you guessed it.... a help me find a H/U thread

[Crashking 10+ year member]

well i'm finally tired of messin around with my sony head unit... the controls on the headunit itself went out a couple of months ago(it's a mask style with the mask being a display... and the flip out having a small display and controls)... the front mask screen still worked so i used the remote most of the time... and i have a portable mp3 player so life wasn't bad at all... but i bought a couple of cd's from best buy tonight... went to hit eject on the flip out display... nothin... great... can't listen to a cd... got home... got the cd to come out by unplugging and plugging it back it... but i fried the outside screen i believe(loose wire).... so i think it's time for a new h/u that doesnt flip out (gonna miss the stealthness of it.. (yeah you can pop the display off on most h/u's... but i'm lazy)

budget is right around $250-$300 (not a lot i know).... it's gotta have preouts for my sub ( RE audio se 10" with 1000w hifonics brutus(got a good deal...)) and it also has to allow for stereo audio in for my mp3 player... the h/u itself does not need to support mp3 because i like my mp3 player better.... it just needs to sound good... have s/w adjustments.... eq... and all that other good stuff...

i know sony was a bad choice... but i liked that h/u cause it was different from the others

sooo... any suggestions? try and keep it around $250... and i gotta be able to buy it in a store...

Click to read more...

 

[Rattlebrain 10+ year member]

http://www.clarion.com/usa/products/2004_products/source_units/DXZ545MP.html

and found some on ebay for 200 or less

 

[Logikalliquid 10+ year member]

http://forums.caraudio.com/vb/showthread.php?p=1211573#post1211573

You might be able to talk him into letting that go for $300. I love mine.

 

[Crashking 10+ year member]

http://www.clarion.com/usa/products/2004_products/source_units/DXZ545MP.htmland found some on ebay for 200 or less

wanna try and stay near the better brands.... i wanna stay cheap but i don't wanna put a pos in my truck... the headunit i had was about $350 new... so somethin around $300 wouldnt be bad... tryin to save money cause i gotta use this money on other things till i get paid in 2 weeks (got paid today)

i wouldnt be so pressed on gettin one... but it kinda sucks not bein able to see the sub settings... station... or well.. anything... i gotta go by guess

 

[ss3079 5,000+ posts]

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-vQFZpnx9RBH/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=300&I=130DEHP770 maybe?

Crutchfield = full warranty + free shipping + free wiring harness + free installation kit + free lifetime customer service/tech support.

Should be priced similarly at your local shop. It's on sale online @ Circuit City - $242.

 

[JLCivic 10+ year member]

wanna try and stay near the better brands.... i wanna stay cheap but i don't wanna put a pos in my truck... the headunit i had was about $350 new... so somethin around $300 wouldnt be bad... tryin to save money cause i gotta use this money on other things till i get paid in 2 weeks (got paid today)
i wouldnt be so pressed on gettin one... but it kinda sucks not bein able to see the sub settings... station... or well.. anything... i gotta go by guess

Let me get this straight: A guy recommends a Clarion(incredibly reputable brand for many years), but you tell him that you want to stay near "better" brands..........coming from a guy who bought a sony?

I am not sure how your view of Clarion got distorted so badly. They make rock solid stuff.

 

[Justin89T 10+ year member]

One of these!

 

[Crashking 10+ year member]

Let me get this straight: A guy recommends a Clarion(incredibly reputable brand for many years), but you tell him that you want to stay near "better" brands..........coming from a guy who bought a sony?
I am not sure how your view of Clarion got distorted so badly. They make rock solid stuff.

companies like alpine and lately eclipse seem to be a better brand the clarion...

i bought the sony when i was 16 and didn't know any better... sony because of the name(usually high quality stuff) it wasn't till about a month or so after i bought it that i found that they weren't so great.... clarion just doesnt stand out to me like alpine does

plus he said he found some for less than $200... and well you usually get what you pay for... i could of ran up to walmart... paid $90 for a head unit.... but i'd definitly be gettting a $90 head unit that not even a poor thief would steal

