Need a new HU desperately and i got $250 to spend

[mendon mafia 10+ year member]

What makes you say that? The interpretation that they are getting out of the market because their products are no good, or because with them out of the market, support for their units will be dropped? //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/confused.gif.e820e0216602db4765798ac39d28caa9.gif

me personally is worried about the support.

 

[mendon mafia 10+ year member]

Well, I've currently got the Pioneer Premier DEH-P980BT, and I just ordered the Excelon KDC-X993. It should be here early next week. The Pioneer models also have the single rotary command knob...everything has to be accessed via the knob. Occasionally with my P980, I've found that while trying to use the knob, I end up in the wrong menu because instead of pushing straight in, I rocked it slightly sideways. Not a big deal for me, I just back back out of the menu and try again. I've found that for me, I'm not typically trying to scroll through a bunch of menus while I'm driving. I turn the radio on, or pop in a CD, or now, plug in the Ipod, and off I go. Most of my initial settings (crossover/slope/EQ) are setup as soon as I install the unit. The only thing I may need to change while driving is the radio station, or song track...and that's easy enough.
The reason I'm going to try the X993, is because of my Ipod. I got a Nano 5g for Christmas. I'll need to buy the Ipod controller breakout box for the Pioneer, and it WON'T charge a 5g Nano, so I'd have to buy a separate adapter for that...total cost for the 2 is around $170 shipped to me. For $200 shipped to me, I should be all set with the X993! Also, the X993 will play the Ipod files through the Wolfson 24 Bit DAC, bypassing the Ipod's DAC.

I almost bought an Eclipse CD7200MkII, but I couldn't justify the cost. I'm glad I didn't buy it, now that it looks like Eclipse is getting out of the market.

You're doing the right thing by doing your research before you buy. You may find that you may need to make a few concessions though...at a $250 price point, the PERFECT H/U (for you) may not exist.

Yes i must say i have had the same problem with my pioneer but it was a rare occurrence and the fact that the commander is on the drivers side makes much more sense i can hardly reach my hu as it is, my seat is all the way back and my car is pretty big so i usually need to sit up a bit to reach the deck already.

but yes your also correct for $250 my ideal deck does not exist and i even went up a bit in price and its still hard to find one with everything but they do exist. I just wish pioneer had time delay and 24bit DAC in the 710 bt, there would be no questions.

BTW i though all the decks bypassed the ipods DAC when you hooked them up to direct control. I could be mistaken though.

 

[mendon mafia 10+ year member]

so apparently the jvc wont work with my phone for bt. i cant find literature that says any of the other decks in question will either. alias 2 (SCH-U750)

 

[1hawaii50 10+ year member]

BTW i though all the decks bypassed the ipods DAC when you hooked them up to direct control. I could be mistaken though.

That, I'm not sure of. I know the Kenwood advertises that it bypasses the Ipod DAC, other H/U's don't advertise such, so I figured that not all of them do. I could be wrong though.

 

[1hawaii50 10+ year member]

What makes you say that? The interpretation that they are getting out of the market because their products are no good, or because with them out of the market, support for their units will be dropped? //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/confused.gif.e820e0216602db4765798ac39d28caa9.gif

I can't see dropping $500 on a head unit made by a company who will no longer be in the car audio market. Doesn't seem like good sense to me. I would think they would no longer be dedicated to support, since they will no longer have a vested interest in the car audio market. I'm not saying you won't get support, but I don't think the quality of support will be what it would have been had they stayed in the market. Just my opinion.

 

[hatedonmostly 5,000+ posts]

I can't see dropping $500 on a head unit made by a company who will no longer be in the car audio market. Doesn't seem like good sense to me. I would think they would no longer be dedicated to support, since they will no longer have a vested interest in the car audio market. I'm not saying you won't get support, but I don't think the quality of support will be what it would have been had they stayed in the market. Just my opinion.

Okay, makes sense, I was just curious.

 

[manny1337 10+ year member]

How so? What makes them better than lossless on a USB or other digital media? Not trying to flame, but actually wondering how much validity that statement holds.

if the file is lossess on the cd there wont be any different than it on a ipod or zune or any other mp3 player. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

as long as you rip the file directly from the cd in loss less format there isnt a difference.

