Alpine-9885.....

[packerfan 10+ year member]

Anyone get to use this deck yet? I just sold my premier 780 and lookin for a replacement for it. If anybody has used it yet does it have the cheap look/feeling that the newer alpines have?

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[helix66 10+ year member]

I just got it the other day and in the process of installing it now. I've never had an alpine before so I don't really know what you mean about the cheap look/feel. I was at a BB the other day and none of the HUs seem all that impressive. From reading here they do not seem to be what they used to be, I'm just the average listener and I wanted the best ipod control, within rea$on.

 

[Paco24det 10+ year member]

I just got the 9885 the other day from Crutchfield and installed it yesterday in my truck. My initial feeling that it is a great head unit. Its a lot better than the old Clarion I had in there. I installed components run off of an amp at the same time, so I dont know exactly how much better the sound is.

As far as the 'cheap' feel of newer Alpines, i really don't know. I have a 7998 in my car, but really never examined any other newer Alpines. For the record, the 9885 doesnt come close to comparing to the 7998, but it is a very good HU. I still need to play with tuning options (not nearly as many options as the 7998). I am disappointed that it doesnt seem to have time correction or the iPersonalize option. I do like the CD text info, even on the changer (s634). Also the ipod connection is amazing.

 

[Bluecamry 10+ year member]

My friend has a 9885 and ive played around with it a little bit... its a good head unit, and although it is one of the new designs, it isnt as cheap looking as some of the other new ones. Its still nothing compared to an older Alpine or anything, but its one of the best of the new models ive seen. It replaces the 9857, which was in my opinion one of Alpines best head units produced. Truthfully, the 9885 isnt quite up to par as far as looks with the 57, but its functionality is nice, and its still a good head unit.

 

[InsaneKreationz]

IMO, alot of CD player companys are goin downhill. Panasonic, Alpine. Thats to name 2.

Panasonic usta have some classy looking cd players, now they look cheap.

Alpine usta have GREAT cd players, now there just ok.

What is teh world coming to.

 

[helix66 10+ year member]

I just got mine installed last night, it took a bit long because there were a lot of bird's nests to clean up. I'm a new ipod user and new to all of this newer stereo functionality. Maybe because I'm not hip to all the new stuff but the ipod interface didn't seem as fast as the ipod itself, when searching through long lists it hunts for a bit. I don't know how other brands are compared to the newer alpines. When searching it'd be nice for the titles to scroll through as you pause on a title enabling you to read long titles. The display is a bit limited as far as what it shows when song is playing even though there seems to be enough screen real estate to show more info (playlist/artist/track name/track-count & track-timer).

I also find the function of the rotary knob a bit weird. It would make sense to push it in to select what you just used it to scroll to, but that isn't the case; there is a separate enter button to the upper left. Also, the words for the function and title buttons are not illuminated.

How much better is the 9857? I might be inclined to return this unit as I'm not super-impressed.

 

[Bluecamry 10+ year member]

The 9885 directly replaced the 9857, and as such I would expect the 57 to be cheaper by now, if not at best buy or wherever, look online.

Dont expect better iPod controls though... but you cant really get good iPod controls with any HU on the market right now that ive seen.

 

[helix66 10+ year member]

OK, well it is good to know that the ipod controls are nowhere near what the ipod offers. I'll be a bit less harsh and see how it works out for me, sometimes the ipod scroll wheel itself is a bit "sticky".

Crutchfield still has the 9857 at $349, and the 9885 was $279. I know sonicelectronix has the 9885 for $229 and no 9857's are shown.

 

[hemirunner426 10+ year member]

how does the 9885 compare to the old 9853?

i am thinking about replacing my 9853 with this deck... i hope not to have the problems i've had with the 9853... however, the 9853 sounds extremely well when it works...

 

[frzninvt 10+ year member]

Alpine still lists the 9857 as a current model and above the 9885 in the heirachy for whatever it is worth.

 

[AVSTANG02]

I miss the look and feel of my 9815...

I remember when I first got that deck I couldnt stop looking at and holding the faceplate in my hand it screamed high quality....

 

[hemirunner426 10+ year member]

what i dont get is why the 9857 does not have a crossover network however the 9885 does... and the 9885 is cheaper?

it seems the 9857 is 2v pre-outs and the 9885 is 4v...

i am wondering why these models do not even compare to the options my 9853 has. In order to get these features, i have to go to their dva-9965... ugh, the dvd feature is useless to me...

 

[helix66 10+ year member]

what i dont get is why the 9857 does not have a crossover network however the 9885 does... and the 9885 is cheaper?

What is the crossover network feature you mention above? I'm new to all of this, if it didn't already show. I can't even remember the last hu that I actually purchased prior to the 9885.

 

[hemirunner426 10+ year member]

the 9885 has a high-pass crossover built into it. You can set your crossover frequencies between your low and high's

 

[helix66 10+ year member]

I'll have to do a bit more research to know what that's about! I thought that the component drivers already have crossovers.