Which top of the line head unit? Alpine, Eclipse, or Clarion?

Post by **bruinbear714** » Tue Apr 22, 2003 9:48 am

I'd like to hear it from the experts who seen/heard/tested these units first hand... I know they each have their pros and cons, but I'm kinda leaning towards the Eclipse due to the DSP they have and the good reviews.

Website · Post by **elbles** » Tue Apr 22, 2003 9:48 am

My pick would be the high-end Alpine unit (CDA-7998, IIRC) It seems to be a great unit, put it in a friend's Lexus with a "Premium" factory system. He's retaining the factory amp for now (Metra had a nice harness that allowed us to hook the preamp outs from the Alpine to the factory amp). There's some noise in the signal when switching tracks, that seems to be produced by the head (regardless of ground, the noise is only there when switching tracks, might have to try a loop isloator). Other than the noise, the stereo sounds terrific with the factory amps. Very clear sound, with very little noise, as expected, and the equilizer is terrific, and if you really want to have some fun, mess around with the time correction (move the driver to the center of the sound stage, yum.) I have a CDA-7894, and have nothing but good things to say about it. Eclipse is a great name, but awfully expensive for what you get, and I'm not so sure that it's that much better. Then again, I've only heard it at dealers, so I can't comment on real world (in car) sound quality. Clarion is a good name too, though I'd go with Alpine over them, based more on the features of the Alpine units than sound quality (they're pretty even with regard to that). If you go Alpine, let me know what you think. I didn't hear the noise in the demo unit at the dealer, and my friend's in Florida for our spring break (lucky b@st@rd), but we'll probably try to do an exchange when he gets back. Sorry for the long post, but I hope it helps somewhat.

Post by **Macross** » Tue Apr 22, 2003 9:48 am

i noticed the noise in track switching in mp3 mode, but that's when you burn as mp3 music cd with roxio. but when i used the windows xp to burn as a data cd it eliminated the noise during the switching of tracks.

Post by **Sopdadope** » Tue Apr 22, 2003 9:48 am

Having been an owner of some high-end decks from Alpine, Nak and Eclipse, the Eclipse wins hands down as far as sound goes. This is coming from someone who's owned a CDA-7998. Even compared to the older Eclipse 55430 model, the alpine doesn't compare favorably. However, I do like the media expand and MP3 capabilities of the Alpine deck. If you're a pure audiophile, go with Eclipse.

Website · Post by **elbles** » Tue Apr 22, 2003 9:48 am

Macross: The noise is there regardless of type of CD (MP3, regular, etc). I should've mentioned that. I'm pretty sure that it's a defective head, but like I said, my friend's in Florida, and I can't pull the unit till he gets back, when I'll be sure to hook it up to my test setup (I made a custom enclosure with 120VAC->12VDC inverter, Kenwood amps, etc, all ready to be hooked up to various head units at will). We'll see how that goes.

Sopdadope: The Eclipse is probably the best, but it will require significant amounts of money in areas such as speakers and amplifiers before *I* could justify paying the premium. With things like the balanced audio outputs, you're talking serious sound quality, but also at a serious price. The Alpine units sound pretty damn good, especially for the money, and the additional features make it worthwhile for me. Everyone has, and is entitled to, their own opinions, of course. ;-)

Post by **Simmsled** » Tue Apr 22, 2003 9:48 am

I have sold all of these decks, and owned decks from 4 out of the 5 companies: Eclipse, Alpine, Clarion, Pioneer Premier, and Nak... Of the high-end units offered by these companies... I can tell you this about them from my own experience.

Eclipse - Sounds great, reliability used to be an issue, but I heard not so much anymore. For the ones that dont have any problems, they seem to last for a very long time. I owned the 55060.

Alpine - Good all around, not really a stand out, but not left behind in any regard. The laser on Alpines seem to go out slowly, but only after about 5 years with everyday use it seems. I have owned the 7909, and the 7842.

Clarion - Used to be the heavy hitter in the high end decks. A few years ago, I would of said that the high end Clarion Pro-Audio decks were the industry standard, but now they seem to of gotten out of the high end audiophile competition decks. They are very reliable and sound great. (I own the last of the Clarion Pro-Audio audiophile decks, DRX 9675z.

Pioneer Premier - These sound really good, but most of all have awesome features. The reliability of the unit is great. The buttons wear out prematurely though. If you use a remote, then problem solved. I have not owned a premier unit.

