I've owned 3 Kenwood Head Units and have never experienced a problem with any of them beyond setting up features. Thier customer service (1-800) was very helpful. Most of my friends have Alpine HU's and are very satisfied also.

It all depends on what you are going to want out of your audio system. What type of music you listen to. Get something that fits your needs. A coule years down the road and you want to upgrade something, sell it on ebay or to a friend. JMO though.

-Stu.

 

why do you say that? I ran two 4" bostons and two 6.5" alpines off of my cd35z just fine for 2 years and it sounded great.

 

I agree with the Nak option. Very factory looking. Personally , I'm not a big fan of the "gee whiz, look at all the fancy lights and stuff crammed into the receiver" look.

I think Clarion must have a unit that has more features, but looks factory (and has green illumination). The Alpine, with the silver look and blue illumination is out of place IMO.

I'm a huge Alpine fan, but in this case I don't think its the right appearance. Sonically, the Alpine is superior.

 

Okay, looks like I have to go against the grain. If you are looking for actual sound quality, go with the Clarion. Right now out of all the everyday brands(Pioneer, Clarion, Blaupunkt, Panasonic, Kenwood, Alpine, Sony, etc), Clarion has the most advanced signal processing, clarity, and sound quality. If you want features and aren't an audiophile, then go with the Alpine.

 

Clarion's "ProAudio" gear sounds pretty good, but their standard line products are not that great IMO.

 

Lee,
I am not an audiophile by any means or anything like that, and in the past I have changed speakers in my cars but have stubbornly refused to do anything else. When I decided to do something to improve the performance of the audio system in my 4R it was inspired by the fact that my son is a quasi-audiophile / music production major in college and I have a really nice sounding stock JBL system in my Toyota Avalon.

Not knowing what I was doing and wanting to take advantage of the boundless resources of knowledgeable people on this board I asked questions of those who sounded more in the know. Everyone I spoke with said to go with either JBL or Alpine for a head unit. I wanted something simple since I am dumb as a stone with the attention span of a gnat, have no patience for learning deep technical information, am near sighted, partially deaf and can't read the controls of the new stereo units without a magnifying glass. I also did not think I wanted to blow the doors off of my 4R with a megawatt system. First, I changed the speakers, holding on to my stubborn notion that I would not change the head unit. I used the more efficient Infinity Reference Series speakers and, contrary to the advice I was given, I replaced the tweeters (1001i) too. I installed 6002si (could have used 6002i) speakers in the front and 5002i's in the rear. I then decided to order the BassLink sub just because my son has two 10" subs in his car, and I wanted to bond with him. The effect was a definite improvement and the sub sounded just all right, but I became curious about how much better it could sound. I opted for the Alpine CDA 9813 head unit because it had the MOSFET amp, was recommended by others who put it in their Toyota (including the product rep at ALPINE who had one in his 4Runner ... small world), and didn't have all the bells and whistles but had the necessities. WOW! What a difference that made when added to the mix. I rewired the sub and then pulled out music (and costumes <g>) I haven't listened to in years, because I can now hear facets of the music that I have not heard before on a car stereo. What would I do differently? I probably would opt for the most bells and whistles I could get on an ALPINE head unit (the JBL just doesn't look good for my style vehicle interior) and I would probably try to install 6.5" speakers in the rear doors instead of the current 5.25" speakers. (Note: this is a very controversial issue with guys on the board) I might even look at something like Boston Acoustic speakers and a separate power amp as well as even adding another BassLink sub .... BUT, I had a criteria when I started this project and I have more than met that criteria with what I have now. Everyone, young and old, who listens to my setup thinks it is outstanding. Music, like so many other artistic subjects is very subjective, but I am really happy with what I have right now.

 

I just put that same alpine in my wife's Kia and we love it. Very nice features. My biggest complaint is that it is silver and doesn't match anything.

