What head unit are you using and Why?

Post by **Francious70** » Fri Jul 11, 2008 12:07 pm

Pioneer DEH-P7400 MP

because I bought it 4 or 5 years ago at a good price and it still works. Has all the processing a headunit needs.

bruther · Post by **bruther** » Fri Jul 11, 2008 12:16 pm

[quote/]Eclipse 3200

Bruther , list the negatives Confused I see that has a 5 v which is plenty by all means Very Happy[\quote]

As for the Negatives on the Eclipse CD 3200-
The #1 issue is the volume control. I'm not sure what the reason is but the volume control is not very sensitive and you need to trun it several times to turn it down. This is not like normal volume controls as the speed at which the volume changes is very slow. This is an issue when you need to turn the volume down quickly.
#2 The user interface doesn't make a lot of sense. It seems there is no rhyme or reason for why certain controls are where they are on the unit and the controls of the unit. I have found it to be difficult to remember where I changed somethien( ie audio controls, display options) .
#3 I have found the display to be very poor. The dot display is very hard to read and it seems when the sun is out there is a even harder time seeing it. My wish is that you could have some control over the screeen display options. The control you have over the display is on background and not on the things you would actually want.
#4 There is no cd tagging of the cd names or song titles. I would have also liked to have seen the interface for the USB have the ability to go directly to album files rather than having to search through all the listigs. I named all my USB files different but it doesn't provide a lot of data and I have found myself pushing play on a song to find out which album I'm in( I don't generally know the names of songs).

More to follow.

Post by **Bfowler** » Fri Jul 11, 2008 12:18 pm

gkitching wrote:Any of the New Kenwood Excelon head units are worth a look. All sport HiVolt 24bit burr brown D/A's. As well as hp/lp x-overs and 3 band eq's minimum.

At $199.95 retail, the KDC-X592 is the best 'bang for the buck' head unit right now in my opinion.

and it looks NICE

i really like it.

and you can find it on amazon.com for quite a bit under retail

KHPower · Post by **KHPower** » Fri Jul 11, 2008 3:22 pm

I am pretty stumped on which unit I should look into. I am not a huge SQ guy but I would like to be able to turn down the sub and enjoy some nice sounding music. I dont need any of the Bluetoothstuff or phonebooks because I really have no use for them. As for the ipod controls I would only use them if they work with the Microsoft Zune , if not thats also a useless feature. I do , however like the USB functions , I would be nice to carry 2 gigs of music with me

I guess I would like I deck with full function controls , USB , High Preouts as the top things

I have very little knowledge of decks , I just install em and let whomever adjust them to there liking.

What is 24 bit stuff I keep hearing?

gridracer · Post by **gridracer** » Fri Jul 11, 2008 3:37 pm

I have the alpine 9887 I love the features on it the eq's are awesome and my dealer is getting the imprint controller that I can use anytime I want.
Plus I got it for $357 tax paid pretty good deal I thought.
I have had eclipse clarion and pioneers which I used to sell all of and have a kenwood in my daily driver but I just like the alpine better.

andy600rr · Post by **andy600rr** » Fri Jul 11, 2008 3:53 pm

You guys are gonna love this........

It depends on which car.

In one car I've got an Alpine 7618 with 6 disc Changer

In the other I've got a McIntosh MX406

Maybe its because I've never really played with a modern unit with T/A, built in EQ, X-overs etc.... but Honestly I dont feel like I need to. All of my X-over and EQ functions are taken care of by other devices further down the line and I'd prefer to use something that looks easy to use and does'nt have 68 different menus for changing the illumination or putting a picture of your pet dog on the screen...

I like things that are easy and intuitive to use (and have good SQ)

I guess my choice of units makes me truely 'Ol Skool'

Post by **fuzzysnuggleduck** » Fri Jul 11, 2008 4:15 pm

I'm with Andy on this.

