Looking to replace the factory radio in the '65 VC and/or '66 4-4-2. Anyone know this unit? Other recommendations?
RetroSound Hermosa M2A (Chrome buttons) Digital media receiver for classic cars — does not play CDs at Crutchfield

 

I have the long beach model in my car and it works great. Best bluetooth connectivity of any car we have.

 

Just finished installing RetroSound Hermosa in my 66 Cutlass convertible. I just seemed to run into issues. One thing for sure is don't over tighten things when told not to in the assembly instructions. I still don't understand why the spindles are so sensitive. That said, its all done and has good sound. It takes some reading to make adjustments for your sound preferences.

What are your plans for speakers? I have only one speaker and thats in the dash. Its a bear to remove the old one and replace with the new one.

I purchased mine directly from RetroSound because you can access technical people directly.
and for warranty issues you are dealing directly with Retro.

Hope it works out for you.

Wayne

 

I'm getting ready to install a Long Beach in my '72 along with a small amp.

I will tell you from much aftermarket experience, get the best speakers you can afford if you want the best shot at good sound. Alpine, Morel, Focal, etc. all make great coaxial speakers in various sizes (I'd avoid the dash speaker, not the best option for good sound placement or speaker choices). All the above choices are available through Crutchfield as well so worth reading up on them.

if the aftermarket makes front kick panels for your model w/speaker enclosures molded in, I'd get those - they're typically set up for 6.5" round speakers, which gives you plenty of speaker options - simply note the maximum bottom depth you can fit in them without hitting the inner fender and pick your speakers accordingly.

cheap speakers will make your radio sound flat. Also, make sure your speakers are 4-ohm rated (most car speakers are but there are exceptions (such as infinity brand). Aftermarket stereos typically won't operate properly on less than 4-ohm rated speakers.

 

Man does that radio look like a cheap pos. Looks like an electronics shop project. I would look further than a Crutchfield catalog.

 

Suggestions? I wouldn't expect there to be bunches of aftermarket units, this isn't the 70's.

 

as I'm also in the resarch pahse:
https://www.classiccarstereos.com/ol...le-radios.html

 

Unfortunately, our direct-fit options are limited - Custom Autosound, Retrosound and Antique Automobile Radio (short of having an original radio gutted and converted to the same upgraded audio electronics inside the original radio body, assuming your button and dial mechanics are still working properly after 50 years...)

Crutchfield is arguably the best aftermarket supplier there is but their choices are sometimes limited by market demand and in our case, they sell way more car audio to the newer markets than ours.

Even so, unless you want to cut an original dash up for a newer single-DIN radio (or stash one in an under-dash console or glove-box), this is what ya get. Like I said, add the best speakers you can afford and even better, install at least a small amp with it to get the best result available.

 

Mount a din radio under the dash. You can disguise it if it really matters. I would much rather a quality din radio than that. WOW!! Look at that junk?? Sorry. Makes eighties Sparkomatic's look like quality. Years and years in the car stereo world. I will never have junk in my cars.

If I find some old school shafted radios I will share here first.

 

I've got that unit in my '76 Cutlass. Overall, I'm happy with it, very good sound and options, but I have to say not very impressed with the quality. The ***** and outer rings won't stay on very well, and the spindles (for the *****) are not very sturdy (they're separate from the main unit, mounted on the thin frame faceplate and connected only by a cat5 cable). I've also noticed the controls are a bit squirrely; they tend to jump around when you try to dial in different options (like a radio station, tone settings, etc.) Took awhile to install correctly too!
Overall, not bad, but maybe not worth that price. definitely shop around.

james

 

I’m sending my am fm to turnswitch.com , I’ve looked at the repros….

 

I put the M1A in for a road trip and love it. The controls take a bit of getting used to but it looks stock and sounds good! I swapped the rear 4x10s for budget JBL 6x9s in boxes and put in new 2.5” speakers in the dash for balance. My car is a pile but I didn’t want to spend a week with a radio with blown speakers and stuck tuning.

Audiophile/competition quality? Heck no.
Good cruising sound with an Aux input? Yup!

The one you’re asking about is a higher model and should be even better. Installation is tedious but easy. If I recall there isn’t a constant 12v going to the factory unit so you’ll need to add one. I was in a hurry and tapped the cigarette lighter but that hums (alternator whine) when charging phone and using the Aux so probably best to run to fuse box or battery with a fuse.
I used the wire nuts from Crutchfield and had it done it under 3 hours piddling around.

 

This is the RetroSound Hermosa radio installed in my 66 Cutlass convertible. I think it looks fine as a replacement for the original AM that was in there. Sure does play a lot better.


Wayne

 

I finally got around to installing my new Retrosound Laguna Beach model along with an Alpine KTP-445U amp (45wpc) - while I was at it, I upgraded my front kick panel speakers to Alpine R-S65.2 - 6.5" coaxials (I have a pair of Morel Maximo Ultra 502 - 5.5" coaxials mounted in the upper rear convertible piston covers

The Retrosound radios come in pieces - you have to assemble the control head, brackets and operating shafts yourself but all of that only takes a few minutes to bolt together. The mounting brackets offer plenty of operating shaft locating adjustment room to center the radio into your dash opening. The operating shafts are fully threaded as well so you can set their depth in the bracket behind the dash to where the radio *****/dials sit near flush with the dash surface.

I tested the radio without amp connected first, just for sound quality comparison and to rule out any inherent ignition noise transmission (i.e. electrical whine) - without an amp it sounded decent enough for general mid volume listening (you really can't go cheap on speakers for any of these aftermarket radios or they sound flat / shallow). But the amp really richened it up to where even low volume listening was much more well balanced in bass/treble differentiation.

I also ensured everything was well grounded and installed noise filters separately off the radio and the alternator to ensure a noise-free audio output.

With amp set for mid-gain front and rear I can cleanly power the volume up well into the 30's without any notable sound distortion (a definite plus for topless road trips!)

Setting the radio functions (stations, sound and fader controls, etc.) is simple and for the most part I'm only using the AUX inputs for my console-mounted Sirius tuner and MP3 player.