Hey guys. I'm new to the electronics forum and I'm thinking about upgrading my sound system. My goal is to get the best sounding system WITHOUT a sub. Just HU, components, and amp. I've read the entire FAQ and was unable to find an answer to the following questions:

Does the power output of the HU matter if you're going to run an amp anyway?
Say I'm buying components rated at 300W (110W RMS) and 4 ohms. What power amp would I be looking for?
How many channels do I need to power a pair of components.
The FAQ states that a class D amp is exclusively for subs. Please explain why.

Also, what makes the Alpine 9857 so popular? I can't find a difference between the 9857, 9856, and the new 9883.
The FAQ says to be sure that your HU has IR capability so you can use the DCI. Do all of these have this?

 

1. No
2. Roughly 100-150watts. If you have an amp that puts out more power than required the amp will not work quite as hard. Just keep the gains at the right level for the speakers.
3. 2 Channel amp
4. Class D amps do not produce power as clean as an A/B or A class amp. You want clean power for just about ever speaker. But that could be a long conversation and a very deep explaination... so I'll leave it at that for now.

It just happens to be a popular HU. The features it offers are pretty much what most people need. For your case you could save the extra cash and get the 9856. Alpine has not listed the features of the 9883 so I can't comment on it... Yes you can get a DCI for the Alpine HUs.

 

I believe one difference between the 9856 and the 9857 is
that the 9857 supports the wired DCI while the 9856 can only
use the IR DCI. Both DCIs work the same, but the IR one
needs a small emitter sticking out to control the headunit.
some people care about this, others don't.

 

Dont forget the pretty biolite display.

 

9883 is the replacement for 9857
9857 has higher resolution (extra display lines) than 9856, which is a big deal when browsing mp3 folders or ipod hierarchy

i didnt buy the 9857 because of the overwhelming popularity here. i'd been on alpine HUs for 6 years; they work WIRED with the DCI; and, at the time of purchase, they had the best ipod integration on the market.....

so why not?

 

The pioneer 7800 has a 16chan EQ if that matters to you. It will help contour your sound, reduce the resonating peaks ect. It also accepts a wired DCI and has 24bit DAC's. Check that one out too if you're looking for a HU.

About the amp, you could get a smaller 4 channel amp and bridge two channels to each component set. You could also biamp your components, one channel for each speaker. For example, hook the tweeters up to the front channels and the woofers up to the rear. You could then fade from F or R to adjust the sound accordingly. Just giving you another option.

 

darkknight1999: I'm confused about the D-class amp, because all the Alpine PDX amps are class D. So these are not ideal for components? Or is this the part that's complicated?

oth: I think you're right about that. I read up on the 9883 and they say it's remote IR ready, but nothing about wired. Exactly how large/obtrusive is this remote and where do you have to mount it? I wouldn't mind putting it where the phantom defroster switch should be.

smurf2k: actually, the 9883 is the replacement to the 9856, per alpine's description. I personally like the new look.

looneybomber: thanks for that info! The single most important thing to me in a HU is the equalizer! Otherwise they're all pretty much the same to me. I rarely open my radio door!

Thanks for all the info guys. This is like a crash course in digital acoustics for me.

 

I have learned something new today... which is always a good thing. The knowledge I had thought was correct was wrong... infact what I was taught was backwords... go figure.

Here is what I learned, and I find very interesting, but makes total sense:
(I cut and pasted this from another site, so these are not my words but it made sense to me...)

Class A
The amplifier conducts current throughout the entire cycle (360

 

Throw in HC in there John (High Current).....

Basically, the norm is.....

AB for speakers
D for subs.

HC for noisy cars like an s2000 is fine as well.

 

True and true and very true