Which head unit Alpine/Sony

I been thinking about 2 different head units for a little while now and I am not sure which one I would be better off with. So here it is. Either the Sony CDX-9905X of the Alpine CDA-9835. Yep 2 high power radios with lots of toys.

I think the Alpine is going to better in sound quilty then the Sony, but i could be wrong. I haven't heard either of these 2 units. They Sony by far looks alot nicer. I think the Alpine has more features, but not doing a huge system.

I plan on hooking up a simple system 1 of 2 things.

System 1. All Alpine with the CDA-9835 Head-unit, SPR-176A for the Front and SPR-574a for the rear. 1 Type R 12" and the MRD-M301 for an amp.

System 2. Sony CDX-9905x for the head unit with JL Audio speakers. XR650-CSI for the front, XR570-CXI for the rear. The sub will by a stealthbox made for the PT Cruiser which house 1 10W0. The amp will either by the 500/5 or the e6450. Which ever I get a better price.

So which seems like the best way to go. I am looking to keep cost down, even though this is really good stuff. Want it to looknice without taking up alor of room and of cause sound good. I am not going to compete just want good clear sound.

All info is welcome and most of all Thanks.

As far as my personal preference goes, I would most definately take the Alpine HU over the Sony, I may be biased but I have had nothing but problems with Sony's car audio.  It is also ok to mix and match brands, go to a few stores listen to as many amplifiers and subs as you can in a price range that is affordable to you, after all you will be the one listening to this =)

~Jay

just curious.... you are building a system and have settled on one of two possible head units, yet you say you havent HEARD either of them.......... how the heck did you narrow your search to these two models without even listening to them??

isnt the best way to make a decision about the most critical component in an AUDIO system to qualify and judge them AUDIBLY?   it's not like buying a tv where you just look at it

dont get all hung up on features and propaganda...like i've said a few times, grab a couple of your favorite test discs, put 10 bucks worth of gas in your car and go shopping...........

Thanks all for the input. I been leaning towards the Alpine too. I was getting hung up with the fancy display on the Sony.

kgerry,

You are right about listening and all that, but there is still overall quilty of a company. I do believe Alpine is a great company and Sony isn't bad either. I been to a couple of local shops and none of them had this unit on display and the Alpine just came in stock in a couple of them so they didn't even know what it looked like. I am buying these units blind, but from the past and listening to other models from these companies Alpine did sound a little better. But everyone pushes Alpine and favors them and I want a wide range of opinons.

Sony may have a pretty face (nah eclipse hu's have better ones) but they dont sound that good and are not reliable. I would buy the alpine head-unit, the jl component set, coaxials and amp, and the alpine sub (although the 500/5's sub channel would underpower it a little), but thats just me.

kgerry gave you some great advice that I would suggest you follow. Just because a name brand has been around for a long time does not necessarily mean it is either the best or the worst. Read between the lines with what people are posting and the truth shall set you free. I have a personal preference that I have built up from being in this industry for the last 16 years, I have seen all companies, good and bad and have made my decision based on fact, not what something looks like. There is a drastic difference in performance, sound quality, build quality etc. between something built to hit a price point or look good vs. something that is built to perform good and sound good.