Alpine Decks, Model Comparison Options

[mr_dude]

Anyone have an Alpine mp3 cd deck?
I'm looking into them, looking for the best value. Don't mind buying the 300 dollar one or 550 dollar one.
They just released a new set of head units... I think these will be second gen mp3 players for Alpine, any problems with the first gens that I should look out for (now that they're all discounted)?
Any good places to buy them online?

[celimanST]

I know that I am sold on alpine.

William

[Drocay]

the 9811 is nice.

[Hym3n]

Aight. I just got done studying the car stereo market for quite some time to find out what is best for my interests (hard rock, with the ability to change that at will--change the stereo's sound that is). As a matter of fact, I'm having my stereo put in as I write this, and it should be done by 7:30 PM CST tonight. For head units I narrowed it down to two choices: Alpine and Pioneer. Pioneer was known for their durability and outstanding tuner, however Alpine has more features, and well.. looks better IMO. There new line is coming out very soon (if not already), BUT, BUT, they are lacking a model with something unique in one of the first generation ones. I'll explain..

I'm getting the CDA-9813. The 9813 is unique from all of the others, (with the exception of one or two of the higher models..) in that is has the '5-Band Parametric EQ'. If you like [example] rock, and then want to listen to some classical, you'll have to go mess with settings on other head units, but none of them are going to give you the same kind of 'perfect sound' that you'll get by messing with a true digital equalizer. This is very similar to equalizers in other head units, but the 9813's is just more advanced and has.. well.. probably more than a million different combinations for how you can set it up to be EXACTLY to your tastes. I've messed with it in-store for hours and hours, and it's definitely the best you can get as far as versatility goes.

Really you just gotta mess around with it, find what you think has the most feautres that you're actually looking for, find what you think sounds the best. It's like they say with wine: "There are no bad wines. If you like it, and the seller is making a profit when you buy it, then it's a good wine."

-Brian

[MoralWarfare]

Eclipse>>>>Alpine

[Drocay]

I prefer the Eclipse or Nakamichi(both produced by fujitsu 10) over the Alpine but compared to everything else alpine is great.

[Supersprynt]

Alpines are fugly...not bad decks, just fugly.

[Cormudgen]

I would highly recomend taking a look at the Clarion DXZ835MP for the price. I'm ordering mine as soon as someone paypals me my money for an ebay sale!

[MoralWarfare]

[Cody]

In my opinion, Alpine's are overpriced for what they do in comparison to say, Pioneer. Pioneers may not have as cool of visualizations, but they're solid decks.

[mr_dude]

Thanks Hym3n, everyone else for the info.
I have to admit, I never liked the Alpine layout - but I can get used to it. Their high-end model has customizable lighting, is that actually cool or just a gimmick? Since no place has the new models in, I can't see for myself...

The equalizer functions are big for me. I roll to anything from Led Zeppelin to Social Distortion to Talib Kweli. With all that range, programming presets would be excellent.

Visualizations and tuners I could give a damn about. I hate the radio. I need an MP3 deck and about 5 CDs of MP3s. So I'm mostly into power, anti-skip, and longevity.

I was recommended the Clarion deck at Tweeter. The guy was obsessing over the audio track save function. Anyone know if that goes to flash rom or a hard drive or what? A hard drive just seems like a bad thing to put in a car

The eclipses will be another buy...

But where'd you all get your decks? Dealer? Internet? Civic with its window down?

[Cormudgen]

[celimanST]

[Hym3n]

Pretty much, Clarion, Eclipse, and Alpine are the big three in my eyes. Others are known for pretty colors or sleek layouts.. but that's really not important when it comes to stereos, and would likely just keep your attention off the road. Around here (my big three retailers), Car Toys pushes Eclipse and Alpine; Tweeter pushes Clarion; and Ultimate Electronics pushes Sony and Alpine. They all sound good when you get into higher models, just be selective in what you get, compare the models online over and over until one stands out.

I actually got my 9813 in-store (Tweeter), because they were starting to lower their prices on the head units in anticipation of the new line. A $500 unit down to $340 was pretty damn good, considering I could get it online for around $310.. I just didn't want to wait, and run the risk [of not getting it, being broken, etc]. I truly love the sound of my setup right now, but I'm still working on the EQ to get it all setup right, haven't messed around with it too much, but there's just some joy that you get when you turn it up so loud that the cars next to you are shaking.

