02Z28LS1

iTrader: (2)

so i'm looking at the different head units out there, and it seems that it's getting harder & harder to get a decent unit that also looks good, without having to take out a second mortgage to afford it.

most of the units out there just plain look like ***. they're ugly as hell. they may have a lot (or all) of the features i want, but i'll be damned if i'm going to put a head unit in my car that looks like ****.

then, most of the few that actually look good don't have anywhere near the features that i want/need, like 4v+ preamp outputs, USB thumb drive support, etc.

it's like the car audio industry (at least as it pertains to head units) is going backwards instead of forward....and it's really annoying to see the absolute **** that they're putting out there now.

qwikz28

iTrader: (12)

cause youth these days like tacky stuff. its a fact of life

if you're interested though, i have a eclipse 8053 for sale. it was on my weekend car for about 2 years and looks and works perfectly! google the specs on it, you'll be impressed.

02Z28LS1

iTrader: (2)

nah, i'm just looking around to see what's out there nowadays....my CD unit looks and works just fine for now......but i'd be up **** creek right now if it stopped working on me.

especially some of the displays out there.....even some of the high-dollar head units out there have a display that looks like it belongs on a damn atari or some ****. it's crazy.

samson_420

iTrader: (1)

No offense, but what the f*^k are you looking for? A transformer that pops out of your dash. . . . . . .

Vndcatr

iTrader: (8)

Really ? Alot of the prices of head units have come down from last years models .. (i work at best buy) so i always go eye-shopping when im bored. My first deck for my t/a 3 yrs ago was an eclipse cd4000 that i payed 400 dollars for !.. Now most decks are under $300 for a nice one ...

bmnicolosi

iTrader: (2)

with the lower price came lower features/quality. Alot of manufacturers are skimping on the high outputs for all the extra inputs or vice versa. Really sucks. I used to be a die hard alpine fan and the current alpine radio i have is nothing compared to what alpine used to make. i even went as far as trying to order an alpine that we had out a few years ago from a company in the uk that still had them new in box: they wouldn't ship to US though,

02Z28LS1

iTrader: (2)

umm...no. just the opposite, actually.

here's examples of what i'm talking about (just taking a quick look at the ones listed on Crutchfield's site):

Clarion DXZ385USB:

looks nice, price is right, has USB drive support, has 3 sets of preamp outputs....only the preamp outputs are only 2v instead of 4v+.

Clarion DXZ785USB:

physical deck itself looks good, has USB drive support, has 3 sets of 5.8v preamp outputs.....but the display is tiny and looks like it belongs on one of the original Atari video games....and it's $300.

Alpine CDA-9886:

looks decent, has 3 sets of 4v preamp outputs and has USB drive support......but the display is even smaller than the Clarion DXZ785USB above, and is also $300

Blaupunkt:

they don't even have a single unit that has USB drive support in combination with 3 sets of preamp outputs.

Sony:

they only have one single deck that supports USB drives, and it only has 2 pairs of 2v preamp outputs.

Panasonic:

see Sony above. and it looks like ***, too.

Eclipse CD3200:

looks decent, has 3 sets of 5v preamp outputs and has USB drive support....but the display is small and leaves a lot to be desired, aesthetically.

Pioneer DEH-P5000UB
Pioneer DEH-P6000UB
Pioneer DEH-P7000BT

all 3 of these seem to have all the features i want, and are decently priced, but does the damn volume **** & the surrounding buttons REALLY need to take up 1/2 of the entire front panel of the unit? make that **** smaller, and make the display bigger, for ****'s sake!

need i go on? just a few years ago, decks seemed to have all the features you could ever want for a good price, and the majority of them looked good, too.

probably the best one i could find on the Crutchfield site is the Kenwood Excelon KDC-X791....it seems to have all the features i would want, at a fairly reasonable price ($250), but it seems to be the exception rather than the norm these days.

Vndcatr

iTrader: (8)

Sounds like your just picky, and want something that all around fits your needs ... I had the Alpine CDA9885, perfect had 4v preouts and 3 sets of preouts with sat radio rdy. ... I finally just said screw it , and went with an indash nav unit

kny3twalker

iTrader: (31)

good looking full featured decks have always been very expensive

look up alpine CDA 7990, sony ES mobile, pioneer p9, clarion still makes a SQ model which looks great, but its 1400, older eclipse models were nice and expensive, and they still have the 7200

pioneer has the new 800PRS, alpine has the 9887 with imprint package, as I said above the eclipse 7200, they are about 400-600

I think the issue is people would rather pay 1500 for a navigation system than a single din full featured, designed well CD(/maybe DVD) player

