Acuraman

... a new head unit for my '01 CL-S.

Here's the set-up I'm considering:

For the trunk: Two 12" Memphis Studio Series Sub-woofers (in sealed enclosure) powered by MMATS D100 Class D Amp.

For the cabin: Two sets of Canton 2.16 component speakers (I already have the set in the doors; the set for the rears will go into a adapter plate to convert from the 6"x9" to 6-1/2" Dia. driver & 1" tweeter) powered by MMATS LM4065 Class AB Amp.

Now, for the head unit =

There are just toooooo many to pick from!

Is there any website that anyone knows of where the do good comparisons of car stereos??

I sort of have it narrowed down to a few considerations:

Pioneer Premier;
DEX-P9 -- I think ihis unit looks really 'clean' and uncluttered.
DEH-P840 -- I like the 'two-faced' look on this one.
DEH-P940 -- Great features and not-too-bad a look.

Sony;
CDX-MP70 -- This unit was recommended by the installer. I like it, and I don't.

Alpine;
CDA-7995 -- Nice unit.
CDA-7998 -- Nicer unit.

Well, I would welcome any/all comments from any of you out there who can contribute to my decision-making process.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Pete

kimxhiep1017

Eclipse or Nakamichi other way Alpine and Clarion. i recommend those HU is awesome. i got my eclipse CD5441 about 2 months ago and they sound amazing.

goodluck

DirtyHarryFSU

I've always liked Pioneer Premier's upper end head units. I say go for that.

nokio

pioneer is the way to go

the premier 740 840 and 940 all play mp3's and come with steering wheel remotes + screen savers, etc...

go for the 840mp, the slide down face is awesome

hornyleprechaun

Get one of the new alpines...the CDA-7894 or the CDA-7893..very good head units...or you could get a higher 78** model...

CL'S

Titand19

I'm having a problem deciding also. I was thinking about getting the Pioneer 840 or the Alpine 7893. I don't know which one to get. Also were you planning to get a custom peice done for the dash, or make one yourself? I'm having a problem figuring out what to do with the dash.

Acuraman

Hello everyone,

Well, I am pretty sure I have it down to two options:

Either the Pioneer Premier DEH-P840MP or the DEH-P940MP.

Like I said in the original post, I do like the "two-faced" look of the 840, and the fact that the controls stay tilted outward.

But, it's really hard to ignore all the features of the 940, despite its 'normal' face.

I don't think the price difference will be that great between the two.

Does anyone have experience with either of these decks?

Also, what are your (plural) thoughts on the other elements of the proposed system? Amps, subs, etc.??

As for the dash piece, that's another concern.

As we all know, the stock head unit takes up a whole lot of space with its (I guess) 2xDIN size. I am worried that a single DIN unit will leave the radio area looking mighty empty. I guess I could add the Pioneer 6-disk changer to the system and take up all the available room. Or I can leave space for that to be added later.

In either case, I think I'll have the installing shop worry about how to make it all work out and look like it belongs! They know all too well how particular & fussy I am, so I trust them to do a really good job.

Anyway, looking forward to some more input from all you folks.

Thank you for your assistance.

Pete

SumkidwithaCL

why is everyone so hung up on pioneer decks?? they are junk... 94db s/n ratio... thats horrible... and ALL their decks have that. That tells you something... if you buy a $150 deck or a $450 deck, you are getting the same pick-up system in both... meaning no better sound quality. And why would you want a deck with rounded corners to go into a rectangular hole?? On top of all that... Pioneer is sold at wal-mart... need i say more??

Alpine is by far the best deck to buy... they sound amazing, have great features (but not too many, like unneeded 'screen savers') and they last!! My stereo guy NEVER has to do warranty repairs or replacements on alpine's.

Eclipse and Nakamichi are also great decks, I just personally dont like the faceplates on them... and to me they are too expensive.