I prefer my processing to be down further down the chain but I can certainly understand why people are interested in and even demand that kind of functionality in the HU. I just straight forward usability over tweak-ability... but then I go and buy an Alpine which has a fairly strange interface anyways... oh well.

KHPower · Post by **KHPower** » Fri Jul 11, 2008 5:14 pm

I only use a AX204A and a Basscube down the line from my Pioneer so I dont have all the options that some of you may. I run my front 6 x9's off my deck and dont really want to install another amp to run them. If that was the case I would buy top of the line eclipse which only has pre outs

Now I think that it is a choice between Pioneer , Alpine 9887 , maybe the Eclipse 3200 and I gotta do a little research on the Kenwoods.

Why is it so hard to put 8 v standards on some of these decks? or at least 6 volts , Because if I decide on the 9887 I am going to need to purchase a line driver to push some volts through 20 + feet of 800 series PG rca's.

I will read some manual's this evening and see what tickles my fancy

Post by **kg1961** » Fri Jul 11, 2008 8:06 pm

the reason I run clarion is they bought macintosh years ago
we can all agree that they make on of the best cd players
I heard the pioneer/sony/kennword ect and for some reason the sound is not as good as the clarion
im not saying they are the best but after working in car audio for 6 years and the price, untill you spend about 800cnd they sound the best
my 2 cents!!!

Post by **Wakeup** » Fri Jul 11, 2008 8:12 pm

I like my Kenwood 25th Anniversary deck! Wonderful...doesnt have USB tho...the only problem I see with this deck is if you dont have a remote....which (SORRY BRIAN!!! I totally forgot to lend you one!) if you dont have one, it kinda makes it a pain to toy with. Especially changing stations (if you listen to the radio and such.)

I've been a kenwood fan for a long time...Had a few older Tape deck ones back in the day....I forget the model #'s....and then moved to an Excelon X-815, X-869, X-959, and the two 25th anniversary decks....
(Bought two cuz I love it so much...In case one fails I have another as a backup.)

All of my kenwood decks have done me well. I have a few die hard Alpine fans turned kenwood fans...and even some guys at the local car toys who used to swear by alpine because thats what they know....that is what looks cool...and such. After playing with a higher end Kenwood now understand why I like them so much. They can be a little more spendy compared to an alpine. But with one that may have like features or closer to the kenwood's, are generally more.

I used to like Alpine myself...but got into the kenwood groove and have never turned back... I did try a few in between just to play around, and I just could not get into them.

After my X-815 deck I thought I might have to switch back....there were not many after the 815's that I liked....but I held out for the 869.
and the rest is history.

naughty · Post by **naughty** » Sat Jul 12, 2008 3:23 am

im also a bit old school - im using a kenwood K-CD01 - it doesnt even play mp3's only cd's

but it has dual differential burr brown dacs

if i do change this i either want an alpine 9887 or one of those new kenwoods with the Wolfson dac's

HoseHead · Post by **HoseHead** » Sat Jul 12, 2008 3:44 am

We run only Alpines. Never have had a problem with any of them.

CDA-9855, CDA-9856 - These are both nearly indentical and both accept Sirius across the AiNet.

Pictured below, a somewhat dated Alpine TDA7558 w/ S614 CD Controller. CD only, no MP3 and no Sirius. Works perfectly. AuidoControl Three1 or Four1i for "in cabin" adjustments is da bomb and it provides up to 8V out for those that need it.

Like Andy, I don't give a rat's ass about all the bells and whistles as my HU remains defeated and I process sound "down the line". The HU is simply a source switcher.

gkitching · Post by **gkitching** » Sat Jul 12, 2008 3:46 am

Bfowler wrote:
gkitching wrote:Any of the New Kenwood Excelon head units are worth a look. All sport HiVolt 24bit burr brown D/A's. As well as hp/lp x-overs and 3 band eq's minimum.

