Which head unit for under $400?

[Jahkesh]

I agree with what you said... it only comes into play when you are clipping your amp in disgusting ratios but then one should learn how to set gains instead of being obsessed with S/N ratios. A 6 db clip (2:1) is extremely loud for front channels with only 50 watts per side. And a 2:1 clip isn’t going to produce and audible noise. Subs amps can be clipped 4:1 ratios without any audible noise. You will most audible noise when you getting close to the amps rail voltage and you are an idiot if you are doing that or you are in an SPL competition so noise don’t matter.

But I stand with my statement that one HU with a higher S/N will not audibly lower the noise floor then another HU with a lower S/N and that it should not be something looked at when purchasing a HU because any decent unit has a SN that is good enough.

If you want to lower noise then higher preout voltages would suit you more ONLY if you know how to set your gains right (I will have to type allot of stuff to explain all this and right now I wont but if anyone cares then I will explain why)

You only get high preout voltages when your volume is cranked near the end. Otherwise all HU put out somewhere in the mV throughout most of the volume band.

I don’t really think anything higher then 4 volts is necessary as long as you have a brain and know how to wire your amps correctly and know how to avoid noise. Set your gains right and get twisted RCAs with twisted L/R channels; I have never had a noise problem when I do my own installs. If you get Best Buy or some other crap shop, they don’t really care about you and are just trying to finish their job.

Again I will say: focus on other aspects of the HU’s features instead of S/N ratio. 4 volt preouts are fine. Don’t worry about this stuff unless you are a hardcore anal audiophile and you don’t seem like one.

Oh and I would appreciate it if would not assume anything about me (that i have "never heard any high end car audio gear"), you do not know me.

[DinanE36M3]

What i am looking for exactly is a headunit that works well with amps, has a sub control, sirius compatible, built in crossovers, and hopefully something that matches my interior(i know that looks should come second to sound, but i really hate gaudy looking radios)

I DO NOT WANT: big flashy graphics or bright silver casing!! This is one the main reasons why i kept the stock unit in when i installed my system cause i don't need every a-hole on the street to know i have a huge stereo in my car. So something simple, hopefully orange lighting, and a black casing.

I have kinda narrowed my search to the Clarion Pro Audio DZX835MP. It is black, looks nice, has 735 colors to choose from, and has 4 volt preouts, and a sub control. Tell me what you think of this unit.

-Heath

[Eric]

for the under $400 range, i would go with a panasonic 903, good sounding deck

[Jahkesh]

I'll give you a full review right now. With the, good bad, and ugly of the unit. I just got it 2 weeks ago and have been playing around with it.

Im taking pics and will post here soon

Its going to be ptreey long but should be a good review.

[BayBimmerM3]

I would go with an alpine headunit. There not flashy and you can get one with the orange lights for less than 400 off ebay.

Only problem is they support XM not sirious

[Jahkesh]

Ok here is my review for the Clarion 835MP.

Pics:
http://www.dtmpower.net/ppost2/showg...at=500&thumb=1

The amber matches pretty well in person, the pics came out like crap. It has negative and positive LCD; you can tell from the pics when I changed them. I like positive because it is easier to see during the day. It has an RGB setting and you set them to make colors. It is pretty nice and the Audi Red looks really really nice, the ladies love it too =)

It doesn't look like it matches becasue the pics didn't come out good, but look at this pic:
http://www.dtmpower.net/ppost2/data/...c04612-med.jpg

And compare that to how your car's amber looks like, it matches pretty well in real life.

Also keep in mind that my vinyl interior has a thick ass layer of dirt because I haven’t cleaned it in a while. It is supposed to be black and looks grey in the pics.

Overall I think it is a very good unit, especially for the price. I paid $260 shipped.

Things I like and do not like:
Fast forward and rewind is not instant. I mean that when u fast forward and rewind after you let go of the button for it to stop and start playing normally, it lags for 1 second. There is also a 1 second lag between tracks when you change them. My eclipse was near instant. This really isn’t a big deal but just letting you know.

Mp3 tracks play well and at the same volume as CD’s. However, the AM/FM radio tuner is not as loud as CD when at the same volume. Not a big deal at all, and most units are like this (you just have to turn the volume up a bit to get the same output voltage).

