What to look for in a headunit?

[mags94]

I'm getting ready to buy a headunit for my system and I have been reading and doing some searching on here as to what headunit people are using. I know some poeple like Alpine and some Pioneer and some go with Kenwood or Eclipse. So my question is what exactly should a person look for in a headunit, I know very little as to what I need. I know I would like a headunit with 3 outputs and decent volt but other than that what else is there?

My goals for my system are for sound quality yet a sound system that will have a nice thump. I don't plan to compete in anyway but I do want a headunit that's reliable and will last me at least 5yrs. I want a headunit that will play burnt CD's, mp3, right now I don't see myself buying a iPod but having the capability of hooking one up would be nice. The most that I want to pay for a headunit is no more than $250, I have seen plenty of new affordable headunits on Ebay.

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[2kchevy06civic 5,000+ posts]

As for the initial question as to what you should look for are a few things. What kin d of EQ does it have(if it even has one) graphic or Parametric. How many bands is the EQ? Is it it independent L/R or is it both at the same time. What kind of cross-over system does it have? Does it play Mp3's, DVD's. People are sometimes anal about what kind of display it is as well. Is there an internal amplifier or can it become a deadhead. Pre-out voltage is a big debate but generally if you weren't having problems with even a 2v system then upgrading to a higher won't change that point.

Those are just some things off the top of my head.

 

[mags94]

Thanks that's a good deal of information on the specs to look for. How important will having an EQ or built in amplifier or crossover be? Does having those components build in provide enough tuneability to make a difference?

 

[audioarsonal 10+ year member]

the EQ function is the biggest thing to look for.this way you get more flexibilty to dial in your system without having to add an external EQ.pioneer has the best EQ interface to let you change freq.,slope,gain,and a few others depending on the model which most pioneer's have these the only differance is the display's for the most part.kenwood is another one i can think of.all decks are pre-amped now days there are no dry decks.yes these things will make a BIG differance so do some homework before you make this investment cause this is where all the sound comes from.good luck

 

[Qbenjamin 10+ year member]

If you plan on hooking up a system, don't go for the units with low pre-outs such as 2v's.

 

[donpisto 5,000+ posts]

If you plan on hooking up a system, don't go for the units with low pre-outs such as 2v's.

x2, unless you plan on getting a processor. I went from an eclipse 8443 with 8v pre outs to a cd7000 with 5v pre outs, not bad, didnt really notice any difference, but when goin to an alpine w200 with 2v pre outs it was a night and day difference.