ok so its a toss up between the pioneer deck and the alpine. im more leaning towards the alpine from what my bro told me (cd5_tunr). but thing is i cant find the alpine in stores. i can get the pioneer for 270 flat and the alpine is going for 279.99 (not including tax and shipping) on crutchfield.com and woofersetc.com. any other online sources that carry the alpine for cheaper?

 

Pionner all I hear about on here is how great Alpine is and I'm not at all impressed with the one I own. I also own a JVC Aresonal and it is a lot better. Goes a lot louder without getting distorted a lot cleaner sounding and overall just a lot better. I don't know about regular JVC HU's though they may suck but I like my Aresonal a lot. The Alpine is a good HU don't get me wrong just a dissapointment compared to the JVC. I also have a friend that had an Alpine that also didn't sound as good as my JVC Aresonal either. I don't know why everyone likes Alpine so much I just don't see it. My AResonal allows you to control your subs has aux input on the front this years model doesn't I don't think though. Basically does everything the Alpine does plus more and does a better job at most of it.

 

94<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by JRizEJ6 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">ok so its a toss up between the pioneer deck and the alpine. im more leaning towards the alpine from what my bro told me (cd5_tunr). but thing is i cant find the alpine in stores. i can get the pioneer for 270 flat and the alpine is going for 279.99 (not including tax and shipping) on crutchfield.com and woofersetc.com. any other online sources that carry the alpine for cheaper?</TD></TR></TABLE>One of the things you run into when getting stuff online is warranty, evan if you get warranty from an online outlet, how does it work, how long is it, who pays for shipping? At my shop we are an Alpine dealer so you get 1 year parts and labour on the HU, and if we install it, lifetime on the install, over the counter exchange if the HU fails in the first 30 days, after 30 days, we will reinstall your OEM HU or lend you one till you get yours back from repair. Support your local retail outlet, you do get what you pay for.

 

I would say these are what I would get in this order
JVC Aresonal
Pionner
Alpine
Eclipse

Eclipse and Alpine may be switched around not really sure like them both. Alpine makes one of the better decks out there don't get me wrong but there are a few that are better.

 

keep in mind that its a $250-$300 max. on the HU

 

I would order from Crutchfield. Very good support if you have any problems they are an autherized dealer if you ever need warrenty work. They are sometimes a little more than other places but it is worth it if you have problems with it. I might also check out a local dealer if you can find one that has them.

 

I don't have much experience with the alpine (although I know it's a quality unit), but:

Pioneer 860mp premier: My friend has this, and I think it's great.

6.5v pre-outs
Burr-brown
13 band graphic EQ
nice display (comparable to Alpine's biolite, but maybe slightly less impressive)
I think it looks nicer overall though...
Flexible X-overs

I think the Pioneer is just a more capable headunit in terms of tuning. I think it's a better deal.

For reference, I own the eclipse cd8053, which has slightly more powerful tuning than this pioneer, but what I like most of all = balanced outputs. It used to be that I was an Alpine guy, but now the only real alpine units I like are WAY too expensive for us... F#1, or I guess the h701 processor is somewhat reasonable.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by RUBZERK &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I think this deck is better all around.


</TD></TR></TABLE>

are you serious...???
naw stick with alpine...

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by hometheaterman &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I would say these are what I would get in this order
JVC Arsenal
Pioneer
Alpine
Eclipse

Eclipse and Alpine may be switched around not really sure like them both. Alpine makes one of the better decks out there don't get me wrong but there are a few that are better.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Obviously you haven't heard a "good" system...JVC as your first choice? Immediately you have been discredited.

You guys need to really take a step back and think about what you are using these units for. Bumping your local Best Buy subs? Yeah...Grab a Pioneer or JVC. You want good sound? Quality sound, with flexibility and actual SQ control? Go get yourself an Eclipse or Alpine.

Those of you that keep claiming Pioneer...Does pioneer have an 8 volt pre-out like Eclipse, does Alpine have an 8 volt pre-out? probably not.

 

Alpine is the way to go.....with some JL subs

Yeah Buddy

 

The pioneer has GREAT SQ control; I'd say the tuning capability is at least as good as the Alpine's. Furthermore, the fact that eclipse has 8v preouts is nice, but it's also not necessary. For that matter, the Pioneer has 6.5v preouts (which is closer to 8v than the Alpine's). I own the eclipse cd8053 for reference.

