Eclipse 5030 vs ????

[Slow Ride 10+ year member]

I looked at the 5030 today and it was a decent piece. I did not like the ipod control, but then again I didn't like the controls on the JVC, Kenwood or Alpine either.

For a non-competition, daily driver system, are all of the highend features of the Ecplise 7200 needed?

The Pioneer display looks like it will washout in sunlight. Any experience with this?

Any comparisons to the Alpine vs Eclipse?

http://www.caraudio.com/forum/showthread.php?t=447234

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[plugitin 5,000+ posts]

im an eclipse guy...i love the older ones...

 

[Slow Ride 10+ year member]

im an eclipse guy...i love the older ones...

me too. I would use my old 5302, but it is getting a bit dated and doesn't do ipod oe bluetooth.

Just wondering what else is out there in this price range that could meet my needs or if the higher end stuff will suit me better.

 

[Slow Ride 10+ year member]

Well I've got it narrowed down somewhat

Eclipse 7200 $550 + 50(ipod) + 30(cable) + 40(harness) = $670

Eclipse 5030 $300 + 30(cable) + 40(harness) = $370

JVC KD-A805 $220 + 30(cable) + 40(harness) = $290

Kenwood KDC-X693 $210 + 30(cable) + 40(harness) + 100(BT) = $380

Kenwood KDC-X993 $320 + 30(cable) + 40(harness) = $390

Alpine CDA-9887 $340 + 25(cable) + 40(harness) + 170(BT) + 150(imprint) = $725

Pioneer DEH-P800PRS $550 + 50(ipod) + 40(harness) + 140(BT) = $780

Pioneer DEH-P980BT $570 + 50(ipod) + 40(harness) = $660

 

[c0la 10+ year member]

I apologize if this is a little long....

I have the Eclipse cd5030. I really like the sound quality from this unit. I am running stock speakers without any amplification. It does a fantastic job running the stock speakers. I also like the adjustability of this cd player. I can really fine tune it to get the sound to my liking. Whether it is the stated 25 wrms or the 14wrms that I have read on other topics about it. This stereo gets pretty loud and stays clean all the way to 80. It plays a very nice mid bass and highs through my speakers. Depending on the stereo settings the highs can be a bit bright, but with some tweaking the highs sound amazing!!! Again stock speakers on a 2002 GMC Sierra 2500HD. The display is just awesome. The text is very smooth looking rather than all pixely. The sun gets pretty bright in my truck at times and the display does not let down. It is still visible with the brightest of reflections/glare. The remote has a nice layout. The 5030 paired with our new Mac book to have sound while watching a movie on the laptop. Very impressed with that!(On a rode trip. The wife got bored and started watching a movie. Couldn't hear the sound from the movie because of my exhaust system I have. Got the idea of pairing it as a music device via bluetooth and worked great!)

The cons: The usb port is an awesome feature but it does not list them in alphabetical order. Nor does it list them in the order that they are on the flashdrive. I have them in order on the usb drive and for some reason the cd player puts them in whatever order it feels like. Also while scrolling thru the song titles. It displays 3-4 songs at a time and at times it takes a second for it to show up the song title/info. It does kind of **** though not having a pause button, but in its defense it only takes about 3 seconds to power down the cd player holding the source button. Then literally a second to start backup and start playing music. The cd player physically doesn't feel as sturdy as my previous Alpines.(9831, 9855) Kinda wish the remote had a pause button also. Again though not a major down side bc of how quickly this cd player powers down/up. Wish the volume maxed out at 35 instead of 80 like on the Alpines. Takes forever to rotate the volume dial if turned all the way down. For some reason this cd player will pair with my Palm Pre for a mp3 bluetooth device but yet not for the handsfree calling option. Tried a friends EnV II and it worked very well with cd player.

All in all though. I love this cd player and would buy it again. I got it for $245 shipped on Amazon.com from Pacificstereo.com which is an authorized dealer and carries the 3 year manufacturer warranty.

 

[eharri3 10+ year member]

I'll throw in on the 980BT since I have one.

Bluetooth interface is loud and clear though it won't automatically pair with my current phone. I attribute this to a platform difference as Ive had it with a few BT head unit/phone combos.

IPOD: More 'playlist dependent' than the Alpines Ive had. On my Alpines the whole songlist comes alphabetically and you can do a quick search to get to one song on your whole list then jump to another without having to back in and out of playlists. Alpines also had a 'more from this artist' or 'more on this album feature that made it easier to find other music on a similar list without scrolling through a whole bunch of options. The Pioneer doesn't bring the songs up alphabetically so you can't easily jump to anything without going to playlists and if you want to hear something completely different you have to start over, selecting 'playlist', then type of playlist, then looking for the song.

nice thing about this HU is the tunability, the only thing missing is active. 5 volt low resistance rca outs, 16 band graphic, time alignment, independent filters for front, rear, and subs. That stuff gives it points over the Alpine. It's equal to the Alpines or maybe slightly better for BT usability. But I liked the IPOD controls on my Alpines better. Still wouldn't go back to Alpines though as they have comparatively little built-in content for the money, apples to apples.

 

[Slow Ride 10+ year member]

ordered the 5030 tonight from crutchfield