Xophertony

like the subject says.

i am planning on buying one and just want to know if anyone has had any problems. it always sucks to buy somthing and THEN hear stuff like "oh, my friend purchased that deck, and in the night, it snuck into his home and murdered his whole family ) well you get the idea....

so any stories?

DISTURBthePEACE

Only problem I ever had with my Alpine is that it quit ejecting CD's...sent it in and they fixed it though. Probably just a fluke on my side...it was a 9815. Other than that, Alpine rocks on decks I say go for it...If there is anything I would buy other than that I would say an Eclipse because it has 3 year warranty w/ one year theft protection.

Oh ya, and only wal-mart stuff sneeks in at night and murders familys...and their pet fish bubbles

Jim85IROC

iTrader: (2)

Alpine had huge problems with that glide-touch thing causing the whole faceplate to lock up. I don't know whether or not they've fixed it, because most of the people on the boards I read just stay away from them now.

NEEDAZ

Where to start. The glide ribbon cable needs insulators added to keep it from shorting. The glide thing is a PITA the use, great idea, BAD implementation. The clutch for the faceplate drive is to tight and need to be replaced. These two thing are corrected at the factory now, but there a allot of them out there that need the mods. It takes forever to display the ID3 tag info if you're playing MP3s. Not a make or break thing, but annoying. But it will do every thing you need. Just poor engineering and R&D.

DISTURBthePEACE

Maybe it WILL snteek into you home at night then...

ScrapMaker

the long ID3/filename display was a HUMUNGOUS deal-breaker for me... imagine scrolling through the songs looking for a specific song... *shudder*..

also, I've personally used that 'feature'/drawback called GlideTouch.

Worthless.

If you buy that deck and don't get in a wreck in the first six months, I will buy you dinner.

Does anyone know if there is some kind of firmware update for the 8600 so that when you use the scroll wheel to go through the disc the display will scroll the entire filename, instead of just the beginning? It's almost worthless for me, since all my songs are labeled "Offspring - 04 - Pretty Fly (For A White Guy).mp3," but with different names obviously. Most artists all I see is a list of songs:

Tech N9ne - 01 - In
Tech N9ne - 02 - In
Tech N9ne - 03 - He
Tech N9ne - 04 - Im
Tech N9ne - 05 - Sl

etc...

oh well, hopefully in the next year, they will come out with a NEW ultimate deck

time to renew my Best Buy warranty. Best $40 I ever spent. Ever.

Xophertony

ok, those are all things i am SO GLAD i know before buying the deck. i think i will keep looking. the whole reason i want to get an mp3 capeable deck is too browse through songs (alot of songs) hassle free (without puting new discs in) but that is bogus, all my songs are like that too!

ScrapMaker

don't get me wrong, the 8600 is probably the best at that, because I still haven't found a deck where you can just grab the **** and spin it, and quickly fly through all your songs... if it would just scroll the damned names, it would be flawless.

Xophertony

i think i am going with a blaupunkt. the whole "breaking" thing just makes me want to stay clear. if i did'nt care if it broke i would buy another pioneer (oooohhhhh FACED!)

see this thread: thinking of buying Blaupunkt seattle mp74. anyone have this deck?

DISTURBthePEACE

get an eclipse. They have some awesome decks out that are worth the money you would spend on that alpine. Plus a three year warranty w/ one year theft protection. and you can spin the track **** and go thru all your tracks quickly, on mp3 or regular cd. they are worth checkin out before buying a blaupunk.

Xophertony

alpine does not make a deck with a removable face. i need a removable face so my stuff does not get jacked.

NEEDAZ

What the h3ll are you talking about? They don't make a HU with out a removable faceplate.

Jim85IROC

iTrader: (2)

perhaps he meant Eclipse?

ScrapMaker

I've heard nothing but positive things for Blaupunkt and Eclipse... except Excipse is typically more expensive in my experience.

