I've had my Alpine 9855 for several months now, however haven't really had the time to really sit down and figure this thing out. Here is the problem. I am not one knowledgeable when it comes to this stuff. After much reading, it seems that this HU is for those that know what the hell they are doing. The last time I had a HU in a car was when I was 16, and I think I had the Pioneer Premier DEH-P840MP (the motorized unit). It was SO simple to use. There was a area to adjust bass, treble, change the LOUD settings, and voila. Since then, it seems headunits have become extremely technical. For example, this HU doesn't have a bass/treble setting really. You have to go to the PRO settings and adjust the EQ, time correction, etc. I have NO idea what any of that shit is. So it seems that this HU just isn't right for me, because I can't adjust that stuff for the life of me.

All I want is a headunit that will play my music, including MP3s, is easy to use, and sounds good, because this headunit makes me feel straight retarded. Can anyone suggest anything to me? I was looking at the Pioneer Premier DEH-P680MP which is about $200 shipped on eBay brand new. I could really use your guys help, thanks!

`John

 

Forget eBay.. Use www.etronics.com

I'd go with Alpine.. Just pick a price range or features you want and/or like and start hunting..

 

after reading reviews, all of the newer alpines aren't anything like they used to be....and to be honest, I'm not a huge fan of how they look. You prefer etronics over eBay?

 

I'm a big fan of Eclipse myself. I used to be an A/V salesman in college and we sold more Eclipse due to their quality. Alpine back then was #2. I had an Alpine HU in my old car for over 6 years and it only skipped 5 times. But like you said, they're not your fathers Alpine.

 

I have an Alpine 9853 that I had installed last year along with an amp/components/subs combo - it is one great head unit. I didn't get the 9855 because it was a lot more $ for essentially nothing I could actually use (besides the 5V preamp outs), but it was the next logical step if you are into more features.

My point is, while you may have loved your old Pioneer, you have to look at what you can get new now and how it will be used. I'll guarantee that even though the unit you have now might seem complicated, you can still use it as a basic radio, skipping the advnaced features.

 

The Pioneer DEH-P880prs says that it has auto EQ and auto time alignment. After reading the specs on the Pioner DEH-p780mp, it says that it has Digital Sound Processor with 16-band graphic EQ and time alignment. Will that essentially be the same as my 9855? I want something that does that sh** for me, and is simple to use. I would prefer to get the 780mp due to its looks and price, but if I have to, I'll get the 880prs. Also, what's the diff. from the 7800mp and the 780mp? Are there any other GOOD Pioneer contenders along w/ those two?

Also, I'm highly debating getting rid of my 10w7 as I don't see myself really using it to its full potential, where somebody else really should. Some guy is selling his 1 month old 10" L7 in a Kicker box (supposedly it's a kicker box) for $225 shipped, and I was thinking of maybe jumping on that. Would my 500/1 work well w/ the L7? Here are pics of it btw:









For some reason, that enclosure looks a tad on the small side to me, but I dunno. Any help would be greatly appreciated.