I'm entering Luke's Lounge and i have a Q

[JPL]

hey, in your opinion what is the the next step up from the Panasonic 7413 headunit. the 7413 is about 160. so the next step up means between that and 350.

thanks

[StereoInstaller1]

Man, I dunno. Likely as not, Nakamichi would be the winnar. If you can stand the looks, the Clarion 9255 is about the best sounding deck there is.

I say that the preamp stage is where to put your money. D to A converters make a HUGE difference, but not so much when compared to an actual power supply running things.

If SQ is your real worry, the AudioControl Three.1 will make an amazing difference. Unfortunately, the way things are made, you will be using a single pre-amp output, so no more deck controlled subwoofer level or fader.

I was using an AudioControl 6XS preamp/crossover. They are not cheap, but you can still use the decks sub level, or use the one it comes with (dash mounted knob) or both.

Let me tell you this...using a serious crossover (like the 6XS) makes a HUGE difference in your systems sound. Having the amps being able to make full power while keeping the gain set low is an incredible improvement.

Lots of decks say they make 5 volts at pre-amp level. Basically, that is BS. First, that is 5V MAXIMUM, and just like max wattage is meaningless, so is 5V pre-amp outputs...or any other spec on pre-outs.

The AudioControl makes 9V, RMS, actual power out, with a 13V Max. It has a lower noise floor that most any other piece of electronics meant for automotive use. It is cleaner and crisper than any other brand of crossover I know of, PLUS it has very nice crossovers too.

Let me put it like this...I would rather hear an AudioControl crossover with a $100 deck than ANY $900 deck by itself.

But, if you are looking to have an expensive deck in your dash, I really have no recommendations. They are all great, but none of them (aside from the SQ of the 9255) really stand out.

Luke

[JPL]

thanks that makes a lot of sense. i guess i'll just stick with the panasonic 7413 you recommend. it does every thing i want and is relatively cheap.

thanks,

[mpunklil]

dex-p9, 6xs, and a couple eqt's just for fun :)