Alpine IVA-W200 review
Printed From: the12volt.com
Forum Name: Mobile Video, GPS, and Navigation
Forum Discription: Mobile Video Head Units, DVD Players, LCD and TFT Monitors, Navigation, GPS, PS2, PS3, XBox, etc.
URL: https://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp?tid=75582
Printed Date: April 29, 2024 at 6:24 AM
Topic: Alpine IVA-W200 review
Posted By: infinkc
Subject: Alpine IVA-W200 review
Date Posted: April 02, 2006 at 7:44 PM
I recently sold my IVA-D300 deck to get one of the newer models.
I decided to get the new Alpine IVA-W200 Double din with touchscreen.
Here are my my impressions of the deck.
Great styling of the unit, very simple, most controls are on the touchscreen.
The screen is 6.5" compared to the 7" i had before which is not that notecable for just using the deck functions.
I like the double din instead of the flipout since my car has a double din slot, you dont have to wait for it to flip out.
The menu and graphics are more like the lower end models from last year, no frills, just your basic settings.
Has the iPod full speed capability, which i love, you can do searches for the songs, artists, ect.. and all information about the track is displayed on the screen, alot better interface than the D300 hands down.
The dvd you can control using the touchscreen just like the D300/D310
There is no seperate control box, it is all built into the unit, i didnt like plugging the amp rca's directly into the back of the unit, i can see most cars having problems with the clearance.
The volume control is two buttons now unlike the knob, so you have to keep pressing them to change the volume, there is a mute button which is very nice.
Overall im very impressed with the deck, it has great expandability, the bluetooth adapter and also HD radio can be added at a later time.
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There are 10 types of people in the world, ones that understand binary and ones that dont.
Replies:
Posted By: stephen m
Date Posted: April 07, 2006 at 2:50 PM
Thanks for the review, lots of good info. Any plans to use the NAV add-on capability? I'm interested in hearing some first-hand reviews of the navigation interface.
Posted By: infinkc
Date Posted: April 07, 2006 at 6:28 PM
well im getting the blackbird, and the dock when its available to hook up to the w200, so will post as soon as i get it.
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There are 10 types of people in the world, ones that understand binary and ones that dont.
Posted By: ssdell3
Date Posted: April 15, 2006 at 3:46 PM
I have the iva-w200. I hooked up my ipod video to the full speed cable and it worked fine. I conected my wife's 4th gen ipod to it so she could listen to it, and it worked fine then also. When I connected my Ipod Video back to it, it says its connected, but that its searching for the Ipod. If I reconnect hers, it works fine. Any suggestions would be soooo helpful.
Posted By: bollwerk
Date Posted: April 27, 2006 at 6:32 PM
The iPod Video should be compatible. The only thing I can suggest is making absolutely sure you have the latest firmware/update (using iTunes I believe)
Posted By: ssdell3
Date Posted: April 28, 2006 at 7:38 AM
it started working a few days later. I had to completely drain the Ipod Video's battery, not reset, for the IVA-W200 to see all of the information. I won't be connecting her Ipod again. Thanx for the input though.
Posted By: thefivespeeder
Date Posted: April 28, 2006 at 8:51 AM
Yes I installed it in my girlfriends 05 Scion tC, the common problem expect was like said before w/ clearance in the back because it is an all in one unit, other than that the full speed cable is an awsome add on, no cds in hand, full speed, easy search, got the 2gig nano in the glovebox. Just waiting on BlackBird now, maybe a ps2 slim in the glovebox too. -------------
Posted By: thefivespeeder
Date Posted: April 28, 2006 at 8:53 AM
Oh the one thing I didn't like was they used the 6.5" and I was hoping for a full 7" but for what it is you can't complain.
