head unit to match BMW orange backlighting

[apnea]

My old Denon DCT1000R was destroyed by someone trying to pry it out of my dash after cutting my top open. I was pleased with the performance of the unit but can't find an adequate replacement: something that sounds good, is readable in direct sunlight (convertible) and had red or orange backlighting and a tame faceplate to blend in. It seems like everything on the market looks like it belongs in a spaceship, so I'd appreciate any suggestions. I don't care about MP3, satellite radio, DVD's or anything else....just good CD playback and not looking ridiculous.

Steve

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[bonesninja 5,000+ posts]

one of the best units ever made....Alpine 9835 (if you can find one) it has an adjustable biolight display . Changes over 500 colors if i remember right. An awesome sound quality unit as well

 

[apnea]

Thanks for the suggestion. I should probably explain that I don't need the ultimate in performance (by audiophile standards)...after all a convertible is not the best listening environment. Unfortunately I want my new unit to blend in with the rest of the interior but not just in terms of illumination alone. My last one looked like this, which looked good enough in the wood dash (rest of the interior is black). Metal, wild buttons, etc aren't going to look right, but I can't seem to find anything decent that doesn't meet that description. Is there such a unit on the market these days?

http://www.teamrocs.com/images/reviews/headunits/dct970r.jpg

 

[SocMunky 10+ year member]

Look into a Nakamichi deck. All had orange illumination and blended in rather well with my bmw of the time (1984 733i).

 

[mtlhead 10+ year member]

my friend has the same thing going on...except he wants green...but he wont buy an old unit, so since alpine is all blue now (i believe) i dunno what else to tell him...but good luck finding your orange one

 

[headless 10+ year member]

CD7000 (CD7100 now). Can be set to amber, green, red, etc. and combinations. Looks good in person. Screen is impressive and readable in direct, bright *** FLA sunlight.

 

[nosaj070 10+ year member]

I'll second the Nak, buddy has a cd-400 in his 330 and it looks pretty good in there. They're great decks also.

 

[mtlhead 10+ year member]

CD7000 (CD7100 now). Can be set to amber, green, red, etc. and combinations. Looks good in person. Screen is impressive and readable in direct, bright *** FLA sunlight.

ahh cool, thanks for that info

 

[headless 10+ year member]

The majority of the faceplate is black, too, which is nice; it doesn't look all shiny and/or metallic. Only silver portion is the nob/navigation diamond. Really does look good. The cd5100 can do blue/red for a cheaper alternative...even the cd3100 can do red/green. The 7100 does amber too, and nice combos.

 

[James Bang 5,000+ posts]

i would suggest an Alpine cda-9835 like said above. great deck overall with color changing abilities.. not all the buttons change colors though.. only the four main ones iirc.

 

[apnea]

Wow I appreciate the suggestions. I was unsure if the Nak would disappoint me with its performance (never seen one) and the amber looked a little too yellow to fit with the BMW orange. I'd looked at some of the Eclipses earlier and didn't realize there was a model that would do the right color illumination. I'm amazed that display is readable in the sunlight, but if it is that would be great. The EQ and crossover adjustment would be nice since a convertible is such a lousy listening environment and I don't have the room or desire for a real EQ.

Anything else you guys think I should look at?

 

[docutech 10+ year member]

Alpine CDA9855. Hundreds of possible colors.

Tons of tweaking features including an EQ, and time allignment.

 

[Latina33 10+ year member]

It's not as techy as the other decks mentioned here, but I've got a used Pioneer of this model:

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-PWjAXD3aw1U/cgi-bin/prodview.asp?I=130dehp580&search=Pioneer+DEHP5800MP

Just the deck, mounting sleevel, and Ipod interface. It's got the reddish/amber illumination, and also has decent features. It's in great shape.

I can ship it to your door for $110. PM me if you'd like pics.

 

[reznaur]

Just installed an Eclipse CD7000 in my '97 328is - having the color match was embarrassingly important (also wanted the high-end audio features) - i've been happily surprised w/ how well the "all amber" setting on the CD7000 blends w/ the standard BMW amber. Only complaint would be that it doesn't dim w/ the rest of the dash, but you won't find any HU that will do that.

I was between the Pioneer Premier HU's and the Eclipse when i was making my decision and ultimately decided on the Eclipse due to the fact that all the Pioneers have predominately blue backlighting and therefore would look really aftermarket and "tacky" (nothing against the Pioneers i think they're fantastic - just don't like the blue). Got my CD7000 from http://www.cartronixplus.com for $300. If you want this year's model (CD7100) they've got it for $500. You won't get the Eclipse warranty from them, but they cover all their sales 100% for 1 year (and you'll save $200). Everything arrived promptly and in perfect condition.

 

[azbass 5,000+ posts]

x2. CD7000 amber setting can match well. I was amazed how the red matched my red lighting in my VW.

also Nak's have a nice orange glow.