Head Unit Brands

[maxhopper]

I wanted to seek the opinion of some knowledgable audiophiles. What manufacturer do you prefer for a head unit? It's been a long time since I've been looking, so I left the poll open so that others can add brands.

What I am looking for is strictly sound quality (no video/DVD).

[nvrplzd240]

I like the Kenwood eXcelon stuff, along with Alpine

cant go wrong with those two in my book

[zerepdivad]

Yeah i'm a fan of the alpine ones, and i love the new pioneer 7800.

[Looneybomber]

It depends a lot on your price range. McIntosh makes quality gear but is typically outside most peoples price range unless they're looking to upgrade their stereo in their 997 carrera's

[phuphyter]

I added eclipse to the poll. I also hear a lot of great things about denon's sq, but I have no experience with their headunits.

[Fenvy]

I am 2 time owner of alpine deck4 time owner of pioneer deck1 time owner of kenwood deck

I have installed head units for someone else2 times for panasonic1 time for pioneer1 time for sony

my personal favorite is alpine because it has a clean look and decent output. My second favorite is pioneer because of its "screensaver" display and sound quality. I don't like the sound quality on kenwood, sony skips, and panasonic try to make their stuff too crazy looking

[joe603]

+1 for Kenwood Excelon, hated my Alpine deck.

Had my Kenwood for 5 years, and had to replace the flex cable that goes between the main unit and the faceplate (I had the one that spun when powered down to look like the face was gone). Fixed it myself, easy cheap fix and the unit worked great...sold the car. Anyway, the Alpine POS...had it for 2 years, and the down button crapped out on me..had to use the mute/up button to lower the volume! I'll never buy Alpine again.

My next HD will be the kenwook 8017...the touchscreen DVD one

[qsiguy]

I've always sold and used Pioneer and have been happy with it. For good sound quality you have to go with the mid range or up. The lower end models even tho they have the same, or close to the same, stated output power there is a big difference.

Like zerepdivad said, the 7800 is an awesome deck, my personal favorite without spending over $500, and I think the 6800 would be my pick for "best bang for your buck" at an MSRP of around $270.

[MagikDragon]

i chose kenwood because of a few reasons, I used to work at circuit city and I listened to everything. I've had 2 pioneer decks and I now have a kenwood. Its nice it has a better response than my pioneers. they also are pretty much gimic(sp) free. they have everything u want, nothing you don't. w/ pioneer they give u nice graphics and looks, but it doesn't performe as well. Eclipse is a really good brand too, but its at a price. if your pockets are deep go for ECLIPSE. I forgot to add it. heh but from experience kenwood is the best bang for buck out there. and a nice set of infinity speakers.

[Burnsey]

i voted pannasonic b/c I like the look of it and the features it had surpassed other brands (when i bought it) and also I really like the alpine decks' looks and features, Alpine has very clean head units and I'll be buying one for my 240 in the next cpl wks.

[Jookmasta]

my pioneer deh-7300 has been goin strong and is still going strong for the past 5 years..............wish it could play mp3s but if it's not broke, y replace it?

[audtatious]

For 15+ years I used Kenwood only. I then switched to Eclipse. While I have never really like Pioneer, the current 4800 I have is great tho I wish it was a front-load without having to lower the door. I didn't like the looks of the new Kenwoods and the new Eclipse HU's look like a carnival exploded in them.

[WCCBaLLeR]

Alpine has the cleanest sound in my book.

[Jfob]

for sound quality wise, nakamichi is one of the best among other japanese brands.it may not look fancy enough for you, but it sure will sound better than ones listed on the poll.

[Shift_Alabama]

MB Quart or Clarion, either way I have had good experiences with both. I will never buy another Sony headunit. The last one I had actually caught on fire- Needless to say I'm never gonna buy anything else from Sony!

[WCCBaLLeR]

Would like to see your MB Quart head unit. LOL.

Nakamichi may sound great but they suck in every other department. No features at all. I like to be able to control all the minitors in the car, sources, back up camera's that come on automatically in reverse, satellite tuners, IPOD interfaces, etc. I would put an F1 status Alpine up against any Nakamichi deck as far as sound quality goes.

Chad

[Glyph]

Yep you certainly can't go wrong with a Nak...unless you like bling or want some features. For pure sound quality I'd say you have to go with a deck with 24 bit DAC's. So that means either Nak, Clarion, or Eclipse I believe? Some of the others may offer them in their top, top of the line but the three I mentioned can be found in most anyone's budget (maybe not the Nak though). Personally, I love my Alpine.

[Shift_Alabama]

Would like to see your MB Quart head unit. LOL. Chad

Sorry about that one...must have been half-asleep...

[Notorious170]

ive had the pleasure of owning a sony, kenwood, clarion, and pioneer head unit. pioneer is the current. i have the pioneer avh-p6800dvd double din 6 disc dvd changerhttp://www.pioneerelectronics.....html. i absolutely love this thing!

pioneer, kenwood, alpine, and clarion are all good decks imo.

[Jesda]

NOTHING and I mean NOTHING sounds as incredible as Nakamichi.

Since Nak is hard to find these days, Alpine and Pioneer are a good second.

[lofapoo]

Hahaha, Dual got a vote before Sony did.

Xplod is the suck. I'm surprised I traded my old deck for a sub and amp. I'm a big fan of Pioneer, Kenwood, and Alpine.

[phuphyter]

The topic of this thread then begs the question, "What speakers give the best sq?" and what set-up because you can have the best hu, but ultimately speakers are what's gonna deliver the sound to your ears.

[Jesda]

Dual is shockingly not bad. I had a Dual HU in my Maxima and put one in my brother's G20. Lots of features, strong sound, but the display is too bright and the treble isn't quite right. Hey I rhymed.

For the price, it sure beats the hell out of Jensen.

[nissan_blood]

Dual is not bad for the price. That blue flip face they got is not bad at all but my alpine flip face poops on it