VraiDiouf Posted November 15, 2006 Report Share Posted November 15, 2006 Which of those 3 would you guys say is the best for headunits? and why? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve s Posted November 15, 2006 Report Share Posted November 15, 2006 no experience with clarion. alpine has some nice features, especially the bass engine and sometimes a separate processor. pioneer has nice integrated nav systems that are relatively cheap compared to other nav units. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R_rated Posted November 15, 2006 Report Share Posted November 15, 2006 which ones in particular?IN GENERAL, alpine will have the best preamp and sound. I run a Kenwood Excelon DDX-8017. There are better sounding units but I really like the features of this one. My amps and speakers.... especially the Focal Utopia 3ways make up for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulr Posted November 15, 2006 Report Share Posted November 15, 2006 If you're using the built-in amp I'd look first to alpine, then clarion. They both perform very well here. If you know at some point you're going to use an amp to drive your speakers, then add Kenwood, pioneer, Nakamichi, and Sony. There's not really such a thing as a "best deck", especially without knowing what you're looking for. They all do well in different areas. Nakamichi has awesome sound quality, but looks very "oldschool" and can be feature-lacking. Alpine has good sound quality, awesome internal amps, OK features, and OK price. Pioneer has lots of features (Especially their navi systems) but their sound quality isn't considered the best by some. When you're looking for a HU, consider: #1) Internal amp - yes or no ? If you're using the internal amp, you want one with as much power as possible. Many alpine units have 18-22 RMS, which is very good for a HU. If you're going to use an external amp, this isn't nearly as much of a concern, and selecting a unit with less power can save you some $$ #2) Features Consider the features you want, and what you're willing to pay for. Do you care about XM? Do you want support for a nice ipod kit that shows the track name on the HU, etc? Do you care if you can play MP3 CDs? Removable face? Remote control? Changable color? DVD playback / LCD? Navi ? Those features can move you from a $120 deck to a $1500 deck real quick. #3) Specs Depending on whether you're using the internal amp or not, obviously pay attention to RMS and Peak power (they're different). If you're even remotely considering a sub or amp system, look at the outputs. Some deck only have a basic "left-right" (which is much harder to work with), while some will contain separate outputs for front, rear, and sub. You want a preout voltage of 4V or more, if this is specified. If the low-end of the response range is above 20Hz, or the high end is below 18kHz, this could have an impact on your sound quality, so pay attention to those numbers, too. In general, decks from alpine and clarion, especially their higher-end models, almost always do well in all of the above. If you buy a $200 alpine or clarion unit, you likely won't be disappointed. But there's definitely not a clear "winner", as there are so many things to consider. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
POOKDIZZLE Posted November 15, 2006 Report Share Posted November 15, 2006 Alpine hands down, bulletproof design, cd's NEVER skip, prices are decent and they look good too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R_rated Posted November 15, 2006 Report Share Posted November 15, 2006 Which of those 3 would you guys say is the best for headunits? and why?what criteria do you have for what you are looking for?question is too vague Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KS_R Posted November 15, 2006 Report Share Posted November 15, 2006 My brothers Alpine just went out, it was only a year and a half old and it will no longer eject cd's. It was a good headunit up to that point. Have you considered Kenwood? I really like mine, a lot of features and user friendly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owned Posted November 15, 2006 Report Share Posted November 15, 2006 GET A DUAL!!!! they have blue lights N they look coolmy friends civic has a bunch of subs and with the dual HU that has the flop out it makes them SO LOUD!!! OMG it sounds so good get that oneIf someone just flatout says Alpine is the best, take the rest of their advice with a grain of salt. There's absolutely nothing that makes these units the end all of source units. I can't count the number of times I've been told that someone wants Alpine or JL because they are the "best." It's the best lay down sale, but beyond that, I can't agree. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TFIVEM Posted November 15, 2006 Report Share Posted November 15, 2006 ive used pioneer and i have used alpine. and of those two my alpine was definetley better. they are a simple design, but they work amazingly. i was very happy with my last one. no problems at all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulr Posted November 15, 2006 Report Share Posted November 15, 2006 GET A DUAL!!!! they have blue lights N they look coolmy friends civic has a bunch of subs and with the dual HU that has the flop out it makes them SO LOUD!!! OMG it sounds so good get that one this reminds me of a friend's car like oh say 3 years ago. Audi, whole inside done up with blue cold cathodes / LED's, stock HU / components, and four 12" pyle subs in a ~3CF sealed box running on a 700W no-name amp. Satellite radio pumped in through an FM adaptor. At the time I was impressed, until I got my 10" infinity reference to hit harder and be just about as loud . If someone just flatout says Alpine is the best, take the rest of their advice with a grain of salt. There's absolutely nothing that makes these units the end all of source units. I can't count the number of times I've been told that someone wants Alpine or JL because they are the "best." It's the best lay down sale, but beyond that, I can't agree.While I've definetly been impressed with Alpine, and view them as a very "noob-safe" product, Adam's right, as there are lots of other options out there. I still think Alpine has the lead on internal amps in their high end units - 26W RMS IIRC (which combined with good SNRs, DAC's, and general build quality across the board, makes alpine pretty "noob-safe").Clarion I've also had lots of good firsthand experience with. Doesn't mean these are the only options by any means.With the Pioneer, I've heard some of their models are plagued with inferior DAC's while others sound fine. From what I've read (I've never ran a pioneer myself, yet) it's more of a hit-or-miss affair, making their line less "noob friendly", as hard things like research are now involved. I have no idea how their internal amps perform. I'm personally considering an AVIC D1 or D2 for my ride now, so I definetly don't have an anti-pioneer bias.But if Alpine were the best HU ever, noone would bother running anything else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Account_Deleted_T5M Posted November 15, 2006 Report Share Posted November 15, 2006 ive used pioneer and i have used alpine. and of those two my alpine was definetley better. they are a simple design, but they work amazingly. i was very happy with my last one. no problems at allI have the alpine 9856 and i love it, great HU, features can be a little bit of a hassle to get used to but, i've had sony/kenwood, and they didn't come close Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R_rated Posted November 15, 2006 Report Share Posted November 15, 2006 an additional point I would like to make is that the quality of cable/wire + installation quality will outweigh the difference in quality of any >walmart headunits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAPT_BLOTTO Posted November 16, 2006 Report Share Posted November 16, 2006 i have a clarion deck in my 240 and getting the pioneer 7800 for the yellow.But none of those are really "better" than the others. Alpine has the ipod fast cable. Pioneer has a lot of cool features like screensavers. Clarion is really nice quality.Its really depends on your application. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrLorence Posted November 16, 2006 Report Share Posted November 16, 2006 My system is going in this Friday, included in the mix is the deh-p980bt head unit by Pioneer Premier..its a sick unit and has things included that would cost you ALOT more from the other two companies..i wasn't a fan of their stuff til i played with the HU a little bit..and they are going for under 400 on eBay.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R_rated Posted November 17, 2006 Report Share Posted November 17, 2006 what do you have for the rest of your system? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.