ok, im currently finishing my system this christmas, and the only thing i'm having trouble with is picking my head unit. i've narrowed it down between these 2: Alpine CDA-9835 LINK
and Pioneer DEH-P9600MP LINK
now i just need some opinions on which one do you guys think would be an overall better unit.

 

Alpine, I currently have the 9815 and love it.

 

My vote is for the pioneer, I like the flip down face and screen. I've never had a problem with my pioneer equipment.

my

 

Alpine by far. They have much better specs vs. Pioneer units. When you buy Pioneer, you pay for the looks, vs. with Alpine you pay for sound and build quality.

 

both of them have 4V preouts so that is a moot point with adding amps. So It really just comes down to which one you like LOOKS wise, because Alpine and Pioneer both make really good HU's.

So it boils down to looks really...

Ryan

 

no that is not the only spec that you need to look at with HU's. SN ratio is the other big one and Alpine has 105db with the Pioneer has 99db. That extra makes a big difference in SQ, though the 99 for the Pioneer is pretty good. There are quite a few little differences between them, you should look into them real close to see which features/looks you like more.

 

yea i know, thanks guys. i can't decide between them.

 

u cant really go wrong with alpine...

 

Ou sig,

Yeah I did totally overlook that spec. I was focused more on the preouts, which is the biggest deal when adding amps, as I am sure you know judging from your previous posts, I didn't even look at SN ratio. that is a big deal, however in my experience anything over 95 is really good... although 105 is just downright great.

Again you can't go wrong with either one man... but let us know what you decide..


Ryan

 

Go with Eclipse, better than both of them. Just kidding. Both units are excellent. Go with the one that has the best features for you.

 

I just bought the 9835 and should get it next week. I've had my issues with pioneer, but the Alpine had the better options for setup (at least in my opinion). Plus with the double fold face, I didn't want to risk the possible problems.

 

Aesthetically, I prefer the Alpine over the Pioneer. IMO, Alpine makes superior hu's when compared to Pioneer. The Alpine CDA-9835 is a very nice HU. This will be my next if I don't go with the IVA-D901.