Need help choosing HU

[StereoInstaller1]

I think I'm going to go for the Sony I think its just too good a deal to pass up. Oh well blue lights not a big deal. I guess I can live without a disc changer, figure out a better method for random listening.

The iPod adapter is like $23, and you keep the ipod in the glovebox, all the controls are on the deck and it will be charged for you.

You can also get a flash drive for pretty damn cheap. Sonys ATRAC codec does sound pretty nice if you are not into iPods.

Luke

[Jordan]

I like the Panasonic CQ-C7413 myself, its not my first pick but for the money its good and isn't offensive looking.

[aaron325ix]

DAMNIT! I went to get the sony and it was sold out! Well, now i dont know where to go, I guess I'm leaning towards the Panasonic since many of you seem to like it so much.

[lovemy318]

OMG! DO NOT BUY PANISONIC!!!! cheap stereo.
okay, the sony will be great if you like keeping a bunch of CD's
thing about the sony is it has a format called Atrac3. i swear you can burn dozens of CD's onto one with this format. its a format that only sony's can read.


as for quality for the price, go for an alpine. even a used one on ebay will work great. they last forever and have the best quaility next to clarion.
go for one with BBE sound processing. its warm, rich and so adjustible. you can controll almost every sound detail possible with alpine. bass curves, treble curves, midrange, and that feature is great when running a factory bmw speaker setup. it does more than just adjust the level of the bass, it adjust the way it forms with the audio your listening to and keeps the bass and treble from running into each other. (yes that means the sound will still be clear even if you turn it all the way up!)

i just love alpine. i have a deck from 2001 and it still out performs most, its a 60x4.1 watt. yep i t has center sound
most decks only put out 45-55 watts per channel. omg i love my alpine. please go alpine and you will be thanking me forever, or as long as u own it.

oh, and go dvd, you can put a 1000+ songs on a dvd. you dont have to have a screen. plus dvd have way better quality over a cd

[Jean]

OMG! DO NOT BUY PANISONIC!!!! cheap stereo.
okay, the sony will be great if you like keeping a bunch of CD's
thing about the sony is it has a format called Atrac3. i swear you can burn dozens of CD's onto one with this format. its a format that only sony's can read.


as for quality for the price, go for an alpine. even a used one on ebay will work great. they last forever and have the best quaility next to clarion.
go for one with BBE sound processing. its warm, rich and so adjustible. you can controll almost every sound detail possible with alpine. bass curves, treble curves, midrange, and that feature is great when running a factory bmw speaker setup. it does more than just adjust the level of the bass, it adjust the way it forms with the audio your listening to and keeps the bass and treble from running into each other. (yes that means the sound will still be clear even if you turn it all the way up!)

i just love alpine. i have a deck from 2001 and it still out performs most, its a 60x4.1 watt. yep i t has center sound
most decks only put out 45-55 watts per channel. omg i love my alpine. please go alpine and you will be thanking me forever, or as long as u own it.

oh, and go dvd, you can put a 1000+ songs on a dvd. you dont have to have a screen. plus dvd have way better quality over a cd

sigh.

[Farbin Kaiber]

sigh.

Double sigh.

[StereoInstaller1]

sigh.

Yeah...no shit. "i just love my alpine" Whatever. Alpine has got to be the biggest pile of crap on the market today, but in '01 (yeah, like 6 years ago) they were pretty damn good.

I dunno, I liked the one I put in "Browntown"s car pretty well.

I do prefer Panasonic over anything else anywhere near the price.

[aaron325ix]

Man, I dont know what the hell to get. But I do want something soon. I'm sick of listening to road noise.

[netcsk]

I have a Kenwood. It has USB support and a red display/buttons (a choice of colors). I keep a hard drive in the glove box that holds all the mp3s I want. yada yada. Read my thread from a while back.

http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=79816

[LINUS]

Yeah...no shit. "i just love my alpine" Whatever. Alpine has got to be the biggest pile of crap on the market today, but in '01 (yeah, like 6 years ago) they were pretty damn good.

I dunno, I liked the one I put in "Browntown"s car pretty well.

I do prefer Panasonic over anything else anywhere near the price.

I realize Alpine pissed everyone off by dropping real Bass Engine Pro - and the 9887 I just got has a dang good copy - but what else is at issue here?

I've recently fleabayed a 9835 due to all the good reviews here, and that was a '04 deck from the research I did before buying.

I'm far from a fanboy, so please tell me what I'm not aware of - seems like a lot of people aren't hip to Alpine anymore.

I haven't yet hooked it up, but my best friend is an installer & tells me the tuner strength sucks, but aside from that he had the same opinion you all do - that the 9835 was the last good Alpine. What's up?

I'm just a MP3/cd guy, maybe I'll get sat radio.

[aaron325ix]

Having said that I guess I'm going to go with the panasonic. I just wish it had a USB like the sony, i like the idea of putting music on different flash cards. I do have an ipod too though. I think the panasonic has better all around quality.

[StereoInstaller1]

Alpine decks are really poor reliability IME. I have had so many basic dumbass issues lately...it disgusts me.

[LINUS]

So Alpine build quality has suffered as well as the features they dropped? Anything specific? I was happy to see they dropped the 'tilt' feature on the 9887, and it's all human power to push & release/pivot the face to get a CD into it. That ribbon cable & power face on the 9835 looks like a weak link to me.

So if I was offered a 3 year warrenty for $35 should I take it, or will whatever fails in a 9887 fail just after my warrenty ends?

Thanks Luke!

[DSchultz325e]

This is my Clarion DXZ745mp installed in the E46:




I can get you some pics of the Panasonic 7413 in my fianceé's E36 if you wish.

I like my deck a lot, though. The rotary knob is really nice and it has quite an assortment of features.

[aaron325ix]

I went to ARS today and got this set up today. Just a set of RCA on the right, and to the left a wiring kit for the amp that I will eventually get. Hopefully this is all I should need before I throw the carpet back in. I'm still wondering (Jean) if I should change out that remote turn on wire that you said was too large, or does it not matter? Also the original rca wires are running on the r. side of the car, should they be opposite b/c of the power cable from the battery? Thought I read that somewhere. Let me know what you think.