Alpine 9847 / 51 vs 5425 /35

[SteelWheel 10+ year member]

I was ready to buy the Alpine 9847 -- I want a decent quality satellite ready HU but I dont want to buy more than I need. I was going Alpine becasue I have been happy with Alpine in the past and I like the conservative display (don't care much for jumping dolphins and the like.

However, the salesman quickly told me that Alpine was on the decline and he strongly suggested the Eclipse 5425 instead. Although the Eclipse was only $30 bucks more ($219 vs $189), I was skeptical about his motivation. So here I am for other opinions.

From other threads it appears that 2005 Alpines have dropped in quality. However, I have only seen higher end models mentioned -- I did not whether that was simply because more people here us the higher models or whether perhaps there was problems with more advanced features that did not apply to lower models. Any thoughts?

Also, while it seems to be the consensus that Eclipse makes a great HU, I am really struggling with the displays that are lit up like a Christmas tree. I have seen some posters say they felt like it wasnt that bad looking installed as opposed to staring at it on the sound board. Any experience there?

Also, I know that one of the advantages of the Eclipse is the higher voltage outs. Assuming that I am going to be driving 6.5 coaxils without an external amp, is there going to be a significant difference in SQ over the Alpine?

Finally, I went to another shop that primarily sells Kenwood. I looked at 2 models, one was $179 and the other $199. I am uncertain about the model numbers (when I went to Kenwood's website i found that it is down). They did, however, sound pretty good and I believe they have a slightly higher RMS than the other HU's. Any thoughts here?

Thanks.

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[SteelWheel 10+ year member]

Anyone? A little help please.

Also, I have tried to post to the amp section without any luck.

Does anyone have any thoughts as to whether there are decent amps for around $200 to power 6.5" components?

I know next to nothing about amps, but I am looking at:

JBL CS 50.4 ----- 268 watts; 67 watts RMS x 4 channels @ 4 ohms.

Is there something for a little more that would leave me the option of running a sub later (or would this)??

Thanks.

 

[2wheeler 10+ year member]

I just replaced an alpine 9830 with an Eclipse 5435. It's got a very slight noise, that I'm sure will go away when I reinstall correctly (I installed on a jobsite in about 15 min.) and the Alpine time correction is really cool. Otherwise, I think the Eclipse is better in every way. The menus are much easier to get around, the display is readable day or night, the sound settings are simple, effective, and it sounds so good set flat that the eq is almost unneeded. It's a little funny looking to me, and I really don't like the red lighting or the 5425, but overall I think my 5435 is the best HU I have ever owned. Buy one if you can stand the looks.

Edit; the looks are not bad installed, much better than they look on the website.

 

[Ignatowski 5,000+ posts]

check out the Excelons

I also replaced my 9830 with a 789 and I liked it alot more

 

[Decipha 10+ year member]

look into profile they have some pretty good amps for cheap

 

[3.5Max6spd 10+ year member]

i'd take the eclipse....but i would opt for the 5435

 

[Rawr-DQ 10+ year member]

The Eclispe is kinda ugly, clutterd, and seems to be hard to read.

As for features, both have the basic features you'll use, some other stuff here and there...

Since I'm not gonna go into details, all in all, I'd go with the alpine cda-9847

http://www.eclipse-web.com/cd/cd5425.html

http://iweb.alpine-usa.com/pls/admn/item_info?p_item_name=CDA-9847

 

[JLCivic 10+ year member]

The Eclispe is kinda ugly, clutterd, and seems to be hard to read.As for features, both have the basic features you'll use, some other stuff here and there...

Since I'm not gonna go into details, all in all, I'd go with the alpine cda-9847

http://www.eclipse-web.com/cd/cd5425.html

http://iweb.alpine-usa.com/pls/admn/item_info?p_item_name=CDA-9847

The eclipses look much better in person, and some people are more concerned with just how it sounds(which, since it is an eclipse, will be excellent).

To anyone buying a deck, they should check out both if possible and see which one they prefer.

 

[SteelWheel 10+ year member]

I really appreciate all the help. I feel that is almost necesary to seek the opinions of others such as you good people.

I certainly wish it was as easy as going into a car audio store and comparing models. Quite fankly, I am just about to conclude that while that sounds reasonable and obvious, it is the least productive part of the search.

Why would I say such a thing? Because I have been to six different shops and not a single one of them had fully functional boards. Cant listen with an amp,or can't listen without an amp, cant listen to certain speakers at all, or, best yet, no working soundboard. Furthermore, I find it fairly hard enough trying to predict what a system is going to sound like in your car, as opposed to the plywood in front of you. Then take into consideration that when you go from store to store you are going to be trying to compare HU's using different speakers etc, I find it impossible to make anything other than, at best, an educated guess.

Thats why I find the opinions of others helpful.