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ALPINE CDA-7897


current set-up
OEM 7thgen SI headunit (silver)
Rockford Fosgate FNX2614U-front mid and tweeter
SOUNDSTREAM AMP USA P205-5ch amp
10" BAZOOKA RS104DV
OEM rear speakers


thank you kindly

 
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well...what features do you really want??

 
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YES ALL ALPINE DECKS ARE DEFINATELY WORTH THE MONEY!!!

 
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no all are. we tested them at my work against a rockford deck of the same price (msrp of 219) and the alpine that advertised a 2 volt output did .447 volts of output at 100 hz with no load and clipped at volume 30 of 35. with a load on it the preout voltage dropped to .334 volts. The RF deck did 2.3 volts of output at 100hz, unclipped at full volume and droped to 2.2 volts with a load on it and that is our cheapest deck.

 
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And i'm sure if Alpine ran the same test, the Alpine would come out on top....I hold no value in manufacturer claims on anything.

And to answer the original poster, that is an ultra-high end HU, that you dont really need. It's worth it for ME to spend that kind of money on it, but with a bazooka tube, soundstream amp and rockford speakers, you definately dont need anything that high end.

 
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Really, I think your just paying a big extra amount of money for the new stealth screen and oversized display that doesn't even look that much bigger.

Save some money and get the 9815. It has all of the same functions without the stealth mode deal. I'd rather have a detachable face anyways. I feel more secure that way. If you have no need for the i-personalize function than get teh 9813, but the 9815 still looks way cooler and has a 2 line display like the 7897.

Hey, I was also wondering, for ppl who have the 9813 or 9815, is that thing motorized??? How can it have angle adjustment if it isn't motorized?

 
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I got the 9807 MPD player. I Love it, just cant figure out how to use the bass/treble settings, i cant explain it, but its adjustable, just doesnt seem like im doing it right..

 
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i checked on the manual on Alpine website ..... YES that thing motorized

BUT the price i got CDA-9815($370) AND CDA-7897($410) ONLY $50 different

 
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First off i'd like to say that i hate AOL. This is the 4th time i've tried to type a reply to your post but my gf's computer and aohell keeps kicking me off right before i press send.

ok....i agree with alex, it really depends on what features you really like or want or need when buying a HU. The apline you want that retails for $600 has nice features like being satelitte radio ready, mp3 compatibility, adjustible crossover setting etc....

Last week i bought a new eclipse 8443 hu from an authorized dealer for $430 with tax. It features 8 volt pre out, 24 bit dac,50x4 speaker outputs, motorized face-plate, ESN security, disabled when stolen until you enter the key cd,multiple sound adjustment modes to adjust crossover freqs for hi mid low, parametric eq, q adjustment, time alignment, aux inputs for if you have a portable mp3 player...etc.....and i got a 3 year warranty to boot!!

it had every feature i'd ever want and use, i don't care for satellite radio, and i don't care about switching cd's every few songs so mp3 playback isn't my bag, but of course with my new deck if i buy the eclipse commander with voice activation and gps i'll then be able to use mp3, i thought this feature was odd....add mp3 with commander but whatever, that's how they made it.

if you don't plan on using mp3 or satellite radio, alpine probably has many other decks you could look at and be just as easily satisfied. get what you need now or plan on upgrading to in the future and you'll be happy with whatever hu you purchase.

there's no point in buying a $600 retail deck and only using $300 of features!!

tom

 
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I guess your just getting a better deal on the 7897. The price difference should be around 100 bucks, but I guess since the new 9815 just came out, its price isn't going down much. Just to let you know, the 9815 has more power than the 7897, but that wouldn't really matter since your using an amp.

Other than that, you should just really think what you really want from a deck. It's like what Tom said, do you really need all those functions.

If you don't really need the i personalize function or the newer bass engine pro, you can even get the 7995 from back in the day. It will look like your original deck because it is highly polished aluminum. It has less adjustments, but if you don't really use it all, just go with the 7995. Since its an older deck with dated functions, you will probably get a hell of a deal. It has no amp, but that's what your external amp is for. I still like the 9813, but the 9815 more. I was never a big fan of the 7897 look, but for an extra 50 bucks, i guess I would go top of the line too. If you wait or are money conscience, go with the 7995 or the 9813, or 9815.

Are you alpine bias? Like the others, why not eclipse or pioneer? I think the Pioneer p940mp is a better deck than the alpine 7897. The eclipse though is a big favor on this site that I have little knowledge of. But according to ppl, it's one of the best decks out there with a good price. Only thing is that I'm not all into its looks. Pioneer got me with the oel display, which is great for our "hard to see display" cars.

 
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thank you for all the input guys ...............

 
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man minus well just get a indash tv with cd for 600..n have all the future u want..holla at me if u want to kno more

 
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what brand?? where???

 
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We didnt do it as an internal test. Mark Fukuda and myself did it as a traing for Crutchfield. We didnt even disclose the brand of the deck to the people we were traing. people came up at the end and checked it out. we used auto sound test disc and fluke scope hooked up to both decks...took screen shots and did audible tests. it wasnt rigged it was just a test.

 
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pioneer p6400cd
thats wat i got

 
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instead of wasting money on just a headunit i waste it on a indash tv that plays cd and i can alway hook up my ps2 to it n watch dvd or play game..u cant beat that deal..

 
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i don't know much about indash tvs, but can someone tell me if i can hook up a GPS system to the indash tv that also can plays CDs?
thx

 
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if you want to hook up a gps system then an eclipse deck with the add on eclipse commander and gps add on is one way to go, and the gps naviagtor will run through your eclipse cd player. therefor you can play cd's because you will be using an eclipse cd player, but of course the gps function reads info off of a navigation cd, so if you want to use the cd player and navigate at the same time you wont be able to. Was this the question you were asking? is there a gps navigation setup that lets you navigate and play cd's at the same time?

 
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yea, I was asking if i can use GPS and listen to CD at the same time...also do u really need them to be one brand? like if i can get Alpine GPS w/ the display, then can I just hook up an eclipse cd player to it?

 
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Dang, I just went on the Eclipse website and it's kinda hard to believe that the Eclipse is a good priced deck for general use. I'm pretty sure if you just plan to listen to regular cd's than you should be fine, but the higher end 8 or 5 series can't play mp3s. They require you to buy that command center, which I would guess cost alot since it allows you to have voice command of everything.

Well, he never stated that he wanted mp3 decoding, but the 7897 does play mp3s. I dunno. The Eclipse 3 series does decode mp3s, but how come it's preamp says only 2.7 volts. Does the Eclipse use a different way of stating there preamp voltage?

I think the Alpine would be a better buy if your looking for mp3 playability too. Unless you can get a cd5433 or cd5423 with the command center for........ I don't really know what price to put. He said the deck is $600 but he can get it for $410, so I guess unless you can get that eclipse package for $410 or around there, go with the alpine. But damn, I would go for the Eclipse with voice command for 500. That is a tight function...haha.