Alpine DVA 7996 vs. CDA 7998

[Baby M3]

Greetings,

I recently purchased an Alpine DVA 7996 head unit and was wondering how it compares to the CDA 7998 model in terms of SQ.

I've read a lot of the biolight go out on the 7998. Does the same problem apply to the DVA 7996?

My current setup (in a 98' M3 convertible) consists of the following:

Alpine TDA 7558 head unit (cassette deck )

Alpine ERA-G320 Equalizer

Alpine SPX 13-Pro front component speakers

Alpine SPS S510 rear speakers

Alpine CHA-S602 CD changer

Alpine PDX V9 5-channel amplifier

Brax Matrix 10' subwoofer in a custom downward firing sealed box

Could anyone tell me if there will be a substantial improvement over my current head unit in terms of SQ if I were to upgrade to either the 7996 or 7998?

Based on my current setup, do you recommend any simple upgrade to improve the SQ of my system?

Also, what are the differences, if any, between the standard numeric model and models with letters r, j, e, l designation?

Sorry for asking so many questions in my very first post.

Thank you all in advance for your help!

Jon

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[BoomTaco64]

quality will go up a little and with the dva unit you can use dvd audio which is better quaility than cd audio. the cda-7998 is one of alpines best decks they have ever made or will ever make.

 

[Baby M3]

Thanks for your reply,

Assuming that I stick with listening to CDs only and not DVDs.

If prices are the same for both units, is there any difference(s) between these two models in terms of SQ?

Jon

quality will go up a little and with the dva unit you can use dvd audio which is better quaility than cd audio. the cda-7998 is one of alpines best decks they have ever made or will ever make.

 

[BoomTaco64]

Thanks for your reply,
Assuming that I stick with listening to CDs only and not DVDs.

If prices are the same for both units, is there any difference(s) between these two models in terms of SQ?

Jon

the cda unit is your best bet for quality and control. store bought CD's are still your best chance at getting the best overall quality, yes way better than any mp3 device(ipod/iphone included) unless you go to full DVD audio which needs the proper dts and other processors for the best quality. if i was in your position i would go with the CDA unit

 

[trumpet 5,000+ posts]

I had a CDA-7998 but not the DVA-7996. Are you looking into these for the nostalgia? 7998 was selling for $250+ on eBay in great condition the last time I had that search saved, which was a couple of years ago. You are up a creek without a paddle if you buy one and the display fails. It is a very nice sounding head unit, but you can get a new head unit with equal or possibly better sound quality and a warranty.

 

[Baby M3]

Thank you for the heads up regarding the display issue. Yes. The biolight problem on the 7998 is what I am afraid of as well. Thank goodness that the 7996 had a different display.

You're absolute correct. I am looking at these units for nostalgic reasons. I actually thought the Alpine 7939 or 7638 would go better with my 98' M3's interior but these head unit did not come with a sub output/adjustable sub volume, which it's a must for me.

Another reason why I want to have these head units is that put aside the 7909 and 7990, I thought the 7998 and 7996 are among the top SQ head units Alpine's ever made?

You mentioned that there are head units are there that are just as good, if not better in terms of SQ. Is there anything from Alpine you recommend over these head unit?

Thanks again!

Jon

I had a CDA-7998 but not the DVA-7996. Are you looking into these for the nostalgia? 7998 was selling for $250+ on eBay in great condition the last time I had that search saved, which was a couple of years ago. You are up a creek without a paddle if you buy one and the display fails. It is a very nice sounding head unit, but you can get a new head unit with equal or possibly better sound quality and a warranty.

 

[trumpet 5,000+ posts]

You'll probably want to get opinions on that from someone else. I haven't run an Alpine unit newer than 7998.

 

[keep_hope_alive Premium Member]

i liked the 7939 but the 7930 was my #1 old school head unit favorite.

some pics of my old head units

 

[keep_hope_alive Premium Member]

 

[keep_hope_alive Premium Member]

The 7940 and 7941 are both nice head units, good displays. I love the simplicity and sound of the 7930 as well as the sound.

The 7996 has DVD-A capability which is a powerful feature. And it has optical output (along with the 7939 and 7949).

The 7998 was neat but i couldn't get behind the phantom face concept and problems associated with it. Alpine certainly worked out the issues with displays and their BioLite display is one of the nicest looking display of headunits, IMO.

 

[keep_hope_alive Premium Member]

More recently, i've been a fan of the 9887 and the newest CDE-HD149BT. The latter has every modern feature you want plus processing. The 9887 lacks some modern connections but has a flexible crossover section.

 

[Rich B 5,000+ posts]

The 7940 and 7941 are both nice head units, good displays. I love the simplicity and sound of the 7930 as well as the sound.
The 7996 has DVD-A capability which is a powerful feature. And it has optical output (along with the 7939 and 7949).

The 7998 was neat but i couldn't get behind the phantom face concept and problems associated with it. Alpine certainly worked out the issues with displays and their BioLite display is one of the nicest looking display of headunits, IMO.

I have a 7941 for a future install......

 

[Baby M3]

Thank you both for your suggestions and comments!

keep_hope_alive:

Holy that's an impressive Alpine collection you have! Thanks for sharing the pictures. I think we have the same taste in head units because my current head unit, TDA 7558 is the cassette deck version of the 7930 from 1996.

I am both nostolgic and trying to get a head unit that best matches my ERA-G320 EQ and BMW E36 M3's dashboard. The newest Alpine head units offer the latest toys and gadgets but unfortunately, they look a bit out of place for my car.

The older units have no AiNet support (7909), no subwoofer output (7939), or no amber illumination (7949). The 7969 is impossible to find and is not quite a looker anyway.

Put aside the 7930/7940/7941 my best choices boiled down to the 7996 and 7998.

I understand that both the 7996 and 7998 have different functions but am surprised to find out that there's really nothing on the forum directly comparing these units head to head in terms of their SQ capabilities.

Assuming that I am relying on my ERA-G320 for EQ adjustments and simply using a head unit to send out clean signal, will upgrading to either 7998 or 7996 substantially improve the SQ over my current 7558? If so, is 7998 better than 7996?

Thanks again for your help!

Jon

 

[keep_hope_alive Premium Member]

since you are relying on the G320, there is little SQ difference between the head units. the AiNET connection just sends a fixed analog signal to the G320. the need for a sub out is moot when running the G320.

People liked the 7998 for the features (time alignment, crossover, eq) which would basically defeat the need for the G320 (which would likely be an improvement because the G320 has a fairly high noise floor).

Having ran the G320 for around 9 years, I found that i preferred the 7939 with it because i was able to adjust time alignment discretely through the head unit (ms per channel) which i could not do with any other head unit i tried. I had better results with discrete time alignment adjustment over the listening position selector.

 

[keep_hope_alive Premium Member]

I would take the DVA-7996 over the CDA-7998.

the 7998 would probably look out of place also.

The 7996 allows you to play DVD-R so you can make compilations on DVD discs and the ability to play DVD-A is just cool.