As part of my Mazda-Bose upgrade quest I have looked at a few head units and find them all lacking somewhat.
Alpine 7892-Great sound, good expansion options, good name, totally out of synch IMHO with a Miata M2 interior. Very busy face.
Blaupunkt Heidelberg-Great tuner but no XM option, video game display.
Pioneer 6400-Cool with the electronic vu meters but doesn't seem to be up to the quality of the rest and a bit too much gee whiz over performance it seems.
No slam against any of these or their owners as they are all fine pieces but I am on a quest for perfection on a budget.
This took me to a local retailer who sells Fujitsu Ten Eclipse systems. No XM controls but the thing looks like a radio (I come from the 2 knobs/sliding indicator bar/analog display generation), plus it is a copper case/chassis which I like to keep RFI out.
Well it's the highest priced unit I had seen, the specs from the web site left me totally unimpressed.
The rep claims this is the best performing unit south of a McIntosh (budget buster big time).
Now I know that everything can't show on a spec sheet, intangibles play into the equation. The specs on a Miata (the system's resting place) are not impressive but the overall experience and driving pleasure is, so much for so little. A Rolex keeps worse time than a Timex but it has a subtle elegance, a sturdy construction, and pleasing mechanical sound to it which lesser pieces do not, even though expensive they are a classic with high intrinsic value. In some things the total is more than the sum of it's parts I understand.
On the other hand some things are expensive just to impress the neighbors.
My ultimate question is does the ECLIPSE actually live up to the pitch or was I being read as someone who could afford it and might be a good commission and just assume I had something great because "why else would it cost so much?"
Any insight and opinions from people with hands on experience with the ECLIPSE line is welcome and appreciated.
PEACE
