# Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit?



## sisiisis (Jun 20, 2003)

Don't think this poll has been posted. I've owned 4 in my lifetime.
2 JVC head units, 2 Alpine head units. The Alpines were great, however one had to be sent back for repairs of a faulty loading mechanism.
Both JVC's sounded great and were durable. JVCs seem to play every scratched-up, beat up, CD-R or MP3 CD you threw at them. For this reason, I voted JVC.
Any more recommendations or favorites?


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## Obin Robinson (Oct 20, 2000)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (sisiisis)*

i've had best luck with Pioneer http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 
obin


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## King (May 10, 2002)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (Obin Robinson)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Obin Robinson* »_i've had best luck with Pioneer http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 
obin

same here


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## sisiisis (Jun 20, 2003)

I have this:


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## Dreamstate (Jan 2, 2002)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (sisiisis)*

Eclipse. 8 volts of sonic delight.


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## [email protected] (Nov 30, 1999)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (sisiisis)*

I've owned two Kenwoods and they have treated me the very best. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## JettaManDan (Feb 7, 2001)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (CanuckPal)*

Pioneer rules - if you get the premier series you can get 3 sets of high volt outputs....makes building a system very easy and kills the dreaded alternator noise if you have crappy wiring







plus the EQ is easy to use and tailor to your needs......i've had 3 and loved them...


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## retro_rocket (Apr 17, 2002)

I have an Alpine CDM-7874 in my Probe and absolutely love it...lots of features, nothing has broken or gone wrong, great value for the money.








Probably the same brand that will be in my Rabbit sooner or later.


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## Gus Polinski (Jul 20, 2001)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (sisiisis)*

Panasonic's blow. I vote Pioneer.


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## G-Shock (Jun 14, 2002)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (Hawkmoon)*

I agree best bang for the buck is Pioneer http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## 16vscooter (Aug 26, 2003)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (G-Shock)*

i have gone through
-pioneer*
-jvc
-sony
-clarion
-alpine
i have 2 alpine's right now one in my jetta and one in my jeep, best out of all the ones iv'e ever used/installed.
mike
*forgot this one*


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## PseudoEnthusiast (Dec 21, 2002)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (sisiisis)*

I got an Alpine tape deck some time ago for my SPG because it was the only half-decent tape deck I could find at the time with a knob control. Now I've attached an Ai-net CD changer to it and soon I'll replace that with an MP3 changer. I'm just happy it hasn't become broken or useless in the four years I've had it. I really hated everything else that was on the market at the time... WTF is that eye candy for?


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## AudiVwMeister (Oct 22, 2002)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (eyesreflecting)*

i've been happy with the pioneers that i've owned and am debating wheather or not to ditch the crapy bose system and switch over in the tt. damn bose wiring


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## DEUCE SLUICE (Sep 11, 1999)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (AudiVwMeister)*

i've had pioneer systems in 4 cars so far, yet have only purchased one - my other cars have just come with them. they have all been within a few years of each other (98-2000), and always a premium player. so i've basically had the same cd player in every car i've had since 2000.
i've loved all of them, never had a problem.


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## LelloBeetle (Feb 14, 2001)

*Re: (sisiisis)*


_Quote, originally posted by *sisiisis* »_I have this:










Me too


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## sntx (Jan 11, 2003)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (sisiisis)*


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## passataholic (Oct 17, 2002)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (03kpa)*

probablythe most common alpine...and with good reason


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## Guest (Oct 16, 2003)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (03kpa)*


_Quote, originally posted by *03kpa* »_I have an Alpine CDM-7874 in my Probe and absolutely love it...lots of features, nothing has broken or gone wrong, great value for the money.








Probably the same brand that will be in my Rabbit sooner or later.

Yep. My old Kia Sephia came from the _factory_ with that head unit, sans the detacable face. Other than the small buttons, it was great--the sound was crystal clear.


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## lacuna (May 10, 2002)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (sisiisis)*

I've had a couple decks before. I had a nice entry level Panasonic deck that got stolen out of my '73 Bug.







I replaced it with a Pioneer DEH-3300 that was sold with the car. I now have a Pioneer Premier DEH-330 that has been in my Golf and now the 6er.
The Panasonic had a good clean amp, but was a little low in the features and didn't have an adjustable EQ.
The Pioneers have been great. I love the bright displays, clean amplifiers, and especially the EQ function. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## LuvVDubs (Feb 13, 2002)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (sntx)*


_Quote, originally posted by *sntx* »_










Nak rules, but they're sooooooo pricy.... http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## DCS (Mar 29, 2001)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (LuvVDubs)*

Eclipse, Clarion and Nak towards the bottom of the poll?!?!?!?!
Remind me to never come to the lounge for car audio advice.


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## [email protected] (Dec 12, 2001)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (DCS)*

Well, the poll said favorite brand, not what people thought was the best. Favorite implies to some people that you have owned it - not everyone can afford the high-end stuff.
Personally, I'm a pretty big fan of Blaupunkt. I had a really great Blau head unit and 5 cd changer in the Corrado when I sold it, and I miss that stuff. All run through an A/D/C amp in the back, to Alpine component speakers. It was a good system.
-Tim


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## sisiisis (Jun 20, 2003)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (sntx)*


_Quote, originally posted by *sntx* »_










No MP3 playback kills it for me.


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## busyman (Jan 30, 2002)

Aiwa front mounted input + iPod =


















_Modified by busyman at 3:20 PM 10-16-2003_


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## flyer20200 (Oct 6, 2003)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (sisiisis)*

I've dealt with this panasonic and I love it. Looks so cool. Color match is pretty close. It really comes down to personal preference, price, and features. Prices on the Panasonics are nice and they come with 3 5v pre-amp outputs which is nice.
*Good-hr1003u* 
Info: http://catalog2.panasonic.com/...1003U 








*Gooder-hx1083u* 
Info: http://catalog2.panasonic.com/...1083U 








*Goodest-hx2083u* 
Info:http://www.prodcat.panasonic.c...d=285









Whatever you go with, make sure its what you want and look for reviews on the internet.
http://carreview.com 
http://epinions.com  
Any questions, feel free to email or IM.


_Modified by flyer20200 at 10:18 PM 10-16-2003_


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## samc (Jan 15, 2002)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (flyer20200)*

kenwood kdc-mp919
Im sure its not the best HU out there but I've almost had it for 2 years now and it works like a champ.


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## Non_Affiliated (Feb 12, 2002)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (sisiisis)*


_Quote, originally posted by *sisiisis* »_
No MP3 playback kills it for me.

OH no, No MP3 Playback







. What did we ever do without MP3.


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## Gus Polinski (Jul 20, 2001)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (Non_Affiliated)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Non_Affiliated* »_
What did we ever do without MP3.









we changed out CD's a lot more often.


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## 6cylVWguy (Jun 14, 2000)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (03kpa)*


_Quote, originally posted by *03kpa* »_I have an Alpine CDM-7874 in my Probe and absolutely love it...lots of features, nothing has broken or gone wrong, great value for the money.