At $199.95 retail, the KDC-X592 is the best 'bang for the buck' head unit right now in my opinion.
and it looks NICE

i really like it.

and you can find it on amazon.com for quite a bit under retail

WOW

At $137 it's a steal! (thats only $2 more than I pay for them as a dealer)

KH .. This unit has USB direct. Could run the Zune fine or any flash drive w/mp3's, I-pods etc. with no extra cables req'd. Very clean layout great sound and no useless 'hyped' add-ons. Again, hi-volt preamp outputs, burr brown d/a's, hp/lp x-over, 3-band parametric eq ... sounds like everything you're looking for. I doubt you'll find all that for less and a 2-year warranty to boot.

KHPower · Post by **KHPower** » Sat Jul 12, 2008 5:23 am

gkitching wrote:
Bfowler wrote:
gkitching wrote:Any of the New Kenwood Excelon head units are worth a look. All sport HiVolt 24bit burr brown D/A's. As well as hp/lp x-overs and 3 band eq's minimum.

At $199.95 retail, the KDC-X592 is the best 'bang for the buck' head unit right now in my opinion.
and it looks NICE

i really like it.

and you can find it on amazon.com for quite a bit under retail

WOW At $137 it's a steal! (thats only $2 more than I pay for them as a dealer)

KH .. This unit has USB direct. Could run the Zune fine or any flash drive w/mp3's, I-pods etc. with no extra cables req'd. Very clean layout great sound and no useless 'hyped' add-ons. Again, hi-volt preamp outputs, burr brown d/a's, hp/lp x-over, 3-band parametric eq ... sounds like everything you're looking for. I doubt you'll find all that for less and a 2-year warranty to boot.

Thats good to hear

I may have to browse around locally and take a look at this unit.

I was doing some research last evening and if I were to go with the Alpine 9887 and wanted to use my USB flash or Zune I would have to purchase a 150.00+ Alpine acccessory

Also , I am not going to purchase a 9887 without the Imprint or at least pay a local dealer to use theirs. In conclusion the 9887 to work the way I want it to here is how it breaks down for cost.

Alpine 9887-$250.00-275.00 (dealer)
Imprint--150-175.00
Line driver to achieve 5 or more volts 30.00
USB accessory 150.00
Equaling= Alot of money but still not outta the purchase scenario.

PGsta14me · Post by **PGsta14me** » Sat Jul 12, 2008 12:44 pm

I've been using an Alpine CDA-9807 for about 3 yrs. now. I bought it used on E-bay, so I have no idea how old it is.

It did great for me until about 2 days ago when I experienced the RCA outputs "crapping out." So I pulled out my deck and found myself reading this post; getting close to purchasing the 9886!

Using 6.5" Ti elites in sealed kick-pods up front. Dynaudio Comp. grade 6.5" mid-bass in sound-deadened doors. Xenon 200.4 runs my front stage:
midbass band-passed @ 80-350Hz; elites High-passed @ 100Hz.
Sound is amazing both in clarity and impact!!!!

Like Hosehead and others, I like simplicity in HU.

gridracer · Post by **gridracer** » Sat Jul 12, 2008 1:55 pm

andy600rr wrote:You guys are gonna love this........

In one car I've got an Alpine 7618 with 6 disc Changer

The 7618 was my first alpine deck it was pretty good but that was like 15 years ago

soth · Post by **soth** » Sat Jul 12, 2008 2:50 pm

I'm with Andy and a few others, old school.. Anyway, my Eclipse cd5000 has 8v preouts with a 24bit dac. If you're a SQ guy then 24bit dac is almost a must.

If you go with a 4v preout, at least get one with 4v preout, nothing less. You will probably still need a line driver if you are running 15+ feet from HU to trunk or whatever.

My advice is to figure out what amount of money you want to spend then start looking at some HU then post back which ones you're interested in at this point.

