I know noone's particularly fond of these type of threads, but maybe one of you can recommend something I wouldn't think of normally.
Anyway, my old cheapy blaupunkt head unit is having a tough time reading some of my CD's (it finds scratches that no other player does), and I want to upgrade to something that plays mp3 discs so I can condense the CD collection I keep in the car (i.e. all my dmb on 1 or 2 discs instead of 30).
Here's the basic rundown of what I'm looking for in a new one:
CD-R/CD-RW/mp3 capability
ID3 tag display
F/S preamps - 4+ volts if possible
independent sub control w/ low-pass x-overs
decent EQ (5-7 band)
removable face
cheap. (ideally <$200)
And here are the things that I don't care about:
brand name
power output (everything will be running off an amp)
graphics/gadgets/hoozits/gizmos
CD changer control
remote control
Other features like satellite radio ready, an aux input, & a dimmer would be nice I guess, but not necessary.
Thanks in advance . . . .
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^^^ I was looking at that one - it's actually pretty tough to beat Crutchfield's price on Alpine stuff. All the ones on eBay come to about the same after shipping. Also, it seems to have an okay EQ, but I was hoping for something a little better.
I'll write up a list in a few minutes of the handful I've found so far that may work for me . . . . leading candidate so far is the JVC-LH810.
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JVC KD-LH810 - $171 shipped through PriceGrabber, $159 shipped on eBay. A little blingy, but otherwise has everything I'm looking for. Will be hard for me to find a place to demo it.
JVC KD-SH707 - They don't make these anymore, but they're so good looking I'd be tempted to find one anyway - and it being used would drop it down into my price range (new they were around $250). Offers all the features I'm interested in and more.
Kenwood KDC-X589 - $250 from Crutchfield, ~$160 shipped on eBay. Only 3 band EQ, but they're moveable. Real inexpensive though, and supposed to be very good SQ (4 volt pre-amps, <80ohms resistance, 24bit DAC, 110dB S/N ratio, sensitive FM tuner). Tempting - definitely on my demo list.
Kenwood KDC-MP4028 - $180 from Crutchfield, ~$130 shipped on eBay. Looks like a somewhat watered down version of the X589 - no 24bit DAC and a fixed 3 band EQ. Looks like a less advanced mp3 codec as well. But for the price it may still be worth looking at.
Alpine CDA-9830 - $250 shipped from Crutchfield, $240 shipped through PriceGrabber. Pushing the limits of my budget, and the EQ isn't as good as I'd like. Can get more for the money via other brands.
Pioneer DEH-P7700MP - $270 shipped from Crutchfield, $206 shipped on PriceGrabber. Not a fan of the user interface, pre-amps aren't as good as others I'm looking at, and only a 3-band EQ.
Any choices I'm missing? Comments on the above options?
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If you're not using the internal amp I'd go with Alpine or Eclipse. Pioneer's pre-amps have never been on the quality of those two. I've never liked the JVC headunits and have always steerd clear of them.
I really wouldn't bother even considering any of the HU EQ's to be a deciding factor at all. All of them basically suck. Alpine's is adjustable for freq (at least on my friend's 9827) but it only has 3 points (bass/mid/treb) and goes for all FM/CD/AM/MP3/XM tuner sets. Which sucks as we all know radio freqs all boost their base and most of the time treb to allow more people to hear the music better at the lower volumes, basically they add the "loud" feature onto their signal. If you need an EQ/DSP buy a seperate one when you have the money as you really won't notice much of a difference between any of the integral HU ones in the price range you're looking at.
My Alpine 9833 has a 5 band parametric EQ and it suites me just fine. Tell you the truth I dont really need anything more out of my system than what I have now. Try and get the higher end Alpine HUs for they have a 5 band parametric EQ not a crappy bass/treble things like the lower ones end ones.
But I agree with TimeRacer about getting a separate EQ at a later time when you have the $$$ if you want more. You probably wont notice much unless your whole system is SQ oriented and can take advantage of those extra bands.
Go with older Alpine, Pioneer, or Eclipse HU for your price range. Or you might have to settle for a used one with all those features.
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Try and get the higher end Alpine HUs for they have a 5 band parametric EQ not a crappy bass/treble things like the lower ones end ones.