DISTURBthePEACE

Ya, eclipse is more expensive, but the prices have come down alot. you can get a motorized face w/ mp3 and aux input and front/rear/sub output for $229. But they have there own security in the one year theft protection and the fact that if you set up the ESN if it is ever stolen it doesnt work until the security cd you choose is inserted. So it is basically useless after stolen. So, the way I see it (and the way I make my customers see it) is this...why buy a deck with a one year warranty that doesnt cover theft, and the face can be stolen (or they steal it even though the face is gone), which will cost you more than the deck itself to replace, or get a deck the deletes the removable face in favor of just giving you a brand new deck if it is stolen, and also looks better and more flush in your dash. Plus, pulling that face on and off everytime you get in and out of the car will eventually mess up the contacts between the face and the deck (after the one year warranty is up) and then your face doesnt stay on or other things go wrong. You wont have that problem with an Eclipse deck because the face doesnt come off, and is covered by the 3 year warranty if something does happen to it.

We just recovered one yesterday that was stolen. We were able to check the ESN, the serial number on the deck, the serial number that is encoded onto the deck and accessed by pushing certain buttons while the deck is off, calling eclipse and checking who it was registered to, and inserting the customers security cd and making the deck come back on and work correctly. Plus his replacement deck will be in next week (usually takes about 3-4 weeks to get it) so now he will have a new deck for his truck and one for his sandrail.

ScrapMaker

The problem with that, is when a thief walks by, they just see the fancy-looking headunit. They aren't going to realize that the deck has a security code or whatever. They are going to take it regardless.

onebadwagon

actually, you'd be amazed at how few Eclipse units are stolen.

Xophertony

right, eclipse. that is what i meant.

Zepher

iTrader: (1)

I've been a fan of Alpine HU's for a long time now.
I just recently bought an older Alpine MP3 unit to replace the Premier 840MP Dual face MP3 deck since I didn't like the look of it and it was hard to use.
The older Alpine sounds much cleaner than the Premier, and I am using the pre-outs to my Alpine 4ch Amp.

NEEDAZ

Older Alpine is good. Newer Alpine, not so much.....

onebadwagon

cda9830 > cda9855

ScrapMaker

were you using the same amp as you were with the premier?

onebadwagon

Just a little FYI, pioneer's head units don't sound that great.


Eclipse baby! 4 years going strong.

ScrapMaker

I'm curious, what aspect of the sound is inferior to the eclipse?

are we talking sound-shaping capabilities, digital-to-analog convertors, or what?

onebadwagon

LOL @ d/a Converters.

Well basically, pioneer knows how to make a great head unit on paper, but the overall sound, clarity and depth or often lacking in alot of the units i've used.


Signal strength is weak for a rated 6.5 volts on the big dogs, but that's what they get @ 1000Ohms/ft.

ScrapMaker

Well I do know that Eclipse makes some good stuff, but up until now, it was hard to find a mid-level eclipse with anywhere near the same features as a pioneer, anywhere in the price range...

everytime I go to a custom audio shop, the eclipse are the most expensive, and many times they don't even sport mp3/wma.

onebadwagon

Last year they did, this year they do.

what do you define as useful features, a 400 color display, 'burr-brown' d/a converters, two motorized faces?


I like sound and audio capability, I couldn't give two ***** if the radio dances.

ScrapMaker

mainly things like mp3/wma, SOME graphics on the display, color would be nice, high-voltage pre-amp output, FAST mp3-to-mp3 track time, and fast id3 display... plus you need sophisticated sound-shaping abilities.

things like ipod adapters, dvd interfaces, navigation interfaces, and mp3 cd changers would all be great features I would consider as well.

onebadwagon

Yeah, Eclipse won't make an Ipod adapter, the upper end head units have some built in navigation capablities. You're not getting an .mp3 cd changer, because it's freaking useless, the CH3083 hasn't changed in quite some time, it probably won't.

You can keep pioneer, it sounds like a good match for you.

Zepher

iTrader: (1)

yep, just swapped HU's.

I don't car for all those fancy features, I just want one that plays MP3's is easy to operate, and sounds good.

The Alpine has a much cleaner sound, more clarity, bass was smoother and I was able to set the clock without having to consult the manual.

My old Rockford Fosgate sounded better than the Pioneer, but didn't play MP3's.

ScrapMaker

heh, how is an mp3 cd changer worthless?

I personally want a dvd/mp3 changer...

onebadwagon

If you can put 4 hours of music on a single .mp3 cd, you'd rather spend 300$ on a changer than change cd every 4 hours?


.mp3's suck, fyi.

ScrapMaker

you can fit 10 hours of 192kbps mp3, or more if you use VBR, so if you had a 6-DVD changer... you'd have 56Gb of storage, roughly 806 hours of playback. Surely nothing to sneer at.

plus I've done the MP3 versus CD test to so many salesmen, friends, and family that everyone I know only uses mp3s now.

You basically need special scientific equipment to tell the difference between a 230VBR mp3 file, and the source.

I've actually had people say the mp3 sounds better, because they sound EXACTLY the same, and since they are guessing, they accidentally pick the mp3 file.

Honestly, I'd use WMA, or OGG, but I don't feel like re-ripping my entire collection, and it's not possible to convert mp3 to wma and maintain quality playback.

the best solution would still obviously be some sort of computer in the car with a ginormous hard drive, and an LCD screen, or Headunit interface cable, which people are working on all over the world right now for Pioneer. Sony and older alpine units are already finished.

onebadwagon

I have zero problems with actual CDs, and will have zero problems with dvd-audio when it becomes more prominent.

IF the .mp3 is compressed well @ 192, no, generally the sound isn't terribly compromised.

but @ 128, i can most definitely tell, on a good system.

and if you're looking for .mp3's of stuff you don't own, (that's bad, btw) then you'll likely be able to find < 128kb/s reliably.

firebirdjosh

iTrader: (1)

Good luck navigating through all that music on DVDs. Putting music on DVDs is a bad idea for a car. You'll be scrolling all day long.

ScrapMaker

luckily I have both my own, and other mp3s, and the LOWEST quality you typically find is 192kbps CBR, the best 320kbps CBR. I usually settle for 192-230kbps VBR, since it's usually smaller than a 128kbps file.

you are more than right, a 128kbps mp3 makes my ears turn bright red.

and about the scrolling through 56Gb of mp3s... have you ever used the 8600mp? It could be better, of course, but you can lay out your music in directories. Have a directory for each genre, then one for each artist, and you can zip right to the directory. I'm sure there are other headunits that can navigate this easily as well.

The only thing about the 8600 that bothers me when it comes to navigation, is that:
1) there is no queuing
2) it does not remember your last position from the navigation menu... meaning every time to 'initiate' the navigation menu, you start back at the root directory... luckily the speedy navigation makes up for that.

I can see your beef with low-bitrate mp3s.

NEEDAZ

I’m still confused by the whole 1000Omhs/ft. And pre-amp output voltage has nothing to do with SQ.
The 8600 is great for going through full MP3 discs. And I to would like a MP3 changer, with the same easy access. What’s so pointless about having access to a large portion of you music collection at the tip of you fingers? Hardly seems pointless to me.

ScrapMaker

pretty much the best thing would be some sort of under-seat computer with a humungous hard drive, but the next-best-thing would be some sort of dvd/cd mp3 changer...

onebadwagon

allowing your amps to reach full power with a lower noise level = better sound. that's what a stronger input signal has to do with it.

ScrapMaker

so how long would your RCAs have to be, and how low would the pre-amp voltage have to be to actually hear the noise floor?