Reasons for you to get Alpine:
-The ease of MP3-searching. On just about every other head unit, you have to hit 'next track' a bazillion times to get to what you're looking for. Some have similar search capabilities, but NONE are as easy as Alpine's. You can even store them in different folders, and everything is accessible with the green button to the right of the volume knob, and the up and down arrows next to it. It's an extremely fast search to find what you want, and there are numerous ways to have the text read out to you.
-'Media Xpander'. You won't find this on any other head unit. Basically, when you encode (write/rip/steal/grab) an MP3, you're taking it from a bitrate (quality) of 1411kbps (.wav/.cda format), to 128kbps. This is a pretty big drop, but some people can't notice it. When you copy a cd to another cd, it's quality stays very close to the same, so you simply cannot notice it. But it you were to rip a cd, encode the songs to mp3, then fill a blank cd with the encoded songs, there would be a noticable difference. This is, simply put, the only way you can fit 14 hours of music onto a cd; the filesize is compressed drastically. In a car stereo, the MP3's WILL SOUND GOOD, however, it doesn't compare to an actual cd. With the 'Media Xpander' tool, you simply press a button, and the true sound to your MP3 is re-accessed by a sort-of decompressor within the unit. This makes mp3's sound KICKASS.

Alright, I'm starting to sound like a sales guy, but for what you're looking for, an Alpine deck will likely be the best bet. It has enough features to make it a great buy, but is so very simple to use once you get it and configure it that there's just no reason not to get it.

-Brian

[Hym3n]

Oh also, if you're looking for the cheapest price, write down the model numbers of the piece(s) you are looking for, and visit: www.pricegrabber.com. Enter the model number, hit search, and bada-bing-bada-boom. This will sort through a helluva lotta online retailers for the lowest price and find it for you. EBay (while I love it to death, use it all the time, and have a feedback rating of over 120), is very good, but I don't recommend it for stereos. I had it shown to me, in a car stereo aspect, as "well, it's like buying a stereo from some guy off the side of the road.. you just don't run that risk", and he had a point. Some things are meant to be bought off eBay, but not necessarily this. Plus, buying off of eBay kills ALL manufactuer's warranties, just download the manual and warranty information off the net and take a look, in most of them they will state it specifically. You're better off buying from a known retailer, paying a little bit more money, and getting the item with a [smaller] warranty from the dealer.

Some of the sites pricegrabber will link you to aren't very good, so just compare their ***** [<---- stars] ratings on the right after you find the model you're looking for, and find a reputable dealer. I personally like etronics.com a LOT, they've helped me many times in the past and are very well known. There are many others out there though, just dig around!

-Brian

[MoralWarfare]

[mr_dude]

So any experiences on buying first gen vs second gen decks? Will Alpine have learned anything from their first go-around at MP3 players that might convince me to get a new unit?

[Hym3n]

Haven't heard the second gen ones, or at least I think I haven't. I think mine's pretty damn good though.

[DmVinny]

I had to chuckle, anyway considering using a HU's amp is not looking into sound quality whatsoever, Alpines built in amps might be strong but consider the fact the heatsink is tucked away at the back of the unit, with the rest of the components in the cars dash which generates heat, so basically after about 5 minutes or so of driving you nice Alpine HU's built in amp went from a clear 40w (just an example) to a "I cant breathe 28w".

When choosing a HU I would not even put the built in amp as a decision maker. My decisions on HU's weigh like this;

1. What am I putting into the car future or planned. Do I need F/R pre-amp outs? CD/Mp3 Changer controls? Sub out? If im buying (for example) Audio Control EQT's do I really need a HU with an EQ?

2. What are my experiences with xxx brand of head unit if any. If something I had in a prior car worked well stick with that brand.

3. Everyone has their own opinions about HU's, and odds are the one someone else recommends may not be something you like.

4. Play with them, get a feel for em, most good audio shops have a nice setup (and shoot me now because I never buy from circuit city but... they do have a nice setup to test HU's, amps, etc)

5. The last thing is totally options, does it look good to YOU not others? Does it come with a remote, or the option for one?

Alpine makes great HU's, but there probably 3rd or 4th on my list of HU's. I dont like their style, just like I dont like Blaupunkts.

I've had alot of experience with Pioneer, Sony, and Eclipse HU's, I like Pioneer's style but I dont like their amps, speakers, etc. Same with Sony, HU's are ok, not the best, nice styling, but I cant say much for the rest of there products except for maybe a crossover unit they had a while back. Eclipse headunits are sweet, I had one, touch screen, problem with Eclipse is they get damn HOT!


Just my 2.3 cents (depending on exchange rates).

[celimanST]

[mr_dude]

Vinny, thanks for the ideas...
Never seen an Eclipse one. Hafta look into it.
Any recommendations on cooling HUs? I could put computer CPU fans in the space below the deck for example... or buy a water cooling system that - nevermind the last one.

Oh, and does anyone know about acoustic insulation. Is it expensive? Is it pretty much the same as any other insulation? I was figuring I could just stuff that sht into my door to help dampen sound and temperature. The weakpoint will of course by my windows, but every little bit helps.

[boosted_K2]

im installing my Alpine CDA 9813 right now. if the MR2 wasnt such a bish to work on id be more happy with it haha

[celicarocker]

im going to be upgrading to an alpine pretty soon... dont eclipses have no built in amps whatsoever?