From what I hear, clarions are good, but what I've experianced with 2 or 3 of them is that they are crap. Short life span, low in features... (ugly by my opinion)

 

Nak by far looks most stock. Alpine,kenwood,panasonic,pioneer,sony,its all basically the same crap in a different package. If you want sound quality and simple operation with an actual VOLUME KNOB go Nak. If you want flashing lights, gay neon screens,and at best so so sound go with the above 5.

 

hey zedex, not to be a little curious as to what you said about the volume control but my alpine has an actual volume nob. i mean this is the way it is, you might not like other products like many of us, but just throwing stuff out there isn't the way to go. I do think that Nak is very high quality but from my experience with stereo equipment, i have seen it priced pretty high. I do think it is the top of the line when it comes to audio/stereo components. I have also heard many good things about clairon, pioneer, kenwood, etc. from friends and family. When you buy a deck for your personal ride you just need to buy something that fits into what you want/need and your budget. I believe many products out there today are just waiting to ripoff the consumer. Not necessarily in the deck department, but if you go with Nak, Alpine, Pioneer, Clairon etc i dont think you can have a bad choice.

As for the 4 gauge power cable in my car: the reason i have 4 gauge is because i don't have a fuse box. i dont know what your system has but usually it is just a fuse box. I don't have that because it might get blown within a couple months. Instead i have a circuit breaker that has a switch, so instead of blowing a fuse it will just flip the switch out. This is recommended for higher power systems.

I will get some pics up later with my deck.
-----Justin

 

Higher power systems should have 2 ga or 1/0. I can't remember the calculation, so not sure if your 1500 watts peak is too much for the 4ga. Does the wire get warm or hot? If it does, that is a bad thing. Unless something with the laws of physics has changed, you need a larger cable to carry more current. You can use 1/0 with fuses OR circuit breakers. The fuse/circuit breaker is supposed to be the weak link, but if you pop it regularly, something is not designed/working as is should IMO.

 

Agreed. But been there, done that. Most stereos you buy in stores or stereo shops have basically all the same guts. They are stamped out by a manufacturer and each company will throw their name on it. You can see it on vcrs,tvs,dvds, you name it. Now there are exceptions but for the most part if you want good sound quality you have to spend the money.
Heres something for you to try. Compare all the manufacturers side by side with a nak. Look at the specs in the manual and listen to each unit. You will hear a big difference in sound quality.
I do notice that alot of manufacturers are going back to volume knobs. But there are still tons out there with push button.
What you are paying for with most low end units are gadgets. flashing lights,etc. Sound quality is an afterthought.You get none of that with a Nak. You get a small display in green text. Flat black panels, a few buttons. Very plain in looks. All function.
Have a listen and dont take my word for it. You have to hear it with your own ears. I went down the stereo road years ago with cassette decks. I tried them all and finally after wasting lots of money on lights and looks went with the nak TD 700. I still have it mind you its sitting in the closet collecting dust. Who listens to cassettes?
I guess you have to look at your wallet, and look at whats important to you. flashing lights, glitsy panels, or good sound.

 

Mine has a volume knob too Although I use the remote most of the time...Mine is not flashy, sparkly or "bling" either. I am sure that Nak makes a great product...but in my eyes so does Alpine. Oh...I am proud to be an AMERICAN where at least I know I'm free!!!

 

thanks for all the advice guys.. time to save up and get this show on the road!

cant wait.

 

Nice, I was waiting for someone to mention the nakamichi. And no, their oem stuff doesn't compare to the aftermarket receivers. I run a CD-45z, looks stock, and sounds amazing... If you want to put together an amazing sound system, always start with the source first...

The nakamichi cd-45z has better D/A convertors, which put the internals above any of the standard brands. And if you keep an eye on ebay, you can find one for a similar price as the flashy new alpines, etc.

 

my dad's rx300 has a nakamichi system in it.. and it sounds incredible.

i'll check em out, see if it fits into my budget... i really cant stand the factory head unit anymore.