Posted By: ssdell3
Date Posted: May 02, 2006 at 12:29 AM
I added the BlackBird to my setup and drove around for about 45 minutes. I'm glad i knew the area I was in. The BlackBird lagged behind my actual position average 1 to 2 blocks. Driving on the open road would be cool because there aren't many options as far as streets to pass up. Once you get into a town, or city with streets being close to each other, you'll miss a turn. I returned it after the 45 minute test ride and bought the | NVE-N872A | | Advanced DVD Navigation System. The price seems steep, but it is sure worth it. Live traffic updates, weather updates, calculator, address book, voice command, etc., are just some of the features it has. Granted, XM Data has to provide some of those services for your area, but I love it. |
Posted By: stannn
Date Posted: May 06, 2006 at 2:07 AM
hi. how do u think this unit compare with the kenwood ddx 7017? thanks!
Posted By: stannn
Date Posted: May 06, 2006 at 2:15 AM
i was planning to buy this unit when i save enough money. are the audio as crisp and clear as alpine's sound quality should? how much did you guys buy yours? we dont have this unit locally here in the philippines so i still have to shipped it here... ouch.
Posted By: infinkc
Date Posted: May 06, 2006 at 11:12 AM
stannn wrote:
i was planning to buy this unit when i save enough money. are the audio as crisp and clear as alpine's sound quality should?
how much did you guys buy yours? we dont have this unit locally here in the philippines so i still have to shipped it here... ouch.
i had the d300 before this one and to me i think the audio quality was far superior on the w200, not sure if they changed something , but everything sounded crisper. ------------- There are 10 types of people in the world, ones that understand binary and ones that dont.
Posted By: stannn
Date Posted: May 07, 2006 at 2:00 AM
thanks!! how much did you buy yours? is buying in ebay a good choice?
Posted By: bluedevil
Date Posted: May 09, 2006 at 12:44 PM
I cannot give a complete review on this since I only had it in my truck for about a day or so, but I did pay $700.00 for this touch screen , brand new. I will leave a complete review as soon as I put it back in, as of now I am still looking for a 5 speacker harness for my 06 f150. Thing is I am having trouble finding a a harness that will intergrate my stock sub.
Posted By: riverracerx
Date Posted: May 10, 2006 at 2:03 PM
I just got this deck as well. So far I love it (after a week). My question is I can only get the i personalize background to show up when my DVD or CD is off, and I set the visual to that mode. Why does it not show up normally behind the radio interface? Weird?
I love the graphics and the screen is really nice. Seems to be pretty user friendly. I paid &799.
Posted By: stannn
Date Posted: May 15, 2006 at 10:48 AM
thanks guys. i really appreciate all your help. i'll wait for your review bluedevil :)
Posted By: extreme1
Date Posted: May 15, 2006 at 12:58 PM
bluedevil wrote:
I cannot give a complete review on this since I only had it in my truck for about a day or so, but I did pay $700.00 for this touch screen , brand new.
I will leave a complete review as soon as I put it back in, as of now I am still looking for a 5 speacker harness for my 06 f150. Thing is I am having trouble finding a a harness that will intergrate my stock sub.
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Metra 70-5521
Didn't I mention that to you already? ------------- Shaughn Murley
Install Manager, Dealer Services
Visions Electronics
Red Deer, Alberta
Posted By: riverracerx
Date Posted: May 15, 2006 at 4:45 PM
I couldn't find a harness to hook up the audiophile sub, but found a great post on here on how to do it and it worked fine.
The stock sub is controlled by the little adapter (of the three that went to the stock HU)
Four wires: +, - speaker, remote turn on and ground.
Posted By: extreme1
Date Posted: May 15, 2006 at 9:23 PM
riverracerx wrote:
I couldn't find a harness to hook up the audiophile sub, but found a great post on here on how to do it and it worked fine.
The stock sub is controlled by the little adapter (of the three that went to the stock HU)
Four wires: +, - speaker, remote turn on and ground.
yeah, that little connector is what comes in the 5521. has two rca plugs, remote and ground. ------------- Shaughn Murley
Install Manager, Dealer Services
Visions Electronics
Red Deer, Alberta
Posted By: Nocturnal
Date Posted: May 17, 2006 at 6:18 AM
Posted By: Nocturnal
Date Posted: May 17, 2006 at 6:33 AM
stannn wrote:
hi. how do u think this unit compare with the kenwood ddx 7017? thanks!