Probably the same brand that will be in my Rabbit sooner or later.

I have the same hu in the corrado. I love it. I had an earlier alpine and liked that as well. My vote goes to alpine.
Before my most recent alpine I had a blau hu. What heap of crap. There will never be another blau in any of my cars ever again. The fm tuner was bad as well as a cd player that only worked on occassion. http://****************.com/smile/emthdown.gif


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## kcying (Mar 18, 2001)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (samc)*


_Quote, originally posted by *samc* »_kenwood kdc-mp919
Im sure its not the best HU out there but I've almost had it for 2 years now and it works like a champ.


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## PzwoTDI (Apr 6, 2000)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (kcying)*

I voted for Clarion, that's pretty much all I have mainly owned over the years. I am on my 4th Clarion HU now.I have owned Pioneer,Sony,Alpine in the past.
I also second JVC,they seem to have the best features for the money,I plan on buying a JVC product for my Mk2.


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## Cyclopath (Sep 1, 2002)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (Jettaboy_1)*

Blaupunkt San Jose. After 10 hours of music on one CD, I can pull it out and shove another 10 hours in without having to pull over and climbing in the trunk or under the seat. I have the equivalent of 450 CDs in one small CD folder.


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## 87sccaGTI (Sep 11, 2003)

i've had pretty much all of them.. but alpine and eclipse are my two favorites.
I've had: Pioneer, Alpine, JVC and Rockford Fosgate.. currently i have a lower model Eclipse and i like it more than the top of the line Pioneer i had.. much easier for an idiot like me to use


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## 1.8Tyrone (Oct 24, 2001)

*Re: (87sccaGTI)*

I have had a panasonic CQ-DF601 in my car for about two years...Kenwood before that....it's great....always get comps on the sound "system" (stock except the HU) from passengers, prob from the blue screen and animations......on another note, are there any GOOD (not the best around $3-400) HU's with color screens but not TV's?....


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## CapeGLS (Aug 3, 2002)

*Re: (1.8Tyrone)*

I don't know if this can be qualified into the mix, but it is a CAR AUDIO HEAD UNIT!!!







I have better pictures, but my IMAGESTATION is not working right now!








*2002 model Kenwood 911DVD*


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## mirek (Jun 6, 2003)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (03kpa)*


_Quote, originally posted by *03kpa* »_I have an Alpine CDM-7874 in my Probe and absolutely love it...lots of features, nothing has broken or gone wrong, great value for the money.








Probably the same brand that will be in my Rabbit sooner or later.

I have the same model! love it!


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## rgrubb (Jan 6, 2002)

*Re: (sisiisis)*


_Quote, originally posted by *sisiisis* »_I have this:










Something about this headunit just bothers me. It's odd looking


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## luccio83 (Nov 20, 2002)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (DCS)*


_Quote, originally posted by *DCS* »_Eclipse, Clarion and Nak towards the bottom of the poll?!?!?!?!
Remind me to never come to the lounge for car audio advice.









http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif Eclipse


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## ddnmkun (Jul 29, 2002)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (luccio83)*

Alpine rocks!!!!!








cda-9815


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## specialk666 (Aug 24, 2003)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (sisiisis)*

Eclipse has NEVER done me wrong, Have had 3, and still have the original one in one of my cars....


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## MADNJ (Nov 14, 2003)

Clarion DXZ835MP!!! The backlit display can be changed to over 700 color combos, so it can match the Passat interior lighting perfectly or your mood. The keypad lights even change to match the backlighting. The SQ is amazing and I have been told by a couple people who had listened to both (1 an installer) that the Clarion build quality and sound is better than that of Alpine. I think it matches the interior better than the Alpine as well. Also, having a seperate Subwoofer volume control on the face of the head is a really nice feature. I had also looked into Kenwood when I started looking but have heard very mixed reviews as to the build quality and SQ of their units. The best thing about the Clarion though is that they are available for about $100 less than the Alpine units brand new on EBAY. Get what you like, but for the price the Clarion IMO can't be beat.


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## the governor (Jan 24, 2002)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (sisiisis)*

eclipse is where its at


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## overmonk (Apr 28, 2002)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (tenacious jett)*

I had a Jensen deck with Alpine speakers in my first car - a 77 volvo. The H/U ate tapes, but the speakers kicked ass.
The equally sweet Toyota tercel station wagon received numerous facelifts, a Clarion high-power cassette deck, matched to a Coustic 30X2 amp running K-mart box speakers, and later Cerwin-Vega bookshelf speakers.
The Civic Si received a Blaupunkt CD player, model long forgotten. My first in-car CD experience - it was really ok, but only long after do I realize that it really wasn't.
The GTI's OEM unit is Panasonic, but I swapped it for the Blaupunkt-sourced GAMMA, and just recently an Alpine deck.
The Alpine blows them all away.


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## szhaider (Jul 8, 2003)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (overmonk)*

I cant believe no one listed this:








This is my HU and i LOVE IT!
Honestly tho...it has way too many options...which is a good thing.


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## andru1313 (Jan 15, 2002)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (szhaider)*

Ok here is my Set up just finished installing. Came from a Kennwood Excelon. Now went to A Pioneer Premier. Love it. Looks great. Would look better if i didn't have the wood trim. That is my next project. 
























Also have a stealth box hooked up with a 500w sound stream. Giddie up


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## IceHawk (Nov 25, 2003)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (andru1313)*

I've only owned 1 but I would have to say from all the ones I have tried in stores, I like the Pioneer DEH-P550 (Premier version). All the Kenwoods and JVC's are kinda tacky lookin. I would've rather had that Alpine with blue lighting and MP3 capability but it was outta my price range. Im happy with the Pioneer, blends in and MP3's!!


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## poopy_pants (Aug 10, 2000)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (IceHawk)*









i just picked up one of these. 8v preamps, 24bit d/a, 13channel eq, time alignment.... the list goes on and on. plus it matches the dash pretty well. this is my third eclipse, i will never own a different brand. imho its the best sounding headunit for under 500$
it may not be as flashy as the other, but thats why i like it. it doesnt stick way out of the dash. and it has an AUX input for my ipod


_Modified by poopy_pants at 1:17 PM 11-30-2003_


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## Srdjan (Oct 26, 2003)

Alpine any of their unit. They are just great headunits. I have a apn cda9807 but I am thinking about getting a cda9815


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## dqwolf1 (Oct 3, 2001)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (Jettaboy_1)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Jettaboy_1* »_I voted for Clarion, that's pretty much all I have mainly owned over the years. I am on my 4th Clarion HU now.I have owned Pioneer,Sony,Alpine in the past.
I also second JVC,they seem to have the best features for the money,I plan on buying a JVC product for my Mk2.

What Joe said http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## ND4SPDTT (Jan 7, 2002)

*Eclipse...*

This will be finished with the rest of my system tomorrow.














16v balanced to a convertor. Should sound awesome.. well that and sqeezing 2 12's in a TT.


