alpine vs. eclipse vs. pioneer premier

[sublimaze]

i'm deciding between an alpine CDA-9857 or CDA-9855, eclipse CD7000 or pioneer DEH-P980BT. i had an alpine HU years ago and loved it, but i've read their HUs from the last few years have been disappointing. i have never owned an eclipse but i know they're respected and have a large following. i don't know much about pioneer's premier series. bluetooth would be nice, but its not absolutely necessary. i don't plan to use the gps/navi on the eclipse CD7000, but its the only eclipse unit with OEL, all the dot matrix HUs are fugly. ipod functionality is not important to me. i'm considering the alpine CDA-9855 for the bass engine pro and time correction

which is the best HU?

[clipser-gs-t]

I had the 9855, and to tell you the truth, it wasn't worth the money - to me.
Sure, it's nice to look at, but i much prefer something that is more user friendly. As for the glidetouch, it's not that great. Again, it just looks good. What it all really boils down to is preference. The Eclipse h/u's are going to be easy to use, and not bad to look at, they seem to be more basic. On the other hand, i bought my girl the 9857 and it is a great deck. User friendly, and good looking.(the girl, and the deck)
But hey, it's just my worthless opinion.

[Streetz]

Like clipser already established it comes down to personal preferance. All 3 models are released by good established companies. In my own personal opnion, I would choose Pioneer, not necessarily that model, but definatly Pioneer. All 3 headunits I have purchased were all Pioneer. I think it's a great company with long lasting products. Hell, I'm about to buy a "new" car and already have the Pioneer headunit picked out since I'm leaving the one in my current car since my girl's buying the car off me.

The one I have now is almost 4 years old and still running as good as when I got it, no problems.

My 2 cents. Hope you enjoy the one you pick.

[ajrubincpa]

All,

I have owned the same Eclipse HU for ten years and it still sounds great. I am considering upgrading either to the CD7000 or CD5000 (formerly CD8445). However, in choosing which HU to go with, it really is going to depend on what you want to do with it, wherther it is Alpine, Pioneer or Eclipse.

All three will have good sound quality, although I think Eclipse is still more superior than Alpine or Pioneer. However, Pioneer and Eclipse have DSP (Digital Sound Processing) built into the HU for the higher end units. Alpine requires an additional DSP unit and is not built in to the CD HU, at least to my knowledge. The other thing that Eclipse has going for it in the CD 5000 and CD 7000 is Area Shot, which is similar to Navigation that is found in Double DIN and Flip out CD HU.

Eclipse also has a memory stick slot that can be used for maps and music that are downloaded from the internet or from Eclipse's website. I do not believe that Pioneer or Alpine have that capability, but I could be wrong. I believe all three units are IPOD adaptable, but require an additional unit for connecting an IPOD. Eclipse will integrate with Sirius, but XM, unless you use an external XM unit. Pioneer integrates with both. I am not sure about Alpine, but I believe it works with both.

When it comes to higher end units, you need to do your homework and research. I have been researching these units for about 5 months. Don't choose a unit simply on how it looks. Go into a reputable dealer and see if you can get a listen to one, even if is not in a car. Personally, I think Eclipse has a lot going for it. I have done the research for my money, Eclipse is still the best. In fact, I am still researching Pioneer and Eclipse. The fact that my 10 year old unit still sounds as good as the day I bought it and sounds as good as my home stereo system, makes me believe that Eclipse is still the best sounding quality CD HU out there.

Good luck in whatever you decide to choose.

[ibanezFreak87]

if your looking for the best sound... Eclipse CD5000, it's got 8 volt pre-outs. the only one like that on the market.. AND.. it just so happends i'm selling one right now. let me know.

[Hautewheeler]

curious.. why are you looking at the 9000 line of the alpine and pioneer (higher end models) and then the 7000 series of the eclipse?
-JK.. hehe

I've got the 8445, and it's a wonderful deck. I like this more than any other HU I've ever had. - It takes a while to figure it out, before you realize it's full potential.. but you'll be amazed.. very powerful HU.

and for that matter, I put the pioneer in for my sis and she loves it, and I installed the alpine for a friend, and she loves it....

But my personal opinion... eclipse cd 8445..

[stanwongs]

Yea same here, I perfer Pioneer head units. I was going to Get a pioneer one, but when i was playing with it, i realized that the function wasn't good, but the sound is great. The older models taht Pioneer make are sweeet though. If you want to choose between the 3 you mention, i would choose the eclipse

[stanwongs]

...and i have an alpine one right now cuz my pioneer hu got messed up, and its not that good. Strongly Recommend Eclipse or Pioneer.

[ajrubincpa]

All,

After reviewing the CD7000 and CD5000 for another 3 months, I decided to go with the Eclipse CD7000. I also decided to puchase the IPOD adaptor, the Sirius adaptor, GPS Navigation Areashot and a CD changer, in addition to some other stuff. This is a major overhaul of my current system, but I have had the same system for 10 years and I think I am ready for some new stuff. I will let you know how it all turns out.