ECLIPSE CD8455- Review & Pics

[Hoot 10+ year member]

They should be the same. I believe my 8454 has those same points and slopes. The difference is in other features.

Thanks for the post, but they are not the same so I have been told. I started up another thread for anyone interested in, or knowledgable about, this topic: http://forums.caraudio.com/vb/showthread.php?p=854274#post854274

 

[squeak9798 5,000+ posts]

Well, I went down to my local dealer the other day and checked these out. I must say; They look much better in person than they did in the pics I've seen thus far. I actually kinda liked them (after seeing them in person)...the pics just made them look cheesy.

 

[xdavieexx 10+ year member]

Tell me the ease of sorting through Mp3's while driving, if you've tried mp3 already. Im planning to get one very soon

 

[adam71 5,000+ posts]

yes
although there are no SQ differences between the 8443/8053 out of the box aside the option for the BLA which 98% of users never used

Kind of weird deal about that deck. The 8053 that is. I mean it had the "right stuff" so to speak. I mean, no internal amp dissipating unwanted extra heat, balanced line for excellent signal tansfer, and yet no one really used it to its fullest potential. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/frown.gif.a3531fa0534503350665a1e957861287.gif Thats just an awful shame in my opinion.

Adam

 

[xdavieexx 10+ year member]

someone tell me about the mp3 on this deck. IS it easy to find files, is the deck picky on certain type of cds, and formate its displayed like?

 

[3.5Max6spd 10+ year member]

Kind of weird deal about that deck. The 8053 that is. I mean it had the "right stuff" so to speak. I mean, no internal amp dissipating unwanted extra heat, balanced line for excellent signal tansfer, and yet no one really used it to its fullest potential. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/frown.gif.a3531fa0534503350665a1e957861287.gif Thats just an awful shame in my opinion.
Adam

Well if you head over to the Zapco forums there are some that ran it-the actual people that can put that BLA to actual use with amps that can take it

 

[Greg200SE-R 10+ year member]

The more I look at the mic (does not look solid), the more I feel it to be a trival add on vs. a true attempt for Auto-EQ. That said, I will invest on a quality Behringer mic coupled with RTA software, install through my laptop and manually adjust the deck's P-EQ to compensate for any dip/peaks.

This is my very first post on this site, and I registered specifically to coax some more info from you guys on the 8455! I would use it in 3-way config and was hoping you experts can help me out with some Qs:

1) How did the included microphone and auto-eq end up working for you guys? Did you like final results? I am very interested in this particular feature since setting a parametric by ear can be a daunting, if not impossible, process to get right!

2) However, time correction is my top priority right now. Can the mic and e-iserv automatically adjust time correction for each midbass/tweeter in a bi-amped component setup? I would prefer an electronic analysis much more than trial and error by ear. If not, how difficult is it to manualy get the time delay spot-on using whatever method Eclipse provides?

3) Has anyone used an Alpine PXA-H700/701 outboard processor? I am intrigued by its auto time correction but it does not do auto eq. If so, please compare.

Thank you for your time. Great comments on this Eclipse, guys. I know *almost* everything I need to know about it before plunking down my hard-earned $$ for a 8455. Any info would help, thanks in advance!

 

[NT2003]

Well if you head over to the Zapco forums there are some that ran it-the actual people that can put that BLA to actual use with amps that can take it

Hi,

I have just got myself an Eclipse CD 8455 head unit & I have to admit that it sounds really great compared to other competitive models. But I find an important feature lacking compared to other head units of this class. Or is there something which I have left out?

I am using a 3-Way (High, Mid, Sub) setup in the Pro Mode configuration. How can I adjust the gain level of my Tweeter, Mid Driver & Sub Woofer through the head unit without the need to go in & out of my rear boot to adjust the gain of each individual amplifier which is driving their respective speakers? I really find this process very tedious and extremely inconvenient in my tuning process.

I certainly that it is not the limitation of this head unit. Would appreciate your advise since you are experienced in using the 8455.

Thanks.

 

[3.5Max6spd 10+ year member]

Hi,
I have just got myself an Eclipse CD 8455 head unit & I have to admit that it sounds really great compared to other competitive models. But I find an important feature lacking compared to other head units of this class. Or is there something which I have left out?

