Specific HU Requirements

[solrighal 10+ year member]

Hi folks. I'm looking to replace my current HU (Alpine CDE-102Ri) with something more modern & capable. I'm kinda fussy though & have some wants & needs.

In order of priority...

1. It must sound excellent. This is paramount.

2. It must be able to support a standalone hard drive via a rear USB.

3. It must have a display with more than one line of info. Navigating through big file lists on a one-line display is excruciating.

4. It must have a "display off" function. I hate lights when they aren't necessary.

5. I'd ideally like a front USB port as well as a rear one.

6. I'd also like it to have 3 pre-outs, although its not a deal-breaker.

7. I'd like it to be Alpine as i like the sound signature of my current HU, but if not then C'est la vie.

8. I have little interest in video although the larger screen real-estate inherent in double-DIN units would have some practical advantages.

9. And finally...I'd like the tape deck to have Dolby C.

One of those features is just wrong, lol.

The partnering equipment is in my sig but that's likely to be upgraded as time goes on. Therefore, the new HU should be able to get the best out of future upgrades in the rest of the system.

My budget is no more than £300. I think that's around $480 & CDN$477.

I know some of you guys are very knowledgeable so who better. I'm not too sure how similar our markets are though so ill have to check if I can actually source what's suggested. Any & all suggestions are welcome.

Thanks.

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[solrighal 10+ year member]

I've been looking at this -

Kenwood Electronics UK Ltd. | Double-DIN Receivers > DPX504U (details)

Good but only one USB and it's on the front.

Alternatively Pioneer have this -

http://www.pioneer.eu/uk/products/25/121/61/FH-P80BT/page.html

Not bad features but again, only one USB. It is on the rear of the unit though.

Alpine double-DIN units are sadly nothing to write home about.

Their single-DIN units seem to be pretty good on most of my preferences though and I'm looking at this one in particular -

http://www.alpine.uk.com/p/Products/cd-head-units19/cda-137bti

Pioneer are in the single-DIN running too with this -

http://www.pioneer.eu/uk/products/25/121/61/DEH-80PRS/page.html

I guess I shouldn't rule out Sony either -

http://www.sony.co.uk/product/mfi-ipod-car-audio/dsx-s300btx

 

[groundpound4200 5,000+ posts]

Off hand I'm thinking of the DEH-P8400BU from Pioneer. I was dead set on this unit myself until I found out I can't do a double din w/o losing an info. center in my dash.

 

[solrighal 10+ year member]

Off hand I'm thinking of the DEH-P8400BU from Pioneer. I was dead set on this unit myself until I found out I can't do a double din w/o losing an info. center in my dash.

Thanks mate, that does look good. I've heard Pioneer's touchy-feelyness isn't so nice though. Not a deal-breaker mind you.

 

[groundpound4200 5,000+ posts]

Do you have any dealers around there where you can try one out? I'm an Alpine fan myself but they don't make anything that has as many features in a Double Din like High Voltage RCAs and more than a 3 band EQ. The double dins are way easier for searching through large lists of music, anything single din will only get you about 3 lines of text per screen which can be a pain. JVC makes some decent HUs as well, they might be worth checking out if they're available in your area.

 

[West]

2. It must be able to support a standalone hard drive via a rear USB.

How much storage space are you wanting total?

All decks have limits on how many songs they can access from storage media.

32 gb usb's and some 64 gb usb's can work in many modern decks.

That 80prs is pretty well thought of on this site and others. It has a lot of features for the price. Alpine and kenwood in general are well thought of also.

I would however rule sony out. I have been very disappointed with the sound of their decks... great bass not much else.

 

[solrighal 10+ year member]

I've actually got two 1TB drives filled with music but I'm not looking to cart all that around. 64GB flash might be just the ticket though. Double-DIN would be perfect but I'm not sure about the make. I'd forgotten about JVC to be honest. Ill have a look at them in the morning. Thanks for the help so far guys.