Best Single DIN HeadUnit?

[x2o 10+ year member]

I ran a few searches before, but it seems every thread is about double-din's, which I've yet to find a kit for me car that does dub dins. (2003 Mazda 6s) Only kit I've found has been the Metra Turbo2 which only has single din and ISO support, so I'm on the hunt for a single DIN!

I'm pretty much just starting this hunt, so have no ideas or anything, any suggestions will be considered! No price range as of yet, I need to get a feel for how much a good DIN head unit will cost me then I'll decide how much I wanna toss out for one.

Not really looking for any specific features, just a good HU with decent voltage rca outs.

Thanks!

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[x2o 10+ year member]

Hmm, the Pioneer P780MP looks pretty good, any others ones I should look at?

 

[matrxx dude 5,000+ posts]

kenwood x-991 is great

 

[x2o 10+ year member]

Hm, seems really similar to the pioneer, but I might be missing something. Right now it's between these :

Kenwood X991

Pioneer P780MP

Pioneer P980BT

Any other ones I should add to my list for research? //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

Thanks for the suggestion Matrxx

 

[matrxx dude 5,000+ posts]

the x 991 has built in 512 hard drive,usb,all kinds of goodies,i love mine,i got a 8 gig flash drive hooked up to the usb port,all the music you can ever want at 1 time i figure,plus you can ripp songs directly to the hard drive built in.

 

[matrxx dude 5,000+ posts]

Totally digital — the KDC-X991 CD receiver uses a fully digital audio platform with SRS WOW HD™ processing to enhance the clarity, dynamic range, and acoustic presence of your music. In plain English, it makes your MP3, WMA, and AAC tunes sound full-bodied and as close to the original recordings as possible.

You can store up to 370 songs in the internal 512 MB flash memory. The stereo can rip music from your CDs in real time while you listen, or import music files through the USB input, taking only seconds per song to do so. The stereo's display dips into a palette of over 4,000 colors to create smooth, rich images for the background. It also renders four lines of song text, so you can get all of your information at a glance.

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Kenwood's Multi Control Wheel makes for speedy navigation through your music library and the stereo settings. For iPod® control, Kenwood's optional connecting cable uses the stereo's auxiliary and USB inputs so you can even play the Digital Rights-protected files on your iPod. If you want to keep those inputs open, get Kenwood's external iPod control adapter instead.

Details:

General features:

CD player with built-in MOSFET amplifier (22 watts RMS/50 peak x 4 channels)

plays CDs, CD-Rs, and CD-RW discs, including discs loaded with MP3, WMA, and AAC files (will not play Digital Rights-protected music files on disc)

512 MB internal memory for storing songs ripped from CD or transferred via USB connection

motorized, fold-down detachable face with a 4,096-color fluorescent display

remote control

Audio features:

digital platform with SRS WOW HD digital signal processing for improved sound

System Q EX Sound Control (6 EQ curves and a 3-band parametric equalizer)

"Supreme" audio processing for better sound from your compressed music files

speaker settings that allow you to tailor the sound to the size and type of speakers in your car

System E's+ high- and low-pass filters

Expandability:

add-ons: Bluetooth® and iPod adapters, XM or SIRIUS satellite radio, HD Radio™ tuner, CD changer

inputs: rear USB and auxiliary inputs

outputs: three sets of 5-volt preamp outputs

Other features and specs:

car performance computer

warranty: 2 years

 

[ngsm13 5,000+ posts]

I don't like the pioneer's b/c of the ghey uni-pivot controller knob...

Can't stand it. Refuse to use it.

nG

 

[matrxx dude 5,000+ posts]

I don't like the pioneer's b/c of the ghey uni-pivot controller knob...
Can't stand it. Refuse to use it.

nG

excatly wat i think of the multi control knob.lol

 

[jdc753 10+ year member]

Some others to consider, more on the higher price range though. Alpine 9887 (currently what I am looking for) or Pioneer 880PRS. Also while checking on some things I just noticed the Pioneer P980BT, looks to be an updated version of the 880PRS.

Are there any other specs you are looking for in your HU? Ability to go Active? EQ bands? specific file support? USB input, auxilary input? Are you looking for HD radio, or satelite? iPod connectability?

 

[matrxx dude 5,000+ posts]

if u truly want a single din that basically does it all,check out the jvc-nx 5000

 

[Jameseypoo 5,000+ posts]

alpine 7998

 

[tdawg30 10+ year member]

Ive got a pioneer deh-p8600mp and thats a solid unit. If you are interested let me know through pm. dont want to clutter this thread

 

[JimJ 5,000+ posts]

Clarion DRZ9255...

Going to be very hard to find another single DIN unit that can control a 3-way front stage with no external processing required...although an outboard EQ might be handy.

 

[x2o 10+ year member]

Wow, I go to take a shower and the thread explodes with content //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/eek.gif.771b7a90cf45cabdc554ff1121c21c4a.gif

So the Pioneer's are annoying to use eh? Forget that then, I'm easily frustrated by stupid design flaws that make every day use tough.

I saw the 512mb of memory on the kenwood 991 and the USB port, but wasn't sure how it all worked. You say it works well? I'll take that into serious consideration then.

And as to whether I'm looking for anything specific : Not really, ability to go active would be nice but not an immediate problem, mainly looking for a nice strong sub preamp out (4v or 5v or whatever), good functionality, and most important a price : performance ratio. I don't mind spending a bit of money as long as I actually get a decent performance boost from it say over a cheaper one.

Thanks a lot for all these replies, I'm looking into them now. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

EDIT : MP3 compatibility is pretty much a necessity in this case. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif Forgot to mention that.

EDIT 2 : I don't really need a Navigation, so the NX5000 doesn't look to good to me. it seems a navigation on that little screen would be overwhelming //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/confused.gif.e820e0216602db4765798ac39d28caa9.gif

EDIT 3 : The Clarion unit you suggested JimJ doesn't have support for MP3 //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/frown.gif.a3531fa0534503350665a1e957861287.gif Wouldn't work for me. Thanks though //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

EDIT 4 : The Alpine 7998 looks good, but wouldn't work for me at the moment due to it's lack of an internal amp and I havn't upgraded my front stage yet. Maybe if I am able to upgrade it soon I'll look into the 7998.

FINAL EDIT : So right now I'm hooked on the KenWood X-991, has everything I want and for $400 brand new, I think this may be it. I am wondering if I could rig up an external hard drive to it via the USB port and be able to play all my music from there, is this possible? I happen to have a 150GB External HDD sitting here from a few months back when I reformatted my computer and had to transfer some stuff before it was lost for good.

FINAL EDIT #2 : Hm, after further thinking, I don't think the external HDD would hold up well with south florida's temperatures. Not sure though, might as well give it a shot anyways if I do end up getting the x-991 as I just have it sitting here as a paperweight though.

 

[x2o 10+ year member]

Heading off to bed, bump in hopes of somebody replying //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif