I'm deciding on a new head unit, but I really don't have a lot to compare to. I need some suggestions or help choosing a good manufacturer or line.

Sound quality and ease-of-use are the two most important things for me. Probably in the 200-300 dollar range.

The other things I'm looking for are-
It must have a rotary volume ****.
MP3 is a huge plus.
Simultaneous clock and track time/info is very important.
Day visibility...

Preferably not too crazy lookin', something clean and simple. I don't care if the display is simple or fancy, but the rest of the deck should look 'normal.'

Pioneer and Alpine seem to be recommended a lot here. I like the alpines I've used, although I've always had trouble doin' anything more than switching sources or tracks. That's just usin' friends' units, so I assume it's not hard to pick up.

Most of what I'm looking for I can find out by checking them out at a store or comparing units on the internet, but as far as sound quality goes I don't have any way to compare apples to apples. So, if anyone can point out other good affordable brands or lines of decks, that'd really help me out. Maybe opinions on SQ from best or worst of the few brands that will be suggested. Any other opinions are welcomed.

Thanks,
Scott

 

alpine alpine alpine

 

Alpine or Pioneer. Those two are the best IMO. Alpine can be a little pricey though but they give out awesome sound. Check out the Alpine CDA-9827 or the Pioneer DEH-P7600. Both are really good for their price. I bought the Pioneer DEH-P7400 a couple years back which is the older 7600 and I really enjoy it. Right now I have a AVIC-N1 coming in which I haven't decided whether it's going into the TA or GSX.

Anyway, here's a pic of my 7400 which is similar to the 7600 Pioneer.

 

Alpines nice and all...pioneer fairly reliable...but heres what i like...



http://www.hookedontronics.com/show_...s.jsp?cid=7455

 

I like the Panasonics. They are really powerful and sound sweet. I just don't like the chrome paint they use. Makes them look cheap IMO. Their displays are sweet and I like how you can add new graphics to it. Plus the motorized face is pretty nice. I like it better than the swing-down design of the Pioneers. The one thing I noticed with the Panasonics though is it takes awhile to switch between folders on a MP3 CD.

 

Lately in alot of the installs that i have been doing, and in the installs that the shop I get my equipment from, Clarion HU's are being used. I really like their SQ and their displays are simply and functional...

 

Alpine model 9831 up

 

Eclipse.

find a 5422 or similar used, and you WONT regret it.

i know at my shop, we had a couple of those older head units, and i wanted to buy them just for spares, they are such great head units.

mind you, i sold everything from junk-o JVC stuff to clarion's big pimp daddy, SQ unit, and those were my picks for useability, durability, and sound quality, more specifically the 8v preout units, but if that's not important to you, then the 5v are great units, and will push a stronger clean signal to your amps than any of the pioneer/kenwood/clarion 5v stuff.

 

i like alpine i had a panasonic not to long ago but you could just do the fade, left right, trebel and bass controls, it didn't get specific for what i want. I went to the CDA 9815 which is the blue faced alpine deck, and allows me to adjust every frequency for better quality, just like the controls in winamp but in your car. also by having an alpine it allows me to goto the alpine site, download and burn my settings onto a cd. So if i disconnect the battery, do some work to the system, hook the battery back up, i put in the cd and boom settings are back to normal nice and easy. notonly can it save your settings but you have the time lasp control where you can delay the sound to a speaker if needed.

 

time alignment.

the problem with time alignment, is that if it sounds good in your seat, it generally doesn't in the others.

 

Pioneer are my favourite head units.
The easy of use factor is great.
Press the menu button, select what menu you want with the left and right arrows, and change the option in said menu with the up and down buttons.
Easy.

I wanted something with a less flashy screen and the ability to control my iPod so I went with an Alpine CDA-9830. Rotary volume control (which you also use to flick through menus, slecting the option by pushing the rotary knon ib), menu system not as intuitive as the Pioneer as it hasnt got the fancy screen but it sounds real good. No clock display though.

I'm finding it not too difficult to use (certainly easier than Kenwood or Sony) and it doesn't look too out of place in my IROC.

 

I hav an Apline 9831 and got it because it matched all you're reasons.

It looks really sleek and is by no means flashy. It also plays mp3/wama, has a volume ****, sounds great, and is easy to read (assuming the sun isn't reflecting off the face into your eyes - this is a problem for any headunit though). Not to mention the features it has. For a headunit, it does a pretty good job of letting you control your sound.

As for the clock, there are about 5 diffrent display settings for each mode (cd playback, mp3 playback, radio, ect) and all of them have the clock available somewhere.

$265 at ike sound (where I got mine): http://www.ikesound.com/product-product_id/2076

 

alpine's are great go for it

 

Thanks for all the suggestions so far. When I go down to an audio shop, I can narrow down the ones I want to play around with. I trust your opinions a lot more than those guys.

Scott

 

Hey, I am one of those guys that work at an audio shop Also remember kids, don't do Sony

 

Nothin' against them/you at all, as long as commissions aren't involved. Ya' know?

 

Are those 7600's the ones with the changing displays? You can't load your own pics onto the screen on those lower level units, right?

I love the clean simple look of the alpine displays, but if it's goin' to be any fancier, it may as well have a pic of my car on it.

Are eclipses only sold through exclusive dealers or something?

Scott

 

Haha, yea I was just messing with ya

With the 7600 you can't load your own pictures. It has the blue OEL display with preset images. The 8600 which is the step up does have a color OEL display that you can upload your pictures to. Although as stated earlier Pioneers OEL display are pretty grainy. The Panasonics have nice clear displays but the downloadable graphics are from Panasonic not your pictures. The Alpine 9831 has a cool feature where you can adjust the left hand side buttons different colors to match your car. And not just basic colors but a pretty good spectrum of colors. The biggest complaint that I get with Alpines from customers is they all look alike. Still they do have awesome sound. My personal pick is Pioneer. I like the different looks you can get with Pioneer and the sound is very nice. Plus Pioneer's customer service is nice. I once had a customer come in with a broken remote. He was covered by the 1 yr manu. warranty so we called Pioneer. He talked to them and told them his problem. They shipped him a new replacement remote that day. No questions asked, didn't even ask for a reciept.

 

there is nothing wrong with commission sales, I sold car audio equipment on commission for a while,

if you want the person you're talking to, to have any friggin clue what they're talking about, you'd better thank your lucky stars for commission sales people.


go to best buy, circuit city, etc, and ask technical questions about the units, and watch the dumbfounded looks.

a dishonest person, is a dishonest person, doesn't matter if they're making a spiff or not, some will sell you junk **** just for grins.

 

Circut City opperates off commissions too. At least they did a few years back when we were doing our living room. I dont see why they would change.

Best buy on the other hand...

 

circuit city is no longer a commission sales floor.

 

I work at Circuit City in car stereo as a Senior specialist. No we aren't on commission anymore and just because we aren't doesn't mean we still don't know our stuff. 90% of the customers I get in a day aren't even capable of asking technical questions that I can answer. It's all on where you go and how you act. You act like a dick to me don't expect me to bend over backwards for you. Of course you are going to find guys that don't know much but I know at my store the people I work with in my dept know their stuff and have been working in the car stereo business for years. Also since being off commission we are more willing to help people solve audio problems where before they would of been dumped because they weren't a sale

 

then that's being a poor salesman.

repore, it's all about repeat customers, and helping someone having some trouble, just might land you a big sale when they decide to come back and pick up some more gear.

it's a generalization, but an appopriate one at that.

it doesn't matter that the people you encounter can't ask a technical question, it matters that you should know the answer, even if they don't know the question.

 

well to get back on topic. Alpine or Clarion are probably my favorite but those are really the best Ive heard. But from what I hear from others Eclipse is a good brand too.

Nate

 

eclipse..nothign beats it..you'll have to go to a car audio shop, as most "normal" stores don't carry their line...sound quality is better than anything i've ever heard (panasonic, kenwood, jvc)...i own 2 of their head units, and they have the specs that you are looking for, also if you're careful in your choice (check features out)...some come with independed sub outs so you can control a sub amp's output seperate from the head unit..they also come with front/rear outs as well...all i can say is take a listen to 1 set of speakers with diff headunits, and pick what sounds best..be sure to listen with everything flat (treble and bass to 0, loudness off)..you'll hear the sound quality of the hu, and pick from there...if it were me i'd personally never buy a pyramid, pyle, sony, or pioneer....i'd stick with kenwood or clarion or alpine for "normal cd players"..better stuff, eclipse or blaupunkt..personally for me it's eclipse and nothing else.

 

Thanks for more suggestions.

As for the commission comment I made, I meant that I don't want to be sold something just because the guy would make more cash from me. Nothing against audio salesmen or installers at all.

Scott

 

then find someone you trust to help you make the decision.

think of it like this, this being the internet and all.

Opinions are like *******s, everyone has one, and most of them stink.

 

Well as I said ebay there is no up in your face with dumb opinions salesperson. Its cheap and sometimes theres warrantys too. Ive had my alpine for over a year though. No problems here. I bought it at CC anyway since I didnt have a visa card at the time.

Your best bet as far as sales clerks go. Know what your buying before you shop and dont bother asking questions or letting people tell you "you dont want that"

Either way alot of people agree. Alpine, clarion, and Eclipse are some good brands to look at.

Nate

 

The second the guy tells you what you want is the second you should walk right out of there. Just right down what features you like, find a match, get it. No potential jackass to ruin it for ya. And I don't know a single person that isn't on commission that would sell someone a piece of junk just to be funny...