/never heard it before

onebadwagon

go listen to a badass system with a p.o.s. ~1v deck with a good quality CD, then put in a 4v deck and retune, and then do it again with an 8v eclipse.

ScrapMaker

how reliable are these Eclipse decks? I ask because when they determine my deck is non-repairable at BestBuy, I can get cash for the unit and buy something else, somewhere else.

I sure like that four year replacement plan though.

onebadwagon

I've had mine for a long while. I love it.

mine is 4 years old now, no problems but a melted volume button coating, and that's been changed in the newer ones.

Kurt04

iTrader: (2)

Ditto. I have a CD5423 in my daily and it has never messed up on me. Plus, GREAT sound quality and power. Really easy to use also.

ddn69

mp3s are the best. Alpine rox.

NEEDAZ

Still confused by the ohms/ft statement.
And when you’re changing decks with 1V pre-amp outs, to one with 4V or even 8V out, there is a lot more changing then just the pre-amp output voltage. The only way to really do this test would be to grab the signal BEFORE the driver. A HU with these higher output pre-amp outputs just use another small amp (driver) before the pre-out. You would need to compare the signal before and after this stage to do any real comparison. And if your using a decent amp (ask scrapy about noisy amps) you will hear no difference doing it this way. Just a different gain setting on the amp or one will be louder then the other. But no change in the SQ. If any thing, after this extra amp stage you would have more signal degradation, though this is inaudible. I will concede that the decks that use the higher pre-amp out voltage do tend to be the higher quality decks, so they inherently sound better. But it really has nothing to do with the per-amp output voltage, just an all around better deck. Just like you can hear the difference in a low-end Pioneer and a high-end Pioneer.

ScrapMaker

it's been a few days since I bashed Hifonics... so here goes nothing...

man that Hifonics sucked... don't buy a 2005 model...

plus I still can't figure out why the hell it only made noise in my car, but no other car.. even though no other amp I've ever used in my car, (I've tested about 6 different amps in my car, with no noise, just the Hifonics...)

almost as if my fuel pump was causing interference in the Hifonics, but not in any other amp.

DISTURBthePEACE

Don't need an Ipod adapter for the eclipse...has aux in, subwoofer adjustment (called non fader), mp3 red lighting, quick mp3 loading and ID3 display (some of the fastest Ive seen), and has bass, mid, and treble adjustment w/ crossovers on even there low line stuff. For $200 you can get aux in, sub adjust, mp3, remote control (have to buy it separate though), and the bass, mid, and treble adjustments w/ crossovers for highs and subs. Not bad I'd say. With the Aux in, you can run anything w/ a headphone jack thru it...ipod, psp, laptop, portable dvd player...endless possiblities really. for $229 you can get the motorized face w/ a more colorful display as well. All Eclipse decks have 5V preouts, with there better decks having 8v preouts for amplifiers, which means cleaner music at louder volumes. Plus 3 year warranty...and one year of theft protection. I have the eclipse cd5435. Great deck, love it. They rarely skip and will read CD's that are pretty f'ed up as well. I think you would be much happier w/ the an Eclipse.

onebadwagon

My entire point was that the Eclipse use better quality components in the signal side, and use a higher quality preout. Even the traces on the boards of the eclipse's are double width for power circuits, and from what I've seen, the layout of the boards appear more direct as compared to Alpine, or others.

Eclipse = Simple/ Better means to an end to me, If you feel differently, that's fine, because there are alot of other companies to try to keep in business.

ScrapMaker

I guess you have never heard of the Ipod interface... it allows to to control the ipod via the headunit, as well as charge it.

This lets you put the ipod under your seat so no one will steal it, and you can go through all your songs, assuming you have a headunit with a good navigation menu.

From what you guys are saying, it sounds like Eclipse headunits are priced about the same for the features they carry as a Pioneer... although I don't know anyone that would only want a 3-band graphic equalizer, even if the deck was only $200

so for about $500 what can you get feature-wise with an Eclipse?