I'm going to try to get a new unit for now - if that proves to not be feasible I'll look into older units, but I'd rather go new if it's possible.
Eclipse units all seem to be way out of my price-range, and I can't afford anything higher than the Alpine 9830 - even that one's about $50 more than I'd like to spend. But I'll add the Pioneer DEH-P7700MP to the list - looks like they're close to the others I'm considering. Although my personal experiences with demoing Pioneer decks have been frustrating - if their preamps are questionable that's another strike on them. But I'll willing to check it out.
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I really wouldn't bother even considering any of the HU EQ's to be a deciding factor at all. All of them basically suck. Alpine's is adjustable for freq (at least on my friend's 9827) but it only has 3 points (bass/mid/treb) and goes for all FM/CD/AM/MP3/XM tuner sets. Which sucks as we all know radio freqs all boost their base and most of the time treb to allow more people to hear the music better at the lower volumes, basically they add the "loud" feature onto their signal. If you need an EQ/DSP buy a seperate one when you have the money as you really won't notice much of a difference between any of the integral HU ones in the price range you're looking at.
If I can get a 5 or 7-band EQ with the head-unit, that's all I would need - I'd like more flexibility than a basic 2 or 3 band, but a full external EQ would be wasted on me.
I definitely hear what you're saying about EQ'ing differences for FM vs. AM vs. CD or whatever - but wouldn't that still be a problem with an external one? I know some head-units (I thought most, but maybe not) keep band specific EQ settings - but I guess I'll have to look into that to make sure now. I know my cheap-ass Blaupunkt keeps independent bass/treble/bass-boost controls for all the different bands & CD.
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I've never liked the JVC headunits and have always steerd clear of them.
What is it you don't like about them? Something you've heard? Something you've experienced?
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Hmmm - reading about the Pioneer deck on other boards. Apparently the mp3 seek time is like 6 seconds - if that's the case, then NO way, that'd drive me up the fvcking wall . . . . I'll have to burn a disc & bring it someplace to demo & find out for myself.
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I have a jvc and all my friends have jvc mp3 players. We have had a really good experience with their headunits. There is an EQ that you can change all you want, you can change like 10 frequencies and there are also EQ presets. The mp3 file check takes little time. I know that some other brands tend to be slower in terms of mp3 playback.
I demo'd a JVC model @ Bestbuy during lunch today - the KD-LHX550. Pretty nice - although the touchscreen was a little frustrating. Maybe if I had smaller fingers . . . . The other thing I didn't like was the way it interupted the music while adjusting the settings or changing menus - like if you pick the "rock" preset EQ, it says "rock" in that girly voice. Do you happen to know if the LH810 model does the same? Or is there a way to turn that off? They had the LH810 in stock for like $220, but none setup for a demo.
If I have time tonight I'm gonna go back & play with a Kenwood they had on display as well, so I'll see how I like that.
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Eclipse units all seem to be way out of my price-range, and I can't afford anything higher than the Alpine 9830 - even that one's about $50 more than I'd like to spend.
Hustle my friend, sell some $hit you dont need if you got any. 50 bux aint that hard to earn.
The Alpine that I suggested WAS $450 bux, now its on Sale for 300 BUX. The Pioneer that you just added Pioneer DEH-P7700MP is 270 BUX. 30 Dollars is nothin dude. Borrow money or Starve for a week and save your lunch money or something. That Alpine is a sweet deal. yes sir it is.
It's not really about whether I can scrounge up another $50, $100, or even $200 - I can. It's a matter of whether I want to spend that money on a replacement head-unit for my car, or instead spend it on things like my college loans, cc debt, gas to visit my Dad, etc.
Just trying to prioritize.
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my jvc is older, it doesnt speak to me or anything when i choose the rock EQ. But i bet you can turn that off some how. I just really like jvc headunits, the designs and prices are usually pretty good. mine is three years old, and its motorized, it still flows like it was brand new, and ive put it through quite a beating too. its been sitting inside my glove compartment for 6 months bouncing around, and it still works perfectly fine.
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The other thing I didn't like was the way it interupted the music while adjusting the settings or changing menus - like if you pick the "rock" preset EQ, it says "rock" in that girly voice. Do you happen to know if the LH810 model does the same? Or is there a way to turn that off? They had the LH810 in stock for like $220, but none setup for a demo. 
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