ha ha...I have owned every Alpine but the F1 and I couldnt really say which sounded better old or new because I used a lot of different set ups and so it was never a a/b comparison. having said that I have seen plenty prefer the older decks over the newer ones and here its said vise versa.
build on old decks was better just like everything else these days its all made out of plastic and not meant to last.
I have a 9855 right now in the car. not trying hard to sell it but I would rather have a 880/800 or some other deck to be honest. I dont run mine active so its a little more than I need.