Who Listens to a Stereo in their Cab'd Tractor?

[CoolTech]

I purchased my Kioti DK4210SE Cab tractor about 18 months ago. It came with "OEM" rear speakers in the headliner and pre-wired for a stereo. At first I thought the idea of a stereo was kind of frivolous. However, I soon found a Kioti-compatible stereo for ~$90 on Ebay. It took about 15 minutes to install it and since that time I must admit that I have enjoyed having some music playing while I "work". I keep a few hundred songs on a USB stick and I always found myself plugging that USB-stick in while letting the tractor warm up. Fast forward until present time and that $90 stereo has really turned out to be a piece of crap. Mind you, the thing is "traditional" size car stereo - but it is a mere 1" or less deep. Basically, nothing is in it. As time went on the left and right channel would intermittently go out and then any rough jar would pause the USB playback. Ugh. So I looked again on Ebay for "Kioti Stereos" and found that there's a new unit out (with the Continental name) and in corresponding with the seller, it is supposed to be a big improvement. So I purchased one and it has arrived. It too is less-deep than a conventional car stereo which helps it to fit in the headliner - but it still is a good 4-5" deep and significantly heavier that the first one. Fingers crossed. But now I have gone a little stupid. The stock speakers in the Kioti headliner are 4" in diameter and weigh about 4-5 ounces. Think transistor radio speakers. Tinny and way too sharp to be right by your head. So, I looked around and found that there's a large variety of drop-in 4" speakers available. I used amazon and bought a pair of highly-rated (Kicker brand) 4" speakers for a whopping $59. They should arrive in the next day or so - but I am hoping they are literally drop-ins. But then, having read a lot of positive reviews of these speakers virtually all recognized that they are still 4" speakers. So I need a subwoofer. Back to Amazon in search of a very small (not a teenager boom-boom subwoofer) I once again found a few choices - with good reviews. So I ordered one of those too. In total, everything cost about $400.... but I hope to have a very "adequate" stereo to make the cab all that more pleasant to spend time in!

Who else has done something to improve the sound in their cab? Any regrets?

 

[steve tym]

TYM with factory radio and speakers. It's on all the time.
New speakers would probably make a major improvement.
Curious about the subwoofer.

 

[K5lwq]

The Branson stereo was junk as well as the speakers. Upgraded mine and it is amazing the difference. I hardly listen to it but got it for the blue tooth hands free calling. But have listened to the music a few times now that it sounds good.

 

[Lineman North Florida]

I think my AM/FM stereo/CD player is a Jensen with factory John Deere speakers, I play it all the time.

 

[grsthegreat]

I use mine all the time. Mind you, i wear hearing protectors also, but can hear radio just fine.

 

[RjCorazza]

I replaced my Kubota OEM stereo a few years ago with a inexpensive radio with Bluetooth. I also replaced the speakers with slightly higher wattage, but the same size.
Sounds good now!

 

[grsthegreat]

My dk45 came with a pretty good Panasonic system, dvd player with ipod adapter in side cup holder area. Never had to swap it out. Sounds fine. Had to replace antenna once though.

 

[number two]

As much as like a radio,I passed on installing one in the tractor cab.
Figured I'd better be listening for stuff that I might not hear with the radio on.
Enjoy your tunes!

 

[WM75Guy]

My NH WM75 comes standard with radio and speakers. I have 4 hours of music on a flash drive. The sound quality is excellent. When the music starts over it is usually time to take a break.

 

[CoolTech]

Great that I am not alone in liking to have a little music. As a couple of you have said, Bluetooth is a real bonus - whether you like the radio or not, at least you can connect your phone! K5lwq - your set-up looks really nice. Some small coaxial speakers are inexpensive and a BIG upgrade for sound.

The subwoofer I ordered is the Kenwood KSC-SW11. It has an option for speaker-level inputs which I'll need, it is small, and it has pretty good reviews.