Note that even 4v preouts are good enough, just not when the preouts have stability issues and don't output what they claim (some alpine units had issues with this, but it still didn't matter much).

What we want out of a deck:

Low jitter transport
Transparent DAC
Tuning: X-over, T/A, EQ
Capable Analog outputs
Ease of Use
Reliability

I think the pioneer satisfies that BETTER than the Alpine does. Throw in aesthetics and I award the pioneer a few more points.


NOTE: Referring the Pioneer 860mp premier ONLY.

About JVC: heh...not bad units, but not quite in-league with these guys.

 

alpine.... i have had like 3 alpine decks and i love them....my brother just bought an alpine 9827....its pretty nice....imo go with alpine....

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by archmage &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">The pioneer has GREAT SQ control; I'd say the tuning capability is at least as good as the Alpine's. Furthermore, the fact that eclipse has 8v preouts is nice, but it's also not necessary. For that matter, the Pioneer has 6.5v preouts (which is closer to 8v than the Alpine's). I own the eclipse cd8053 for reference.

Note that even 4v preouts are good enough, just not when the preouts have stability issues and don't output what they claim (some alpine units had issues with this, but it still didn't matter much).

What we want out of a deck:

Low jitter transport
Transparent DAC
Tuning: X-over, T/A, EQ
Capable Analog outputs
Ease of Use
Reliability

I think the pioneer satisfies that BETTER than the Alpine does. Throw in aesthetics and I award the pioneer a few more points.


NOTE: Referring the Pioneer 860mp premier ONLY.

About JVC: heh...not bad units, but not quite in-league with these guys.
</TD></TR></TABLE>


i would agree with you to a certain extent.....i owned the p860mp for about 2 months and i thought it was great.....sound quality, aesthetics, ergonomics, and the price....

i found a great deal on an alpine 9835 last week ($250 used) and i thought i'd give it a try.....to say the least, i SOLD my p860mp...

reason being sound quality....the xover filters on the alpine are much more detailed and noticable, and they're not really "preset" like the pioneer's, you can change the slope by more than 6-12db.....i really liked that

the bass focus, 26watts rms, and the i-personalize options are plus's too...

three things that i'd put the 860 over the 9835 are the display (the color one is really attractive), and the 13band eq, as opposed to alpine's 5-band eq, and mp3 file access...the alpine has a 1-second pause before each track, but the pioneer was instant....every other option will go to the alpine hands down

anyways, if i would recommend a deck to anyone, it would be the Alpine 9835...YES it is a little bit on the pricey side, but not much more than the 860mp, so give it a whirl....you'll be pleasantly surprised like i was....the sound produced by this thing is just amazing....period

just for reference, here's both decks mounted in my car....

 

ok thing is i got a homeboy that works at best buy. he can hook me up with employee discount (paid $55 for a $250 viper alarm) on decks. they dont sell alpine decks at best buy but they do carry the pioneer 7600mp and the 8600mp. the only thing i dont like about the 8600 is the right ****. it just feels like it doesnt belong there.and from the looks of it i guess sony is out of the picture? so now my choice is the pioneer but only because of the hook up.and is there a big difference between the 760 and 860?

 

wait it out a month...

best buy is going to start distributing alpine in february....just wait it out mang

http://www.alpine-usa.com/comp....html

 

i think thats an ugly alpine. i love my 7995. only problem is i bought it off some dude who stole it. oh well i dont know the guy who originally owned it so i shouldn't feel bad right? well, whatever the thief did to get it he must've caused an intermittent problem with it, because every now and then the deck shuts on and off rapidly or twice a second. but all i have to do is detatch the face and put it back on and it works again. it only does this about 4 or 5 times a day so its not that bad. it was still worth the 100 bucks i paid for it.

 

pioneer 7600

 

Alpine 9835 is great. I agree.

BUT - this thread referred to the 9851, which is not quite as nice. I realize that the original poster didn't mention the 860mp either, though, so the 9835 is a fair entry as it is more in-league with the 860mp.

Pioneer 860mp premier may cost a bit more than the 9851, but it's worth it. The 9835 may cost still more, but, well basically SpoonFedHatch detailed it. I think the main advantage the 9835 has over the pioneer is the x-over flexibility. The 860mp still has the 18db/octave option for the bass x-over, and 12db/octave is sufficient for mid/high. I really don't think the 9835 has too much an advantage unless you really need the higher order slopes.

