Which head unit has the best SQ?, Eclipse, Pioneer Premier, Clarion

[Deathwish238 10+ year member]

Well everytime I narrow my choices down I find about a new head unit. Right now I'm deciding between the Eclipse 5435 and the Pioneer Premier DEH-P860MP/DEH-P8MP and Clarion DXZ755MC/DXZ855MP.

In terms of SQ, features, eqs, etc, what is my best option? I would like the lighting on the unit to be all blue as well...that matters to me. Color screens of course are an exception.

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[VOA_NIGHTMARE 10+ year member]

look into some of the higher end panasonics like the 9700 or 9800 i had one of them before my pioneer 860mp and wish i would of kept it very nice hu. And something not everyone has its silver and blue etc. I got a high end sony for sale in classifieds that i didnt get to use but its rated well and has a TON of features built in 10 gig hd usb port built in eq sony card reader etc too much to list but i guess it is a good sq deck that was why i bought it.

 

[JLCivic 10+ year member]

IMO, Eclipse makes the best sounding decks of the mass marketed stuff.

To me, features, eq, and all of that don't mean anything compared to how nice the deck actually sounds to my ears.

 

[Ignatowski 5,000+ posts]

I just installed yesterday an Excelon 889....

It kicked the crap out of my older highly regarded Alpine 9833

.02

 

[bikejunkie223 10+ year member]

My pecking order: Nakamichi, Eclipse, Alpine, Pioneer/Premier- I haven't heard any of the new Kenwood stuff, but the exelon units are supposed to be real nice- better than the crap they have made the last couple years

 

[FoxPro5 5,000+ posts]

1. Eclipse 8v 2005's

2. Eclipse 8v 2004 and earlier

3. Eclipse 5v 2005's

4. Others.............

I have not owned Pioneer, so I can not make the comparison. I have owned 1-3 listed above - some a couple of times. But just like in your ECA thread, find a latter year 8v Eclipse (i thought i saw an 8454 floating around here) and your ears not let you go back to the "others".

 

[alphakenny1 10+ year member]

i had a pioneer 840 then switched to an old eclipse 55040 and there was huge difference in SQ. It seemed the speakers were cleaner and crispier. then i got an 8455 and it was over. tuning capabilities are awesome on this HU.

 

[noob with an RS 10+ year member]

eazy-e likes alpine. but hes dead. i wanna upgrade from my alpine 7995 to an eclipse. i just dont like how the eclipse HUs look.

 

[3.5Max6spd 10+ year member]

My pecking order: Nakamichi, Eclipse, Alpine, Pioneer/Premier- I haven't heard any of the new Kenwood stuff, but the exelon units are supposed to be real nice- better than the crap they have made the last couple years

Interesting..i actually feel the burr brown Premiers are very nice sounding, as well as the higher end Clarions...I put those ahead of the Alpine sound in terms of SQ from a transport, no processing..

 

[alphakenny1 10+ year member]

eazy-e likes alpine. but hes dead. i wanna upgrade from my alpine 7995 to an eclipse. i just dont like how the eclipse HUs look.

then either wait to see if eclipse changes their look for the 2006 or just go buy an old eclipse deck.

 

[rocky 59 5,000+ posts]

i love my kenwood deck. it sounds really good and has alot of features on it. it also had green buttons so i love that.

 

[adam71 5,000+ posts]

Interesting..i actually feel the burr brown Premiers are very nice sounding, as well as the higher end Clarions...I put those ahead of the Alpine sound in terms of SQ from a transport, no processing..

Agreed. I've yet to hear an Alpine that sounds nicer to my ear than my 860 or my older 920. But different ears hear different things. Of course I use ALL outboard processors (Eq and X-over) and don't mess with my decks internal processing. I just don't see where ANY deck's processing can match outboard seperate components.

 

[Raven 10+ year member]

All I've heard is Blaupunkt, Alpine, JVC, Sony, and Pioneer. All their low end stuff. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crap.gif.7f4dd41e3e9b23fbd170a1ee6f65cecc.gif

In the end, I would go Blaupunkt, Alpine, Pioneer, JVC, Sony because that's all I've listened to.

 

[MrSector9 10+ year member]

The burrbrown kenwoods are a very ncie sounding deck. However out fo your list it is a toss up between the eclipse or the clarion, depends on what features it has that you want i guess. SQ is to the ear of the beholder, listen to the decks, check the features and then dive in //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[xplcitcustmz 10+ year member]

yea, bump for the eclipses, best decks ive ever owned, check out my for sale thread, im selling a 5435 and a 8455