[WICKED]

Hi guys, I been lurking around here for a couple of weeks while doing research on the tC. I finally got one about 2 or 3 weeks ago and I love it! Im thinking about updating the head unit, I have an ipod so I had my eye on this bad boy Alpine CDA-9855 but considering the price of that beast plus the ipod hook up which is $99 more I could get something like http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?sk...d=1113953645844 or this http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?sk...d=1108125505761.

I don't really plan on watching dvds in the car but price wise its worth looking at. What do you guys think?

 

[nY1018]

i liek the Jensen, but are they well-known?

 

[ScionGTR]

Kinda Jensen is copmany under Audiovox. If Audiovox doesnt speak for its self then just check them on the web.

 

[Scamboogery]

I just installed an Alpine CDA-9851 HU and a SIRIUS tuner from Crutchfield. I originally wanted to get the SIRIUS tuner ($284.57 delivered from mcgeorgeparts.com) for the stock HU. I decided to order the Alpine CDA-9851 from Crutchfield for $279.99 - $20 (I used a special offer code PA166) and then I placed a second order for a SIRIUS SIR-ALP1 (I reused the special offer code PA166 [it's $20 off $100 so I threw in a Crimp-on F Connector for 36 cents]) which cost $99.99 -$20 and a $50 rebate! My total was 289.98 for both!!! Installation was a breeze and the Alpine HU blows away the stock HU, plus I've gained a remote and another cubby hole.

 

[WICKED]

did you have to use any sort of mount kit?

 

[LaVaism]

Wicked, I would do some shopping around before you bought those HU from Best Buy you can find them a lot cheaper.

I like the Pioneer HU myself but they are a bit pricy.

 

[phibonez]

my vote for the alpines

im working partime at Best buy(only week ends), ohh gosh fat discounts<< gotta love it heh

 

[basilisk4]

It seems to me it's wdely accepted that Jensen sucks. My first car HU was a Jensen, and it was a real POS. In-dash screens are pointless to me, so I would go with the Alpine.

 

[Scamboogery]

Originally posted by WICKED@Jun 19 2005, 09:06 PM
did you have to use any sort of mount kit?

Cruchfield supplies the mount kit and wiring harness.

 

[phungy]

My roommate's girlfriend bought him the Alpine CDA-9855 and I like it alot but then again I've always been a fan of Alpine. He told me it only cost her about $250 though (eBay?). I could be a different model but it looks exactly the same.

 

[WICKED]

I just wanna say I saw the Alpine unit at best buy and i was really unimpressed with the quality and craftmenship. It looked and felt like it would fall apart after a months use and none of the ones they had on display would open. The guy told me they locked up after the first week they got there. Im more intersted in the pioneer ones now. Shame cause the design was cool but for the price the quality was no where near.

 

[&The TC& @HTown]

Hey all, IMO Alpine and Pioneer probably make the best headunits, and yes Jensen is way down there in terms of comparative quality...cheap though!

 

[simplespirit]

This all comes down to how much you enjoy your music and if it's worth the money to make it sound as close to as intended by the artist as possible. Anything worthy of that won't have a built-in amp and the only units Apline or Pioneer make like that will run you ~2,000. I definitely wouldn't consider Jensen high-end in the car audio market. That being said, I originally contemplated the 9855 and iPod hookup but I read too many bad reviews about changing and searching tracks being extremely slow so I just installed the Eclipse 8053 I already had which has an aux in and run the iPod through that. I have to control the tracks through the iPod but it's fast and the sound is near CD quality.

 

[onefunkyfreshdj]

Jensen considers themselves high end but I consider them crap.

 

[aznxthuggie]

do not get the jensen

 

[EPSILON7617]

i always say that you shouldnt get anything you can buy at a best buy or a circuit city. If you wanna sound really good get an eclipse. You should learn about the pre-outs and compare. eclipse does like 8 volt preouts for every pre out. alpine and others do 8 volt pre outs too but they are 8 volt total not each. thats what you get with companys that go for quantity sold not quality.
personally the best sounding head units are eclipse one without an amp built in. You have to connect it to a 4 channel amp to power your speakers. it comes out very clean with very low thd. (total harmonic distortion)

pm me with any questions or whatever