 

[mendon mafia 10+ year member]

if the file is lossess on the cd there wont be any different than it on a ipod or zune or any other mp3 player. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gifas long as you rip the file directly from the cd in loss less format there isnt a difference.

all my sh1t is compressed //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/frown.gif.a3531fa0534503350665a1e957861287.gif

anyways the president of sonix saw this thread and my distrust with his company he has made some bold statements and promises and incentives but im back on the boat. I might get that kenwood after all.

 

[manny1337 10+ year member]

eclipse> kenwood

 

[hatedonmostly 5,000+ posts]

eclipse> kenwood

By far, IMO.

What makes you think you'll need support on a HU? I've never had a problem with one...wel,l except my old Dual, the internal amp started going bad. But that's Dual.

 

[hatedonmostly 5,000+ posts]

all my sh1t is compressed //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/frown.gif.a3531fa0534503350665a1e957861287.gif
anyways the president of sonix saw this thread and my distrust with his company he has made some bold statements and promises and incentives but im back on the boat. I might get that kenwood after all.

Downloading lossless is a waste of space IMO. I'm perfectly happy with my library, which is mainly 320 KB/S and VBR rips.

 

[1hawaii50 10+ year member]

By far, IMO.
What makes you think you'll need support on a HU? I've never had a problem with one...wel,l except my old Dual, the internal amp started going bad. But that's Dual.

As soon as I start thinking like this, I'll need support on the H/U, that's pretty much just how my luck rolls! //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

Again, I'm not debating one head unit versus another. My original post here was just to say that at a price point of $200 shipped with a 2 year warranty, you cannot beat the deal on the X993 right now.

Is the CD7200MkII a better unit? I'm sure it is if you want an active H/U. SQ wise it may or may not be, it depends on your ears. However, you WILL NOT get a 7200MkII for $200 shipped. The CD5030, and CD3200 are comparable in price, but I don't think they offer a 24 Bit DAC. Are they better than Kenwood's flagship single din offering...I don't know, I've never owned an Eclipse unit. I have owned Kenwoods, and I think that they are a solid unit for the money.

We can argue who's better all day long, but at a $200 price point, I'll take the X993 all day long.

 

[dizint]

i am leaning towards the 5030... preset buttons (1-6) are nice for the radio, 5v output is very nice, one rotary dial is also a plus. rear usb is great for stealthy flash/i-pod connection. someone here did a silent test with USB stick, and there was no hiss, so that is also great. JVC would have matched the interior lights with all their color adjustability, but oh well. i dont see or read about any show-stoppers with 5030...

 

[hatedonmostly 5,000+ posts]

As soon as I start thinking like this, I'll need support on the H/U, that's pretty much just how my luck rolls! //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif
Again, I'm not debating one head unit versus another. My original post here was just to say that at a price point of $200 shipped with a 2 year warranty, you cannot beat the deal on the X993 right now.

Is the CD7200MkII a better unit? I'm sure it is if you want an active H/U. SQ wise it may or may not be, it depends on your ears. However, you WILL NOT get a 7200MkII for $200 shipped. The CD5030, and CD3200 are comparable in price, but are they better than Kenwood's flagship single CD offering...I don't know, I've never owned one. I have owned Kenwoods, and I think that they are a solid unit for the money.

We can argue who's better all day long, but at a $200 price point, I'll take the X993 all day long.

I'm not a fan of Kenwood, but that's just me. I'd pay extra for an Eclipse...though I do understand what you are saying.

 

[mendon mafia 10+ year member]

By far, IMO.
What makes you think you'll need support on a HU? I've never had a problem with one...wel,l except my old Dual, the internal amp started going bad. But that's Dual.

this is a joke right?

headunits go bad all the time. one of the reasons i had a problem with sonix was because of my headunit in the first place. Im doing some research as to weather or not i even need a 24bit DAC, time alignment, file restoration and whatever other SQ feature i cant think of right now. My guess is that i will probably be happy with 16 bit, no time alignment, no file restoration since that is how my old pioneer deh-p590ib was and i was happy with that other than the white noise.

i just want some more features like usb, bt, and everything else my other deck had for a reasonable price.