Audio Setup
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Registered!!
Joined: Oct 2003
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From: Baldwin Park
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Audio Setup
My factory head unit is busted, so I'm looking to just upgrade my entire stereo system. Any input on setups and prices would be appreciated. I'm not looking to spend over $1k for now.
Thanks in advance
-Jacob
Thanks in advance
-Jacob
Don't Hate. Just Envy.
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From: LOS ANGELES_818_SO CAL
Rep Power: 0 Sure heres a pic of it
Brand New ALPINE 7870 Head Unit. COmes with everything thing needed to install and has many great features(comes fromepinions.com):
Mechanics and Installation
The Alpine 7870 is a standard size DIN player so it easily mounts in most dash boards. It sports a detachable faceplate. Unlike many of its competitors’ models, you don’t have to swing the faceplate down to insert and remove CD’s.
There is no remote control.
Manual
The manual is adequate, even though it contains a few errors. You can pretty much figure out how to operate the radio with or without the manual.
Display, Buttons and Clock
The display uses green LED’s with a single red power LED. It looks great in the store, but is not so terrific in actual use. It’s almost impossible to read when lit by direct sunlight. At night the display is overly bright.
On the buttons I find that the white lettering on green background is easy to read in broad daylight, but difficult to read at night despite their illumination. Fortunately, the buttons are arranged well. You’ll quickly learn to find the one you want.
The clock is displayed when the ignition (or ignition accessory function) is turned on, even when the radio is turned off.
Amplifier
The 7870 has all the standard features you would expect to find, including volume, bass, treble, balance and fade controls. These are all fairly easy to operate with the exception that it’s very difficult to turn the radio off.
Alpine advertises the 7870 as having 45W per (4) channel power, but the RMS power output is 20W per channel. I don’t know why car stereo manufacturers feel the need to inflate their power output claims. 20W per channel is more than adequate. I bet this was a man’s idea.
A loudness switch allows you to compensate for poor speakers and/or the selective attenuation of low and high frequencies as you turn the volume down and a mute switch decreases the volume by 10 dB or so.
The “Bass Engine” replaces regular bass and treble controls, allowing you to emphasize or attenuate the bass starting at frequencies around 60, 80, 100 or 200 Hz and change the slew rate (dB vs. frequency) of the in four steps from shallow to steep. The treble is handled similarly, allowing emphasis or attenuation in steps centered around frequencies of 10, 12.5, 15 or 17.5 kHz. This is pretty neat.
There is a single pair (for left and right) of RCA preamplifier outputs to an optional amplifier if you want to rock your car.
AM/FM radio
There are 12 FM (arranged in two groups of 6) and 6 AM presets, i.e., FM1, FM2 and AM. The six frequency preset buttons are conveniently arranged along the bottom of the player, but rather annoyingly displayed as F1, F2, etc.
You can’t listen to satellite radio with this player.
CD Player
The CD player has pause, fast forward and reverse, skip forward and backward, random play and preview controls. You can play home-brewed CD-R and CD-RW audio disks in addition to bona fide record label disks. There is no built-in MP3 playback facility.
The CD player remembers to pick up where it left off after you stop the car although the ignition or accessory ignition switch option has to be turned on in order to insert or remove a CD.
The CD player has excellent immunity to skipping.
Sound quality
The sound quality is very good.
Warranty
1 year parts and labor.
Summary of the most annoying quirks
The display is the weakest feature of this player. Other minor irritation include the difficulty of turning it off and the fact that you have to power the player up in order to insert or remove CD’s. There are some other idiosyncracies, such as its losing the sound for a couple seconds when you are listening to an FM radio station if you eject a CD. The engineers must have been asleep at the design table. The 7870 is okay, but it's not great.
Value for money
The Alpine 7870 offers good value for money, especially being that it’s the cheapest model they make. You get the cachet of the Alpine name at the lowest price. You get a good, solid player with excellent bass and treble controls.
This is not to say that you couldn't find better value from another manufacturer, but you could do much worse.
Recommended
Yes
and that came from epinions.com
Brand New ALPINE 7870 Head Unit. COmes with everything thing needed to install and has many great features(comes fromepinions.com):
Mechanics and Installation
The Alpine 7870 is a standard size DIN player so it easily mounts in most dash boards. It sports a detachable faceplate. Unlike many of its competitors’ models, you don’t have to swing the faceplate down to insert and remove CD’s.
There is no remote control.
Manual
The manual is adequate, even though it contains a few errors. You can pretty much figure out how to operate the radio with or without the manual.
Display, Buttons and Clock
The display uses green LED’s with a single red power LED. It looks great in the store, but is not so terrific in actual use. It’s almost impossible to read when lit by direct sunlight. At night the display is overly bright.
