What brand of head unit do you like?

[s5pitfire 10+ year member]

Would 2.2 volts and 3 volts make a big different for preouts?

 

[supa_c 5,000+ posts]

nope. you wouldnt notice it. most hve said that their old 2v H/U wasnt any worse than their 4v H/U. now if it were 2v and 6.5v you would probly notice it

 

[phrozen5100 10+ year member]

I myself own a Clarion DXZ735MP and it's worked very nicely for me, I only wish it had a good eq on it. I did have the absolute lowest level deck that Pioneer makes(DEH-5...Wally World package deal) and it worked just fine for me for about 9 months, until I got my Clarion in. I like alot of the other Pioneer/Premier decks and Alpines. I've never messed around with any Eclipse decks, though.

 

[EFFENDI 10+ year member]

fiber optic output goes to a separate digital audio decoder or processor's input,

there are no amps that i know of that will accept a fiber optic (toslink) input. not to say it cant be done but if they are available they would be extremely expensive and hard to acquire. there are some higher end zapco amps (if im not mistaken) that will accept a semi-propietaty SPDIF digital audio connection but I am sure I have the wrong brand name in mind. its been a while since i have heard anything about that. its is pretty lame considering almost all home theater setups use some form of digital audio or video connections. why is the ICE (incar entertainment) industry so far behind? its not a durability issue, in fact, digital connections would be far less succeptable to road noise and interference. i say we all email the big 3 (sony, alpine, pioneer) and tell them to get on the ball.

 

[supa_c 5,000+ posts]

you put sony n there. wrong o

 

[DBfan187 5,000+ posts]

I like whichever one I can get/afford

I like my Pioneer Premier DEH-350.

 

[Depression 10+ year member]

Yea..I gotta go with the whole array of PIONEER stuff..As I said in a Earlier post..I understand those who are militant about ALPINES..But I am over it, ALPINE is "old Reliable" Always high quality and great user reviews..but never "Groundbreaking"..Plus I think Alpine Faces are too cluttered with useless knobs and features just to look "High budget"..Simpler is better to me these days and Pioneer has that covered in my mind

[SIZE=5]WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK ABOUT PANASONICS BIG PUSH INTO THE HIGH END HEAD UNIT MARKET...THEY LOOK IMPRESSIVE BUT I DON'T KNOW ANYONE WHO HAS MADE THE JUMP YET!!!I AM CURIOUS ABOUT THAT 4X60 WATT RMS UNIT???IT HAS GOTTEN GREAT REVIEWS FROM THE MAGAZINES BUT I HAVE NOT SEEN ONE IN ACTION!![/size]

 

[EFFENDI 10+ year member]

higher voltage preout just helps to get the audio signal to your amp via rca connection with less distortion and interference. the difference is hard to detect by human ear. even between something with 2V outs compared to 8V preouts. (think of it as a higher wattage radio antenna- the higher power the clearer signal with less interference, static, and noise)

let me remind everyone that SQ is based all in the installation and quality of gear you are running.... a crappy amp will take a low voltage signal and make it sound like louder crap. a decent amp with a low voltage signal will make it sound like something decent. now take a crappy amp and feed it a higher voltage signal, well it might sound like louder crap but louder crap that you can at least bear to listen to. a decent amp with a higher voltage signal will sound a lot better than any other combination.

that is an exaggeration but you get the idea.

most often you will not be able to detect the difference in sound quality, in fact it is less likely if you are running decent equipment.

a higher preout voltage - well you pay more to have a source unit with them, but the difference is negotiable.

 

[Depression 10+ year member]

EFFENDI...I am a believer in High output voltage..But I learned something interesting a little while ago..You know how most people play down the quality of "Speaker level inputs" usually on stock units..Apparently a Speaker level line carries about 5-7 volts output..making it better than pre-out voltage on aftermarket units...Very interesting fact since most people think Speaker level inputs are un-desirable over 3 sets of pre-outs etc.???

 

[Berry47 10+ year member]

Eclipse!!!

 

[Depression 10+ year member]

GOOD CALL.. I HAVE HEARD GREAT THINGS ABOUT ECLIPSE!!!! Although I have not partaken in thier products yet!

But also lets get real guys..KRACO used to make a mean head unit!!!

And PYLE is coming out with a excellent 2005 line

 

[s5pitfire 10+ year member]

Ok well thanks guys.

This guy told me that my new pioneer deh4600 ***** horribly mostly because it only has 2.2 volts. There was an apline that he recommended that had 3 volts pre out, but i would have had to spend another $40 and NOT get my free wiring harness and accessories.

I guess it doesnt even matter too much.

 

[Depression 10+ year member]

I have always been bewildered by the unpredictable Output voltages on units and Especially Pioneers..This years models have alot of units that have 4V or lower when They had higher Voltage ratings last year??

All I know for sure is to get the Premier models above 7500 if you want the standard features but with a higher output voltage..

I must admit I have seen and HEARD many a nice system with Head units pumping out only 2.2 volts etc..so Voltage importance is an interesting and debatable topic.

 

[EFFENDI 10+ year member]

the only problem with speaker level inputs is that they often have inconsistent voltages (since it is transmitting the output of another amplifier) and thus are less reliable transmitting the audio signal. im pretty sure there is a loss in voltage as well when using LOCs (line output converters) so it may be a higher voltage, but as i mentioned that doesnt equate to *noticable* improvements in SQ.

 

[6spdcoupe 5,000+ posts]

I have always been bewildered by the unpredictable Output voltages on units and Especially Pioneers..This years models have alot of units that have 4V or lower when They had higher Voltage ratings last year??All I know for sure is to get the Premier models above 7500 if you want the standard features but with a higher output voltage..

I must admit I have seen and HEARD many a nice system with Head units pumping out only 2.2 volts etc..so Voltage importance is an interesting and debatable topic.

Not so much the voltage that is provided, but the impedance of it....

--Don