid-series head units in the EF/ELs were manufactured by Alpine and feature an Alpine standard (M-BUS) CD stacker interface a cheap upgrade is simply to have an Alpine CHA-S634 CD/MP3 stacker fitted. This is what I'm running in my car and it meets my (admittedly quite modest) needs quite well.

i know abt the cd stacker,thanks for post, a mate has one but it just is'nt my cup of tea.
if any one knows if the switching idea will work or not, or if there is another less habib way of connecting the two, just worried it will cause surges and blow my speakers.

The idea will work in principle - those speaker switchboxes you see at places like d**k Smiths for Hi-Fi and P.A. use would be little more than a switch inside I'd imagine. The problem though is that the wiring will get fairly complex and less managable than it needs to be. If I'm understanding you correctly, you want to install a CD unit along side your existing cassette one then simply switch between them.

As I see it, you can either switch the main power as you suggest but then you'd have to fiddle about wiring the speakers to both units or switching the speakers to - which'll require a 4PDT (4 pole, dual throw. 1 pole for each speaker and a throw for each head unit) switch which will be a b**ch to solder up and mount too. Not to mention that both units are likely to have a radio which will be unnecessary duplication of what you already have. It'll get even more complicated again if you want to go to the trouble of fitting anti-thump circuits but I don't imagine these would be necessary unless you find yourself switching a lot.

Simply fitting something like an S634 would be cheap, easy and give you pretty much everything that you seem to need however since you've already rejected that suggestion I'm not going to go any further with it. Instead, I'll point you in the direction of something I saw in the latest Alpine catalogue: The CDA-W560E. It's double DIN, plays CDs, MP3s, WMAs and cassettes and is only a single unit - so no messy switching. According to the catalogue, it's normally $999 (in contrast, the MiniDisc version right next to it, which uses a technology that's even more dead than cassettes, is $1299) but it's apparently on special for $699 - within your stated budget. I can't vouch for its quality myself as I only first noticed yesterday (while looking into stuff for my earlier post actually) it's not something I'd consider buying but it may be worth looking into.

thanks will do

Just out of curisosity, why bother with the casette section at all?

In theory your idea would work, but like LSD said the wiring would become so unmanagable, it would be frustraing if you decide to upgrade.

gotta keep dad happy.