Head Unit Opinions

I am looking for a new head unit. As of now, I have settled for a price range no more than $450ish (online prices are okay). I have checked out Alpine's CDA-7998 and their 9835, as well as Pioneer's 960MP and 860MP. I have owned Pioneer and Alpine HU's before, and like/dislike each for their own particular reasons. I more or less am looking for others who own these, or similar units in price range, and can offer their opinions. Thanks Evan

i luv my Alpine 9835. Complicated controls though. Be warned, there is no simple bass/treble control. It is all EQ based.

This post was just screaming for the obligatory "Get an Eclipse" comment from me. Much like Steven when he smells the words Adire or Brahma mentioned. This is one line of cd players that you should definitely consider. Top Secret, I can tell you but then my wife will kill me.

At one point I was actually pretty determined to get Eclipse's 8454, but when compared with the prices and features of Pioneers 906MP, I couldnt justify that purchase. The features that the Pioneer has far surpass what the Eclipse can give you for the same price, and the sound quality difference has always been minimal in my listening situations (which I will say may not have been fair). I am open to arguments though. I am by no means wealthy, and dropping this kind of cash on anything, especially a CD player, I'd like to have all the opinions and arguments that I can get.

I like Pionner for the fact that I don't get very many back from customer's due to manufacturer defects. Between the two you have to choose from, if you can afford the Eclipse, do it, but if not the Pioneer is a great unit as well.Jeff

Velocity Custom Home Theater

Mobile Audio/Video Specialist

Morden, Manitoba CANADA

What options in parlicular are you looking for in a head unit?double-secret reverse-osmosis speaker-cone-induced high-level interference distortion, Its a killer

evanc wrote: The features that the Pioneer has far surpass what the Eclipse can give you for the same price, and the sound quality difference has always been minimal in my listening situations.

What features are these?  The 8454 is a pretty full featured head unit by my book.

I give two big thumbs up for Eclipse.  I've never owned a Pioneer, but my Eclipse beats the heck out of the similarly priced Clarions and Panasonic decks I have owned. 

New Project: 2003 Pathfinder

The Pioneer would be my choice. A bit of learning curve with all the settings.

Well, here are some of my problems with the Eclipse. 1) I don't like their rotary knob for track selection. 2) They are not compatible with the Neo Jukebox directly. 3) Lack a detachable face (I know about their security CD, but what good is that going to do if they already stole it after Eclipses 1 year warranty? 4) Layout of the controls is not as convienet as other units 5) To use its capabilities, you more or less need a memory stick and reader, which tacks on even more money. I won't say it isnt a good unit, but a Pioneer, for less money, has those features, and some more. I do like its 8 volt pre-outs, as well as the "Eclipse clarity", but I just cant justify losing all that for what I could get with a simple line driver and using the money I save for nicer amps. The Pioneer, while not having the 8 volt pre-outs, still has high voltages. It comes with a microphone to adjust the sound, while not having to use a memory stick. It is XM ready (I am not entirely sure whether the Eclipse is or not), it has much easier controls and a much nicer display, and has an adapter for RCA level inputs without having to go down to a mini-jack (as in the Eclipse). I may very well be wrong on some of these statements. I am by no means an expert, and I have never personally owned an Eclipse. If I am wrong about these, please let me know. If there are features of the Eclipse that I am not aware of, please let me know. I would prefer to have the Eclipse, but I just cannot justify losing to much to gain so little.