Mp3 load times are not that bad. They seem faster than the pioneers I have heard. It takes a few seconds to first load the CD, but after that, it sounds and changes tracks and fast forwards/rewinds like you are playing a normal CD (same 1 second lag as CD’s). I Never use WMA, so I can’t comment. I have also never used Sirus, so I can’t comment on that either.

It does not have built in High pass crossover but does have adjustable low pass crossover on the sub output which changes (off/50Hz/80Hz/120Hz). EQ is ok. You can control bass, mids, and treble. For bass you can choose select one of the 3 frequencies: 50Hz, 80Hz, or 120hz. You can get the gain, and control the Q for it. Mid has 2 frequencies you can pick and so does treble.

Clarion also has Magna Bass EX here is quote of what it does from clarion:

“Magna Bass EX delivers ideal bass boost based on sound level compared to conventional loudness which boosts the low frequency range of 100Hz. Magna Bass EX boosts the ultra-low frequency range with a center frequency of”

It works and sounds well when using speakers (I have 6x9’s) and custom 6.5” mids in my doors. I don’t have any subs hooked up but I like how it sounds with magna bass on.

It has 24 bit DACs but I can’t tell the difference. The remote control is very good and fits well in the hand and is very comfortable to control. I just wish you could control EQ settings and XO setting from the remote, but you can’t. Much better than the crap NOB remote from Eclipse. I like the ergonomics of the clarion remote better then the Sony’s too.

At full volume (33), it does produce 4 volts RMS out of the preouts. I don’t have any noise in my system and absolutely no alternator whine.

It seems to do ok with damaged CDs; I have one that it won’t play 4 of the tracks but my home system which is very good at playing damaged CDs can’t play it either so I really can’t go by that. The CD has permanent stains on it (I dunno what the hell it is, but it’s bad). I put several heavy scratched CDs and it played them fine.

In the end, I like it. It was inexpensive, has a good remote and most of all, matches stock pretty well. I really can’t tell the difference because this unit and my eclipse CD8061 sound quality wise, and IMO you won’t be able to tell the difference between properly installed HU’s. 24 bit DAC, Dual 20 bit Burr Brown DAC, 1 bit DAC.. blah blah blah, I can’t tell the difference. Spend the money on something that you can tell the difference like night and day…..SPEAKERS!!!! Get amps and HUs that have the features you want but get speakers that give the sound that you want.

-Good luck

PS: Oh ya... Another unit which is also very good and actually has more features than the Clarion is the alpine CDA 7894. You can probably find it for 200 or less if you are lucky since it is last year’s model. It is amber and matches interior perfectly. Has HP XO’s too, I was going to get that originally but my friend has it in his 325 and I wanted something different. My friend is selling it now I think.

You can’t go wrong with that either. doh! no sirus though.. only XM with alpine

[BanginBeema]

I Just picked up an Eclipse 7002 monitor and 6 Disc changer $504

[BanginBeema]

Who cares about xm or sirious screw em both...I like to dicate what I listen to and for sure I ain't payin for it!

[Jahkesh]

i personally dont like it, i mean if it was free, then it would be cool but then again.. lots of things would be cool if they were free

[BanginBeema]

FM radio is free and I don't use it hardly ever. No station plays continous music I like and I hate commercials and screaming morons "omg omg omg yo" and such

[DinanE36M3]

not to preach or tell you that your opinion is wrong, but when it comes to satilite radio, it solves all the promblems of FM. First of all, Sirius has 100% commercial free radio for all their music stations. It also has digital quality without static unlike FM, and the nice thing that i like about it is i have a really wide range of music tastes and to only have a 6disc changer and to have to constantly burn new cd's with the new songs i like on them is getting annoying. FM stations also repeat their songs like no tomorrow which is not the case with satillite. So all in all, the reason i am getting it is so when i am in the mood for 80's music, techno, rap, jazz, classical, hard rock, or even comedy...i will have it at the tip of my fingers.

plus, any headunit i get will have a cd player so if i want, i can still listen to an occasional cd!

that's just my take on it. i can definately see how some people don't want to spend the money for it, but in my eyes it seems worth it.

-Heath