Background:
I bought this for a girl. One of those deals where she's not a GF, but you'd never believe it. Since I haven't been able to go to her house and install it, I put it in my car, no need to let a perfectly good reciever collect dust.
Price: 4/5
All said and done, I paid a two digit sum of money for this HU. $99, new, from a dealer. You can find them online for $130. I give it 4 stars because somewhere out there, there's a equal one for less. That's pretty **** cheap for a HU, anyway.
Power Handling: 4/5
This rig only has a 10 amp fuse, compared to my JVC's 15. It shows that it draws less power, too. I find myself cranking it well past 50% of it's volume level, where my JVC rarely hit that 50% mark. This isn't a really bad thing. It gets loud, just not insanely loud.
The 1 volt pre-outs are a nuisance. A line driver would probably be needed. All my amps have to have 100% gain to compensate, and I'm still not getting the SPL I did with my JVC. What sound I do get is very clean. The bass is easier to hear, but there's less treble. A LOT less treble. I had to do some serious adjusting, but I was able to get it where I wanted it.
Cosmetics: 5/5
It's not quite as simplistic and easy to use as my JVC, and takes a day to get used to. This isn't really bad, it's just different. There are a few more options to put to good use, however. It has little spectrum analyzers on the bottom. They're a nice touch, and easy to ignore.
Sound: 4/5
Clean sound, not very bright with treble. It handles bass very well, I get a much more distinct sound out of my subs.
OVERALL: 4/5
If you were to tell me you were budgeted, and needed a good head unit. I would recommend this HU to you. It's extremely good for the price range it's in. If you were to tell me you wanted something to show off to professionals with Alpine and Clarion HUs, and maybe compete with, I'd tell you to take your money elsewhere.
I bought this for a girl. One of those deals where she's not a GF, but you'd never believe it. Since I haven't been able to go to her house and install it, I put it in my car, no need to let a perfectly good reciever collect dust.
Price: 4/5
All said and done, I paid a two digit sum of money for this HU. $99, new, from a dealer. You can find them online for $130. I give it 4 stars because somewhere out there, there's a equal one for less. That's pretty **** cheap for a HU, anyway.
Power Handling: 4/5
This rig only has a 10 amp fuse, compared to my JVC's 15. It shows that it draws less power, too. I find myself cranking it well past 50% of it's volume level, where my JVC rarely hit that 50% mark. This isn't a really bad thing. It gets loud, just not insanely loud.
The 1 volt pre-outs are a nuisance. A line driver would probably be needed. All my amps have to have 100% gain to compensate, and I'm still not getting the SPL I did with my JVC. What sound I do get is very clean. The bass is easier to hear, but there's less treble. A LOT less treble. I had to do some serious adjusting, but I was able to get it where I wanted it.
Cosmetics: 5/5
It's not quite as simplistic and easy to use as my JVC, and takes a day to get used to. This isn't really bad, it's just different. There are a few more options to put to good use, however. It has little spectrum analyzers on the bottom. They're a nice touch, and easy to ignore.
Sound: 4/5
Clean sound, not very bright with treble. It handles bass very well, I get a much more distinct sound out of my subs.
OVERALL: 4/5
If you were to tell me you were budgeted, and needed a good head unit. I would recommend this HU to you. It's extremely good for the price range it's in. If you were to tell me you wanted something to show off to professionals with Alpine and Clarion HUs, and maybe compete with, I'd tell you to take your money elsewhere.