 

[Rattlebrain 10+ year member]

companies like alpine and lately eclipse seem to be a better brand the clarion...
i bought the sony when i was 16 and didn't know any better... sony because of the name(usually high quality stuff) it wasn't till about a month or so after i bought it that i found that they weren't so great.... clarion just doesnt stand out to me like alpine does

plus he said he found some for less than $200... and well you usually get what you pay for... i could of ran up to walmart... paid $90 for a head unit.... but i'd definitly be gettting a $90 head unit that not even a poor thief would steal

//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/eyebrow.gif.fe2c18d8720fe8c7eaed347b21ea05a5.gifYa and your a whole what.. 17 now?

Yes I found on one E-bay for that much, Lets think now why people shop at e-bay. For a better price maybe? The one I linked was a 2004 model and a front load cd player with Aux inputs. Just what you were looking for. I was just trying to help and give a suggestion and you come off as a big 'ol ***. There is nothing wrong with Clarion. I am running one and am very pleased with it. Sounds 10x better tlan the Pioneer I had. Last I check Wal-Mart doesn't sell Clarion, but they do sell Pioneer. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

 

[JLCivic 10+ year member]

companies like alpine and lately eclipse seem to be a better brand the clarion...
i bought the sony when i was 16 and didn't know any better... sony because of the name(usually high quality stuff) it wasn't till about a month or so after i bought it that i found that they weren't so great.... clarion just doesnt stand out to me like alpine does

plus he said he found some for less than $200... and well you usually get what you pay for... i could of ran up to walmart... paid $90 for a head unit.... but i'd definitly be gettting a $90 head unit that not even a poor thief would steal

Whether Eclipse and Alpine(or pioneer, etc) might be better (or be perceived as better) by you is completely irrelevant to your comment about wanting to stay near "better brands."

Yeah, clarion just doesn't stand out like alpine does in your mind. IMO, alpine has been living more off its rep in the past few years than anything else. Clarion has been widely acknowledged as a very solid deck producer for many years. Just because you may not view it as highly as eclipse or alpine doesn't mean it isn't one of the better brands. It is clarion, not rampage or boss.

A very good friend of mine worked at the local shop(eclipse, clarion) and then he moved away and worked for an alpine dealer. He was always complaining about wanting to get back to selling Eclipse, and in his opinion, alpine had serious reliability problems, and they sounded no better than clarion.

Because the guy said he found some decks for under $200, they are not better brands? Have you seen how wh0red out alpines have been? YOu can find a new alpine for under $200 easily. Eclipse has decks for under $200, FULLY AUTHORIZED. Clarion hasn't exactly cornered the market on inexpensive head units.

You contradict yourself in this thread. First you want aux in, good sound, eq "and all the good stuff," but don't want to spend much money. Then you say you "get what you pay for."

So you want all features for not much money and then you get on Clarion for being inexpensive in your opinion(you know "you get what you pay for"? Do you have any clue as to how that sounds to us?

 

[Crashking 10+ year member]

//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/eyebrow.gif.fe2c18d8720fe8c7eaed347b21ea05a5.gifYa and your a whole what.. 17 now?

Yes I found on one E-bay for that much, Lets think now why people shop at e-bay. For a better price maybe? The one I linked was a 2004 model and a front load cd player with Aux inputs. Just what you were looking for. I was just trying to help and give a suggestion and you come off as a big 'ol ***. There is nothing wrong with Clarion. I am running one and am very pleased with it. Sounds 10x better tlan the Pioneer I had. Last I check Wal-Mart doesn't sell Clarion, but they do sell Pioneer. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

