I am an empeg newbie and am expecting to get my rio car player next week. I plan on installing it into my 94 Chevy S10 pickup, and was wondering if I should do it myself or have a business like car toys install it for me. Has anybody installed an empeg into a 94 or equivalent S10?

Also I am looking for an in-dash cd player with aux in to support my empeg (I don't really want to go the separate amp route), does anybody have any suggestions on which cd player to get?

Thanks,
Will

Congrats on your new toy. Make sure to read through the FAQ at www.riocar.org to cover all the basic questions.

If you've never installed a car stereo before, you probably should have a pro do it. More info in the FAQ.

Have a long hard think about wether you want an in dash cd player unless you have double din slot i had a cd player hooked up to the aux of the empeg and i got rid of it due to the fact it was never used. Empegers don't really use cd players.

Also to get a decent head unit you are looking about the same money as an amp and cables.

As to wether you want to install it your self that is basially what you are happy doing. There is no great mystery to it if you are happy taking the trim out of your car running cables and then putting it back no problem that is about the hardest part. The empeg is no different from any other car player to install it is just how it operates that is different planet to the norm.

The only other tip i would give is if you own a laptop or even think you might at some point i would run either a USB cable or an ethernet cross over cable to behind the player in the dash so if you want it it is there waiting for you. As running cables as i said is the hardest bit.

Well I do at least want to be able to receive radio stations, and since the rio car tuner is now out of stock, it looks like I would have to get a second head unit. Unless someone knows of another way to get AM/FM.

i have faith in hugo getting a tuner solution worked out

If you have a double-DIN dash opening, then the two-stereo route is actually quite nice. You can have a CD player with a tuner, and the empeg running into the CD player. Installation is usually pretty easy in that situation.

Well my Chevy has almost a double-DIN dash opening, but there is a storage opening at the bottom of the radio that comes out too, making the radio opening larger than double-DIN. So there is no question about the components fitting, it is just a question about finding the correct mounting hardware to make everything fit and look perfect in my dash.

Unfortunately, unless they've changed it, the S-10 series has that oh-so-fun 1.5DIN opening. My wife has one and I'm still trying to figure out what to do. (I know the options, I'm just not happy with any of them.)

1.5din now that is totally chocolate teapot

Hey, at least it vaguely complies to some vague standard, instead of all the new custom fit round things you see in so many new cars. And there are actually some units designed to fit in that slot, and some half-height EQs and whatnot. But it's remarkably inconvenient, nonetheless.

Hah. ``Chocolate teapot.'' Never heard that one before. Maybe because hot tea isn't popular here in the Southern US. No! We have to drink coffee, which, as a friend of mine once said, tastes like burnt water.

chocolate teapot
chocolate fireguard
ashtray on a motor bike

some of my favorite sayings along with FUBAR and SNAFU

I shall see if anyone knows those

I had a '93 Typhoon, and it had the same sized DIN. I've also had a '98 Sonoma with the same sized DIN. The problem I had with the Typhoon (not sure if '94 is the same as '93) was that the opening was not deep enough for my Kenwood receiver, and may not be deep enough for the empeg. You may need one of those ugly adaptors that allows it to stick out from the dash. I got the adaptor from Circuit City, but that was also back in 1997.

In my '98 Sonoma, the opening was deep enough, and the single DIN adaptor I got actually looked pretty good installed. It was a shame to waste that space with a blank, though.

-Daver

The dash is too shallow for the empeg so I do need to get an extender kit. Oh well. Now time, rjf, and I just need to figure out how to make two extender kits work in my car.

-Will