If you have the money, i'd contact that guy that imports the Denon decks... they are like $950 or something like that... but they are the most amazing sounding decks i've ever heard!

icy CL

i'm with you, sumkid.....alpines, i think are one of the best decks out there. i've always had alpines, from tape decks to cd players and changers.....no problems at all. though i'm thinking of getting the nakamichi 75, i think it is, just because of the 6 in dash cd. not sure yet who i'm gonna have to install it cuz i definitely cannot come up with the custom install. you think this is a safe brand? i know nakamichi home systems are one of the best. but they're relatively new to auto systems. that magnetic cd changer thing is still kinda new. anyone here have the nakamichi 6 disc in dash cd changer. i know one guy posted it with the optional extra cd changer as well. please comment on it!! thanks!

DirtyHarryFSU

I have to disagree with you here - I love my Pioneer head unit. And the part about Pioneer being sold at Walmart - I don't think they carry the Premier unit he's thinking of getting. Walmarts only carry the low end Pioneer units.

Of course you do have a right to your own opinion - no matter how wrong it may be.

kimxhiep1017

i never had a pioneer deck before, so i don't realy know how is sound look like but i heard they are an good deck also. in this case we should share some experience what brand are good. no matter what where you buy it's still a deck, listen music is enjoy of life.

peace

SumkidwithaCL

all pioneer premier is, the addition of a 2 year warranty (i think) and some other features... the sound is no different. Like I said, they all use the same pick-up system, so theres no difference in sound weather you pay $150 or $450.

Acuraman

I have looked at the specs between the Pioneer Premier 840 and the Pioneer 8400.

It's true that I could not see any differnce in 'the numbers' except for the extended warranty.

Can anyone positively confirm that the difference is only in the $$$'s??

Since checking that out, I have also looked at the Alpine CDA-7998. The most glaring difference I see is in the CD s/n ratio, where the Pioneers are at 94dB (or very close to that) while the Alpine is at 105dB.

If that is the primary element in SQ, and frankly I don't know the answer to that, then there's an abvious advantage to the Alpine. And, BTW, I am not against the idea of buying an Alpine HU.

In addition to s/n figures, what other two or three "critical" parameters do all of you focus on when comparing one HU to another?? There's tons of things to consider, but I figure there just has to be a 'few' very important ones which make the selection process at least fairly reasonable and subjective.

Thanks again to all the well-experienced folks out there for your help. I REALLY would like to decide in a couple days at the most so I can get the system on order.

I appreciate all your input.

Pete

Austin519

SumkidwithaCL:
Dude that was a really stupid comment. Pioneer makes some of the best car and especially home audio in the world...selling it at Walmart doesn't really mean anything, except that they gave Walmart a good wholesale deal. And if you notice, Walmart doesn't sell their high quality components. Alpine is overrated on a lot of stuff. Their LCD quality is not altogether that impressive for instance, especially considering the price. Pioneer and Panasonic both have better quality, and are always priced less.

Acuraman:
It's a tough decision...I just got two guys an 840mp and another the 7899. The 8400 is the newer model. Personally I don't like the double face...I think it'll break off too easily in MY car...but if you want to be different go that route...it definitely is. I'd rather go with the 9400...I know that you can integrate the steering wheel control with the factory one (because I helped a guy do it). It has a few more features...and looks cleaner, at least to me. I wouldn't get sold on the s/n ratio either...you most likely won't notice anything higher than 90 unless you have an extremely crisp setup...which you don't...no offense...most don't...you're looking at probably a $400 set of speakers to be "extremely crisp" to me. I'd look at price for one, S/N is one to look at, but after a certain point you can't tell. Obviously if you're driving speakers wattage @ whatever impedance...but those HU's that say anything about about 45Wx4 are bullshitting you...that's not real wattage, that's lab wattage. Aside from that...make sure it plays everything you want it to play...that means all mp3 bitrates, possibly wma if you use wma, cdrw's if you use them, etc. Make sure it's XM compatible. It's really just what you need out of it, then how it looks, then the price. Let me know when you decide and I can look up prices for you.