On the buttons I find that the white lettering on green background is easy to read in broad daylight, but difficult to read at night despite their illumination. Fortunately, the buttons are arranged well. You’ll quickly learn to find the one you want.
The clock is displayed when the ignition (or ignition accessory function) is turned on, even when the radio is turned off.
Amplifier
The 7870 has all the standard features you would expect to find, including volume, bass, treble, balance and fade controls. These are all fairly easy to operate with the exception that it’s very difficult to turn the radio off.
Alpine advertises the 7870 as having 45W per (4) channel power, but the RMS power output is 20W per channel. I don’t know why car stereo manufacturers feel the need to inflate their power output claims. 20W per channel is more than adequate. I bet this was a man’s idea.
A loudness switch allows you to compensate for poor speakers and/or the selective attenuation of low and high frequencies as you turn the volume down and a mute switch decreases the volume by 10 dB or so.
The “Bass Engine” replaces regular bass and treble controls, allowing you to emphasize or attenuate the bass starting at frequencies around 60, 80, 100 or 200 Hz and change the slew rate (dB vs. frequency) of the in four steps from shallow to steep. The treble is handled similarly, allowing emphasis or attenuation in steps centered around frequencies of 10, 12.5, 15 or 17.5 kHz. This is pretty neat.
There is a single pair (for left and right) of RCA preamplifier outputs to an optional amplifier if you want to rock your car.
AM/FM radio
There are 12 FM (arranged in two groups of 6) and 6 AM presets, i.e., FM1, FM2 and AM. The six frequency preset buttons are conveniently arranged along the bottom of the player, but rather annoyingly displayed as F1, F2, etc.
You can’t listen to satellite radio with this player.
CD Player
The CD player has pause, fast forward and reverse, skip forward and backward, random play and preview controls. You can play home-brewed CD-R and CD-RW audio disks in addition to bona fide record label disks. There is no built-in MP3 playback facility.
The CD player remembers to pick up where it left off after you stop the car although the ignition or accessory ignition switch option has to be turned on in order to insert or remove a CD.
The CD player has excellent immunity to skipping.
Sound quality
The sound quality is very good.
Warranty
1 year parts and labor.
Summary of the most annoying quirks
The display is the weakest feature of this player. Other minor irritation include the difficulty of turning it off and the fact that you have to power the player up in order to insert or remove CD’s. There are some other idiosyncracies, such as its losing the sound for a couple seconds when you are listening to an FM radio station if you eject a CD. The engineers must have been asleep at the design table. The 7870 is okay, but it's not great.
Value for money
The Alpine 7870 offers good value for money, especially being that it’s the cheapest model they make. You get the cachet of the Alpine name at the lowest price. You get a good, solid player with excellent bass and treble controls.
This is not to say that you couldn't find better value from another manufacturer, but you could do much worse.
Recommended
Yes
and that came from epinions.com
(SnOwBoArDeR | FoReVeR)
iTrader: (9)
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 2,846
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From: Mission Viejo
Rep Power: 304 u said u dont want to spend 1k on ur system right?
then how about, do u have 400$?
i had an all pioneer system in my integra (till my friend totally the damn car 2 weeks after he bought it (stupid *******))
2- 12" pioneer subs 800watts each
2- 6X9 pioneer rear speakers 300 watts each (not sure on the watts)
2- 5 1/4" pioneer front speakers 120 watts each
pioneer head unit model dfh350 i think
900 watts pioneer amplifier
amp kit (forgot the brand, since pioneer doesnt make amp kit) i think they should
u can get all this on etronics.com for more than 500$
and trust me it hits soooooooo hard
then how about, do u have 400$?
i had an all pioneer system in my integra (till my friend totally the damn car 2 weeks after he bought it (stupid *******))
2- 12" pioneer subs 800watts each
2- 6X9 pioneer rear speakers 300 watts each (not sure on the watts)
2- 5 1/4" pioneer front speakers 120 watts each
pioneer head unit model dfh350 i think
900 watts pioneer amplifier
amp kit (forgot the brand, since pioneer doesnt make amp kit) i think they should
u can get all this on etronics.com for more than 500$
and trust me it hits soooooooo hard
Registered!!
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 553
Likes: 0
From: Sherman Oaks, Cali
Rep Power: 0 I can get you a brand new Pioneer DEH-MP7500 hu like mine for 260 + tax here is a link to the pics and specs http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/pe...986137,00.html I can get the rest of you system too for like $1100 tho for 2-6x9's,2-6.5's 2- 12's,2- amps (one for the subs and one for the mainspeakers) a basic box for the subs and that HU just PM me if you want to talk I can get good prices On MTX,PIONEER,CADENCE,PHOINEX GOLD, and so on.
Last edited by Rudeboy; Oct 9, 2003 at 01:03 AM.
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