Stereo Head Unit Poll

I respectfully refuse to vote. Its been my experience that car audio is far more specific than a brand. Within each brand there are good units and not so good units. To go only brand specific is REALLY going to limit your selection and likely rule out some good options.

Decide what features you want, and pick the best unit with those features.

 

agreed.

i must say, i had the AVIC Z3 before I upgraded to the DNX9960. Obviously upgrading to a newer model period will impress you, but I've been very satisfied with the Kenwood. Not only do I like the Garmin interface, but the options available on the unit is way outta my league! Ha ha, but the major players for me, were a GPS that displays your speed (my speedometer is off so I judge my speed off that reading), and friendly IPhone Video/ Music interface! There were a couple bugs when it first came out, but the recent updates have fixed the majority of it.

 

Do any of you car audio guru's know anything about the brand name Cadence? That's another brand that has just peaked my interest.

 

not that i am a guru, but i've never heard of them.

 

kenwood excelon FTMFW!

 

Pioneer, has every thing you could ever want or use, plus, Pioneer typically has far superior tuners if that concerns you. BTW I just installed a 4200DVD in my 08'.

 

I have had many Pioneer HUs in the past 20+ years and have enjoyed all of them. My present HU is an AVIC-Z110BT with the software upgrade turning it into a AVIC-Z120BT. Works smooth with the Ipod, bluetooth w/ Iphone, HD Radio and XM. When choosing my present HU, I got the impression Alpine was playing catch-up with Pioneer.

 

i was under the impression that kenwood had one up on pioneer as far as tuning. the equalizers and capabilities. i could be wrong though.

 

All based on flagship double dins...

Alpine - Really considered it for better DAC and ability to bypass the iPOD DAC, *BUT* I have to add an Imprint device to get: reasonable EQ, higher output RCAs, etc.... Non-standard backup camera... Come on! Nickel and dime the crap out of me? I have a BitOne, why do I need to add something to their "flagship" HU just to get basic flagship features? Yes, I can EQ with the processor, but a decent EQ at the fingertips is a must for me and expected from the flagship model.

Pioneer - Tried and am returning my Z120BT. Think Windows Vista. Eye candy that looks cool in a demo, but I couldn't use it. Could not scroll while driving. ...I can barely do it while the truck is parked. Didn't like ANY of the EQ presets. Crossover capabilities are worthless and tied front/rear.... My old Kenwood 5120 had better sound and was easier to use.

Kenwood - Liked the 5120. 9960 is on it's way. My fingers are crossed.

Any manufacturers listening? Pioneer, Alpine, Kenwood, take your highest end single din (probably sold only in Japan), add NAV, bypass iPod DAC, flexible x-overs that I can run a good active setup with and at least 8 channels out, and make it a double din and I"ll pay you 2k+ for it!!!

 

Cadence makes very good Amps and subs are pretty good!

I went with a Planet Audio HU(PI9766)...it has served me well for what i need and was way cheaper than all the other brands!

 

Cadence is slowly establishing themselves as a good brand for amplifiers and high end speakers, but to be completely honest, they need to take all of their head units off the market, because they are years behind everyone else, technologically and aesthetically. They mainly make speakers and amps and subs it seems, but their head units I'm fairly sure are garbage.

 

I like Pioneer products, but Alpine and Kenwood also have excellent products, too.

 

I've been a Pioneer user for a very long time. They've NEVER let me down so I've got no reason to look to another manufacturer.

 

alpine cda-9886 for me

 

I always find people's preferences interesting. The power of perception and marketing are amazing.

FYI - I found a link today on this website for at 25% discount on pioneer on Amazon and it's still active - therefore i just picked up a pioneer today for a steal - 25% off, free shipping and no take. done.

 

any of those three are fine - comes down to features and little leapfrogs models make. anyone who tells you one is significantly better than the other has been sways by their marketing. back, waaayyyy back, kenwood was BY FAR the best of the three, that's no longer true however.

 

i like alpine, but i hate how every option that they 'support' is a seperate add-on. and its all hella expensive! for example. the iva w505 (the deck i just so happen to own...) does gps, xm/sirius, hd radio, bluetooth, fullspeed ipod... all at an extra cost! and its not cheap extra costs either. it doesnt sound like you want much of the extra bells and whistles anyways, but thats just what i have to say. either way, i like my w505.

 

they're all about the same, no significant differences. of course, they come out with different models/features all the time, so there's various differences depending upon when you ask.

 

It's just an opinion. I like alpine from experience. Pioneer and kenwood make great stuff.

 

I be ROlling with the Pioneer Premier