Lots of advice and info has been given so you should be all set

Kevin

Post by **Jacampb2** » Sat Jul 12, 2008 4:22 pm

KHPower wrote: Why is it so hard to put 8 v standards on some of these decks? or at least 6 volts , Because if I decide on the 9887 I am going to need to purchase a line driver to push some volts through 20 + feet of 800 series PG rca's.

Because the most the average deck has to work with is 12Vdc, which equals +/- 6v, and most op amps which generate the line out signal can not "swing" to the full +/- 6v rail potential. With high end op amps, you end up with a best case scenario of 5V RCA pre outs. It takes a switchmode power supply in the head unit to get much higher than that. This costs a lot of money, and that is why you only see it on higher end stuff.

Anyhow, for my $.02. I have always been a big fan of eclipse. I have had several of the top of the line eclipse models before I fell out of the hobby in 2k. The older eclipse stuff does not have the bells and whistles of other hu's, but IMO they have the absolute best sound of what I have tried. My first eclipse was a 5303R, then a 55040. The 5303R replaced a Sony CDX-C910 and I never regretted that swap.

I had an Alpine HU in my P/U that I bought in 2002 or so. One of the first alpines with MP3 capability. I don't remember the model, but it retailed for about $350. It was decent. I have never liked the looks or layout of Alpine, but I needed a HU and wanted MP3 capability. I put a panasonic HU in after that, because I liked the amount of data it could display at once.

I just swapped out the pani for the eclipse 8445 I bought from DC on here a few weeks ago. Out of the box the eclipse sounded better than any of the other heads I have had in the truck. The newer eclipses have more comparable features to other high end models than they used to back in the day. The 8445 and 8455 both have a feature similar to imprint, which is called e-iserv. Hook up a mic and let the HU test the vehicle acoustics, upload the data from memory stick to the e-iserv website and from what I understand the software provided parametric data and time alignment to upload to the HU. The 8445 has a 7 band parametric eq, 3 adjustable crossovers and srs surround. It can also be used in "standard mode" and provides some rudimentary time alignment controls, dsp, and simple bass/mid/treble controls. The 8455 has 13 band eq, the capability to run active setups, and a few other features above the 8445. This era of HU's still don't have as much "bling" as a lot of others, and the displays still wash out in bright sunlight, but it is worth it for the sound IMO. I liked the old rotary encoder on the 55040 and 5303 hu's much better than what is on the 84xx units, and from what I hear the new HU's encoders are even worse.

So anyhow, you wanted opinions, and there is mine

Later,
Jason

soth · Post by **soth** » Sat Jul 12, 2008 7:11 pm

I used to use Kenwood and Alpine all the way Jason back in the 90's, never thought about trying an eclipse, but once I listened to them I could tell the SQ was better as well. I've not tried the newer ones since I got mine back a few years ago. Cardomain had it on sale for 250.00, regular 500+ so I snatched it up

Cheers,

KEvin

mrblack · Post by **mrblack** » Sat Jul 12, 2008 7:22 pm

I've used a Sony CDX-C90 in my car ever since it's release in late '98. Over the years I've toyed with different setups and processors and ended up with my current setup centered around the C90 and an XDP-4000X. I cannot see myself settling for a lesser unit just because it sports cosmetic upgrades, mp3 playback or more integrated features such as built in EQ, crossover, and time alignment.

Bottom line, the C90 (coupled with the 4000x) is the most quiet deck I've ever heard. Every nuance in a well recorded album will be reproduced with amazing dynamics if the install is sound. But with most of todays music it's almost pointless to even bother having a decent setup given the way studios are producing (or should I say massacring) their albums. There is barely any SQ left to be had. Anyways, heres the +/-...

Positives:
C90
quad 20 bit burr brown DAC's
4 volt non clipping outputs
Digital Toslink output
No built in crossover or any processing whatsoever (direct volume control can bypass all sound processing resulting the the cleanest output possible).
CD-Text

4000x
Digital input
8 24 bit Crystal Semiconductor DAC's
8 volt non clipping outputs
10 band parametric output with 10 preset curves
Time / Phase alignment
Crossover slope at 72 db/octave

Negatives:
C90
Poor display in the daylight (but still looks stunning in a car with tinted windows or at night)
No built in crossover or any processing whatsoever.
Lack of direct MP3 playback. (without additional equipment)

4000x
Restricted crossover points.