There is no comparison. The DDX-7017 does not have built in navigation.
Posted By: stannn
Date Posted: May 17, 2006 at 9:15 AM
Nocturnal wrote:
stannn wrote:
hi. how do u think this unit compare with the kenwood ddx 7017? thanks!
There is no comparison. The DDX-7017 does not have built in navigation.
ahh i see. but what "category" is the alpine? i dont know which of the two i should get, i am leaning more on this alpine for its sound quality performance, although i think i dont need the navigation if there is any. because i dont think we that kind of technology/service here yet.
Posted By: Nocturnal
Date Posted: May 19, 2006 at 12:06 PM
The Alpine is in the AV head unit catagory. Although the Kenwood model that you were looking at is capable of supporting Nav input. The alpine unit is much more expandable. Go online and do a comparison, if you haven't already...
Posted By: bluedevil
Date Posted: May 25, 2006 at 2:19 AM
extreme1 wrote:
riverracerx wrote:
I couldn't find a harness to hook up the audiophile sub, but found a great post on here on how to do it and it worked fine.
The stock sub is controlled by the little adapter (of the three that went to the stock HU)
Four wires: +, - speaker, remote turn on and ground.
yeah, that little connector is what comes in the 5521. has two rca plugs, remote and ground.
yup, extreme1 is right and thanks for the info on the 5521, oh yeah, riverracer just FYI the 5521 is a set of two harnesses, which are also sold seperately if so desired, I believe they are the 5520 and 5522, I bought them seperately because I didn't find anyone who had the 5521. Funny thing is I had the harnesses for the sub all along and I must of not connected correctly when I first installed my alpine w200 because as soon as I read this post I went out to my truck hooked up the harness and boy does my truck sound much better now!
Posted By: bluedevil
Date Posted: May 25, 2006 at 3:14 AM
Here's a brief review on the Alpine IVA-W200 Pro's Clear crisp LCD screen, extremely user friendly, superior sound, awsome compatability with ipod, satalite radio, ect... Con's Screen could of been a little bigger, cannot search ipod by genre. that's all I could think of as of now! let me start out with the pro's, the screen quality is exceptional compared to other screens, even in daylight the picture is viewable without any strain on the eyes. the ease of use for this HU is remarkable, I cannot explain how simple it is navigate thru the functions. even controling an ipod is so simple. ( oh and if I am not mistaken it seems as my ipod only turns on when it is in operation through the HU, otherwise it turns off. ) sound quality is great, but I don't know if it is do to my speakers alone or a combination of both the HU and speakers. I can tell you that the w200 has many more options on how to tune the speakers for example frequencies, subwoofer levels ect... ( by the way I have not replaced my stock speakers ) compatability is great, I can go to source and all my options will pop up by name, sirius , ipod , dvd, radio, ect.. no more of this auxilary B.S. For my sirius stations it will give the name of song, artist, and station in the description box. Like I mentioned before navigating and controling an ipod using this HU is so simple and easy, but I do recomend that you all create playlists in itunes as it will in turn provide you with a much more pleasurable experience. Here are the Con's in my opinion, small screen, now don't get me wrong the screen isn't small it just could of been a little bit bigger, I am sure Alpine could of made a 8 inch HU but oh well whats done is done! the only bad thing about the ipod interface is the you cannot search songs by genre, other than that you are set. In conclusion, I feel that this is going to stay in the top five for touchscreen HU's for a long time, I also feel that it's drawbacks are nothing in comparison with it's capabilities and therefore I chose to buy this and still do not regret it . Next up I will be trying to view videos from my video ipod on my w200, and I know that there are posts on here which get into that, so that'll be where I'll be heading for more information on the subject and I will let you guys know how it turns out , oh yeah if anyone has any knowledge on the matter please let me know.
Posted By: Nocturnal
Date Posted: May 25, 2006 at 7:22 AM
Good review. However, the screen size is what you get with a double din.
Posted By: stannn
Date Posted: May 25, 2006 at 8:19 AM
great review :) but i still couldnt decide with this or the kenwood ddx 7017 :( but im now leaning more to this model.. :)
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