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I just got first 3ge about 3 weeks ago and it came with 2 blown speakers and a stock tape deck. I was just curious what you suggested for the front speakers and for the cd deck. I was thinkign about putting in some extra cash and getting one that played mp3s and well just curious on what you guys have tried out. Thanks.
CDT Audio Speakers and an ALpine Deck! :DQuote:
Originally posted by infecto
I just got first 3ge about 3 weeks ago and it came with 2 blown speakers and a stock tape deck. I was just curious what you suggested for the front speakers and for the cd deck. I was thinkign about putting in some extra cash and getting one that played mp3s and well just curious on what you guys have tried out. Thanks.
Also was wondering if anyone has tried out XM radio yet?
pioneer just came out with a new deck the deh-p550mp it plays mp3s and had plenty of preouts and Eq features, its really nice and its only $270, it also supports XM radio. for speakers i would suggest infinty kappas or kappa perfects
Cd player: go with Alpine, Pionner, clarion, kenwood.
Speakers: (if you gonna change front speakers, change rear speakers too for better sound quality). go with alpine, infinity, new pioneer speakers are good. i know kewood makes good speakers.
DON'T BUY blaupunkt, JVC or SONY stuff.
about XM radio, it is not worth it. half of the channels have commercials. i would recomend it if you are going on a long trip, but for everyday use it is not practical.
I've got some different things to suggest.Quote:
Originally posted by shepherd79
Cd player: go with Alpine, Pionner, clarion, kenwood.
Speakers: (if you gonna change front speakers, change rear speakers too for better sound quality). go with alpine, infinity, new pioneer speakers are good. i know kewood makes good speakers.
DON'T BUY blaupunkt, JVC or SONY stuff.
about XM radio, it is not worth it. half of the channels have commercials. i would recomend it if you are going on a long trip, but for everyday use it is not practical.
First, I wouldn't recommend Kenwood for a HU... they have a bad reputation... some are good, but too many go bad for me to recommend them. Also, I would ADD JVC to the HU list. They make quality Head Units.
I agree with your speaker choices, for entry level equipment, but again I wouldn't suggest Kenwood... they just aren't very good quality compared to the others.
I wouldn't suggest buying a Blaupunkt or Sony deck or speakers. Blaupunkt make some sweet saucer subs for tricky installs that are supposed to be pretty nice, and Blaupunkt makes some very small Class T amps that are nice, but they are expensive. I'd pretty much stay far away from Sony unless you get a ridiculously good deal, or are buying their top-of-the-line equipment, which is pretty damn good.
As for XM, I know a couple people that have it, and absolutely love it to death. It's supposed to be great for everything, everyday listening, trips, everything. The only people I wouldn't suggest it to are the ones who don't spend much time in their car, or care about music much.
Now, on to the main questions... if you want a great MP3 CD playing HU, check out the JVC sx909 or something like that... it should be silver. It's great.
As for speakers, what shepherd79 suggested are pretty much the best way to go for entry level speakers. If you want higher quality speakers, check out eBay for some of these brands: Crystal, Focal, CDT, Audio Development, or JL components. The only downside to these speakers is most of them pretty much need a seperate amp to run them, the head unit usually isn't enough.
hey DXhatch,
you call Alpine entry level? wow, i never thought i would hear that.
anyway, the only reason i said JVC HU sucks because a few of my friends and I had them and they last like 1 year.
I agree that Kenwood makes crapy low priced HU. but i for the entry level company they are good.
plus i don't think he wants expensive and complicated system.
i am sure he will be happy with some nice speakers and HU.
I have all Alpine system in my car, and i love it.
shepherd,
Yes, I was calling Alpine entry level, because it mainly is. Sure there are some Alpine products that are of very high quality, but these all fall under the Head Unit and external processing category. It is definitely the highest quality of the entry level stuff, but it is still essentially entry level, though still great quality.
I'm not dissing Alpine at all, I really like them... hell, I'm running my whole system off a 5-channel Alpine amp right now. But I know that there are better quality amps to be had, though they come at a price.
I sure hope you werent dissing Alpine Dave! :D I like Alpine the best so far based on having a Sony, Pioneer and Clarion Decks. I probly wouldnt mind getting another clarion but I'd pay around 400 and up for one.Quote:
Originally posted by 87DXHatch
shepherd,
Yes, I was calling Alpine entry level, because it mainly is. Sure there are some Alpine products that are of very high quality, but these all fall under the Head Unit and external processing category. It is definitely the highest quality of the entry level stuff, but it is still essentially entry level, though still great quality.
I'm not dissing Alpine at all, I really like them... hell, I'm running my whole system off a 5-channel Alpine amp right now. But I know that there are better quality amps to be had, though they come at a price.
I like Pioneer and Alpine, Ive like Eclipse too. Ive heard great things about nakamichi too
Quote:
Originally posted by 87DXHatch
I've got some different things to suggest.
First, I wouldn't recommend Kenwood for a HU... they have a bad reputation... some are good, but too many go bad for me to recommend them.
No no! i've used kenwood for everything and they never disapoint (for me) kenwoods are good! theyre gold!!.... :D
lets not start the fight over here.
we all agree that Alpine makes great entry stuff. Their products are reliable.