18 actually.... and i was not trying to sound like an ***.... clarion just does not stand out to me as a respectable brand... either cause i don't see it in stores... or because no one i know uses them... and well the screen on that particular model did not look all to great... looked cheap

you can find anything cheap on e-bay... my trust in e-bay is not so great cause i've come close to losing money a couple of times... i do not trust paypal, nor do i trust sending money first and waiting for a product...heck... i don't really trust small shops on the internet either... gotten the run around a few times or it takes 1-2 months to get what i purchased the reason why i stated in my first post that i needed to be able to buy the cd player in a store //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

so if walmart carries pioneer and not clarion... that means that pioneer is crappy... but clarion isn't?..... sooo if walmart decides it's going to only sell xboxes and not playstations... the xbox is shit but the playstation isn't ?

i'm sorry i disturbed the almighty Clarion god's..... now i'm being smitten... usually i research a lot on something i plan on buying.... but i've not had time... but you guys should know better than to go about attacking someone because they are mislead/misinformed.... you could of said something like "are you sure that clarion isn't a good quality? here look at this review that i/someone else typed up about it...

 

[Rattlebrain 10+ year member]

i'm sorry i disturbed the almighty Clarion god's..... now i'm being smitten... usually i research a lot on something i plan on buying.... but i've not had time... but you guys should know better than to go about attacking someone because they are mislead/misinformed.... you could of said something like "are you sure that clarion isn't a good quality? here look at this review that i/someone else typed up about it...

I offer my apologies.

But back on topic. Alpine, Pioneer/Premier, Eclipse, Clarion are all good products.

People have there own ideas and taste. I like Clarion, you might not. But don't hate on it just because you friends don't have one. I would find a dealer in your area and check'em all out. Then decide on the one you like the best. More than likely you wont be disappointed in any of them. In my days I have owned Pioneer, Panasonic, Alpine and Clarion. And I can honestly say IMO the Clarion is the standout. I Will admit I don't care for the display on my HU but it sounds great.

Anyway, Sorry and good luck on your quest. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[JLCivic 10+ year member]

18 actually.... and i was not trying to sound like an ***.... clarion just does not stand out to me as a respectable brand... either cause i don't see it in stores... or because no one i know uses them... and well the screen on that particular model did not look all to great... looked cheap
you can find anything cheap on e-bay... my trust in e-bay is not so great cause i've come close to losing money a couple of times... i do not trust paypal, nor do i trust sending money first and waiting for a product...heck... i don't really trust small shops on the internet either... gotten the run around a few times or it takes 1-2 months to get what i purchased the reason why i stated in my first post that i needed to be able to buy the cd player in a store //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

so if walmart carries pioneer and not clarion... that means that pioneer is crappy... but clarion isn't?..... sooo if walmart decides it's going to only sell xboxes and not playstations... the xbox is shit but the playstation isn't ?

i'm sorry i disturbed the almighty Clarion god's..... now i'm being smitten... usually i research a lot on something i plan on buying.... but i've not had time... but you guys should know better than to go about attacking someone because they are mislead/misinformed.... you could of said something like "are you sure that clarion isn't a good quality? here look at this review that i/someone else typed up about it...

In my first post, I said this "I am not sure how your view of Clarion got distorted so badly. They make rock solid stuff."

Isn't that pretty much the same as saying "are you 'sure" clarion isn't a good quality"

It gets the same point across imo. I don't think anybody here considers themselves to be "almighty clarion gods," but when you come on making remarks that 99% of the people think make no sense and tell you that clarion is solid stuff. Then you still contradict yourself(want all the features/don't want to spend any money and then hold cheap prices against clarion), can you see how we really don't know what answers to give you????

 

[Crashking 10+ year member]

Whether Eclipse and Alpine(or pioneer, etc) might be better (or be perceived as better) by you is completely irrelevant to your comment about wanting to stay near "better brands."
Yeah, clarion just doesn't stand out like alpine does in your mind. IMO, alpine has been living more off its rep in the past few years than anything else. Clarion has been widely acknowledged as a very solid deck producer for many years. Just because you may not view it as highly as eclipse or alpine doesn't mean it isn't one of the better brands. It is clarion, not rampage or boss.

