Power Acoustik PTID-4333NR/SoundStream VIR-4344NRB Opinions or Experience?

[brandontw 10+ year member]

So I've been looking for a single-din deck with Ipod controls, a small color screen(touchscreen would be sweet), and DVD capabilities and GPS would be nice too.

I ran across this soundstream, it actually looks pretty nice and seems like it would serve my needs and wants perfectly:

http://www.soundstream.com/Video%20Products/InDash/vir4344.htm

http://cgi.ebay.com/SoundStream-VIR-4344NRB-Din-4.3%22-LCD-Bluetooth-NEW2009-_W0QQitemZ170302151768QQcmdZViewItem

Then there is a power acoustic equivilant to be had for a bit less money:

http://cgi.ebay.com/POWER-ACOUSTIK-PTID-4333NR-4-3-LCD-DVD-CD-MP3-PLAYER_W0QQitemZ110357100819QQihZ001QQcategoryZ32825QQcmdZViewItem

These look pretty nice, but there is nowhere in town to purchase or test one, i don't think, and I'm a bit weary of this brand of head units.

Any experience with this brand, or better yet, one of these units? 240 bucks is a pretty big leap when I cant even test it first. Plus i'm coming from a higher end alpine CDA-7995 and would really hate to be dissapointed.

Click to read more...

 

[Compjake 10+ year member]

Idk, last I heard Power Acoustik was owned by soundsteam.. but Ive only had bad luck with PA (except subs) and had great luck with SS.. I would go with SS.

.02 for ya. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[LazyRider 10+ year member]

The soundstream looks really nice. Now I'm thinking about trying it out later lol

 

[tuck05 10+ year member]

What kind of equalizer does the soundstream have? I went to the site and it only says Custom & Pre-Set EQ Settings.

 

[brandontw 10+ year member]

Yeah, i'm heavily considering not getting it now, because i highly doubt it has a decent EQ or sound processing, and i cant find any info on it.

I have no idea what HU to get here, its killing me.

I'm still looking at the Clarion:

http://www.clarion.com/us/en/products/2009/multimedia/multimedia_source_unit/VZ309/us-en-product-pf_1172409024042.html

and that JVC:

http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_11974_JVC+KD-AVX44.html

But the clarion doesnt say what kind of EQ it has, but it does have 24 bit Da converter

And the JVC has a 7 band EQ, but the control interface is pretty much unacceptable.

I'm out of options....

 

[Compjake 10+ year member]

Well the Soundstream EQ shows "Pre-set EQ functions (Rock, Pop, Classic, Jazz, User)" then you should also have bass, Mid, and Treb.

 

[brandontw 10+ year member]

im pretty sure the PA and the SS are exactly the same on the inside, so the cheaper PA should have the same EQ options.

But i'm not sure.

 

[brandontw 10+ year member]

F*** it.

I think i'm going to give it a shot, its only 230$... thats like pocket change right?....right?

I'll post up a review if i do get it for sure.

 

[brandontw 10+ year member]

I couldn't do it, I bought an alpine iDA-X305 instead. Its on its way for 240 shipped.

Someone else will have to guinea pig this thing, sorry.

 

[bigbangtheory 5,000+ posts]

Right choice in the Alpine, the other two are ugly as sin IMO.

I would have considered JVC, the exad decks are really nice.

 

[brandontw 10+ year member]

Right choice in the Alpine, the other two are ugly as sin IMO.
I would have considered JVC, the exad decks are really nice.

I was looking at the JVC's... basically one reason i didn't buy one -- No rotary knob.

May be a petty reason, but it really, really matters to me.

 

[Spellcaster 10+ year member]

Soundstream, Power Acoustik, Spl Audio, and about 5 others are all the same company. One doesn't own the other, they're just resellers for a company in China. They're the same products with different splash screen, faceplate, speaker magnet cover, dust cap, etc...

I install a Power Acoustik PTID-8940NRBT about a month ago on a bike. Sounded good, but the touch screen went crazy and you had to touch about 1/4” above the on screen button. They don't have an EQ. They have preset EQ Jazz, Pop, etc. and consider fade, treble, bass adjustments an “EQ”. The preamp RCA outputs sounded clean when I had them hooked to a Alpine PDX-5.

I'd have picked the Alpine or JVC. Both sound a little cleaner.

 

[Farmacist 10+ year member]

i would go with the Sounstream IMO ....but I'm pretty concrete when it comes to picking things from my sponsor company hahaha