Pioneer 880PRS > 780MP?

[Mugen]

Personally, I like the way the 780MP looks, and it seems that it has a full color screen, whereas the 880PRS doesn't. So, what makes the 880PRS better? Just overall better SQ? The also seem to cost about the same (no more than $20 difference).

I really like the way both look, but I think I like the way the 780MP looks better.

[Eugenics]

get the 980 then

[Mugen]

But the 980 costs more. I was just wondering what the main difference in the two was since their price is so close.

[DoobieBrother]

Pioneer has a nice feature comparison tool on their site.

That said, 880 is better if you ever intend to go active. Looks are subjective. I think the 880 looks better. Course it also depends on what car it's going into. I find the 880 controls easier with the two knobs as well. Also, the 880 has different Burr Brown DAC's than all the others. I believe they are referred to as Burr Brown + or some such. Not sure what kind of difference it makes. 880 has more EQ capability. And in general is supposed to be the best and most features (sans Blue Tooth) you can get without getting into the really expensive units.

[Towncar]

get the 980 then

980= 780 with blue tooth. No aditional sq advantages.

[faulkton]

Pioneer has a nice feature comparison tool on their site.

That said, 880 is better if you ever intend to go active. Looks are subjective. I think the 880 looks better. Course it also depends on what car it's going into. I find the 880 controls easier with the two knobs as well. Also, the 880 has different Burr Brown DAC's than all the others. I believe they are referred to as Burr Brown + or some such. Not sure what kind of difference it makes. 880 has more EQ capability. And in general is supposed to be the best and most features (sans Blue Tooth) you can get without getting into the really expensive units.

where did you read that?

[Mugen]

Well, I don't really know how to properly use all the fancy EQ stuff that the 880PRS has anyway, so I guess the 780MP would be better for me. I like the 880PRS, but it's too plain.

[adam71]

That said, 880 is better if you ever intend to go active. Looks are subjective. I think the 880 looks better. Course it also depends on what car it's going into. I find the 880 controls easier with the two knobs as well. Also, the 880 has different Burr Brown DAC's than all the others. I believe they are referred to as Burr Brown + or some such. Not sure what kind of difference it makes. 880 has more EQ capability. And in general is supposed to be the best and most features (sans Blue Tooth) you can get without getting into the really expensive units.

Actually the others do NOT have Burr Browns at all, they just have DACs. Besides the 880, the P9 is the only other single din Pioneer head unit that uses Burr Brown DACs.





I stand corrected. According to the Pioneer website the 780, 880, 980 and the P9 all use Burr-Brown DACs.

[adam71]

Well, I don't really know how to properly use all the fancy EQ stuff that the 880PRS has anyway, so I guess the 780MP would be better for me. I like the 880PRS, but it's too plain.

Well, the 880 is hands down a higher quality head unit. My good friend installs Premier in a local shop and he let me go in the stock room and the 880 even feels heavier than the 780. The weight may not make it a better souding head unit but it does mean they used less plastic on the inside. I also see your 17 years old and may not see things the same way as some us old bastards on the forum. I've had my days of colorful screens and animations and don't care for them anymore. My P9 is just as much if not MORE plain than the 880. It all comes down to what YOU like seeing how you're the one spending the money. If you like the looks of the 780 then go for the 780. While the 780 may not be as high quality as the 880 you will NOT be sorry for going with it.

[DoobieBrother]

where did you read that?

On the back of the Pioneer advertisement brochure I got before I went and bought mine.

[Mugen]

Yea, I like pretty color screens, and this will be just about the best HU I've ever had, like ever. I actually might go with the 680MP though, because then I can get better mids. I'm just gonna save up and when the time comes see how much I have (I'm shooting for $500 for the HU, mids (component 6.5"s) and an amp for them. Then again, this may be a good christmas gift...

[Ahaz]

980= 780 with blue tooth. No aditional sq advantages.

The 980 has auto EQ and auto T/A, where the 780 does not, for what it's worth. If you don't care about auto EQ, auto T/A, separate L/R EQ, and going active, then go with which one you like better. They're about the same price.

[Mugen]

What does it mean to "go active"? And really, the most EQ tuning I ever do is to get the highs to be not so harsh (assuming they are). For the most part, I usually just leave it flat.

[Ahaz]

What does it mean to "go active"? And really, the most EQ tuning I ever do is to get the highs to be not so harsh (assuming they are). For the most part, I usually just leave it flat.

Ha, I'm just getting into all that myself, but I think all this is right...

Active is basically using processing, on the head unit in this case, as the crossover for all your speakers. So no physical crossover in the door or trunk that came with your comps, and no crossover set on the amp.

The 780 will have an HPF for the front speakers and the rear speakers, and a LPF for the sub.

The 880 will have a HPF for the tweeters, a HPF and a LPF (bandpass, in other words) for the mids, and a LPF for the sub. So rear speakers don't really factor into that. You would also need two amps for your comps, one for the mids and one for the tweeters, since there would be no crossover to split the amp output anymore. The 880 can be set to run passive (it's a physical switch on the back of the deck, so I've heard), where it will then behave like the 780.

With an active setup, you can set the crossover points wherever you want them. Having each speaker playing the exact ranges you want adds a deep level to your overall sound customization, but it's not something that you really need or would find worth the money if you don't like to spend lots of time tweaking your settings.

[dkguitarist]

also you can adjust the crossover slopes as well.

alot of the component sets that come with pre-defined crossovers are PASSIVE CROSSOVERS so no tweaking is really involved.

active is alot more involved. also instead of using 2 2 channel amps, you can use a 4 channel amp as well. or just use 1 2 channel amp and run the tweets of the headunit. tweeters don't need alot of power to really get running. most are 10-15 watts anyways. that's how i'm gonna run mine.