Austin519

SumkidwithaCL

Pioneer sucks. Premier is a pioneer with a 2 year warranty and a higher price... my stereo guy and I pulled a regular pioneer and a premier apart... nothing was different. Pioneer makes shitty home shit too... ever hear of Denon or Harmon Kardon?? How about Adcom?? Polk audio... Boston Acoustics??? yeah... pull a pioneer apart sometime and compare it to one of those... its a funny sight indeed. There are 5 great stereo shops within 50 miles of me... none of them carry pioneer... or premier... cause they all know how shitty it all is. Like what you want... but i'm still gonna like and know what is better, will remain better.

Acuraman... go with Alpine, if you like a certain model I can get you a good price on it (and any specific information you want or need), brand new from my guy with a full warranty... and I'll have it shipped directly to you for free.

Austin519

SumkidwithaCL:
Ok dude whatever. You haven't really furthered the argument but to say "yeah me and my friends don't like pioneer". There's no real point in arguing that. I have heard of the brands you mention obviously. Harmon Kardon = JBL, Infinity...and I have an Infinity 6 piece home theater. As for pulling it apart and comparing it to those units...two issues. First, you are discussing a totally different price category, and second, you're saying you pull the cases off these units and look inside? And that tells you what? You can tell T0 mosfets from standard? You can see the difference between the DSP circuitry just by looking at it? Well, I'm amazed...because when those are soldered down usually it is completely impossible to tell. So whatever you ARE comparing when you open those cases up...is definitely not telling you anything worthwhile.

There are 5 good shops near you that don't carry Pioneer? Okay, there are 5 good shops near me that do. Wow...looks like we're even. Most don't carry Pioneer because their drivers are not impressive, and because Pioneer is known for not giving dealers good deals. That's all.

And you're right, I can like what I want, and you can like what you want...but if your reasoning comes down to opening up the case and looking at it then I'll keep at you. But we should probably stop hijacking this guy's thread.

Acuraman:
Pete, let me know what you decide and I'll hook you up. Just realize that a lot of Alpine is overrated and DEFINITELY overpriced. Their jobber is a lot higher than it should be.

Austin519
p.s. - SumkidwithaCL: you know that Harmon Kardon doesn't make HU's right? Because that is what we were talking about

Acuraman

Austin519/SumkidwithaCL:

Guys, there's no use in arguing on this thread and it was never my intention to start such a debate anyway.

I know there are differences in every catagory between every namebrand. Some people like (or get to like because of familiarity) certain equipment and other people like others. No big deal -- it's great that there are choices out there for everybody.

So, let's all like what we like. Except I don't know what I like yet and I can't seem to get to listen to the "higher end" stuff because nobody locally wants to put it on their sound board wall for every punk to come in and beat on and abuse. I can understand that.

I do appreciate the perespectives you each offer and it seems like both of you have strong opinions one way or the other, and that's cool.

Now, without using brand names, can you please tell me what qualities in a 'higher end' head unit are most important? Of course cost is a factor (unfortunately)! But besides that ... ?

Here's some information to help you out: I want very good SQ, at all volumes (from low, 'conversation' level volumes to loud, I'm in the car by myself and want the neighborhood to know about it volumes). Although I am not overly into SPL, I do want to be able to 'move some air.'

I know that what one 'hears' comes out of the speakers, but the speakers get their "information" from the rest of the system, starting with the HU.

Again, thanks for your input.

Pete

PS: Austin519, Please check your PM's

SumkidwithaCL

whatever, im done with this childish shit... i may be young, but I know what I'm doing and what i'm talking about. I can tell a quality piece when I see one.

Acuraman, if you decide you want an alpine, let me know and I can help you out on a price... that goes for anyone also, shipping to you will be free.

dennis

I have a Alpine CDA-7894. I shelled out the extra 35-45 bucks for the MP3 and some other features. Very sweet deck. I picked it up for like 380 but i had to pay $70 for shipping because im in Hawaii. I think www.etronics.com has the cheapest i found. Let me know if you have any questions and what you decided on.

Acuraman

SumkidwithaCL:

If it turns out to be an Alpine HU, it'll be the CDA-7998. If you'd like to send me any info (cost, your impressions) on this unit, please feel free to e-mail me or send me a PM. Thanks for the offer.

Pete

Austin519

Acuraman:
Let me know bud . As always, I hook my friends up with my distributors for free.

Austin519