Hi everyone - please excuse my newbiness, but I'm seeking experienced opinions. I'm on a quest to purchase my first non-factory head unit for my car. My factory head stopped playing CD-r's, so now I must act.
I can't afford (and probably couldn't configure) most of the units I see everyone speaking about. I only can spend about $150 on it, and I'd prefer purchasing from Crutchfield, given everything they include for installation (first time installing, too).
The units they have on sale in that range that fit my car (2000 Mazda Protege) that I'm considering are the Alpine CDE-9843, Kenwood KDC-MP228 CD/MP3, Pioneer DEH-P3700MP (these are supposed to fit without modification to the car). Unfortunately these three units are new and I cannot find reviews on any. I'm not going to hook fancy amps, watch DVD's, or wire my car to self-destruct upon theft...I just need something that plays mp3's I can listen to on my commute.
Could you guys give me some input on your thoughts of alpine vs kenwood vs pioneer? I appreciate everyone's time. Thanks for your help!
Of those three, alpine would be your best choice. It is a more dependable better built unit and most would agree that it produces better sound quality. If you are not going to use an amp, keep in mind that the head units amp will be powering the system. That is something that you need to consider too. It should have a big enough amp to give the speakers enough juice. Most factory speakers suck. You should consider aftermarket speakers too. You could always do that later. You can get some decent speakers to fit your vehicle without spending a lot and make a tremendous improvement to the quality of you system. For about another 150 to 200, you can have a system that will play louder with more depth and clairity and offer more realistic detail to you music. Infinity, kicker, jbl makes real good lower priced speakers. Stay away from sony. Good luck with your decision.
Thanks for your quick feedback! I was afraid that might be the opinion! The alpine isn't available until the end of Feb from Crutchfield. This will be a test for my patience....
As far as the speakers, I know they really suck. Maybe next year I can upgrade, just can't afford anything more than the deck now.
Let me ask a question though...b/t the three I mentioned, the Alpine is the only one without a remote. Now, I've never had a remote, but do you guys use them often?
Thanks again for putting up with me. I know how irritating newbies are! But with 2 small kids and my wife now working nights and weekends, I don't have any time to go the local stores for help.
The only time i use the remote is when my car is off and i'm outside of it, showing off my subs..I've never used it other than that, i don't think it would be that much of a deal. However, if its something you feel you need, or really want, you might want to consider one of the other two models. I'm looking at crutchfield and the lowest priced alpine with a remote is the cda-9851 which is $279, however you could get the cda-9830 on a price break for $249.