Let me first state that I don't have any pictures yet...but I will. What I saw, in an A4 of course, was an Eclipse head unit that had a VCR and TV tuner hooked to it. Of course, it could also play a CD or a cassette tape as well. The screen was where the air conditioning controls and OEM stereo use to be...It had a custom designed mounting plate (where the wood is in the 2.8s). The air conditioning controls were moved to where the ashtray now sits. It looked AWESOME!!! (btw, I know I use that word too much). Besides the head unit...it had all speakers replaced with very high end units. I will list all the components when I got a list from Simon, the cars owner and Stereo shop owner. It also had woofers in the floor panel "in the front" (yes, I said front). The driver side and passenger side floor was raised 1.5" to be able to accept the speakers. It had four amps, with the works. And one of the best things was...He still had his OEM spare tire..in its regular spot, and could fit his golf clubs in the trunk!!! Future plans include adding a DVD player and making the thing look good enough for the car shows. <p>I would not go and grab your checkbooks as of yet though...the Eclipse head unit costs over $2K alone. <p>Hopefully, I will do a full write up on this car...(btw, it is TAP Stage 3 or 4, Scorpion Exhaust, 18" wheels...blah...blah...blah) and put it on the NorCal A4 Club page, with photos.<p>Man, that was truly incredible. On the screen I watched the movie Titanic for awhile...and then watched regular TV for about 5 more minutes.<p>Lastly, the install...on and off....was about 3 weeks.<p>Sorry for rambling.<p>Steve S.<br>97 2.8QM

eclipse also makes an single din unit. it only is a tuner so you have to buy a cd changer, but it beats changing the dash configuration. also, the single din folds into the dash so know one can see it(the screen) unless you want them to. you can control the volume and such while it's in stealth mode. i think it's about 1200 bucks and another 300 hundred for the changer. if you really want to fill that ashtray area you can get the in dash 6 disc changer from eclipse. i've got a new passat with the red and blue lights, and this is the best alternative to keeping the color scheme. i really want the sony md, which is alot cheaper, but the green and orange lights are very unattractive.( i know thats trivial, but sue me)

does eclipse have a web page?? please post. tia

A few months ago, before I bought my A4, I went around Bellevue(east of Seattle) looking for a new head unit. The Eclipse unit is very nice, especially since it's DIN sized. They also have a 6-disk changer that is DIN sized. I almost put my money down for the Eclipse fold-out TV($1000). But I didn't. A week or two later I saw the Kenwood DIN sized unit. This one had a built in CD player and came with its own tuner. The price tag is $2500. This isn't bad seeing as it already has a CD player and comes with a Tuner that can be wrapped around a back window. I put my name on the waiting list. My name never came up though..there were 10 people on the list! Last I heard it has been discontinued. I'm still looking for one though!

the screen is about 5" X 7"...I don't know what the size is...but it is not OEM DIN size. It can be adjusted, by tilting it, to your desired viewing pleasure. If you move the screen away, you see a CD slot and a cassette slot. The only thing I could imagine to make this set-up totally perfect would be a 10-12 CD changer. The clarity of the screen is on par with very good portable PC screens. Again, I will ask him to totally clean up the car and I will take pictures of it. Most of us will not go to this length, but it is one to aspire to. Definitely the end of the bell shaped curve. Cost...just a SWAG here, but I would guess about $6K for the stereo, and another $6K for the modifications to the car itself (H&R coilovers, 18" BBS wheels, SP8000 235/40/18 tires, TAP Stage 3 or 4, Scorpion exhaust, clear corners, side markers, tinted windows, etc.)<p>Again, pics will follow when I get a chance to check out that car again.<p>Steve S.<br>97 2.8QM <p>P.S. All of a sudden the OEM stereo doesn't sound so hot... :-(

Eclipse builds a much higher quality product than Sony, IMO. I use to work for a well known Audio/Video Store, and Nakamichi and Sony were the two products with the highest failure rate. Atleast at that time. The store I worked for at the time did not carry Eclipse, but soon after I left there, I bought Eclipse components elsewhere (at cost from a friend at another stereo shop), and then went back to the store I had worked for to show another friend who was the Manager there. Even he told me he thought the Eclipse was a better product, with a better warranty (three years) than anything he carried, including Alpine. To top it off, he concluded by saying that carrying Eclipse would destroy their extended warranty program, which is a big money maker, and that was one of the reasons they didn't carry them. This was only one reason why he soon left also. Anyway, I don't regret having purchased the Eclipse equipment, and intend to continue purchasing Eclipse in the future.<p>Charles<br>

System sounding bad? Go out and get that Eclipse stuff, minus the TV. It's not useful at the track events anyway! Unless, of course, you like driving in the dirt! :-) Seriously though, I can't say enough good things about Eclipse products. They are superb! :-)<p>Charles<br>

I've recently installed the Clarion VRX8271, it is a DIN sized unit that folds out with a touch of a button and flips up with a 5" screen. I've got the TV tuner and VCR installed. I'm very pleased with the unit. It has an input for a NAV system, I may eventually add that and a play station or something.<p>Check out Clarion's website... The VRX8271 is located in the "multimedia" section.<p>Jason<p>P.S. I'll post some pictures when I get a chance...<br>

Can you change the display color to red on the eclipse? I've also been looking at the Blaupunkt 7 series models on the web which can display in red. Check it out at:<p>http://www.blaupunktusa.com/newsite/keycard.htm<p>has anyone seen one of these for sale? if so how did it sound? Any idea on the cost?<p>Thanks<br>Chris (1.8TQMS shipping out of Houston on 12/31!)

Last post didn't take the URL link. Here it is again:<p>http://www.eclipse-web.com/<p>

I think he had the 7301....check out the link.<p>Steve S.<br>97 2.8QM<ul><li><a href="http://www.eclipse-web.com/product/index.html">Link to a pic of the Eclipse head unit</a></li></ul>

i had Eclipse components (5-1/4" mid-bass in factory door location, 3" mid in factory tweeter location and 1" tweeter mounted to door) and an Eclipse head (don't remember the part #) in my '95 GTi. ran a 4-channel amp to the speakers and a powered sub in the hatch. the imaging was very good and the clarity was great considering the price. i would definitely consider Eclipse again.<p>i miss the system in the GTi. the concert stereo sucks. but i'm too poor right now to do the upgrade. still recovering from the down payment and moving to a more expensive apartment.<p>JamesD<br>'99 A4 1.8tqms - crappy stereo<br>'71 Chevy Nova - dual 10", 6-1/2" + 1" in doors and 4" mid in center of dash...over 1000W RMS <--- not too shabby

Innovative Audio is just off NE 20th (Northup Way) in Bellevue, on the corner of NE 20th and I believe 130th, or about 4-5 blocks west of Bellevue Acura and Car Toys on the same side of the street. They have a neon sign and it's in a pretty big building, but it's back aways from the road, and on a hill. I think there is a boat place in there too. There is also an Arco station across NE 20th from them. They are worth finding if you want custom work done. They do a lot of celebrity cars and what not, and are well practiced with different materials such as fiberglass and what not. Hope this helps!<p>Charles<p>

.d

...that Skip Barber used to do racing schools there. The only reason I know that is that I was once planning on going, but couldn't find the thousands of $$$ required! :-(<p>Charles<p>PS: Yes, there may be something at Bremerton also, but isn't Bremerton just a rinky dink oval or something?