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## SnapDemon (Apr 10, 2002)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (sisiisis)*

I just sold an eclipse which I had for 3 years and it was awesome. If I decide to get rid of the stock deck I will get another, or one of these:








But I have some other "Ideas" for now


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## JettaManDan (Feb 7, 2001)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (szhaider)*


_Quote, originally posted by *szhaider* »_I cant believe no one listed this:








This is my HU and i LOVE IT!
Honestly tho...it has way too many options...which is a good thing.

yeah - the pioneer stuff rocks - especially the premier stuff - untill now they were about the only manufacturer to offer 3 sets of line level outputs that were high voltage.....that makes system setup a snap and cuts the possibility of alternator noise and stuff....plus it's very affordable if you know where to get it


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## SnapDemon (Apr 10, 2002)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (JettaManDan)*


_Quote, originally posted by *JettaManDan* »_
yeah - the pioneer stuff rocks - especially the premier stuff - untill now they were about the only manufacturer to offer 3 sets of line level outputs that were high voltage.....that makes system setup a snap and cuts the possibility of alternator noise and stuff....plus it's very affordable if you know where to get it









How affordable and where???


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## andru1313 (Jan 15, 2002)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (SnapDemon)*

you can pick them up cheap off of ebay. dats where I got mine.


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## JettaManDan (Feb 7, 2001)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (SnapDemon)*


_Quote, originally posted by *SnapDemon* »_
How affordable and where???

under $300 for a really decent head unit...ebay is good......and select retailers sell them...


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## veedub87 (Nov 18, 2003)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (JettaManDan)*

I prefer Alpine. I'm on my third now. I've had a CDA-7824 in my Maxima and Jetta, and CDA-7876 in my Jeep, and now a CDA-9815 in my GTI. Never a problem with any of them. Read any and all CDR media I fed them. Alpine has always looked classy and sounded great. Eclipse is great too, but I always shied away from Fujitsu Ten head units because I did not like the looks(displays have always looked very cheap) and didn't like the non-detachable faces. I do own an Eclipse amp though. 
Nakamichis are great too, and I had an MB-75 music bank in dash 6 cd changer, but I could not keep the thing from skipping. I would literally drive over a manhole cover and it would skip. A road with seams in it would almost result in me ripping it out of the jeep(a cherokee, mind you - smooth ride for a jeep) and throwing it out the window. I went thru 2 of them because I thought the damping system in the first one was faulty. Nope. Same thing for the 2nd unit. It sounded great, but I got sick of the skipping and pulled it out, sent it to a friend of mine free of charge, and returned to my old staple, Alpine w/ a conventional Ai net changer. Alpines are solid, sound very good, and best of all, they function better than any car audio equipment I have ever used, which to me is the most important factor. I have yet to have an Alpine unit skip under any circumstance.


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## BlackVWVr6 (Sep 2, 2002)

*Re: (Srdjan)*

what are your thoughts on the Cda - 7995?


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## veedub87 (Nov 18, 2003)

*Re: (BlackVWVr6)*

if that is the one that has the 'fantom face' thing that slides back into the unit, I don't like it at all. Don't see the need for all the extra moving parts just to get a tiny extra bit of face size, not to mention it sticks out too much. I just think it looks like crap, to be honest.


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## vw mofo (Mar 5, 1999)

I've had the opposite luck with Pioneer stuff in the past and thusly wouldn't own one if it was given to me. I'm sure the stuff is leaps and bounds better than it used to be, but much like a dog, I never forget....
I've been pretty happy with the Sony I picked up last year and it matches the MK4 interior nicely.


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## SiGmA_X (Nov 2, 2003)

I love my Sony, but I would never buy it. I'd get an Alpine if I was paying for it. My dad bought this one for me.. Alpine all the way!


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## hoorado (Nov 15, 2002)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (eyesreflecting)*

alpine, clarion... anything but sony http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## Stealth Car (Oct 3, 2003)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (GTIce)*

What's wrong with Sony?


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## woflsburgT (Oct 11, 2002)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (GTIce)*


_Quote, originally posted by *GTIce* »_alpine, clarion... anything but sony http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 

amen to that. here's my unit








gets installed wednesday


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## phd-12v (Jun 13, 2001)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (Stealth Car)*

here is a shot of my original pioneer RS-D2 as built in 1993---was one of the original units using fiber optic interconnects---also known as ODR(optical digital reference)









and here is the new version of the same radio known as "the babby ODR" from pioneer premier----also known as the P9 Combo


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## TheSSG (Mar 10, 2003)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (sisiisis)*

Nakamichi. Plain, elegant, and sounds amazing. Works well in my plain 'ol cars


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## blowncrx (Dec 30, 2003)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (TheSSG)*

I've had a bunch, but I still end up going with Nakamichi. Preferably the project 1000 series.


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## zaphoid (Jan 23, 2003)

i'll be buying a nak cd-500, as soon as they're released.


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## slomofo. (Jul 19, 2003)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (phd-12v)*


_Quote, originally posted by *phd-12v* »_here is a shot of my original pioneer RS-D2 as built in 1993---was one of the original units using fiber optic interconnects---also known as ODR(optical digital reference)









and here is the new version of the same radio known as "the babby ODR" from pioneer premier----also known as the P9 Combo









haven't seen an ODR setup in a long time, the only pioneer i would own. 
i just recently switched from my mobile ES cdx-c910 to an eclipse 8443. 8 volts, parametric eq, built in x-over and time allignment is a good thing for sure. i'm very happy. 
and jsut to piss in some cheerios, i used to sell Nak and we had to take back so may CD45Z's that you couldn't give me one, not to mention the phasing problems they have on the preamp section


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## phd-12v (Jun 13, 2001)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (slomofo.)*


_Quote, originally posted by *slomofo.* »_
and jsut to piss in some cheerios, i used to sell Nak and we had to take back so may CD45Z's that you couldn't give me one, not to mention the phasing problems they have on the preamp section

you werent the only Nak dealer with that problem--i had a whole case bad of 35 and 40's---not to mention 75%of the 45's we sold, got returned for other headunits


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## slomofo. (Jul 19, 2003)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (phd-12v)*


_Quote, originally posted by *phd-12v* »_
you werent the only Nak dealer with that problem--i had a whole case bad of 35 and 40's---not to mention 75%of the 45's we sold, got returned for other headunits










nak also just filed bankruptcy for the second time.


