Clarion DXZ585USB / JVC Arsenal KD-AR8500 i used to have a jvc kd-lh300 and was a nice little unit but overtime sometimes the screen would tell me faceplate detach and would stop playing...minor problem things just not being tight enough i guess.but over the sound from that hu was nice
I can't vouch for the JVC unit, but I just finished installing a Clarion DXZ585USB in my Frontier and am very impressed.
I've always used JVC in the past as most of the HU are an outstanding value, in fact my HU choice came down to the Clarion and an HD-equipped JVC Arsenal. Looks wound up being the deciding factor.
I noticed that the Clarion had a better feature set, most notably the high pass filter for the speaker outputs and LPF for the subwoofer preout which are not present in JVC models. After using these features, I'm not sure I'd go back to a HU without them.
I didn't find much to complain about the Clarion. The preset EQ options were limiting as some caused clipping and distortion at higher volumes. They can be customized however to suit preference.
The user interface is a love-it or hate-it sort of thing. I'm not the biggest fan of the left/right sliding screen, but all it takes is some getting used to.
If you're expanding your system with some subs or additional amps, the extra features on the Clarion will really make things shine. I have absolutely no regrets with my decision, and it's quite a bit cheaper than the JVC model you referenced. Hope this helps.