Pioneer 7700MP

[MikesJo]

Looking to replace the stock HU and putting in a new one. What are your thoughts on the Pioneer 7700MP, http://www.crutchfield.com/S-O2CGb8E...p;I=130DEHP770.
I'm thinking of pairing this with a set of Infinity 5000CS reference components. No amp or subs though.

Any thoughts on the Pioneer 6700 too?

[Tuanies]

I've had no problems with pioneer and find them to be quite reliable. However, the whole blue thing kind of offsets the rest of the amber dash. The 7700 is a good deck, but if you can, try and find one of Alpine's last year models, the CDA-9833 or 9835, you can change the color on the illumination on those.

[chriskb3]

I just installed a 7700 last night in a WRX. It is a very nice HU but there are some things i dont like too much about it. the knob is kinda hard to turn, pushing side to side and up and down is a little easier though. there are alot of nice features in the settings, but i agree with Tuanies, the blue just wouldnt work in an E30. I have last years alpine 9833 and the color match is very good. the alpine has very good user interface and you can create your own EQ curves online and download them to the HU.

I think the pioneer 6700 is pretty much the same as the 7700. I think this model has a battery voltage sensor built into it also. i thought that was pretty cool. but again, if you dont mind A LOT of blue light, then id say this could be a good choice. cant go wrong with pioneer premire HU's, Ive never had a problem with them.

[MikesJo]

Does it matter if a HU has 2 pre outs vs 3?

[chriskb3]

the more pre outs a HU has, the more things you can hook up to it via RCA's. unless your planning on building your system around multiple amplifiers, then usually that many pre outs is unnecessary. also many high end amps have their own pre outs so that you can link them together without having to run mutiple RCA cables from the HU.

[chriskb3]

one thing that does matter about pre outs is how many volts they are rated at. many of the lower line HU's onle provide 2V from the pre outs, while most higher end models use 4V. the higher voltage allows you to set your amps at a lower gain setting. with a 2V pre out you may find yourself turning the gain nearly all the way up to achieve the same volume that would come from a 4V pre out.

[MikesJo]

Oh that 2v 4v explanation really helped! Thanks. Didn't understand that stuff until now.