Best MP3 unit under $300

[g-love 10+ year member]

I read the other thread on this page on HU's under $150. i need one to replace my Kenwood kdc-mp8017 that stopped working. its my primary car so i'm willing to spend upto $300.

1 thing - no flip faces, i believe my flipping of the face caused mine to break.

thx!

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[jer_stud56 10+ year member]

a flip face keeps dust out, lets you have a wider display, and looks way better, now why wouldn't you want one? I say pioneer 750mp but its flip face.

- pe@ce

 

[g-love 10+ year member]

for the last 2 yrs, i used to flip the face almost everytime i parked the car and got out, just so that the face wouldnt be visible easily.

after the unit lost display a few weeks back, it completely lost power yesterday. i noticed that the orange cable that bends/ moves along with the flip-face has cracked and torn. i think this is why my units not working.

how long have you had your flip-face unit and have you had any problems with it?

 

[P2K 10+ year member]

for under $300 you could get a Alpine CDA-9807. No flip down face which sacrafices some display space but you sound like it don't matter. If you care about sound go Alpine. You could get this baby at http://www.crutchfield.com for $279 and it comes with the stuff to install it yourself.

 

[g-love 10+ year member]

does crutchfield give any better warranties than say, thezeb or ike ?

 

[P2K 10+ year member]

1-year warranty at Crutchfield. Thezeb didn't even have Alpine brand stuff. I've only seen Alpine at top stores. At my local stores they won't even install it for you free if you buy it from them. Maybe they are afriad it will blow the competition or something. Anyway...you can go to http://www.bizrate.com and search for the CDA-9807. Crutchfield will show at the top with superior user reviews and 4 star (out of 4) ratings. Biggest home and car audio store. They will send you their mag free (check the website). the CDA-9807 is in the best sellers in the MP3/CD section and for the last 3 months i've seen it on the top of the list many times.

 

[g-love 10+ year member]

i like the alpine cda-9807, but.... its silver. do you know any comparable unit thats black? my dash is all black and silver would stand out too much.

maybe a pioneer premier?

 

[P2K 10+ year member]

well in the pioneer section there is the DEH-P5500MP, it's got some silver on it but my neighbor got this for his Honda Civic and he likes it a lot. If you still want alpine you could go up one model to the CDA-9811 which is black but a little over $300 at crutchfield which means you can get it off wholesale stores for about $250 or less. If you like Pioneer get the DEH-P5500MP. Great HU!

 

[g-love 10+ year member]

ok, i'm swamped - theres the DEH-P4500MP, DEH-550MP, DEH-5500MP, etc... soo many choices.

the main feature i'm looking for is MP3 playback on all CD media. thats what my old kenwood was(except for cd/rw maybe).

i'm not looking for the best HU. i dont run any amps, nor any premium speakers. its a boring civic.

i only want a reliable unit, that doesnt sound like crap, not too flashy (dont wanna get it stolen)

any suggestions will be appreciated!

 

[nwo504 10+ year member]

sony cdx mp40 is great mines got stole yesterday //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/frown.gif.a3531fa0534503350665a1e957861287.gif

 

[LBX2G 10+ year member]

u could go with an Rockford Fostgate they are good mp3 players and the internal amps are powerful

 

[Bavarian3 10+ year member]

id get a Alpine 7995, hell yeah. 300 bucks off ebay or some yahoo store i saw someone post a link to. If ud like to spend like 50 bucks more u can get the 9815 which is basically one of the best HU's. So many features u dont even need actually. Id go with the 7995

 

[JLCivic 10+ year member]

Check out an Eclipse 3403 or 3413. They both play mp3s, have no motorized face, will sound great, and are under your $300($209 for the 3403 and $249 for the 3413).

There are fewer and fewer non motorized face decks each year.

 

[g-love 10+ year member]

where can i find reviews of Eclipses, and where can i buy one online?

 

[JLCivic 10+ year member]

where can i find reviews of Eclipses, and where can i buy one online?

You can't buy them online. You have to buy them from authorized dealers. I know of some people on the forums running the eclipse mp3 decks and like them alot. You can call 800-55-eclipse and be automatically connected to the closest dealer. YOu can see pics of them on

http://www.eclipse-web.com

I ran Eclipse decks for 9 years. They performed flawlessly and sound excellent.