Help Jon pick out a head unit!
 

Hi guys! I usually don't post here, because I'm not too much into the car audio thing, but since I got a decent start and it's all been $0 invested, I think I'll go ahead and spend some into it.

I got two 15" Kicker S15L5 Solo Barics from my neighbor in a box with a Rockford Fosgate 800x4 amp. The boxy older one, not the new, weird looking one. Anyway, hooked up to the stock head unit in my 6th gen Accord, it honestly sounds like crap. I've been outperformed by lesser subs/boxes (not many, but some), all with aftermarket head units - so I'm deciding to get into the game. (Since I don't always win in races either)...

Enough about my life story, here's the choices (prices off ebay)...
Sony CDX-MP70 : 350
http://link.ikesound.com/images/ebay/SonyCDX-MP70.jpg
Clarion DRX9675Z : 325
https://pix.crutchfield.com/products...675Zdmt_1.jpeg
Pioneer DEH-P9300 : 346
http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/Pi.../Press/oel.jpg
Pioneer DEH-P8400MP : 375
http://imagehost.auctionwatch.com/pr...EHP8400MP2.jpg
Pioneer DEH-P7400MP : 243
http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/Pi...EH-P7400MP.jpg
Panasonic CQ-DF802U : 285
http://imagehost.auctionwatch.com/pr...0/CQDF802U.jpg
Kenwood KDC-MP919 : 340
http://imagehost.auctionwatch.com/bi...01/919.JPG.jpg
Alpine CDA-7995 : 370
http://mainstreet-caraudio.com/car/i...e/cda-7995.gif
Alpine CDA-7894 : 327
http://ecominet2.alpine-usa.com/img/asb/cda-7894.gif

Any other suggestions are greatly welcomed (other head units, other places to shop, lower prices, selling used, why not mp3 head units, etc). This is around my reasonable price range unless I'm willing to save up and invest in a TV for my car.

Right now, I only care about looks and features. Honestly, I don't care for security because I generally live in a decent neighborhood and if anybody really wants to steal my system, he will have a bullet in his ass before he gets into my seat. I want the best looking head unit and I prefer to have it playing MP3s and CD-RWs. Sound quality is second since I automatically assume these all push good or at least decent bass for the price I'm paying.

Thanks a lot for your input guys! (Why do I have a strong feeling that WiLL is gonna be the first guy to reply and with a good answer?)

the pioneer8400 is a pretty good price for that and also the kenwood decks are really good. i have the older 727 kenwood deck and haven't ever had any problems with it. check sounddomain.com out they have some good prices sometimes on new stuff, thats where i got mine at. i would defenately go with a deck taht plays mp3s or decodes cdrws, thats the only thing i wish mine had... good luck!

ps.. i beat wiLL to this one, dunno if its a good answer tho :D

i have the kenwood mp919, and i ****ing love it!. its got everything you need and more. mp3 decoding, an optional aux input, 4.5 volt preouts (3 sets of em), sirius radio ready, and tons of sound-tweaking options. i have no complaints on this thing at all. sounds awesome, and it looks nice too. I used to have a sony HU and it lasted less than a year. I would reccommend staying away from Sony brand car audio products.

edit: ok i have one complaint i guess: the remote is too big....but I've learned to live without it.

i'm sure all are good, but it's about what you dig more in looks and price...something only you can decide. if you intend on getting another amp and cabin speakers, then you will want 3 sets of rcas to get full control of your system directly from the headunit. how about changer capacity? and the different type of changers you can get? you want remote control?

you can't go wrong with clarion, kenwood or alpine. if i had my choice i'd go with alpine

Unless you plan on adding an amp to power your interior speakers, I'd go with the Alpine CDA-7894. Excellent quality and better re-sale value later on.:D

I have the clarion 9675 Rz.
Excellent unit as far as sound quality and features. has built in time delay, eq, spatial adjustment (adjust sound to size of car) and wallpapers.
if u want pics of the menu i can show you
the con's of it? can't play Mp3's and the faceplate is freaking huge!!

Re: Help Jon pick out a head unit!
 

cuz im a whore.:p there are people who post here who are way more qualified to answer your questions than i am.;)

but i will state my opinion.

i would round it out to three that i would choose:

Pioneer 9300: i had a Pioneer before, and i LOVED it. the features and the quality was exactly what i needed for my system.

Either one of the Alpines: top notch quality, and lots of features. ive never used one, but ive heard quite a few. keep in mind, one of those dont have an internal amp.

what are your plans for the system? that might give a better clue to which HU to choose.

get the alpine 7894... i have the 7893 cause i dont do MP3's because they dont sound good enough to me. the 7995 is a waste of money, the amp can be turned off in the 7894 and 7893... making them pretty much the same as the 7995 except the 7893 looses the mp3 capability. All of them sound amazing!

Pioneer really sucks... they only have a 94 db SN ratio... where as the Alpines are 103db. They are cheaply built and have a bad reliability rep.

Kenwood makes a nice deck... the only thing I dont like about them is the fact that the menu's are too complicated and there are too many buttons on the faceplate. Some models seem cheaply built.

Panasonic makes a very nice unit, I dont personally like that particuluar unit you picked out because of the face... but they do sound nice and are built well.

Clarion makes a good sounding, relatively simple looking unit... and as far as I know they are reliable and well built.

Sony, in my experience, they have a lot of reliability problems... every sony product i have ever owned has bit the dust in a year or so. They also have a lower SN ratio than the pioneers, at 90db.

I REALLY dont think buying these products off eBay is a good idea... buy them new from a dealer so you get the full warranty.

:eek: :doh: :stupid: :nono:



everybody~~>:bowdown: Pioneer