I am using a 3-Way (High, Mid, Sub) setup in the Pro Mode configuration. How can I adjust the gain level of my Tweeter, Mid Driver & Sub Woofer through the head unit without the need to go in & out of my rear boot to adjust the gain of each individual amplifier which is driving their respective speakers? I really find this process very tedious and extremely inconvenient in my tuning process.

I certainly that it is not the limitation of this head unit. Would appreciate your advise since you are experienced in using the 8455.

Thanks.

The unit does not have full individual gain control over the ampliers- but the bass, mid , treble adjustments under the volume rotary knob in Pro mode work to some effect for the individual channels once the amps gains have been set accordingly. You should setup an amps gain stage regardless, not expecting your HU do so for you- think of it this way...the HU controls the audio signal strength to the amplifier when it has such gain controls....it does NOT however control overall the amps gains- it will control UP TO where the gains are set in other words.

The drz9255 is the only HU that I know of that has such individual ch gain controls...then again $1399>$650

I know Alpine models can do so also but when driving Alpine amplifiers

 

[Greg200SE-R 10+ year member]

Hi,
I have just got myself an Eclipse CD 8455 head unit & I have to admit that it sounds really great compared to other competitive models. But I find an important feature lacking compared to other head units of this class. Or is there something which I have left out?

I am using a 3-Way (High, Mid, Sub) setup in the Pro Mode configuration. How can I adjust the gain level of my Tweeter, Mid Driver & Sub Woofer through the head unit without the need to go in & out of my rear boot to adjust the gain of each individual amplifier which is driving their respective speakers? I really find this process very tedious and extremely inconvenient in my tuning process.

I certainly that it is not the limitation of this head unit. Would appreciate your advise since you are experienced in using the 8455.

Thanks.

If you go into the time correction screen, use the up/down buttons (on the far right side of the face) to adjust individual levels. This is for fine tuning only, and is assuming your amp gains are already set.

From a SQ standpoint, a good place to start when setting levels is to zero out all tone controls on the HU (loudness is on by default), all bass controls on your amps, etc. Then adjust your gains till you get a nice transition between the speakers. Then, take a drive and re-adjust if needed according to road noise. This is assuming you have your crossover points/slopes set already. Now, you can do all fine-tuning from the deck as mentioned above. I have messed around A LOT with the CD8455s crossover and time alignment, and have come up with a few rule-of-thumb methods to tuning it. It can do wonders for your imaging and tonal balance.

 

[joshpoints 10+ year member]

props on the proper review.
i like the green very much. but i loved the rubber rotary tips even more //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/frown.gif.a3531fa0534503350665a1e957861287.gif

it dosnt look as bad as it was made out to be at CES. but still a little too expensive for my shallow pockets.

Yeah I believe I saw it on ebay for $500 or $550. Way more than I have ever spent on a deck. I'm sure I'd get it ripped off in my area with in a few months.

 

[NT2003]

Thanks 3.5Max6spd & Greg200SE-R for the advises. At least the time align menu allows me to fine-tune the respective gains.

 

[xravexboix 10+ year member]

I have the 8454 and can't justify buying the 8455 lol ! The unit has a more mainstream aftermarket look, a few extra features (more accurate knobs are awesome!), and little other things (area shot, Sirius capable, HD Radio capable, etc)... but there's no true advacements huh?

I'm running in PRO right now (passive w/ crappy soundstage, plan to rewire soon) and it seems that it's identical in the 8455. I'll be getting an IS 350 in a few months (to remain w/ OEM Mark Levinson) so I'll have Sirius ready to go for freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee(our company owns TONS of Sirius stock) =]

Anyone have that one PRO that will push me over to getting this?

 

[3.5Max6spd 10+ year member]

Thanks 3.5Max6spd & Greg200SE-R for the advises. At least the time align menu allows me to fine-tune the respective gains.

You can completly cut of the subs using the TA if necessary

 

[MegaHurtz 10+ year member]

Has anybody checked out whether or not the memory stick duo w/adapter will work with the CD8445/CD8455?

Also, does the Cd8445 have an auto-eq feature (assuming I can get my hands on a mic)?