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## RubberDubbie (Jun 9, 2002)

*Re: (BlackVWVr6)*

http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## vdubguy97 (Sep 13, 2003)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (SnapDemon)*


_Quote, originally posted by *SnapDemon* »_I just sold an eclipse which I had for 3 years and it was awesome. If I decide to get rid of the stock deck I will get another, or one of these:








But I have some other "Ideas" for now









Where do i get this head unit at. And what kind is it. looks like it would flow really well with the A4 interior


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## john_w (Sep 4, 2002)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (vdubguy97)*


_Quote, originally posted by *vdubguy97* »_
Where do i get this head unit at. And what kind is it. looks like it would flow really well with the A4 interior

http://www.becker.de
http://www.beckerautosound.com


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## Dro-Dro (Nov 14, 2003)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (TheSSG)*

Newer Nakamichi stuff is common build quality, name branded poop. Old school Nak equipment is the best to be had for sound quality. I've had two Nak tape decks ( both sold )







and I miss them. The TD-500 and TD-700 have better sound with tapes than a CD player could ever muster. 
Clarion makes good stuff; Alpine is nice, yet isn't great for realistic sound repro.
Eclipse makes some of the better head units on the market today for SQ.
Last of all, if it's available at Best Buy or C.C. it's gonna be poop.


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## THE KILLER RABBIT (Jun 2, 2003)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (Obin Robinson)*

my friend just put a panisonic ghost into his integra.. over the weekend .sooooo phat


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## Non_Affiliated (Feb 12, 2002)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (sisiisis)*

My Choice,








Second,








Third,








PS they are selling the The Rockford H/U Model RFX8250 on Cardomain for really cheap and I come to find out (Because I was ignorant) These are Denon made H/U made for RF. And when I say Cheap They List for $1000, and SD's old Price Was $800, and they are closing these out for $350.
Lastly For Mid Grade stuff, it's Alpines 9800 line.


_Modified by Non_Affiliated at 6:32 PM 1-11-2004_


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## SixteenRocco (Jun 27, 2003)

*Re: (MADNJ)*


_Quote, originally posted by *MADNJ* »_Clarion DXZ835MP!!! The backlit display can be changed to over 700 color combos, so it can match the Passat interior lighting perfectly or your mood. The keypad lights even change to match the backlighting. The SQ is amazing and I have been told by a couple people who had listened to both (1 an installer) that the Clarion build quality and sound is better than that of Alpine. I think it matches the interior better than the Alpine as well. Also, having a seperate Subwoofer volume control on the face of the head is a really nice feature. I had also looked into Kenwood when I started looking but have heard very mixed reviews as to the build quality and SQ of their units. The best thing about the Clarion though is that they are available for about $100 less than the Alpine units brand new on EBAY. Get what you like, but for the price the Clarion IMO can't be beat.

DITTO! Over and OVER again! 
Best HU I've ever used. 
I've run the gamut from crappy Sony and JVC head units, to nice Sony and JVC units, to Kenwood, Pioneer, Panasonic (THAT was a mistake), Alpine, Eclipse, and now I'm onto the Clarion DXZ835MP. Best HU of all of them BY FAR. 
The crappy Sony got stolen, and I got the crappy JVC for free. Then upgraded to the "good" JVC, which broke, then I got the "good" Sony, which also got stolen. Kenwood, sold with old car, I liked it, but it skipped a lot. Pioneer, stolen







, then I got an alarm!...LOL. Panasonic, Alpine and Eclipse broke, and they wouldn't honor my warranty, so screw them. Now, the Clarion simply ROCKS, their customer service is simply phenomenal. Can't go wrong with Clarion.


----------



## mak dogg (Jan 13, 2004)

u guys are birds and no nothing about audio. alpine make a nice deck for the money, but sony, panasonic, jvc (cheaper panasonic) etc is all bunk. U want a nice deck go nakamichi, eclipse.


----------



## Dro-Dro (Nov 14, 2003)

*Re: (mak dogg)*

QUOTE=mak dogg]u guys are birds and no nothing about audio. 
Now let's be fair and not hurt anyone's feelings. There may be some who don't know much about installation, speaker placement, RFI, grounding rules, or the reasons for soldering wires, yet we should have a thread on such topics for those who haven't the resources to learn the proper way to achieve mobile high-fidelity.
I for one had 12 drivers, three amps, and a crossover, yet still never achieved the sound I was looking for. ( wrong interior shape ).
You can have the "****" head unit like a Mc Intosh, yet play it through "X-Plode" speakers by sony and hear crap. I just hope this thread leads to greater understanding, instead of swayed leanings towards a new or different source unit. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


----------



## mak dogg (Jan 13, 2004)

ur right, ur equipment is as good as the weakest link in the chain. But in most cases a nak deck, eclipse, mac, denon will improve the sql a huge amount. jvc,panasonic etc when tested only have like 2.2volts preout, almost a full percent in thd.


----------



## woflsburgT (Oct 11, 2002)

i don't know why everyone on here seems to be in love with eclipse. they're just not making quality products anymore


----------



## slomofo. (Jul 19, 2003)

*Re: (woflsburgT)*


_Quote, originally posted by *woflsburgT* »_i don't know why everyone on here seems to be in love with eclipse. they're just not making quality products anymore

not true whatsoever, the high end of the line is extremely nice, and nicer than the previous years as far as options and such. i am using the CD8443 in my car and it's amazing. the built in crossover works better than i ever imagined, and i extremely adjustable with varying frequency and slope. the time allignment works wonders, and the parametric eq is pretty thorough in its bands of adjustment as well as the adjustable q is nice. 8volts on the pre-amp isn't too bad either








i have this deck and the alpine 9815 in the same room and on the same amps, and when i switch between the 2 there is a noticeable difference, everything is much more open with the eclipse. i used to have the Sony Mobile ES CDX-C910 which if you know anything about audio, you know that this was THE reference deck for quite some time. i even had the time allignment processor allong with it. in short, for 419.95, the eclipse does all of what the 1400.00 combo of the sony and it's processor did and more for 1000.00 less. and it has a 3 year warranty. 
as far as NAK goes, it's junk anymore. the old stuff was awesome but the new stuff is terrible. when we sold it, it had the highest failure rate of anything we carried and they don't sound very good. they had phasing problems on the outputs and Nakamichi is once again bankrupt











_Modified by slomofo. at 2:22 PM 1-16-2004_


----------



## dcomiskey (Mar 13, 2002)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (john_w)*


_Quote, originally posted by *john_w* »_
http://www.becker.de
http://www.beckerautosound.com

According to them, radios are no longer available. You can only get Becker amps and speakers. Bummer.


----------



## Non_Affiliated (Feb 12, 2002)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (slomofo.)*

Hey Slomofo you have taken my Club Idea, Kind of why screen name is what it is.
about 8 years ago these little clickish CC's started forming and became real dayz of our lives. So I used to bag on club members and tell them i am starting a Car Club Called Non-Affiliated.
There was no Dues,
Didn't matter what car you had,
We didn't have a President, 
nor did we have meetings.
Then they would reply, that isn't a club, I said well sure it is. Without the drama and egos.


----------



## Nrcabby (May 1, 2003)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (sisiisis)*

For sound quality Alpine makes the best radio's, subs, and amps. But polk has the best speakers hands down.










_Modified by Nrcabby at 11:32 PM 1-21-2004_


----------



## Nrcabby (May 1, 2003)

*Re: (slomofo.)*


_Quote, originally posted by *slomofo.* »_
i have this deck and the alpine 9815 in the same room and on the same amps, and when i switch between the 2 there is a noticeable difference, everything is much more open with the eclipse. 

