I'm very sick of the Alpine IDA-X001 in my car, and with the new system in I'm very tempted to go with a new headunit as well. My main requirements are that the headunit offers a user friendly ipod interface and produces good, high quality sound. I know that playing files off of m ipod will handicap the sound quality no matter what due to how the files are compressed. I wouldn't mind a CD player be part of the headunit as well because sometimes I leave my ipod home by accident or w/e else.

I'm not picky about brand, but I do want something that looks clean for sure. I know it hides behind th radio door most of the time but the looks are still very important to me.

Obviously, I'm looking for single-din units here as my dashboard project to include a double din is a long way off.

So, what would you recommend I look at? Reviews/information on good options for me are greatly appreciated.

 

I like my JVC KD-AVX33.

 

Go with Eclipse or Pioneer Premier.

Either/or is going to produce far better sound quality than you'll ever get out of an Alpine HU.

Midrange in either brand is going to be more than enough

 

so how good is this one http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Pro...yers/DEH-P600UB

 

That is actually the HU I was looking at earlier today. I really like it a lot for my application. Unfortauntely, my local source for audio stuff doesn't carry premier, but they do have the normal P6000UB in stock. What is the difference between the two? I know the premier units tend to have solid copper internals, as opposed to aluminum on their normal product line. This is significant, but exactly how much of a difference does it make?

 

Depends on how into sound quality you are. The more into sound quality you are, and the higher the quality of amps/speakers you run, the more important it is...

 

Well, the HU will be controlling the following setup:

Alpine PDX 2.150 amp powering speakers
-Polk Momo MMC6500 in the doors
-Polk Momo MMC525 behind the seats
Alpine PDX 1.600 amp powering sub
-Rockford T110D4 stage 1 sub

I'm quite interested in quality. Will the standard Pioneer unit really be a world of difference from the premier unit? I do plan to go with a doubledin touchscreen/nav setup sometime within the next year (need the nav since I get lost everywhere I go... HATE standalone nav systems), but I certainly wouldn't mind an improvement over the idax in the mean time.

 

Personally, (and I've posted my reasons a few times in this forum) I would stay away from Alpine if you're looking for quality. Not just HUs, but amps and speakers as well.

As for a sub, I highly recommend the Stereo Integrity Mag V4. 12" sub, 5.5" mounting depth and 1 cu ft sealed enclosure requirement. Handles 500-1000W. And it's the best sounding sub you'll ever hear. If you don't believe me, head up to NYC some time and I'll let you hear mine Can't beat the price - $250 shipped


As for door speakers, I just spent $220 (including shipping) on a pair of SEAS Prestige 6.5" woofers and SEAS Prestige textile dome tweeters brand new from an authorized dealer. I run an active setup, so that wouldn't work for you unless you went active (either in the HU or in the amplifier(s)). If you're looking for the best SQ build, active is a must. You'll never go back to passive builds. Regardless, the point is that you can find much better quality speakers for approx the same price by shopping around.

For amps, I would look into Sundown. I just picked up 3 for my truck build (and due to a miscalculation on my part, I'll need to get a 4th for the proper powering of my truck). I'm very impressed with their quality. And the prices blow Alpine's out of the water (considering the SQ advantage). You can pick up a Sundown 2.125 for approx $250. Granted, the footprint is larger, but you're also looking at using a Class D amp for your highs.

Short speel on Class D:

Class D amps have a switching frequency. When running subs (10-100Hz) off a Class D, the switching frequency of (for example) 90KHz is 900x your highest frequency reproduced. When running highs (80Hz - 25kHz) the switching frequency is less than 4x the highest frequency reproduced. When running a SQ install, your speakers and amps will push that through. Besides, Alpine just isn't the highest quality products around. (I'm a former Alpine user, btw).


Edit: Oh, and save the money on the second set of speakers behind the seat - audio tracks are recorded in stereo. Adding a rear stage throws off the sound stage. I guarantee with the right amp and door speakers, you won't need that rear fill (I can't even hear my Tanabe exhaust when I have my music 3/4 of the way up - top down, WOT). Use that money for a better HU (to run active) or better amps (to put out their true rated power and higher SQ) or better door speakers (because that's probably where most of your money should be spent anyway)

 

I agree with most of that, I could have found better for less if we went by retail pricing. BUT, the deals I got my setup for are stupid. Here is the breakdown, all pieces were brought brand new:

Amps: $200 each
Sub: $120
Speakers: $200 for all four of them
Headunit: I don't remember exactly, not more than $150 though. Also I had my models confused, I have an IDa-X100, not X001

I'm aware that going by retail pricing, a better system could be had for less. The prices I paid for this stuff really make the system well worth it. I care a great deal about the presentation/looks of the system as well and so far I'm yet to see an amp in the same price range as the PDX series that looks as sleek and classy. Simple, clean, and striking is what I'm going for with my trunk setup. The PDX provide adequate output for my needs as well.

While quality is important to me, I'm not designing a competition level system, and quality can only go so far with a soft top convertible sporting a cabin that my tiny 5'9" frame can reach across with one arm.

Like I said though, if I was paying retail for everything, I know I could have done better for less and what you've outlined proves that. The prices I paid for everything let me pick out my favorite stuff to use and show off, without compromising the quality of the system very much.

 

I have a JVC 5000N and I love that thing. it's got tons of features, fits into the S2000 HU space without any modifications, dvd, hard drive based navi, optional ipod connection, lots of stuff it also sounds great, I'm in the live sound and recording business and I couldn't live with a HU sounded like doodie even if it has tons of features.

is it the best possible option, sound wise? probably not, I'm sure there's some crazy CD only option that sounds better and costs twice as much. does it sound very good and give you tons of other features? yes it does.

http://support.jvc.com/consumer/product.js...elId=MODL027893