? for the audiophiles
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? for the audiophiles
So i've been doing some research on headunits at some local car audio places and a couple of the more posh boutiques have said that some headunits produce "cleaner" sound than others. They're not talking about the quality of the internal amp's capacity because the ones they're talking about have no internal amps... purely through the signal going to the amp.
From my experience with pro-audio I would assume that this can be the case... i guess it's similar to the analogy of using cheap lamp wire for your sub vs. some large gauge deoxigenated wire. I've heard that alpines tend to be quite clean while some of the kenwoods tend to distor a bit. I don't know if any that is tru, but I thought someone out there in the crowd might know. And could anyone make a recommendation of a "clean" souding headunit... if they do exist in mobile audio land
From my experience with pro-audio I would assume that this can be the case... i guess it's similar to the analogy of using cheap lamp wire for your sub vs. some large gauge deoxigenated wire. I've heard that alpines tend to be quite clean while some of the kenwoods tend to distor a bit. I don't know if any that is tru, but I thought someone out there in the crowd might know. And could anyone make a recommendation of a "clean" souding headunit... if they do exist in mobile audio land
Yup, i'm an A$$hole.
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Rep Power: 328 The biggest difference you'll hear in sound from most HU's in the $200-$600 price range is just from the built in equalizers and whatnot. You won't have a real difference in clean output till you move up to HU's like Denon which is expensive, but not as much as Alpine's F1Status HU which is $4,000. IMO, unless the rest of your stereo is equally high end, spending that much on a HU is useless.
i boogie for the raindrops
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Rep Power: 0 mystic (for once 
) makes a valid point. your system is only as good as its weakest link. unless youve got great speaker placement, massive sound deadening, quality amps, quality spoeakers, and an overall good system, youre not gonna hear a squeak of a difference from a low end pioneer to a denon dct-z1 (assuming identical equalization is used). the only thing that makes unit one better than unit two would be features and processing. im soon buying one of the new pioneer 860 mp's because of the built in 13 band graphic eq, but for nothing else.
) makes a valid point. your system is only as good as its weakest link. unless youve got great speaker placement, massive sound deadening, quality amps, quality spoeakers, and an overall good system, youre not gonna hear a squeak of a difference from a low end pioneer to a denon dct-z1 (assuming identical equalization is used). the only thing that makes unit one better than unit two would be features and processing. im soon buying one of the new pioneer 860 mp's because of the built in 13 band graphic eq, but for nothing else. 
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Rep Power: 0 Yeah, i'm really disappointed with my kenwood... it's nothing special but it was one of the earlier HU's that played mp3's. I've considered buying an external EQ, but i think i'd rather have a HU with the capabilities. Some of the car audio places have been telling me that I need a super expensive HU to have good sound, but i figured that they just wanted my money. I can see how if you've got an awesome system it could make a difference cuz my dad does a lot of pro audio work and i've been lucky enough over the years to experience some of the subtle changes he's made to his listening system. He's been working a lot with dvd-a and 96/24 which is simply amazing! I can't wait till i can have 96/24 in my car... someday.
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Rep Power: 0 you need to look at pre amp output voltage you dont want anything lower than a 4 volt output if you want to run a big clean system. 5 volt or even 8 volt would be best but this starts to get very expensive 4 is best over all for sound quality vs $$$
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Rep Power: 0 IMO, the cleanest sound you will ever get is a optical digital out unit, passing it through an external DA converter installed in the trunk, and from there to your amp....Minimize loss and noise(I don't see optical cable has any kind of "noise" getting in there compare to RCA cable)...
In general, a long(15 ft for our car?) from headunit to amp may:
1. have noise interference depending on the size of the cable(thicker is better)
2. have some loss in sound quality and signal strength depending on the size of the cable(thinner is better)
very controversal.....
Also, external DA converter are usually higher quality than headunit's DA converter. Even with the same grade DAC, having the DAC closer to the amp will make the sound much cleaner. That's why most audiophile grade headunits have optical digital output.
In general, a long(15 ft for our car?) from headunit to amp may:
1. have noise interference depending on the size of the cable(thicker is better)
2. have some loss in sound quality and signal strength depending on the size of the cable(thinner is better)
very controversal.....
Also, external DA converter are usually higher quality than headunit's DA converter. Even with the same grade DAC, having the DAC closer to the amp will make the sound much cleaner. That's why most audiophile grade headunits have optical digital output.
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Rep Power: 0 Most important, the quality and level of DAC will determine the sound quality. It is the most important thing. Second most impoartant is DC-DC converter if you are to use internal DAC.
Here are some statistics of DAC used in dead heads:
Alpine CDA-7990, 24-bit 96kHz Burr Brown K Grade DAC
Alpine DVA-7996, 16-bit to 24-bit 44-96kHz Multi-level DAC
Other Alpine, 1-bit Regulated (independent power supply) DAC
Clarion DRZ-9255, 24-bit 96kHz Burr Brown DAC(used units only)
Eclipse 8061, 24-bit 96kHz DAC(used units only)
Nakamichi CD700, 24-bit 44.1kHz DAC
Pioneer Premier DEX-P9, 24-bit DAC
Examples of external DAC:
Alpine PXA-H900, 24bit 96kHz Burr Brown K Grade DAC, 5.1 channel
Alpine PXA-H700, 16~24bit 96kHz Multi-level DAC, 5.1 channel
Alpine PXA-H600, 20-bit Burr Brown Sign Magnitude Dual 20-bit DAC
Here are some statistics of DAC used in dead heads:
Alpine CDA-7990, 24-bit 96kHz Burr Brown K Grade DAC
Alpine DVA-7996, 16-bit to 24-bit 44-96kHz Multi-level DAC
Other Alpine, 1-bit Regulated (independent power supply) DAC
Clarion DRZ-9255, 24-bit 96kHz Burr Brown DAC(used units only)
Eclipse 8061, 24-bit 96kHz DAC(used units only)
Nakamichi CD700, 24-bit 44.1kHz DAC
Pioneer Premier DEX-P9, 24-bit DAC
Examples of external DAC:
Alpine PXA-H900, 24bit 96kHz Burr Brown K Grade DAC, 5.1 channel
Alpine PXA-H700, 16~24bit 96kHz Multi-level DAC, 5.1 channel
Alpine PXA-H600, 20-bit Burr Brown Sign Magnitude Dual 20-bit DAC
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Rep Power: 338 Originally posted by LudlamTheory
your system is only as good as its weakest link. unless youve got great speaker placement, massive sound deadening, quality amps, quality spoeakers, and an overall good system, youre not gonna hear a squeak of a difference from a low end pioneer to a denon dct-z1
your system is only as good as its weakest link. unless youve got great speaker placement, massive sound deadening, quality amps, quality spoeakers, and an overall good system, youre not gonna hear a squeak of a difference from a low end pioneer to a denon dct-z1
Originally posted by half_n_half17
Some of the car audio places have been telling me that I need a super expensive HU to have good sound
Some of the car audio places have been telling me that I need a super expensive HU to have good sound
Originally posted by rinsincivic
you need to look at pre amp output voltage you dont want anything lower than a 4 volt output if you want to run a big clean system.
you need to look at pre amp output voltage you dont want anything lower than a 4 volt output if you want to run a big clean system.
I should also say my pioneer has a 1 bit DAC on it as well.....
do the SQ judges here just have no idea what they are doing?
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From: bay area, california
Rep Power: 338 Registered!!
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Rep Power: 338 "If you are considering a two way comp set for the kicks, and were wondering what to look for in terms of kick location compatibility and great results in terms of SQ, don’t look for any magical answers here."
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