I can't decide whether extra money (about $190 MSRP) for 9833 is worth it. 9833 has 26W x 4 CEA power rating (60W MAX x 4 V-Drive

 

I am considering the same HU's to do the Ipod setup. I am going to go with the 9827 and add an amp. The unit has all features that I need and I can get more power from using an amp. I don't think running HU with either pwr rating with the top down is the way to go without an amp. I plan on putting the amp in the trunk as well as upgrading the components.

My humble opinion.

JT

 

I'm getting the 9833 because I think I will utilize the options that are available. My system is going to be much more intense, so the upgade would make sense for me.

The 9827 does not have these options:

6-Channel Digital Time Correction
6-Position HP/LP Digital Crossover
5-Band Parametric EQ
i-personalize

These options only make sense if you have an intense system (multiple amps and a sub).
If I were Calvin, I would buy the 9827, as planned, and get a small clean four channel amp. You will definitley hear the difference. Head Unit amps are never as powerful as they claim to be.

 

Ipod setup is another reason for picking these HU. I will be doing the install myself although I've never done it before and doing a HU and an amp together is little more overwhelming. I am leaning towards 9827 too.

what amp would you recommend? preferably something small that can fit under the seat. is wiring an amp very difficult? If I have to get an amp too, I may have to pay someone to do the install.

 

I've been looking into an amp after posting. the cost is a big factor right now and there aren't that many choices for amps around $200. just bought a house and my wife will not like it if I start spending too much money on the car since I've spent money on tools to do my fluid changes in my own garage (lived in apartments before and it's good to have a garage) money is also the reason I want to do my install besides the fact that I generally do not like other people working on my car.

Anyone know what is the power rating of the stock HU is? is it better than 9827? Is it better to just keep the stock HU and get an amp rather than changing the HU with only a small amp.

 

The stock unit supposedly puts out about 10-12 watts RMS where Alpine says the 9827 will put out 18 watts RMS. As you mentioned you could also just add an Amp to get the power, but you will lose out on several advantages of a new head unit- MP3, a better source unit, RCA outputs, and far more tweakability. One disadvantage is that you will need to get a DCI if you want to continue to use the dash controls. You will get more functions but it will cost you $90. If you decide to use an Amp with the stock unit you will either need line level converters or an Amp that accepts speaker level inputs. Neither of which are ideal. For what it's worth I am about at the same point evaluating the possibilities of new head unit v Amp, so my answer certainly not the most comprehensive. I'm sure one of the local electronics gurus will post and give a better answer than mine.

 

Calvin, get the better HU now and a set of rear speakers. Then when you have more money you can get an amp put in. The rear speakers (flush or s-pod) will give you plenty of top down sound.

 

I just got the 9827 but didn't bother to test the output power because I didn't plan on using the internal amps. I have no clue what "V-drive" is but the only way to get that kind of power (26W) is to build in a DC-DC converter to step up the power supply voltage. That means more heat build-up and I personally wonder if there would be reliability issues related to that. My old Sony was only 15W but it got CD's so hot they were uncomfortable to handle.

I don't know what year your car is, but the early HU's were only about 4W per channel and I would be surprised if the new ones are better. But I believe Alpine's power claims because they are one of the first manufacturers to use the new industry standard for rating car audio systems. So these are 18 and 26 real watts, not "max watts" or "music watts" which have no real definition. That's why everybody likes to use those terms - they can't be proven one way or the other. The new rating system should even the advertising field if everybody adopts it.

When deciding whether it's worth buying "XX Watts" versus "YY Watts", you should compare them as a power ratio not as a power difference. The volume increase you will hear is controlled by the percentage of power increase, not the actual number of watts. Adding 100 watts to a 10 watt system is going to be very noticeable, but adding 100 watts to a 1000 watt system will be near-impossible to hear at all.

Here's what I mean:

When comparing the 4W stock HU versus the 18W 9827, don't look at the 14W difference, what counts is the ratio of 18 to 4, or 18/4, which is 4.5. You are getting 4.5 times the power. That's significant (over 6dB).

When comparing 18W versus 26W, you only get 1.44 times the power (26/18). Is it worth the extra money for that little improvement? I can almost guarantee you won't be able to tell the difference between 18W and 26W, it's less than 1dB which is generally considered on the verge of what human ears can differentiate.

I think you would hear an immediate improvement just by going to the 9827. It will be a significant power increase and it's a pretty nice HU for the money. I particularly like the fact that I don't have to fold the face down to insert a CD.

Since you are on a budget, I think you will be much better off spending the $190 difference on an amp than on the slightly better head unit. You can get a decent 50W x 4 amp for less than $200, and might get 75W if you shop carefully.

You should consider putting the amp on top of the gas tank. It's not the simplest install, but there is easily room for a 50x4 amp, which is what I've had installed there for almost 3 years with no trouble from it

.

 

Yup, yes, and you bet. Modifry knows what's what.

 

If you don't like motorized faceplates, why aren't you considering the 9815? Has the features of the 9833 but with a smaller display. Less expensive which would allow an outboard amp on your budget. One small four channel amp in the trunk takes up very little room if you mount it on the back wall next to the spare tire bulge.