 

i absolutelty love my kenwood KDC-X579, it was 189 at techronics.com and it has all the functions you are asking for.

jack

 

THEY DON'T KNOW. everytime i walk into best buy and similar big box retailers, and ask a question they look at me 1. like i've got 9 eyes, or 2. like they just urinated on themselves.


those guys are sure gonna be helpful.

 

Umm... when did I say anything about them knowing anything?

 

i was saying that people don't sell stuff that's **** just to be funny, half the time, they don't know it's ****, they just go off what management tells them to sell.


it's that way in commission and hourly, but i've NEVER met a non commission sales person who wasn't a ******** in car audio.


adam

 

Pioneer DEH-P8600MP
detachable, motorized face
» multicolor Organic EL display
» customizable display
» plays CDs, CD-Rs, and CD-RWs (including discs loaded with MP3 and WMA files)
» 24-bit Burr-Brown D/A converter
» Supertuner IIID
» 18 FM/6 AM presets
» CD Text
» disc naming
» 13-band equalizer (50, 80, 125, 200, 315, 500, 800, 1250, 2000, 3150, 5000, 8000, 12500 Hz)
» BMX digital processing (for improved sound from MP3 and WMA files)
» Auto EQ (uses an included microphone and the 13-band equalizer to adjust receiver output to your vehicle's acoustics)
» Easy EQ (5 preset and 2 user-adjustable EQ curves)
» Automatic Sound Levelizer (adjusts receiver's volume automatically to compensate for changes in road noise levels)
» XM Satellite Radio controls (XM Radio subscription, tuner, antenna required to receive the satellite radio signal) — service is available only in the lower 48 states, not available in Alaska, Hawaii, or U.S. territories
» CD changer controls
» built-in high-pass (speaker/preamp outputs) and low-pass (preamp outs only) filters
» 4-volt front, rear, and subwoofer preamp outputs
» optional auxiliary input
» wireless remote
» 22 watts RMS/50 peak x 4 channels

That is my radio, no complaints and it works awesome!!

 

I personally own two alpines, both '04 models. the first Alpine CDA-9831 and the second, CDA-9835. the 31 is a good bang the buck, but i think the display sucks, really brite at nite and IMO it looks childish after a while with all those dumb colors. Sound quality is suburb though, and i couldnt have been happier rockin' to stuff like Led Zepplin-- until i got my 35. The 35 is the best stereo that alpine made with its own amp. I like the display, black and white, crisp and clear and it has various display options for the appearance enthusiest. It has a 5 band eq and you set your own range of frequency response for each band, built in cross overs with adjustable octave levels and you choose the cross over frequency. Awsome stereo... i jus wish it encorporated the pioneer super tuner technology, as its tuner isnt that strong. Best 500 bucks i ever spent...

 

Does alpine still make head units without amps?

I have an old alpine, I cannot beat the sound, but lack of sat radio support, and lack of MP3 is starting to make me look for a new unit. Since I have no need for a power head unit, if Alpine still makes them without amps, I would be all over that to save a few bucks.

 

They did last year... I think the model number was 788? im not sure of the last digit, it might have been a 3. Heres what i remeber - That head unit was around $1k, had gold accents around it, biolite display (like the 9835) Im not sure if it played cds tho, it might have just been something like a reciever, like you need to buy your own components, as it has provisions for all that kind of stuff. Im not so sure about that. But the CDA-9835 will have you covered. You can shut off the Headunit's amp, and moniter your amp's status. It plays MP3's or WMA Satillite ready, and if you buy the special i pod adaptor for it, you can rock to your own stuff. The model number for that is KCA-420i. Costs bout 100 bucks but it sounds like 500% better than that crappy radio broadcaster thing and the radio is ready for the adaptor. when it is all said and done you control your tunes from the head unit and it displays the song your playing, album, ect. Trust me, you will be happy with a '35

 

what's the deal with models below 9831?

I have a 9827 that i am quite happy with.

 

they are teh suxxz. Just kidding, but they lack the features that alot of people want/need.

 

The 9831 is basically the same as the 9833 but it lacks the nice crossover controls. I had a boner for the 9833, but I just picked up a Kicker SX650.4 that has a very nice active crossover, so now I'm looking at picking up a 9831.

So far, from what I can see, all of the 2005 Alpine is pure garbage. The 9853 and 9855 are riddled with problems, and all models below them are low quality, no-feature junk.

I need a head unit for the Corvette, and as much as it pains me, I'm turning to Ebay for a used 2004 model.

 

alpine really screwed up for 05... you would think they would immediatly try to remedy the problem by comin out with something else, but instead they are actually trying to sell this crap

 

Best Buy started selling alpine, and as all of us in "the biz" figured, the quality and usable features control went to hell...


thanks alpine.