acubsfan 10+ year member
Cubs Fan
So as the title says, I currently have an Alpine 9835 and I think it's great in nearly all aspects. However, there are a few things that are bugging me about it to the point that I am actually considering swapping it for something a bit newer.
The first thing is the slow response of the IPOD interface due to it not being full speed compatible, and the second is the fact that the PAC SWI-Jack is not compatible with this unit. I would really like to get my steering wheel controls back online, and not with the SWI-X or whatever that other one is. Unless people tell me that thing is reliable, because I have read a lot of complaints about it not responding in sunlight. Another thing is the lack of any sort of bluetooth addon.
So if I swap this thing out, I want to retain at least what I have as far as sound quality, crossover, eq, etc, but obviously I would like to gain some of these things I mentioned above. I checked out the Alpine 9887, but I have read that quite a few people say that the sound quality has gone downhill in the later Alpine decks such as this. Anyone have any opinions on this?
I also have been looking at some Pioneer units, specifically the 880PRS and the 860MP. Drawbacks I have seen with these is that supposedly the lower frequencies are more pronounced but not quite as tight as the 9835. I also am unsure whether or not these decks have bluetooth addons. Does anyone have an opinions on the usability of the IPOD interface with these units in comparison to the 9887 or 9835? I heard that the 9887's ipod interface is really fast and easy to use. On the other hand, the Pioneers I believe both have more eq bands and left and right settings with the 880PRS having the most of the two. Also, I like the fact that the 880PRS has the mic included, rather than having to purchase the imprint tool for the 9887. Anyone have opinions on which one is more effective in that regard?
In short, I am leaning towards replacing my 9835, but am still not sure if there is a deck out there that has everything I am looking for. The 9887 seems to be the only one that has all the capabalities I want, but maybe not the sound quality you'd expect. I'm interested in other opinions about this.
The first thing is the slow response of the IPOD interface due to it not being full speed compatible, and the second is the fact that the PAC SWI-Jack is not compatible with this unit. I would really like to get my steering wheel controls back online, and not with the SWI-X or whatever that other one is. Unless people tell me that thing is reliable, because I have read a lot of complaints about it not responding in sunlight. Another thing is the lack of any sort of bluetooth addon.
So if I swap this thing out, I want to retain at least what I have as far as sound quality, crossover, eq, etc, but obviously I would like to gain some of these things I mentioned above. I checked out the Alpine 9887, but I have read that quite a few people say that the sound quality has gone downhill in the later Alpine decks such as this. Anyone have any opinions on this?
I also have been looking at some Pioneer units, specifically the 880PRS and the 860MP. Drawbacks I have seen with these is that supposedly the lower frequencies are more pronounced but not quite as tight as the 9835. I also am unsure whether or not these decks have bluetooth addons. Does anyone have an opinions on the usability of the IPOD interface with these units in comparison to the 9887 or 9835? I heard that the 9887's ipod interface is really fast and easy to use. On the other hand, the Pioneers I believe both have more eq bands and left and right settings with the 880PRS having the most of the two. Also, I like the fact that the 880PRS has the mic included, rather than having to purchase the imprint tool for the 9887. Anyone have opinions on which one is more effective in that regard?
In short, I am leaning towards replacing my 9835, but am still not sure if there is a deck out there that has everything I am looking for. The 9887 seems to be the only one that has all the capabalities I want, but maybe not the sound quality you'd expect. I'm interested in other opinions about this.
