What makes one better??

[99ChevyZ71 10+ year member]

I just bought a Alpine 9825 HU.

My question is what makes a HU better than the other.

Like the S/N ratio. Is it the higher the better?

I just read about the voltage difference in the preamps. Higher the better.

I guess I hear people say that one is better than the other but no one ever explains why it is better.

Thanks

Jeff

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[allyourblood 10+ year member]

-cleaner/more powerful preamp section

-more preamp outs (3 vs 2, etc...)

-better reliability (this is probably one of the biggest factors)

-features (mp3/wma compatibility)

-EQ

-ease of use

-quality of sound (sounds weird but they do vary a lot)

-reputation & price

& many more...

abe m.

 

[forbidden 10+ year member]

Quality of components used in construction

Proper engineering

Commitment to SQ instead of cheap $$

Ease of use

There is no level playing field for most companies "specs". Most cd player companies lie through their teeth about pre-out voltages etc. Higher does not necessarily mean better at all, see the little lie comment above. You need to identify what is key for you in a cd player first. Is it SQ, or anti theft capabilities, is it MP3, is it flashy displays, is it based on price?

 

[ngsm13 5,000+ posts]

pay attention to what is sed above. Especially when they talk specs...companies DO lie. I mean, on the alpine HU's the pre-out voltage is 4v @ like 300ohms...while for example eclipses 5v and 8v are rated @60ohms. I'm looking big time into the 8043. good luck, peace

NG

 

[99ChevyZ71 10+ year member]

I really could careless about features and colors. I want SQ. PERIOD

I chose Alpine but that is just b/c I have heard them before and I know they sound good. As for the specs they are all greek to me.

Maybe yall can help me out.

 

[forbidden 10+ year member]

From your sig, your on the way to a decent system. True that install can make or break a system but it all starts at the head unit. SQ starts with the signal. The more that a signal is manipulated by a processor or eq or whatever, generally speaking the less there is in the end.

As for the preout voltage it is really quite simple to understand, it is just not common knowledge to those outside of the industry looking in at it. I'll pick on Alpine (no offence, just it has documented proof) (Alpine is my second choice of a mid-fi line to retail after Panasonic). They claim to have a 4 volt pre-out. According to who though? We all know about power and how much we need to run things. It takes very little power to run a tweeter, yet tons of power to run a sub. The same principle applies to preouts. If a company rates their pre-out voltage at 1000hz, anyone can make power there. Yet if the voltage falls above 1000hz it will not have drastic consequences because tweeters need little power, with me so far? A sub though is a different story, as the frequency drops, so does the voltage, matter of fact like a rock in this case, down to about 1.5 volts. This is a well known fact and there are many posts about a weak sub preout from Alpine cd players. If they applied the voltage more even across the sound spectrum, performance would drastically improve, more noticeable in the bottom end. Very few companies will do this, they are more interested in hitting the price point and a flashy display rather than performance and sq. Post up some more questions if you want or have comments as well.

 

[99ChevyZ71 10+ year member]

so are you saying in a SQ way you think that Panasonic is better than Alpine?

 

[forbidden 10+ year member]

No, I said that Alpine would be my second choice of a mid-fi line to retail. For retail I as a dealer must consider the company, the rep and the value in the product.

Value is price, performance, capabilities, warranty, sound quality and distribution. The local Alpine rep has been spreading untrue rumours in order to sell his line. I will not have any part of that and will boot a line right out the door if that started. Ethics is huge for me. Panasonic plays the spec game with consumers as well, just like most other companies. If I wanted a second mid-fi line to retail it would probably be Alpine, once the rep can get his reputation restored. I am considering this just so you know.

 

[forbidden 10+ year member]

Panasonic advertises a 5 volt 60 ohm pre-out but when compared to a bottom of the line Eclipse 2.7 volt 330 ohm pre-out, the Eclipse wins hands down for SQ. Specs don't mean a thing when they are not on a level playing field.

 

[99ChevyZ71 10+ year member]

ok I follow now

Thanks :thumbsup

 

[forbidden 10+ year member]

Your welcome!

 

[ngsm13 5,000+ posts]

If u don't care as much about looks and flashy colors...then go for an eclipse HU. There pre-out voltage on there lowest line is a true 2.7v @60 ohms. good luck, peace

NG

 

[JLCivic 10+ year member]

If u don't care as much about looks and flashy colors...then go for an eclipse HU. There pre-out voltage on there lowest line is a true 2.7v @60 ohms. good luck, peace
NG

Actually Eclipse's lower end models(which I would take over many other "higher end" decks") have pre out voltage listed at 100 ohms(as compared to some companies who do not even list that spec).

As for what makes 1 beck better(or sound better) than another deck:

I am not an engineer by any means, but imo, the following can come into play:

The quality of the pre outs(not just how high the voltage is rated)

the overall design of the deck(some decks can have a better design than others, I suppose)

The quality of the parts in the head unit.

I prefer Eclipse to every other brand I have owned, and I have owned most major brands.

I would NEVER look at a s/n ratio spec and insist that the higher number must mean that a deck sounds better(or is "cleaner") than another. I have seen many use that spec as some kind of golden rule of determining what decks sound better, and I find that quite sad. We simply cannot hear a difference between a s/n ratio of, say, 96 db, and a 110 db s/n ratio.

Also, if you had a deck with a 300 db s/n ratio, and you ran it into an amp that has a 90 db s/n ratio, your new system s/n ratio is 90 db. I think some don't think about that.

 

[sungwei 10+ year member]

Very good post. Though it kinda makes me feel like buying an Alpine was a mistake. I know that's not what you guys are saying, but Alpine was picked on in this thread. Still I feel confident that my new unit will perform well after install. I just bought the CDA-9813. I've heard a couple Alpines and I thought the sound quality was great. Plus I've heard many great things about their units in regards to features, reliability, and sound quality so I'm still confident in my purchase. Perhaps when my ear is better trained I will compare to an Eclipse under similar set up. I have heard one Eclipse which sounded awesome, but it's kind of an unfair comparison as it was powered by a very nice Zapco amp . So who's to say it wasn't the amp that made the difference? Anyway, good info here.