Topic: alpine head unit advice

[thoman8r]

Hey guys,

I'm upgrading to a new head unit in my wrx, and I was hoping one of you car audio experts here could weigh in on whether the Alpine 9807 is worth the extra  70 bucks or so over the 9805.  I can get the 9805 off ebay for about $130 and the 9807 for about $200.  I could care less about mp3 capability as the reason for the upgrade is so I can connect my iPod to the aux in, which both could do.  I've been looking at the specs and they look pretty much identical to my eyes, but I could be missing something.

So, besides mp3 capability, is there any legitimate reason to purchase the 9807 over the 9805?  Also, if anybody has a different suggestion for a head unit < $200 or so, feel free to chime in.

The 9805-
http://iweb.alpine-usa.com:7777/pls/admn/item_info?p_main=10&p_category=10&p_item_name=CDA-9805
The 9807-
http://iweb.alpine-usa.com:7777/pls/admn/item_info?p_item_name=CDA-9807&p_category=10&p_subcategory=20&p_main=10

Thanks,

Dave

[sygdwm]

i didnt opt for the 07. my friggin 05 rawks. it pushes my ba's nicely. got mine from ebay too.

[jlykos]

I avoid Alpine gear like the plague.  Head unit crapped out after two years and amplifier blew a channel after three.  There are much better units (Eclipse, McIntosh) out there for the prices that Alpine charges.

[scb]

i'm intrigued by the idea of a mcintosh head unit, but i wonder if i'd really hear a difference in something as noisy as the car...

anyone actually own one of these?  i have a kenwood 6 disc changer custom fit into my center console, so i stuck with a kenwood excelon head unit when i changed in june 02 (when the old kenwood died) to keep compatibility and changer controls from the head unit.  but i'm starting to question this as the faceplate seems to have a loose connection or something and this one seems on the way out.  maybe if it dies i'll look into something higher end, but then i'd lose direct changer controls...

[jlykos]

i'm intrigued by the idea of a mcintosh head unit, but i wonder if i'd really hear a difference in something as noisy as the car...

You are paying for the name and style as much as the quality.  Yes, they are good.  No, they are not two to three times as good as an Eclipse or even a Clarion Pro.

[scb]

good to know.

[spott]

I had an Eclipse head unit years ago (94-95) with a touch screen control (well, it was a new gadget back in the day)... I really liked mine, much more than the alpine I had. Although, I'm not really a big supporter of high-end audio in the car. I used to think it was the end/all be all, but there's just too many variables and costs associated associated with noise, you're better off reinvesting that money into your home system.

Just my 2 scents

[jlykos]

Also, if anybody has a different suggestion for a head unit < $200 or so, feel free to chime in.

Check out some of the Clarion Pro models.  Not the regular Clarion, although it is very hard to tell them apart by looking at them.  Best quality in that price range.

[thoman8r]

whoa.  A bit of a delayed response on this one

+T to all, thanks for the advice.  I did end up going with the Alpine 9805, got one for 160 bucks (inc. S/H) on ebay.  I basically need a head unit I can easily interface my iPod with and until somebody makes a head unit with frontside firewire or usb ports, Alpine's Versatile Link system seems as good as any.  This is basically a go between until I have some real cash to completely overhaul my car stereo setup anyway.  Maybe then I will look into Clarion or McIntosh.