Nakamichi - I had one of the units that had the analog volume control. The nak sounded wonderful, and was fine all around. It did not offer too many features, but was focused on sound quality and good reliability. I forget the model # I owned.

When it all comes down to the purchace, I would audition it at a good shop with a good sound board (some sound boards can make even the best cd player sound like a $5 garage sale 8 track player) and get the unit that best suits your needs; reliability, features, sound, flashy lights [jk]...

Have fun!!

Post by **bruinbear714** » Tue Apr 22, 2003 9:48 am

Well thanks for all your replies... Right now I am leaning a bit on the Eclipse 8053 coming out in a couple of months. I might be tempted to also get their balanced line adapters to go with the unit, but we'll see.

I figured since I already have the CDT eurosports 6.5" components, so might as well get a nice headunit to go with the speakers.

Website · Post by **creophus** » Tue Apr 22, 2003 9:48 am

Yep, go with the Eclipse dude.

Post by **maxI30t** » Tue Apr 22, 2003 9:48 am

i have an eclipse 5423 in my car. even with my crappy install its still sounds great...crystal clear.

system:Eclipse 5423HIfonics Zeus z700Arc Audio component speakersInfinity Kappa's 63.5iImage Dynamics q12

Post by **s14sr20det** » Tue Apr 22, 2003 9:48 am

Pioneer/Premier 9200/9300 and up are the best decks on the market today, nothing even comes close, I'm very knowledgable about car stereo and NOTHING comes close to Pioneer decks.I owned nothing but top of the line Pioneer decks and they never let me down, they look great, got awesome features and the last for ages ... and the most imporant part is that they are built im Japan, unlike some other **** that is built in China.And BTW, Clarion doesnt have anytning good .. everything they make is junk, just like AIWA.

Website · Post by **creophus** » Tue Apr 22, 2003 9:48 am

Aiwa is junk, I agree with that. I have not tested every unit head to head, but I believe that Eclipse is the best thing going. They don't make anything too fancy as far as graphics, but for sound quality they are supposed to be unbeatable. Eclipse is put out by Fujitsu-ten...which absolutely kicks ***.

Post by **colinm** » Tue Apr 22, 2003 9:48 am

Yes, Aiwa is junk, mine just went out after roughly two years.. It feeds noise to the preampslike crazy, even without engine running.. Anyway, I need a new head, and want one with MP3, but in the ~$200-250 range. I was looking at a kenwood, or a clarion. Any suggestions? I only need 4 preamps.

Thanks, Colin

Website · Post by **creophus** » Tue Apr 22, 2003 9:48 am

Take a look at one of the Eclipse units: CD3403 & CD3413

Post by **s14sr20det** » Tue Apr 22, 2003 9:48 am

Pioneer & Alpine is the only way to go.

Post by **Sopdadope** » Tue Apr 22, 2003 9:48 am

creophus wrote:but I believe that Eclipse is the best thing going.

They are. Of all the decks I have owned, my the best sounding were my Eclipse's and a Nak CD45z. The Alpine's weren't quite up to par but did have loads of features to make up for it.

Post by **Simmsled** » Tue Apr 22, 2003 9:48 am

yea, good call.

Post by **colinm** » Tue Apr 22, 2003 9:48 am

where is the cheapest place to buy eclipse? most of the places I usually shop for car audio don't carry them...

Thanks,Colin

Website · Post by **creophus** » Tue Apr 22, 2003 9:48 am

Well there is a reason most of the places don't carry them. You can go to their website and find an authorized dealer or search on the internet. Beware of the people on the internet. Oh and buying a used one might sound like a great idea, but be warned! These units have a very sophisticated anti-theft feature. If you get a used one, then be sure the guy sells you the key CD also. Without the key CD then it won't work. If you ask about it and he doesn't know what you're talking about. Don't waste your time talking to him. If you buy the unit it won't work and you will have wasted your money. Try to get one brand new if you can.

Post by **colinm** » Tue Apr 22, 2003 9:48 am

I hear you on the used thing.. I never buy most used electronics that are as complicated as something like a head unit.. Usually speakers are ok if you inspect them good. Anyway, has anyone ordered these over the internet before, and had good experiences with the retailer?