The Pioneer EQ, though graphic, is still 13 bands, compared to a 5 band parametric on the 9835. I'd take the 13 bands even if they are pre-determined.

And even though it probably doesn't matter, the pioneer has 24bit burr-brown DAC, vs. even the 9835's 6x 1-bit array. Note that Alpine's Flagship headunit, the F#1, uses Burr-brown. Again, I don't claim that this makes an audible difference in this case. My eclipse cd8053 uses the 24bit delta-sigma, sounds fine.

Note: Pioneer p860mp premier is not the same as p8600mp (though similar).

 

Between the 7600/760mp and the 9851:

The pioneer has the better EQ, the Alpine allows for 3-way crossover instead of just 2-way. They both have just 2v preouts. Perhaps the other, less popular brands might be a better option at this price.

I'd actually look for the older lines of Alpine/Pioneer though, at this price-point.

I'd look for: 840mp or 850mp within pioneer (still only 2-way x-over though, but has 4v preouts); or Alpine's 9833 (a bit costly) or 9815/9813/9811 or something like that. Unfortunately I cannot recall all the specs on those. Pioneer's tuning capability only really became impressive in the last generation though, so Alpine has them beat there. Pioneers had the stronger preouts regardless of the fact that they were both rated at 4v.

Ok, that was a lot of info...

EDIT: there is a HUGE difference between 760mp and 860mp; different classes entirely. The 760mp compares favorably with the older Pioneer 840/850mp, but it has the weak 2v preouts instead of 4v. There may be some other differences.

The 860mp is in a whole new game, as is the alpine 9835 (compared to the 9851). I've already gone over those features. If you don't care for the tuning capability, or you won't feel that you'll use it, then don't bother with these. And in that case, don't listen to people like me.

Well actually, listen to this: Listen to the more normal people in the thread who have needs similar to your own. And, JVC/kenwood CAN belong in a decent system, ESPECIALLY compared against these midlevel alpine/pioneer units. Axe the Sony though...eheh - nope.

 

I'm seriously suprised by how many of you guys like Pioneer...They're just not that great of a unit for serious audiophiles. You're making them seem like they sound that great, when they really don't. I can't recall one system I have seen in any magazine (Car Audio) that has used a Pioneer deck.

And everyone here also seems brainwashed by Alpine...Although I have used two Alpine decks in previous systems they have always seemed glitchy after long hours of use, and heat up excessively.

You want good SQ, give Nakamichi or Eclipse a try.

 

id say the alpine

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by JRizEJ6 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> the only thing i dont like about the 8600 is the right ****. it just feels like it doesnt belong there.</TD></TR></TABLE>

It feels different because it is a soft key. Basically it is a multifunction ****, almost like a joystick.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Mr. ThunderLips &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> I can't recall one system I have seen in any magazine (Car Audio) that has used a Pioneer deck.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

Personally I would rather compare specs than be influenced by the system some magazine editor deemed worthy of print.

I have seen 860mp decks in SQ vehicles, and when the DEX-P1R came out, it was the deck to have. In many ways it still is a great unit. I know, I still have two.

I run an 860mp currently, with no external processing, other than a PG Bass Cube. The amplification is a PG ZPA0.5 running PPI Pro Series 10s, and a PG ZPA0.3 running MB Quart Q components. I would easily rank the 860mp as a stellar performer, transparent, and very user friendly.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Jim Truett &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
Personally I would rather compare specs than be influenced by the system some magazine editor deemed worthy of print.
.</TD></TR></TABLE>

It was a blanket statement, meant to merely suggest other brands...Everyone seems mesmorized over Pioneer...I am just trying to open people up to better units.

But I guess if you like flashy lights and little dolphins on your screen, then cool.

 

maybe i should state that im not a hardcore audio master blaster mixer. i just want an mp3 deck that looks nice and sounds good. so in other words i have no idea what %80 of the people in this thread said so now its down to either wait for alpine to hit best buy or i can either get a pioneer 8600mp for $291 ($399 w/o best buy homeboy discount) or a step below to the 7600mp for $279 (note i havent check how much the discount is for this but expect it to make a big difference). so its more than likely that ill be getting the 7600mp.

 

i like it