Mackenzie · Post by **Mackenzie** » Sat Jul 12, 2008 8:18 pm

I just sold my 880 prs, but I plan on getting an 800prs

Premier™ CD Receiver with High Quality Audio Design and Copper Plated Chassis

*
Auto-EQ and Auto-Time Alignment
*
Dual (L/R) 16-Band Graphic EQ
*
Burr-Brown DACs for the purest sound

http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/ ... EH-P800PRS

The reason I owned the 880, and soon the 800prs is the adjustability. No other deck in this price range offers anything close to the flexibility.. Sounds very nice too

thedeal7235 · Post by **thedeal7235** » Sun Jul 13, 2008 12:44 pm

sony cdx c90 in the audi glove compartment, u can see it this way in the day, love the sound reproduction; i use the sony xav-w1 in factory dash for dvd, and get sound for dvd thru the cdx c90s bus, with the help of the sony xa-300(the xa 300 was only 65 bucks from crutchfield)
http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh63 ... C03711.jpg

KHPower · Post by **KHPower** » Sun Jul 13, 2008 12:55 pm

thedeal7235 wrote:sony cdx c90 in the audi glove compartment, u can see it this way in the day, love the sound reproduction; i use the sony xav-w1 in factory dash for dvd, and get sound for dvd thru the cdx c90s bus, with the help of the sony xa-300(the xa 300 was only 65 bucks from crutchfield)
http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh63 ... C03711.jpg

Thats sweet! I need a screen up in my van

someday

thedeal7235 · Post by **thedeal7235** » Sun Jul 13, 2008 1:15 pm

the xaV-w1 screen is phenominal, however the sound quality for music reproduction sux, even with the time alignment, eq features etc. thats why i still use the cdx-c90 for music reproduction, the xav-w1 supposedly has 4volt out, but i believe it to be a crappy 2volts, if even that

KHPower · Post by **KHPower** » Sun Jul 13, 2008 7:43 pm

Thanks everyone for the excellent reviews on HU's.

Here is the breakdown on what I need and whatI am looking for in a new head unit:

Hi Volt pre out (Would love 8 volts due to the length of my RCA’s)
24 bit dac
A really nice equalizer 7 band or more
Prefer a built in amplifier
USB control that can run my Zune and my Kingston flash drive(Without having to buy optional accessories) I want this to be included in the box
Something similar to “Imprint”

The cost of the unit isn’t really a big deal because I enjoy music so much and I would consider this a investment/necessity

I have a very loud SPL system and usually my head unit is set to HP filtering so I have a lot of highs coming from my front 5x9’s to kind of equal out the SPL levels so I can at least hear the music.

I also enjoy to listen to music without the chest pounding bass and would like something that can run my speakers to a clarity over what my old Pioneer can do , Also , when I have company in my van it would be nice to listen to some clean sounding SQ music and I can adjust the Sub to compliment the music.
I now have narrowed my search to something that Eclipse has , I wanted the newer 3200 @ first but it seems like it doesn’t have all the equalizing features of the ones Jason listed and or the CD7200. I would love to have the cd7200 if it had amplification. I guess I could always run a old school Hifonics Hawk amp to my speakers but would rather have the HU supplying the power.

I think I have scratched out the top o line Pioneer because I don’t want to pay money for things and features I will never use.

The Alpine 9887 is still in my head but is slowly loosing my interest due to the optional accessories costing so much. At the same time it is in my head because I can get that unit for cheap !

I still am viewing the Kenwood product line up.

As of now I am looking at the Eclipses

Does Eclipse only produce the 3 decks listed on there site? Any more eclipse recommendations?