Thanks,Colin

Post by **SmithSR** » Tue Apr 22, 2003 9:48 am

Something you use for damn near every minute you are in your car should not be purchased on the cheap.

For you audiophiles out there, who has auditioned the Denon head unit? Who here knows Denon makes a head unit?

Website · Post by **creophus** » Tue Apr 22, 2003 9:48 am

What Denon makes a head unit? I thought they were strictly home audio. I have heard their home stuff, which absolutely rocks. I'd be interested to see what they have to offer in mobile audio.

Post by **Simmsled** » Tue Apr 22, 2003 9:48 am

I havent seen a Denon headunit for a long time. They sounded really good tho. I think they still have them overseas.

Post by **SmithSR** » Tue Apr 22, 2003 9:48 am

they're making a comeback here...although i think they'll be tough to find. currently there are two models that i have heard of and read about. the one i have *seen* has a brushed stainless look to the face and is very simple and clean in the Denon tradition. It looks like it belongs in a luxury car. there's a short article in Sound & Vision from awhile back, i'll look it up and give some specs when i can.

Post by **ayjay** » Tue Apr 22, 2003 9:48 am

sorry had to dig this thread up...

i am an eclipse owner (55430, triple 8v) but i only bought it because i got it for dirt cheap... if i had the money i would have gone with a new alpine with mp3 capability, and digital time correction..

why? only because i know that the manager of a well known car audio shop in my area, switched from the best sony deck ever made with the burr brown decoder (C90X i think), to a new alpine, because he liked the digital time correction so much... he swears by it, because to be able to adjust the imaging of the speakers without having to reposition them, is stupidly cool, and the sound quality of the deck is pretty good too.

media xpander licks ***, so just don't bother with it, but digital time correction is dope

Post by **[GoaTSLonG]** » Tue Apr 22, 2003 9:48 am

I have the JVC KD-SH909 and its great, mp3 player, dvd controls, very nice looking i paid around $400 for it.

Post by **bruinbear714** » Tue Apr 22, 2003 9:48 am

I have the JVC909 also for around 3 months, but that just doesn't cut it when you have the CDT Eurosport components

It's a great all around deck for beginners, but it is lacking the advanced features that higher end headunits have.

Post by **ayjay** » Tue Apr 22, 2003 9:48 am

got respect for those jvc 909/99 or whatever the silver mp3 one's are...

my buddy had soundstream 6.5" components up front in his civic runnin off one of these jvc mp3 decks... never heard components so loud and clear off just deck power

the jvc does lack control features compared to alpine/eclipse, however the actual design of the unit is awesome... take for example the angled faceplate option... on the jvc if you have the deck angled and you want to put in a cd, it goes down so that you can put the cd in, and then afterwards it returns immediately to the same angled position you had it at... alpine was stupid with their decks and completely overlooked this... if the alpine faceplate is angled, and you want to put in a cd, it goes down so you can put the cd in, but then it goes all the way back to the flush position (PAST the angled position that you had it at), and then it returns to the angle you initially had...

the jvc's are way cleaner lookin than the alpine's too, but the alpine's kill the jvc's in terms of tuning options...

:puke CLARION

Post by **Simmsled** » Tue Apr 22, 2003 9:48 am

if you find a link for those denon head units, post em. I love Denon stuff. I have 2 Denon recievers and a Denon DVD player. AVR 3802 and DRA 565RD and DVD 3800. Denon stuff is the S H I T

bad experience with clarion ayjay?

Post by **Simmsled** » Tue Apr 22, 2003 9:48 am

well, i found the denon stuff... holy crap!!!! http://www.redmountainaudio.com/Default.asp?ID=35 I guess that being in college for now my 3rd year and being away from the real world (where I would normally of heard about such great things) has taken its toll on me. I should of known about these pieces of engineering greatness a long while ago.

Post by **SmithSR** » Tue Apr 22, 2003 9:48 am

Simmsled, thanks for finding the link, sorry i was of no help in finding it. I totally agree with you about the quality of Denon A/V. Would you agree that the Denon heads look like they belong in a luxury car, not so much in a *tuner* car?Anyways, Denon is high end stuff...I've been listening to Denon home CD players and Denon receivers for over 10 years now, and i'll never buy another brand except maybe to step up to McIntosh ... but i digress...

Which top of the line head unit? Alpine, Eclipse, or Clarion?

Which top of the line head unit? Alpine, Eclipse, or Clarion?

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