Opinions on the better head unit?????

[nuQ]

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-S...2&y=0

interested in getting some opinions on which unit would ultimately be the better head unit. the link above is a side by side of both the alpine and the kenwood. this will be going in my 90Q45 and really want the aux input to hook up my sattelite and my future idod. i'm really torn,,i love the look of the kenwood but i know alpine is a quality unit (although i have been hearing alot of good things about the kenwood line).

this kenwood is a longshot because of the double DIN size-----http://www.crutchfield.com/S-SBjZzjhbHM ... =113DPX301

leaning toward the single DIN's though. any thoughts?

[nvrplzd240]

i like the kenwoods, nice quality, performance and looks

- but ive got one

so i could be a little bias

[nuQ]

i'm leaning toward the kenwood,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,nice "old school" look, great features and price. i know alpine makes great stuff and their frequency response is very slightly better, but have to pay extra for the aux input and remote. maybe i'll put the alpine in my bimmer!

[PoorManQ45]

and my future idod.

Please don't get an Ipod. WHen the time comes, please ask in general chat, or here, and we'll save you a LOT of money

[nuQ]

yeah, i've heard good and bad with the ipod. i should have said MP3 player. pro's-cons????

[Simmsled]

I would probably choose the Kenwood. I have had about every brand known to man and I trust em. My experience with Alpine has been good but I think they have a sound that is just a bit cold for me. Kenwood has a warmer sound and usually has better D/A (digital to analog) converters. If you are going to be using multiple amps (more than 3) Alpine has a stronger RCA output. If you are going to use a line driver or eq dont worry about it. I would consider one of the Clarion Pro Audio units if quality sound and fit/finish are your main goals. The Clarion that I had in my Altima still plays cds beautifully after 7 years of everyday use. I took it out because the buttons stopped working all of a sudden. I got 4 years out of my Alpine cd player and the laser went out. Kenwoods seem to last a very long time with proper care. I dont have much experience with the new Eclipse units, but their old stuff kicked *** (although longevity was an issue). Pioneers seem to as well, but their buttons wear away and become useless if you dont use your remote control often.

At the end of the day, I would consider weighing your options with Kenwood and Clarion Pro Audio. You cant go wrong with either.

As far as using Mp3 players in your car... It is not as clean sounding as a cd because the digital to analog conversion is done on the onboard converter (99% of the time super crappy) instead of the headunit's converter. The key to any good sounding source music depends on it's bitrate (higher the better). For near cd quality you would have to be better than 256kbs. I hate digital breakup and coloration in my music but I'm super critical about sound. With an external mp3 you have convenience, but at the cost of sound quality.