A very good friend of mine worked at the local shop(eclipse, clarion) and then he moved away and worked for an alpine dealer. He was always complaining about wanting to get back to selling Eclipse, and in his opinion, alpine had serious reliability problems, and they sounded no better than clarion.

Because the guy said he found some decks for under $200, they are not better brands? Have you seen how wh0red out alpines have been? YOu can find a new alpine for under $200 easily. Eclipse has decks for under $200, FULLY AUTHORIZED. Clarion hasn't exactly cornered the market on inexpensive head units.

You contradict yourself in this thread. First you want aux in, good sound, eq "and all the good stuff," but don't want to spend much money. Then you say you "get what you pay for."

So you want all features for not much money and then you get on Clarion for being inexpensive in your opinion(you know "you get what you pay for"? Do you have any clue as to how that sounds to us?

like i said... sorry i am misinformed, not very knowledgeable into the car audio world... etc.. i did not mean to step on anyones toes... but attacking me like this is uncalled for..... it's not like i came in here and said "clarion is nothing but crap and there's not enough toilet paper in the world to get rid of it all."... he suggested something... and from my experiences/knowledge... clarion is not a very popular brand

clarion might be a very good brand and is acknowledged so... but since i started getting into cars and everything else inside them.... clarion is just not there... it's like saying "yeah a daewoo is a very good brand.. but i drive a honda".... it's acknowledged as a good brand.... but you don't see very many people driving them

alpine may have problems... or it may be that more people use them so he see's the problems more often than eclipse/clarion... let's say there's 50 clarions ever made....4 of them have slight problems...... but alpine makes 5,000 units... and 400 of them have problems.... which brand will be looked at as better? the ratio's are the same... but i bet alpine is gonna get the worse rep because they have more out there

i said my budget is around $250-$300... not $200-$300... so if ya find somethin nice for $200... there's gotta be somethin better around the $250-$300 mark //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif... and i realize you could just tell me to screw off and i have to look on my own... but that's not what this site is about... i've been here and there on this site for a little while.... and ya'll are usually nice.... usually...

yeah i want something that is pretty good.... but it's not gonna cost $700+... i've got gas to pay for... a boat to fix... food to buy... a truck to pay for... etc.. but i don't want a elcheapo h/u that has all that i need... but it's gonna be crap.... i want to spend money... but i don't... i could go with somethin under $200... sure.... but there's gotta be somethin better in the $250-$300 range

like i said.... sorry i'm a dumbshit and did not recognize clarion as part of the holy series of head units.... jeezus... i now do.... can we get over that?

i want to spend money.... i don't want to spend a little bit... i don't want to spend a lot... i want to be right in the middle... and don't be a jackass and say "i'll sell you this pyle for $250 right now... since the price is higher it's better"

 

[Crashking 10+ year member]

I offer my apologies.But back on topic. Alpine, Pioneer/Premier, Eclipse, Clarion are all good products.

People have there own ideas and taste. I like Clarion, you might not. But don't hate on it just because you friends don't have one. I would find a dealer in your area and check'em all out. Then decide on the one you like the best. More than likely you wont be disappointed in any of them. In my days I have owned Pioneer, Panasonic, Alpine and Clarion. And I can honestly say IMO the Clarion is the standout. I Will admit I don't care for the display on my HU but it sounds great.

Anyway, Sorry and good luck on your quest. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

it's cool... i'm sorry too... i did not mean to offend anyone... i'm sorry i made that comment... i just went off of what i knew //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/blush.gif.99bc659ee2012b7d826165e26fb5eebe.gif .... and i wasn't really hating on it... atleast not after ya'll said anything about it... was just stating reasons as to why it was not high on my list of percieved quality

thanks for your help //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif it's what this place is for