Forget Apple CarPlay, Bluetooth streaming and giant touchscreen displays. Hayes-based specialist Car Audio Security is looking back to a time when in-car entertainment meant cassette decks, banks of physical buttons and head units costing hundreds of pounds.
The UK installer has created an extensive retro audio display in its showroom, with a new video on its CASTV YouTube channel offering a closer look at three classic Pioneer head units spanning the late 1980s to the mid-1990s.
Watch the video here:
Presented by CEO Raj Sangha, the video compares the Pioneer KHM-9000RDS from 1989, the KHM-9500RDS from around 1992 and the KHP-9200RDS from 1995. All three are cassette-based units, but their features show just how quickly in-car entertainment was evolving.
The 1989 model features a full-logic cassette deck, automatic reverse, music search and Radio Data System (RDS) support. Its removable mechanism could be taken out of the dashboard and carried away, providing an early form of anti-theft protection – a reminder of an era when leaving your stereo in the car could be an invitation to thieves.
By around 1992, Pioneer had introduced a larger display, Dolby B and C noise reduction and more extensive connectivity. The KHM-9500RDS also offered three RCA pre-outs for front, rear and subwoofer connections, allowing owners to build a more elaborate system around the head unit.
The 1995 KHP-9200RDS brought a colour display, further refinements and increased built-in power, rated at 4 x 50W. It retained cassette playback while offering CD-changer control, reflecting a transitional period when drivers could keep their tape collections while adding CDs to the mix.
These were premium products even when new. According to Sangha, the three units originally retailed for around £500, £550 and £600 respectively. Working examples can still command several hundred pounds today, although the age of the cassette mechanisms makes condition an important consideration.
Pioneer itself has also been revisiting its retro designs recently. The SXT-C10PS has old-school looks but incorporates modern features, including Bluetooth, DAB+, USB connectivity and a 3.5mm aux input. Meanwhile, the TS-X40SXT rear-shelf box speakers might look like they’ve been plucked from a Ford Capri Laser, but their modern materials, power handling and performance tell a different story.
If you fancy checking out these new-old products, that’s another reason to stop by Car Audio Security. Alongside its display of retro units, the company has a classic Renault 5 GT Turbo fitted with these items.
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