Also mp3s have made the industry go backwards as far as caring about sound quality

hopefully with storage getting cheaper, people will start moving to lossless format

pioneer 800PRS
http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PU...er/DEH-P800PRS
pioneer 980BT
http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PU...ier/DEH-P980BT
clarion DRZ9255
http://www.clarion.com/us/en/product...294764151.html
alpine DVA-9965
http://www.alpine-usa.com/US-en/prod...model=DVA-9965
alpine CDA-9887
http://www.alpine-usa.com/US-en/prod...model=CDA-9887
eclipse 7200, there is also a 7100 but apparently it had some issues
http://www.eclipse-web.com/cd/cd7200feature.html

the alpine DVA-9965 is just sick

there is also an alpine CDA-9855 but its discontinued
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-eTTDCRw...x?i=500CDA9855

it looks just like the DVA-9965, but its not color or a DVD player

same as the CDA-9835
http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Produ...=detailed_info

both very nice units
I think the 9835 were the last alpines to be made in japan for single din units

Vndcatr

iTrader: (8)

the DVA-9965 yes is cool, but is waaaaay to expensive for not so many features ...

kny3twalker

iTrader: (31)

what features does it lack? it looks like it has everything

• Audio Signal-to-Noise (S/N): 115 dB

damn!!!! /\

here's a 7990 for sale
http://cgi.ebay.com/Alpine-CDA-7990-...ayphotohosting

the bid is at 510 currently

here is a good pic

Vndcatr

iTrader: (8)

Im sayen for THAT price, it should damn near talk to me.
I dont know, i just cant come to mind spending that much on just a head unit , for a car thats louder than your stereo..

kny3twalker

iTrader: (31)

here is a good pic of the 1400 clarion


thats used by the way, originally the 7990 were 2500-3000
oh you meant the DVA-9965, I also thought it was overpriced

anyways whats wrong with the 800PRS and 9887?

02Z28LS1

iTrader: (2)

well, yeah. that's kinda the entire point i was trying to make. i know what i want & what i like, and the manufacturers have completely started going away from that.

there used to be TONS of units out there in the $225 - $350 range that had all the features i wanted, including just clean, good looks.

now to get that, you mostly have to spend a LOT more.

i mean, just look at the ones that kny3twalker posted. just about every one of those is a really nice unit, full of features and looks awesome....but the cheapest one that he posted was $450, and they go up to $1600......you've got to be ******* kidding me. a few years ago, the majority of the units that fit my needs didn't cost $450+.

one of the main things that i have a gripe with is the size of the displays on them. i mean, here it is, the year 2008, with the majority of the world embracing digital media....and we have to look at MP3 tags on a 2" - 3" wide, by 1/2" - 3/4" tall display, that is still using HUGE letters. they really need to step it up.

another thing is the use of not just ***** for the volume control, but in many cases, HUGE ***** for the volume. i don't really like volume ***** to begin with, i much prefer the +/- buttons.....they just look so much cleaner, and take up a whole hell of a lot less space, leaving more room for a bigger display. the ***** on those pioneer units i posted are ******* ridiculous.

02Z28LS1

iTrader: (2)

please tell me you're joking. really.

$550 and $450, respectively? no thanks.

they're really nice units, but far too expensive. especially considering our economy is in the ******* right now.....

Vndcatr

iTrader: (8)

lol sony dumdumdum ???? jk screw that ...

KNY3TWALKER... all the decks you posted are sick. I would look into them if i had a custom silverado or something along those lines. But its not my choice though

02Z28LS1

iTrader: (2)

i agree, those are some awesomely sick decks.....just too bad the price on them is enough to make you , too

kny3twalker

iTrader: (31)

but at the same time, the most expensive high end decks are much less than they use to be

the alpine 7990 was 3000 in 2000, the 9965 is 1600 in 07/08

kny3twalker

iTrader: (31)

thats MSRP, no one pays that

you can get the 800PRS for 400, and the 9887 for 350, these are ebay prices though
retail stores should be at least 50 less than MSRP as well

find a 10% for Best buy, attached
find a crutchfield coupon

PA165 20 off
PA440 50 off must have entertainment book number
3a825 20 off
3A483 25 gc
3A171 20 off

and you got a decent price for either if buying retail

I agree on the damn ****, it such be small and only click and rotate, none of this up/down/left/right crap, or no *****
as far as the screens, I know the oel and I think many of the bio lite(which I think is the same thing) have issues
I know my 7800 has been repaired once, and is failing again

02Z28LS1

iTrader: (2)

even at $500 & $400 (retail vs. MSRP), it's too expensive. and i can't stand ebay/paypal....don't get me started on why.

about 4 - 5 years ago, i got my almost top-of-the-line Kenwood KDC-x811 (i think that's the model, anyway) for $400, which is after tacking on an extra $75 - $80 for the 4-year extended warranty...i think the base price of it was just under $300, and that was brand spanking new from a retail store, no ebay, no coupons, no sale price.....just the outright price. the thing had more features than i really needed.

comparable models from other manufacturers were all right around the same price, and the majority of them all looked good, too.

good luck trying to to get that many features at that kind of value now.....you really have to hunt for them now, unlike several years ago, when you had so many that you had a hard time choosing between them.