The Alpine is a much better unit then the eclpise the only reason it sounds better on your wall is because the wall drops preout voltage like crazy and the 8v on the ecplise lets the amps get proper power I bet even if the amps are turned you have a crossover for the crap radios which will kill the signal from the alpine. Or if you have no crossover and no amps running and the eclpise still sounds better you don't know how to tune the radio.


----------



## slomofo. (Jul 19, 2003)

*Re: (Nrcabby)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Nrcabby* »_
The Alpine is a much better unit then the eclpise the only reason it sounds better on your wall is because the wall drops preout voltage like crazy and the 8v on the ecplise lets the amps get proper power I bet even if the amps are turned you have a crossover for the crap radios which will kill the signal from the alpine. Or if you have no crossover and no amps running and the eclpise still sounds better you don't know how to tune the radio.

actually, i have the 8V not only in the wall but also in my car. in the sound room, it goes from the deck, to the board, then to the amps, no crossovers or anything. that is why 8V is important, because in a car environment, the signal can drop between the deck and the amps. 
here's the straight poop though if you really want to know. i have 2 fellow employees that got into the alpine store demo car program. 1 of these employees is an IASCA competitor and has been one for many years. He has had a pioneer ODR system, which if you know what that is you know how dope that is, pioneer or not, and also had a Mobile ES Sony system. i ended up putting his mobile es system in my car. it sounded amazing after a day of adjustment. he however went on to buy a 9815, 4 amps, seperates, sub, etc. after alot of tweaking, it sounded pretty good. i got my eclipse for free from eclipse and i put it in. the difference between the mobile es system and the eclipse was amazing. now keep in mind that the Mobile ES system i had, is the same one that Boston Accoustics uses currently in their demo Saturn Vue. back to the story, i installed the CD8443 eclipse in my car, and after setting up the crossovers, it was amazing. i talk to my co-worker and have him take a listen, he's blown away and agrees, that if he were to put the eclipse in his car, it would perform far above his alpine. if he did that though, he would lose his sponsorship so the alpine stays. 
now this isn't to say that the alpine is a poor deck, on the contrary, it's a a very good one, and works very well but... keep in mind that the eclipse has double the voltage on the pre-outs and a lot less impedance on the pre-outs. the alpine is 4V at 1000 ohms. the eclipse is 8V at 55ohms. it isn't rocket science to figure it out now is it. i've been in this business for a very long time and i know what works and what doesn't. the alpine is still far above ANY Kenwood, Clarion, or standard line Pioneer. but it's still no eclipse. now if you want to talk F#1 status alpine line, thats a whole different story. but most of us don't have the cash for that stuff


----------



## bfons808 (Sep 1, 2002)

*Re: (slomofo.)*

For under $225.00, Pioneer rules. The have the best sound for the cheaper units.
As for the more expensive units, Jensen!










Brian


----------



## 8ac1v1c (Oct 28, 2002)

*Re: (bfons808)*

The Panasonic Ghost.
Touchscreen ROCKS!!!!! http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 
I still havent used the Remote control and I've had the deck in for almost a year now

















I changed the color on the face to match the interior lights - BLUE AND GREEN!


----------



## golfvariant (Nov 18, 2003)

*Re: (8ac1v1c)*

I've had Sony ES, Alpine, kenwood and pioneer decks and they all do the same thing... make music! One deck in paticular I keep going back to is my clarion 9675rz because of its features. It has a great builtin Dac to start with and its parametric EQ is very useful for choppin out freq's that are a bit too edgie. Display is awesome! One of the first full color matrix's with adjustable backgrounds to match your stock lighting. Heres a shot (not a very good one) of my 9675 in my wag w/ my XM roady mounted up top. Haven't finished smoothing out the dash so don't slam me on that : >


----------



## TDIVentoDave (Oct 25, 2000)

*Re: (golfvariant)*

Alpine 7909
Clarion DRX9255
Eclipse 8053 or 8443
Alpine F#1 Status Gear
I am a sucker for the Burr Brown lasers. Nothing sounds as pure. I was also pretty intrigued by the Panasonic DVD audio player, I wanna say it was the CQDFX909U or something. It has been a while.


----------



## Ratamahatt (Oct 18, 2002)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (DCS)*


_Quote, originally posted by *DCS* »_Eclipse, Clarion and Nak towards the bottom of the poll?!?!?!?!
Remind me to never come to the lounge for car audio advice.









Was thinking the same thing. Denon not even on list... I always thought sound quality was an important feature of the head unit. Not lights.


----------



## crazyravr (Dec 16, 2002)

I think those who voted, voted for what they have not for what they think is the high quality stuff..... I mean lets face it.. how can u have Kenwood higher in ratings then Eclipse ?!!??!?!


----------



## Dubbage (Jan 28, 2003)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (sisiisis)*

Alpine


----------



## jeff piwonka (Sep 1, 2003)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (Dubbage)*

i came across a cd8051 that was in rel nice shape so i bought it since i think it looks better than the newer headunits.
it is one step below what my brother has which would be the 8061...balanced outs, and all the good stuff.
mine has the 8V preamp outs.
i put it in and it made a small amount of sound quality improvement right off the bat.
but i could only turn it up about halfway before my speakers were distorting...which is where the sony that was in there(prev. owner, cdx-c7000x) would be turned up almost full volume.
so after i turned all my amp gains down so that the head is turned up about to 90% if the speakers are at max clean volume....now there is a huge improvement.
i can run much higher volumes and it is still clean sounding, now if only my sub could hang with my front stage.
my amp gains are almost all the way down too....awesome.
anyone wanna buy a sony








oh yeah i told my brother about the SQ improvement his comment.
"i know, and its because eclipse's are made by GOD himself."










_Modified by jeff piwonka at 1:33 PM 2-16-2004_


----------



## golf2pointslow (Feb 15, 2004)

Get the Platinum Rockford Fosgate. It is made by Denon and is based on the HU that many people regard as the best in the world. It retailed in the thousands and were only available in Japan, but you can get them cheap now. You will need an external amp, though. Get them on eBay for cheapest or on sounddomain for like $350.


----------



## golf2pointslow (Feb 15, 2004)

Sorry, i missed Non_Affiliated's previous post. But he is right, go with the Platinum. NOTHING can touch it. Don't buy a HU based on display colors and animation, go with sound quality.


----------



## GT Eye (Feb 5, 2002)

*Re: (golf2pointslow)*

With these new HU's, it wouldn't matter if my car was on a really stiff suspension right (combined with the piss poor roads of NYC)- no skipping?


----------



## crazyravr (Dec 16, 2002)

*Re: (GT Eye)*

Well... this is going into my car this friday....








Cant wait.


----------



## dcomiskey (Mar 13, 2002)

*Re: (crazyravr)*


_Quote, originally posted by *crazyravr* »_Well... this is going into my car this friday....








Cant wait.









