was looking around the forums for a good HU for my04 and my choices are between the Pioneer Premier DEH-P880PRS and the Alpine CDA-9887 (found both for around same price so that is not an issue). For the most part I will be listening to my music via iPod and what im most interested in order to make my decision is sound performance, so what do u guys think?

For right now I will just be upgrading my HU and getting some component speakers (amp and sub a possible upgrade in the future) for components was thinking about:
Focal, Rainbow SLX265 Deluxe, Hertz HSK 165 or Morel Tempo 6 (if anyone can give me some guidance on this as well although I know its mostly based on personal preference I would appreciate it =)

and i also wanted to know if i would need to buy any additional stuff for these HU's in order to use my iPod? ex. I know you need the KCE-422i a.k.a. the Full Speed Connection Cable for the Alpine, is that all? and for the Pioneer the CD-IB100II, is that all?

i hope to hear from many of u and much thanks in advanced!

 

I'd say it depends on how you like your music. Alpine tends to be a brighter sound with the Pioneer having a warmer tone and the Eclipse CD7200mkII (a bit more expensive, but same level) having the more medium sound.

As far as speakers, any of those choices would be excellent. You already know the "pick your HU and Amps, and then find a shop to listen to those speakers" line, so I won't outright tell you to do that. You can't go wrong with any of those speakers, so it's going to come down to cost and which one has the shallowest mount. There's only about 2.25" of mounting depth behind the door skin, so you'll have to be careful that you don't pick up woofers that are over 3" deep or you won't have room to mount even with a spacer.

What amps are you planning to run? For those HUs to really shine, you should seriously consider an active setup (if you haven't). It's easy to setup, you just need a 4-chan amp for your door speakers. Stick to something like Audison, Zed, or better and you'll have a damned good setup.

Have you picked out a subwoofer yet? If not, I highly recommend Stereo Integrity's latest Mag. www.stereointegrity.com I have one, the SQ is simply astounding - the bass lines aren't punchy unless they're supposed to be (that punch is actually the cone distorting on most subs). $250 shipped makes it impossible to beat. Quick specs:

12" dual 2ohm coils
500-1000WRms
1 cu ft enclosure rec (WLAURENT trunk well is 1cu ft)
5.5" mounting depth


Currently, I'm running active with an Eclipse CD7100, Diamond Hex S600s, Audison LRx 4.300, JL 500/1v2, and SI Mag D2v4


If you do run active, starting points for setting your crossovers should be around:

HP (tweeters): 4KHz, 12dB/oct - 4.5KHz, 12dB/oct
BP (woofers): 60Hz, 12dB/oct (or 50Hz, 18dB/oct) to 5KHz, 12dB/oct
LP (subwoofer): 50Hz, 12dB or 60Hz, 12dB

 

I just bought a pioneer 800prs which is pretty similar to the 880prs. Both decks have great tunability. Only thing on the alpine is you have to purchase the imprint module to tune which is why I chose the pioneer unit over it. As for the ipod, all you need is what you listed and you're good to go. The brands you listed for speakers are all good brands. What type of amp do you plan on running? For reference, my headunit is pioneer 800prs with Hertz HSK165 and mcintosh 2 channel amp. Good luck!

 

thanks second2none i think i'm going to go with the pioneer880 and the morel tempo 6 based on lowest price and smallest mounting depth of the ones i listed (thanks Neutered Sputniks cuz i hadnt even considered that!) although i couldnt find the mounting depth for the Focal 165V Slim - Polyglass 6-1/2\" Two-Way Component System, does anyone know? i might go with those if the mounting depth fits (found focals $40 more than morel tempo 6)

and to be honest i havent even thought about what amp or subs to go with in the future because im already scraping my spending limit lol but thanks for the suggestions so i can start researching. i was also wondering what kind of wiring should i consider for this set-up?

 

No problem man, look for woofersetc online through google search. They have pretty reasonable pricing. I think they priced the morel tempo 6 at 269 shipped brand new.

 

well im definitely going with the morel tempo 6 since i found them for $139 but i was speaking to my friend about the HU and he compared the Pioneer DEH-P880PRS to the, much cheaper (by around $100) Pioneer DEH-P5000UB and he told me they were pretty similiar and wouldnt notice a significant sound performance difference for the price jump that it wasnt worth it, what u guys think?

 

I say...if you're going with Morels, it would be a complete waste to not run the 880 and an active setup. That $100 jump to an active setup will make a noticeable difference. Running active gives you complete control over each speaker to blend them for the best sound. Compare a scalpel to a pocketknife.

www.knukonceptz.com has excellent prices on quality wiring for your amps and speakers.

 

i think u convinced me on the 880 lol but theres no way i can fork over the extra cash for an amp =/ (at least not right now) but im sure i'll be happy as this will be a major upgrade from the stock unit

btw any good websites to look for these audison or zed amps? i havent researched amps yet so i know to look for those two brands but im lost on models and i want to see how much $$ i have to save...

 

Zed doesn't have any 4 channel amps out right now. They're in the process of redesign.

I've used Ebay to find my Audison amps. That, of course, is hit or miss.

 

I agree in regards to the knuconceptz for wiring. You can also look at kicker as well for wiring. Join www.caraudio.com or www.diyma.com. Both sites usually have some pretty good deals in the classifieds of their forums.