9887..the right choice?

[xdeadpixel 10+ year member]

Hi yall. Mike here. Just found this site, and you guys seem pretty good with audio. I recently just upgraded my system to 2 JL 12w3's in a JL prowedge box. I also just bought a JL 500/1 amp to power em. Still don't got a 4 chan amp tho. Unfortunately, my face plate got stolen cuz my roommate left my door unlocked..bah. Anyway, I've got $300 to spend on a head unit, and I want to get good shit. For the last 3 months, I've wanted the 9887, but a few people are saying pioneer or kenwood. I'm not sure. So, let me describe what I'm looking for, and hopefully I can get some good advice please.

I'm looking for something that works good with the JL's. I'm sure almost everything does, but just in case . Also, I'm going for more of a SQ setup, I want to pound them JL's hard as hell, but I want to sound crisp and clear. I want the head unit to make my highs sound very crisp, as well as my subs. The bigger EQ the better! I don't need any type of radio or bluetooth. It just needs to be able to play CD's (and mp3's i guess) at the best quality. I don't have a 4 chan amp, so it should have some decent power to my speakers.

I want to use as much of the $300 as possible, but get the most out of that $300 as possible. And I'm talking $300 AFTER shipping (ebay prices, or whatever is cheaper). I'm also willing to go up to $350, but ONLY if that extra $50 is worth the bump. I really hope it's not too much to ask you folks, but I've been burned TWICE before.

Thanks in advance guys, I really appreciate the help! //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

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[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

Pretty much any head unit will do what you want. Any head unit...

 

[FI15INCH 10+ year member]

not every headunit comes with its additional eq settings...."not every headunit"

 

[UCF52 10+ year member]

If you don't plan on using the DSP features the 9887 has then don't bother. You can get a deck that will do what you want for a lot less.

 

[MikeATL 10+ year member]

Agreed - Pioneer has some great units on the cheap if you're looking for EQ ability. I installed a DEH-P6900UB this weekend for a friend of mine that he got for about $200 w/installation accessories (dash kit / factory harness) from sonicelectronix along with a couple of Alpine amps, speakers, and a 10" sub (truck = limited space) and it sounded pretty good.

I really liked the control and EQ abilities via the Pioneer, but didn't really like how everything was controlled via a single knob and the interface was a bit confusing. I'm sure you'd get used to it, but that would annoy the hell out of me. His system sounded pretty good though once we figured out the interface.

I need to mention that he's had issues with the USB interface, and I don't think it's user error. When switching between sources (radio/cd/usb/aux/etc) it seems like his USB connection gets hung for no apparent reason and simply doesn't work and gets hung. Because of this, I'd have to recommend against going w/the Pioneer if USB is important to you. He's had to reset his deck (losing all settings) multiple times which fixes the issue - this very well may be a user issue but heads-up. I haven't had any of these issues w/my Alpine 9886. I'd love to hear if others have seen this and how they prevent it.

 

[xdeadpixel 10+ year member]

I'm not sure exactly what the DSP feature is, I just want something that I can tweak to make everything sound perfect, and have an excellent sound quality. I'm willing to pay for quality.

 

[xdeadpixel 10+ year member]

Can you explain the DSP features to me please? Couldn't find em on google.

 

[MyPoison1 10+ year member]

I think it has something to with eq presets like pop, classical, ect...

 

[MikeATL 10+ year member]

It's not at all related to that!

Imprint (I believe Alpine specific) adjusts your soundstage via time delay so everyone has a better "seat" in the concert as well as EQing the frequencies automatically. I've heard insane differences w/this SQ wise - I'm looking for a processor for my 9886.

The 9887 out of the box, along w/the tuning kit will give you phenomal sound. If you like to have a lot of control of your sound, the 9887 will definitely give you that + being able to run active.

If you don't need all that, you could just get another HU and manually adjust the frequencies to your liking via an EQ. If a 9887 is in your budget though, I'd definitely recommend it.

 

[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

Unless you plan to do active filtering (which you don't have the amplification for) pretty much any HU will do. I would get a more budget oriented HU and spend the rest of the money on an amp for youre speakers. All the filtering and EQing in the world isn't going to overcome the crappy amplification built into the head unit.

 

[UCF52 10+ year member]

Unless you plan to do active filtering (which you don't have the amplification for) pretty much any HU will do. I would get a more budget oriented HU and spend the rest of the money on an amp for youre speakers. All the filtering and EQing in the world isn't going to overcome the crappy amplification built into the head unit.

x2

A 9887 will sound the same as any other deck (for the most part) that has 24-bit DAC's. You are asking for the best possible sound, but do not have an amplifier for your mids/highs - this doesn't make sense.

The 9887 allows you to run 3-way active (filtering highs/mids/lows) addressing attenuation, time alignment, and EQ or Imprint. You cannot use any of this in your current setup.

If you are truly looking for the best possible sound, return everything you bought and start over again. Begin with a receiver and then start with the front stage and 4 channel.

 

[Selkies 10+ year member]

Other people have also neglected to mention that the high line Pioneer Premier 880 and 800 PRS headunits come with the microphone and accessories you need to perform the auto tune function. The Alpine 9887 requires the additional Imprint unit that costs $250 to buy or somewhere around $50-$100 to rent.

Good luck with your decision. I'm in the same boat, but I might wait until the next line of headunits comes out.

 

[xdeadpixel 10+ year member]

Hmm the premier comes with the mic? Didn't know that. I might have to check that out. How's the SQ compared to the 9887 for what I"m looking for?

 

[xdeadpixel 10+ year member]

btw guys i'm not looking JUST for EQ ability..i want to be able to tweak everything to sound great. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[UCF52 10+ year member]

Other people have also neglected to mention that the high line Pioneer Premier 880 and 800 PRS headunits come with the microphone and accessories you need to perform the auto tune function. The Alpine 9887 requires the additional Imprint unit that costs $250 to buy or somewhere around $50-$100 to rent.
Good luck with your decision. I'm in the same boat, but I might wait until the next line of headunits comes out.

We are trying to explain that you cannot go active without an external amplifier (I think you can on the 880/800, but you're getting ~20rms/ch.)

Hmm the premier comes with the mic? Didn't know that. I might have to check that out. How's the SQ compared to the 9887 for what I"m looking for?

btw guys i'm not looking JUST for EQ ability..i want to be able to tweak everything to sound great. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

Read my post above. If you are really looking for a sound quality setup start with the head unit/front stage/4channel. Otherwise you do not need a deck capable of going active.

What are you using right now for mids/highs?