Sweet. Is that the latest and greatest?


----------



## jeff piwonka (Sep 1, 2003)

*Re: (dcomiskey)*


_Quote, originally posted by *dcomiskey* »_
Sweet. Is that the latest and greatest?

not the latest, but they are great.
the one i found looks just like that, but it has 8V preamp outputs.
that is the line before what is out now, and those are the best looking eclipses in my opinion.
crazyravr
did you find that at a shop recently?
i went to the eclipse dealer around here a while back and they said they had just sold their last 8051, all they had was the newer stuff, but i found one somewhere else, man enjoy that head.










_Modified by jeff piwonka at 10:18 AM 2-17-2004_


----------



## crazyravr (Dec 16, 2002)

Yea I got that from a local dealer... This came out of a display cabinet (not a sound board)... never istalled yet so it has all the warranty etc...
And yea... it is not the Top of the line for Eclipse.. those are the 8V head units...


----------



## ICEY DUB 03 (Jun 4, 2003)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (sisiisis)*

SOUND QUALITY, DURABILITY, VERSATILITY, OVERALL BUILD QUALITY http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif .................ALPINE


----------



## Ratamahatt (Oct 18, 2002)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (dcomiskey)*


_Quote, originally posted by *dcomiskey* »_According to them, radios are no longer available. You can only get Becker amps and speakers. Bummer.

ContinentalImports sells Becker CD players.


----------



## Denny347 (Nov 11, 2001)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (sisiisis)*

I've had my Pioneer P1r for 3-4 yrs now and I love it. I would like to get a P9 but I don't have the $$$. I'll keep this one for a while yet.


----------



## WolfGTI (Jun 16, 1999)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (sisiisis)*

I just got my Kenwood Excelon KDC-X979, and I am loving it.


----------



## Turbo03GTI (Feb 20, 2004)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (WolfGTI)*

Alpine and older Clarion PRO headunits. curently have 7995 + pg ti amp.


----------



## dcomiskey (Mar 13, 2002)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (Turbo03GTI)*

Can someone chime in more about these Clarion Pro units? I've always thought of Clarion as a cheap radio manufacturer. But, I've been hearing good things about the Pro units. Enlighten me!


----------



## homeless (Oct 17, 2001)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (dcomiskey)*

http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


----------



## crazyravr (Dec 16, 2002)

^^^ Ohhhh hell yea !!!








Thats what I was talking about.


----------



## DubRadio (Oct 15, 2003)

*Re:*

Yeah i have the panasonic ghost in my car, and for looking so basic it provides great functionality and great quality. Although kenwood is my favorite, panasonic is ranking right there with them, that is why i will be doing all panasonic electronics in my car. HU, TV's, DVD, 5.1 decoder. all the bels and wistles to make my car sound and look damn good. However for amps and subs i will be doing memphis or kicker amps, and kicker subs.


----------



## THE KILLER RABBIT (Jun 2, 2003)

*Re: Re: (DubRadio)*

yes another vote for ghost

_Quote, originally posted by *DubRadio* »_Yeah i have the panasonic ghost in my car, and for looking so basic it provides great functionality and great quality. Although kenwood is my favorite, panasonic is ranking right there with them, that is why i will be doing all panasonic electronics in my car. HU, TV's, DVD, 5.1 decoder. all the bels and wistles to make my car sound and look damn good. However for amps and subs i will be doing memphis or kicker amps, and kicker subs.


----------



## RipperMan (Feb 25, 2004)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (Dreamstate)*

I am loving what i see whenever i open my eyes an dlook at pioneer - they have definatly spent alot of hard core time in finding out what is considered 'cool'
HOWEVER
it seems as many people they put on figuring that out - they took away from customer support!!!! i know of very reputable places that wont even sell pioneer any more becuase of this very reason - and - their head units brake quite easily i hear - the motorised bits.....
Panasonic - great company, make all their own stuff, and eclipse have the greatest cusotmer service in the head unit universe...3 year warranties and if u register it - if its gets stolen it gets replaced instantly.
I have trouble buying an eclipse because they dont look how i want them to - and do as much as pioneer -
panasonic is a good middle i think, and even tho it costs more than the ultra high quality eclipse and doesnt have as great a warranty - i need something that i love to look at since i will be spending a great deal of time using the thing.


----------



## jeff piwonka (Sep 1, 2003)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (RipperMan)*

i just got my little brother to order up one of the RF units made by denon.....i'm sure he'll be happy and it will sound way better than the blaupunkt he has.
i love denon stuff and when nonaffiliated posted that link i showed my little brother and told him if he was looking for a good head unit to get it, he listens well








i'm partial to denon and polk audio stuff mainly cause of some real old home monitor polks my dad has that still sound sooooo damn good, and that fact that i have one of the denon recievers in my room and it is from when he first got the polk speakers...i was in the second grade, now i'm 23, and the denon is still sounding great(it did have to be serviced once cause of the torture that me and my brothers put it through, but i'm nice to it now)

whats the deal with the balanced outs on the RF/denon head unit?
do you have to run an amp that will accept mini DIN inputs?
or use a converter?seems like a converter would defeat the purpose.


----------



## quasil (May 23, 2003)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (spaceman_spiff)*

I like that new Clarion head. I have had good experience with everything I have had from them. I really like the color http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


----------



## golfvariant (Nov 18, 2003)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (quasil)*

Clarion makes a great product but they are going down. No longer making a NAV unit anymore







And also don't support XM. Time for me to switch over to alpine







Have you guys also looked at the new Double Din Kenwood tv? Looks like a perfect match for our dash!!
Cheers


----------



## rgrubb (Jan 6, 2002)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (sisiisis)*

i think alpine wins


----------



## kleckers69 (Apr 29, 2002)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (rgrubb)*

Eclipse
then 
Blaupunkt
at the local stereo shop, there have been a few instances where people with Alpine HU come in a buy Eclipse HU, and the overall sound quality is a noticeable difference. 
so In my personal experience... Alpine is over rated circuit city/best buy junk.
but to each their own.










_Modified by kleckers69 at 3:11 PM 3-11-2004_


----------



## SRJetta (Sep 9, 2001)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (kleckers69)*


_Quote, originally posted by *kleckers69* »_
so In my personal experience... Alpine is over rated circuit city/best buy junk.


Ouch...guess I'll keep my Alpine praise to myself
J


----------



## The Shrew (Mar 5, 2004)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (SRJetta)*

Here's me for now:
http://www.audioconnection.com/kdc-x859.htm








I used to go Pioneer/Premiere only until I found out that buying a new face for a high end radio was as much as buying it new, so whatever. I just wanted something new and different. The clarity and amplification in the Kenwood Excelon HU's is really nice.