I agree there are better amps and speakers, but they are way too freaking expensive.
I know nobody agrees with me on this board, but I really like my Sony HU!!! It's always been good to me, and I love the EQ options I have on it. I have NO complaints about it what-so-ever, save for the fact that it's not Mp3 compatible. But it's a good deck, and I didn't have the money for Mp3 back when I bought it anyways.
Also, all my cabin speakers are Xplod 3-ways, and I love them as well. They give off good sound in all ranges if I want them to. I keep them away from bass so I don't blow them prematurely. That's why I have a couple JBL 10's :D I know, JBL isn't the best, but they've been good to me, too. I really like my setup, and I'm not sure why Sony gets such a horrible name. Maybe you all just had some bad luck...I don't know.
Thanks for all the help guys.
anybody forget to mention MB Quartz for speakers/????
Nope... not really. MB Quartz speakers are good quality speakers, but they are very harsh; the highs on them are very piercing.
I haven't heard what their subs are like, though...
The reason why Mbs high are so harsh is they are pretty much designed for amp use, if running off a deck its just not pure enough of a signal.
As for JVC sounded good at first but after six months mine went belly up, plus, 2 guys I know had a JVC also and they did the same thing you get what you pay for I guess.
Kenwood, theyre decks are excellent entry level but if you have a high power sound system and want to go with Kenwood then get Kenwood Excelon. Trust me youll be satisfied, their System Q is one of the best EQs on the market (deck EQ i mean).
Alpine, if you think Alpine is entry lecvel then youve never shoped at walmart cause thats entry, also Best Buy same kind of situation, alpine is deck of choice for high level installs all around the world and are high quality, plus if your paying over 250 buks for an Alpine MP3 deck as your entry level system then you my friend must have some money and im gonna be your best friend for life,
and Just remember, "You get what you pay for", meaning if you pay 300 buks for a deck it "should" be high quality if not you got screwed man!
No, MB Quarts are harsh because of how they're designed, not because "they're designed for amp use." They have metal tweeters and the signature MB Quart sound is harsh. Some people like it, though...
I've had a JVC CD player in my car for the last year and a half, and it's been nothing but great for me. Reads many CDs that my friend's CD players can't. I've never read stories of people having problems with JVC HU's until the few mentioned in this thread.
However, I HAVE read many reviews of people having Kenwood HU's, amps, speakers, etc, fail on them. I personally don't like the look and feel of their HU's, but that's me, and beside the point.
Alpine IS entry level!! Like I said, except for their upper model and Flagship HU's, they are entry. Wal-mart stuff, IMO, either is below entry, or at the very bottom end of entry. Best Buy too, mostly, though most of the stuff they carry is better than Wal-Mart...
The point is, Alpine is entry level, like has been said many times, but the top of the entry stuff. I don't think you're reading that. Hell, most of the stuff at Audio King is entry to upper-entry to lower-high... I will agree that Alpine HU's are among the best, with the upper models going into the high quality category, but the rest of their stuff is upper-entry at best. Chill, yo ;)
where would you put infinity kappa perfects? i mean, they retail at like $650 or $750... doesn't sound too entry to me...
then again, who pays retail?
waaaaayy overpriced.... you can get the same for cheaper.Quote:
Originally posted by Vanilla Sky
where would you put infinity kappa perfects? i mean, they retail at like $650 or $750... doesn't sound too entry to me...
then again, who pays retail?
im just saying in terms of sound quality
if you want nice nice sounding mids and tweets ive still heard nothing smoother than Polk audio speakers, especially their component sets, just gorgeous. I think mb quart has either metallic tweets or ceramic... Polk has silk dome. Alpine stuff is excellent, but their regular speakers, component sets and lower priced amps are kinda mediocre, but awesome decks and subs
I have a sony HU and like everyone else has said. Its been about a year since I bought it and I can really tell its starting to wear out. Skips over the smallest of bumps. When I bought it, it was really good, would barley skip at all. I'm going to save up and buy a nice Alpine HU.
Alpine makes darn good decks and subs, your right Accordepicenter, theyre amps are ok but dont push as good as you would think. Never had any of their speakers before but heard em.
Not freaking out just saying that anyone who pays tons of money on an alpine deck to start off their first system aint buying entry level those decka are high quality, I guess I measure quality as where I place em in audio user level, entry -pro. Doidnt mean to get offensive just have worked with Alpine a long time and they are good decks, just a little expensive though, but hey if you got the hookup or the money buy one their great.
I also agree that MB quarts are kind of harsh what I meant by the amp thing is if you hit em with an amp then the frequency can be adjusted and corrected, thus making sound more competent, im also kind of biased though cause I install MB quarts at the shop I work at so i get kind of defensive at times, sorry guys. I do know what you mean though cause their 6x9s are less clean sounding than their components. Maybe it is the Metal tweets...............
I've had mine for a couple years now, and it still works great! :-DQuote:
Originally posted by 88' Accord Ltd
I have a sony HU and like everyone else has said. Its been about a year since I bought it and I can really tell its starting to wear out. Skips over the smallest of bumps. When I bought it, it was really good, would barley skip at all. I'm going to save up and buy a nice Alpine HU.
