Radio recommendation?

I suspect the issue is with your factory unit. I have a JVC head unit in my 2500 and I've never had it skip. If you upgrade to a unit with a USB input, you can rip your audio books to digital format, put them on a thumb drive and plug the drive into your new radio...no skipping from a digital drive.

I don't think the 2006 radio came with an auxiliary jack. A way around the cd skip problem may be to buy a new radio that does have and aux jack, or see if one can be added to yours, then you could connect the headphone jack from your phone to there and listen to audiobooks played from your phone. I listen to audiobooks frequently and using the phone lets me continue listening to the same book in a different vehicle, mowing the lawn, etc. What I've done for my 2008 is buy a 12v to USB adapter to plug into the dash, and a Bluetooth receiver to plug into that. Plug the audio jack from the Bluetooth into the truck's radio, pair the Bluetooth and keep the phone in my pocket. I suppose even better is a radio with Bluetooth...

Of course, if your books are only available on CD transferring to the phone could be a pain.

I purchased an entry level basic Kenwood from Cruthfield several years ago with CD single CD player and a USB input. It was about $80 and was well worth the step up from factory (my CD player went out on the stock one too.)

It has held up well even with my off-road jaunts.

I replaced the OEM highfalutin stereo radio in our truck after it had been replaced twice under warranty'

Bought a Clarion AM/FM/CD/USB........

Then downloaded all of our CDs onto USB Memory Sticks
Plug into USB port on radio and PLAY PLAY PLAY

(Side note....didn't have issues with CDs skipping)

Or you could buy a new a Ram Truck.....
The new 2019 1500's are coming out with a 12" interface and Harman Kardon audio with 900 watts and 19 speakers. Coming to Ram HD soon.

Getting harder to find in after market radios (but in almost every new car) is Satellite radio. Not that handy around town but on long trips it's SO NICE to stay on the same station all the way across the country! Not going back here! I hate the add-on tuners that stick to your dash. The Pioneer that came in our Winnebago had the socket on the back for an XM tuner that integrates it into the radio's feature set. Almost impossible to find these radios now that Android seems to be the new standard.

How much do you want to spend?
I was able to buy aftermarket dash parts to allow use of a full double DIN unit and basically end up with something like newer trucks have.
I couldn't be happier with the results!

Total cost was about $1100 with Pioneers best head unit. (It does EVERYTHING)

Boot up screen:


Nav.


I would imagine something similar is available for GM products.

Notakwanon wrote:
In my 2006 GMC 2500HD diesel I have an AM/FM/CD player radio. I like to listen to music or audio books on long drives, but the CD player skips so badly on a moderately rough road as to be un-listenable. Maybe the truck rides rough, or maybe the CD player is worn out, I don't know. I've asked at the local Best Buy, and of course am told that all their new radios work just fine on rough roads. I'd listen to the advice of someone who has solved the same problem. Certainly some company builds a CD player designed to play under rough conditions. What brands/models of radio/CD players have continued to work for you even when the road is bumpy? Thanks. Tom McCloud

Dont make the truck look ugly... Get a factory head unit with blue tooth and the Jack...

Listen to music through the phone...

http://www.1factoryradio.com/chevy-gmc-2005-2009-truck-am-fm-cd-radio-w-aux-input-bluetooth-music-15234915/

lawrosa wrote:


Dont make the truck look ugly... Get a factory head unit with blue tooth and the Jack...

Listen to music through the phone...

Crutchfield supplies a faceplate that looks factory for most vehicles and their phone support is really good.

They even have electronic adapters that allow the steering wheel controls to work with their aftermarket head units.

Factory head units are pretty low end with poor FM sensitivity.

lawrosa wrote:
Dont make the truck look ugly... Get a factory head unit with blue tooth and the Jack...

Visited that website and it's never good when you claim a radio will fit in certain years' vehicle only to find out that it won't. They say that the remanufactured radio fits a 2005-2009 GM, but they are wrong. The radios were the same from 2003 - 2007 before they changed with the redesign of the trucks in 2007.5. I would never order anything from a vendor that makes this mistake.