----------



## KIEZERJOSE (Feb 15, 2003)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (The Shrew)*

Alpine =


----------



## jnwebb (Mar 15, 2004)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (golfvariant)*


_Quote, originally posted by *golfvariant* »_Clarion makes a great product but they are going down. No longer making a NAV unit anymore







And also don't support XM. Time for me to switch over to alpine







Have you guys also looked at the new Double Din Kenwood tv? Looks like a perfect match for our dash!!
Cheers









Clarion used to be the **** about 2-3 years ago... But now they've trimmed the lineup considerably and gone cheap... I wouldn't touch any of the new **** these days either...
Ive also used Blaupukt Las Vegas C32... Pretty good the X-Bass really blares... 
But, Alpine is my unit... Rock solid quality... FEATURES YOU USE... None of that gay Kenwood and Pioneer kiddie screens with all the usless graphics... Alpine makes solid NO-FRILLS units... Im on my 3rd one since 1993.
CDA-7894 is my current unit... (Only change headunits every 4-5 years or so usually when i move to a new car.)


----------



## Jn2rons (Aug 13, 2001)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (jnwebb)*

Brown should be dropping this off tomorrow. I ordered it through crutchfield and should have some installed pics by mid-week.


----------



## ltparis (Jan 1, 2001)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (Jn2rons)*

When Alpine creates their Ai-Net unit for iPods, that will be my very next HU of choice.


----------



## BlaZiN M3 (Nov 29, 2002)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (ltparis)*

Pioneer DVD!! I have one for sale! check Sig.. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


----------



## signal (Jan 13, 2004)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (kleckers69)*


_Quote, originally posted by *kleckers69* »_Eclipse
then 
Blaupunkt
at the local stereo shop, there have been a few instances where people with Alpine HU come in a buy Eclipse HU, and the overall sound quality is a noticeable difference. 
so In my personal experience... Alpine is over rated circuit city/best buy junk.
but to each their own.









_Modified by kleckers69 at 3:11 PM 3-11-2004_

I agree. I have no respect for companies that rate there power levels at 14.4V.
Alpine does this with there HU's.
Brian


----------



## Res Dog (Mar 28, 2004)

props to the new RF/Denon units...my only problem with this hu is that it is iso-mount only...thats ok if you are into custom installs, but for the average consumer or someone shopping at CC or BB good luck...
props to the mac MX-406/Clarion 9255 (they are the same deck with different names...built by Clarion)
Alpine 7909...
the Nak, altho plagued with problems, did deliver some awesome SQ when they were working...had a 45Z myself, and didnt have too many problems with it...
Sony CDX-910 and C90...
the ODR was also very nice...
and the Eclipses with the burr brown DACs...
not that many companies that focus on SQ over bells whistles and flash around any more...doesnt appeal to the kids that are spending the money...its all about over inflated preout voltages and bright lights nowadays...come to think of it how many purely pre-amp decks are built now? everything has to have a 65x4 internal amp (ewww) to get sold now...
personally, at this exact moment, I am running a Clarion 9575z with the 6500z Digital Signal Processor and a 655tz changer...impressive preamp in this deck, and the dsp affords you alot of normally unavailable options...nice to have because in my Datsun the cabin is sooo small that in order to have a nice soundstage certain liberties must be taken







the dsp lets me play heh...
Im quite disappointed in the public opinion nowadays on what makes a great deck...no one cares about what it sounds like, its gotta look nice and color match the interior...


----------



## Str8desi84 (Aug 7, 2000)

you and i think alike resdog








I went so far as to get the last model 8052 eclipse unit b/c i thought that they too had gone too "flashY". Don't get me wrong, their new units are frickin absolutely awesome..just don't dig the silver








I've got my 8052 for diiirrrt cheap (NIB!) I've got balanced wires (symbilink) and i swear I'm in heaven. This unit does everything that i need it to do, though i'm considering to sell all this ish and go mac


----------



## spaceman_spiff (Sep 7, 2001)

*Re: (Res Dog)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Res Dog* »_Im quite disappointed in the public opinion nowadays on what makes a great deck...no one cares about what it sounds like, its gotta look nice and color match the interior...









i think that's a gross generalization. my question is and has been, why can't a good deck look nice? 

_Quote, originally posted by *Str8desi84* »_you and i think alike resdog








I went so far as to get the last model 8052 eclipse unit b/c i thought that they too had gone too "flashY". Don't get me wrong, their new units are frickin absolutely awesome..just don't dig the silver 









and isn't _not_ buying something good just because how it looks the same thing as those that buy another model for it's looks? kinda weak arguments IMO... in the end, the beauty of it all is there's something for everyone.


_Modified by spaceman_spiff at 11:36 AM 4-12-2004_


----------



## Blue_Devil (Jul 16, 2003)

*Re: (Res Dog)*

I have the clarion 9255 its a sweet deck and sounds amazing, i also have the mac 406 just got it and i cant wait to plug it in my system. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 
The only difference of the 2 systems is that the mac has inputs and the clarion does not other then that there the same deck and i think the clarion out puts more power to the amps they say it out puts 9 volts of ture power and this deck is twice as loud as any other deck that i have had.


----------



## VeeDoubleYouGuy (Nov 4, 2003)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (WolfGTI)*

pioneer sounds the best to me, i just dont like the looks as much. 
JVC = best bang for the buck.
Sony looks cool and the new ones all match the MK4s.
Alpine is overrated for sure but mad props for their new decks that integrate with iPods.


----------



## Res Dog (Mar 28, 2004)

*Re: (Blue_Devil)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Blue_Devil* »_I have the clarion 9255 its a sweet deck and sounds amazing, i also have the mac 406 just got it and i cant wait to plug it in my system. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 
The only difference of the 2 systems is that the mac has inputs and the clarion does not other then that there the same deck and i think the clarion out puts more power to the amps they say it out puts 9 volts of ture power and this deck is twice as loud as any other deck that i have had. 

lol you wanna sell the 9255 when you plug the mac in?


----------



## Str8desi84 (Aug 7, 2000)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (VeeDoubleYouGuy)*


_Quote, originally posted by *VeeDoubleYouGuy* »_
Alpine is overrated for sure










..but then i read your post and say it's okay to myself. Alpine>any of your choices. Read up http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


----------



## 98 VduBBeR (Aug 3, 2003)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (Str8desi84)*









ALPINE http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


----------



## phd-12v (Jun 13, 2001)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (Str8desi84)*

i dont know, something is wrong---my pioneer doesnt have any kidde screens







and it is more flexible than anything i have ever had---i like my pioneer, and as a side note eclipse is ok, but no navigation and no satellite tuner yet---something is wrong there---alpine in my eyes is probably the best bang for the buck


----------



## Str8desi84 (Aug 7, 2000)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (phd-12v)*

..dont u have the pioneer p9 combo though?
Sorry, i was talking about the more entry-mid level pioneer stuff


----------



## H2Ohead (Sep 19, 2000)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (sisiisis)*

I cant tell you how many HU's I've had over the years (a bunch) but i can tell you at the momment I have a Clarion Pro-Audio in my Rado, a mid-level JVC HU in my Rocco, and a Clarion Pro-Audio in the Cabby. For the price i paid for the JVC I cant be anything but happy with it. Doesn't matter what i put in it, it always plays no matter how beat up the CD is. As for the Clarions all i can say is WOW!!!...The sound quality is awesome and they have some very nice features and seeme to be very reliable so far. However, my all time favorite HU's were made by Harman Kardon back in the mid 90's I have never heard anything better in sound quality but, those HU's were completely passive and needed external amps to drive them. HK has a new head unit out now called the Traffic Pro wich has a built in GPS Nav. System. It will be interesting to see how it stacks up to the HK HU's of old.


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## spaceman_spiff (Sep 7, 2001)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (H2Ohead)*

see, now i was SERIOUSLY considering one of the new clarion 745mp's, but it has a 2 band eq... love the color and look of it, but having used my alpine 9815, i'm weary of losing the internal crossover and other 3 bands.
anybody with experience of both?


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## H2Ohead (Sep 19, 2000)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (spaceman_spiff)*

Spaceman,
I'm runnin the Clarion DXZ845MC in my Rado and I think the sound of that HU is hard to beat. Tons of features and awesome SQ. If you need an EQ and you're using an external amp, IMHO you should think about using an external parametric EQ. I honestly think its a whole lot easier to fine tune your system with a Parametric EQ than it is with a the built in EQ from a head unit. I'm pushing my clarion with a HK TC600 for subs and a TC400Q for my mids and highs with USD Waveguides under the dash and polk mm5510's in the doors and
JBL P1220D's in the rear for subs and to fine tune it i'm using an 
AudioControl EQL and quite hojnestly i wouldn't think of trying to fine tune that system with the HU
Hope this helps,
Drew


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## spaceman_spiff (Sep 7, 2001)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (H2Ohead)*

i'm running aftermarket head with sub and amp, but the cabin speakers are all stock on the monsoon amp. honestly, i'm blown away by the SQ of a stock system, so i don't plan on replacing any of it until the speakers start to fade -and that will still only be the speakers getting swapped.
sounds like you have a very comprehensive system. i can see why you like the AudioControl EQL, but i don't see it working for me. i listen to so many different types of music, i'm playing with my eq settings quite often (when the ipod's on shuffle you never know what to expect







). the 5-band parametric eq in the alpine has so far proven quite useful. don't know if i could ever go back...








as a side note, what color do you run your 845 at? if i was told correctly, that one does every color but blue, right?


_Modified by spaceman_spiff at 9:34 AM 4-16-2004_


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## H2Ohead (Sep 19, 2000)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (spaceman_spiff)*

LMAO...I can't really tell you what color it stays at the most because everytime somone gets in the car the first thing they like to play with is the HU and its display..My wife is actually the biggest PITA when it comes to playing with the display, but there is a green-ish color that she likes the most i think....think i made up my mind today that the entire system is gettin pulled out of the Rado and put in the Eurovan
anyone know where i can get a deal on probably 300 sq. ft. or more of Dynamat


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## Res Dog (Mar 28, 2004)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (H2Ohead)*

forget about dynamat and you will be happier with the product and the price...look for brownbread or b-quiet extreme...
in my experience (black car, product installed on the roof) the dynamat came off in a year, where as the brownbread has been on there for several years and everytime I take the headliner out, there is no sign of it ever coming off without some work...
and like I said, the price is a bit more forgiving...
do yourself a favor and forget about the overpriced dynamat...


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## H2Ohead (Sep 19, 2000)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (Res Dog)*

Res Dog,
Thanks for the advise, I have been thinking about a few different brands of sound dampening material simply because a i don't like the price or the performance of Dynamat.... Because I have such a large area to deal with in the Eurovan i have even been thinking about rubberized undercoating, or even trying to find the OEM sound deadening material that GM uses in its Caddy's. This is gonna be a HUGE project. I can't believe i am planning to do this, but I have honestly never seen anyone do a complete install like this in a Eurovan MV. It should prove to be interesting.
Drew


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## Res Dog (Mar 28, 2004)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (H2Ohead)*

well, I have tried many things heh...tried goin the cheap route...been to hardware stores, tried bedliner, rockguard, most of the different aftermarket routes, and I really found brownbread to be pretty much the easiest and most reliable way to do the job...
give it a try, I realize the eurovan is HUUUUGE and to spend the money may be a hard call, but maybe offset it a bit by undercoating the floor and 6 inches up the van walls or something to cut a few bucks out...lol, just as long as you realize the cleaner the surface the better the adhesion! the floor is gonna suck to clean, but its worth it in the end...trust me!
good luck and let me know what you decide...Id like to hear your progress and find out how it all turns out in the end...
Res


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## Gti631 (Oct 8, 2004)

I like rockford. Im thinking of getting one soon.


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## ChrisP.Lettuce (May 29, 2004)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (sisiisis)*

I've owned two JVC's and have had major skipping problems with my subs, other than that it is a good sounding deck for the price. My vote has to go for kenwood, with the excelon decks...


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## Krazee (Jan 26, 2003)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (sntx)*


_Quote, originally posted by *sntx* »_










Had this....I loved the simplicity of it...but damn, once it got warm, after using it for a bit, this thing skipped with the slightest of bumps. No complaints about the sound though.
I just got an Alpine 9835, lets see how it goes.


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## Gti631 (Oct 8, 2004)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (KrazeeKorrado13)*

word up. i wouldnt know wether to get pioneer or rockford fosgate


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## zhartwel (Aug 20, 2004)

Got this.


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## tippyzuk (Sep 14, 2003)

*Re: (zhartwel)*

i have this in my Scirocco. It is a motorized face with a motorized tray... i hook my laptop up to it through its inputs. I am running Infinities up front, but need some rear speakers with some thump since my Infinitys have no bass. I must say this is a nice head unit. My favorite yet!


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## babydaddy (Oct 13, 2004)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (JettaManDan)*


_Quote, originally posted by *JettaManDan* »_Pioneer rules - if you get the premier series you can get 3 sets of high volt outputs....makes building a system very easy and kills the dreaded alternator noise if you have crappy wiring







plus the EQ is easy to use and tailor to your needs......I've had 3 and loved them...


That sounds exactly my Excelon(sp) deck I love it.I'm a Kenwood head unit fan but don't care much for their components or amps and subs.The subs a are usually too gaudy and shiny.But they do look good in show cars/trucks http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## volkswerks (Aug 3, 2002)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (JettaManDan)*


_Quote, originally posted by *JettaManDan* »_Pioneer rules - if you get the premier series you can get 3 sets of high volt outputs....

The regular series has the same 3 sets of High volt outs. Just bought my deh-8600mp yesterday with these too


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## samc (Jan 15, 2002)

*Re: Favorite brand of Car Audio head unit? (volkswerks)*

Why does everyone love Alpine so much? Adapters cost alot, headunit itself is a bit pricey and display looks like 1990. Although it does seem to give you the best specs for your money.
How does everyone feel about sony headunits? Only experience I have is with the one posted above. My brother had one and the lcd stopped working within 6 months, but that could just be a coincidence.


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