Hello H-Techers,

My Alpine CDA-7894 is finally dead and I'm looking for an equally good model or better. I really liked the 65x4 watt powered stereo but it's time to move on. So I was thinking of getting the Alpine IDA-X303 as I want to move forward on the MP3 side of car audio.
Any opinions on this model? or any sugestions on other Awesome head units? I was also considering a JVC Kameleon, or a Pioneer unit (can't find the model). I want something that blings and sings if ya know what I mean!!

Please help me figure out a powerfull deck under $300 or less.

Thanks in advance!!
Darrell

 

meh, it's an alrite deck

kenwood kdc-hd942u is better, so is the alpine 9886 and 9887.

 

Thanks for the input. I will research these. Anyone else care to chime in?

 

do you plan to upgrade your speakers? the 9887 is an AMAZING deck but i feel it would be too much of a deck for a plain ol user...

 

I need an amazing deck dude and im definately not plain. I will reaserch the 9887 thanks.

Right now I have some decent polk audios up front and some beat up pioneers 5x9 in the back but they sound ok. The speakers were good enough for the Alpine 65x4 watt head unit. I also have a sony explode 1000 watt monoblock amp powering a W3 12" JL Sub. I do eventually want to upgrade the speakers, but for now i'm good. What speakers would you go for and sub, kikckers, MTX, Alpine? What bumps flawlessly with best bang for the buck? Every now and then my sub would fart on super deep bass hits (Hate That), you know like Bubba Sparx heehee. It would freak me out every time.

 

budget?

 

I just checked out the 9887 on youtube and seems pretty sick. It doesn't seem any more coomplicated then my dead Alpine CDA-7894 though, but the interface is a lot better. The only thing I'd have to say is that I wish it had USB, or blue tooth capabilities. Thats what seemed cool about the IDA-X303.I also plan on leaving CD's at home instead of them bouncing off the walls of my car getting scratched.

As for how much I can spend on speakers? Now $0, a few months maybe $400-$500 snaps.
I want something better then what I have now but dont want to buy like a JL W7 or anything. I don't want to win sound contests but want to Thump Loud with no distortion.

 

Any other ideas anyone?

 

u planning on using an amp?

 

amp is a must imo

 

What is wrong with the CDA-7894?
Other then features like Bluetooth, USB input or iPod direct control you will be hard pressed to find a better HU then the CDA-7894.

I have to agree, You should look into the Alpine ... http://www.alpine-usa.com/US-en/prod...model=CDA-9887 or even the Alpine... http://www.alpine-usa.com/US-en/prod...model=CDA-9886 94

 

Whats wrong with the CDA 7894 is that its toast now. I did love it though and was the best stereo owned as of yet, very powerfull. The main problems I've had with it is CD actuator not taking CD in sometimes, some CD's wont work at all even when new, and radio reception was always poor unlike the Panasonic I used to own. I'm leaning towards the CDA-9886 or 9887.

Edzy....... I only have a 1000 watt Sony Explode monoblock for the Sub. Being that my deck was about 65x4 watts (not rms) it was pretty sufficient. After I upgrade though, I'd like to get an amp for the other 4 speakers.

 

most decks only put out 18 watts rms

you also don't need 4 speakers. a pair of comps upfront, a 2 or 4 channel amp, and some sound deadening is all u need.

 

Interesting..I feel like four is better, but understand good speakers can make a huge difference. I still would have to put four speakers though because i'm to stubborn fool there. I was watching youtube videos of diy custom fiberglass sub enclousures pretty interesting stuff. I'd like to learn how to install and fabricate stereo setups. What are comp speakers? Competition? Sorry newb to speakers

 

component speakers

there's 2 and 3 way sets

2 ways are a mid and a tweet with a crossover

3 ways are midbass, mid, tweet, and crossover.

a properly setup set off good power in a properly deadened door is more than enough for anyone.

besides, rear speakers just pull your soundstage back.

 

That's to bad the Alpine CDA- 7894 and 7893 were truly "high power" HUs, 4x26W RMS into 4 ohms, if I remember correctly.
The new CDA- 9887 is only 4x18W RMS, for a better high-pass/lo-pass watt ratio, [to match your 1000W Sony mono block amp, probably around 1x400W RMS, need model number] a 4x75W RMS amp would be about right.

Run mid-range/mid-bass speakers in the rear, no tweeters, wire them in series and connect them to the bridged rear channels of the 4ch amp, and band-pass them, for a mono rear fill, it will help with imaging and staging and pretty much eliminate left/right bias.

Whether you use multi-element, component or point source speakers it is the speaker install that will determine what they sound like, your better off with properly installed entry level speakers then you are with improperly installed "high end" speakers. 94

 

This guy is an idiot. If you have a good front stage, you're really not going to hear the rear speakers anyways. Also you get imaging issues, time delay issues if you want to get technical... more money, more power.. etc etc... once you hear a car with a great front stage, you'd understand.

Rear speakers take alot away from your imaging. First there is the time delay issue but more importantly, your sound is supposed to "appear" as though the singer is on the dash. This means that the majority of sound needs to come from in front of you. If you have a bunch of sound coming from behind you, it adds NOTHING and only takes away from the goal. It makes it that much harder to achieve.

Stock speaker locations are not there for audiophiles. If auto manufacturers ever get into SQ competitions then you won't need to replace a single speaker and you can be happy with the factory locations. It makes no sense to accept that you need to replace the factory speaker because it's crappy but believe the location it was placed in is superior in some way.

 

Technically components are speakers that have a tweeter that is not mounted within the mid/midbass. They are separate and tend to have an external crossover unit.

 

Rear speakers with disconnected tweeters won't put out the higher freq, only the lower ones, so the singer will still "appear" to come from the dash and a majority of the sound does come from the front.
The backs are just used for rear fill.
Speakers in concerts are all placed in the front due to feedback issues with having rear speakers pointing toward the stage. In a car it doesn't matter.
I prefer the sound of "rear fill" to having merely a front stage...
And where the hell else are you going to put speakers in a car besides the door without lots of time and money invested and significantly altering the car?

 

That's where sound deadening and mdf rings come into play.

 

I just asked you where you would put the speakers besides the door.

 

There's no where else you can put them really.

if it were me,i'd stuff an 8 in the door and a mid and tweet in the apillers

 

alpine 9886/7 are great decks, i have the lower modle cda 9884, and i still freaking love that thing,

personaly i like the sound coming a little more from the rear.

 

Dumbass, your not supposed to hear the rear speakers, wiring them in series will cut output by 50%, [3dB], wired in mono will remove any left/right definition from the rear, no highs from rear will remove directionality, rear fill in a car will bring the front staging up by eliminating left/right bias.

If you think a good sound stage and imaging is the singer "appearing" to come from the dash you need to go back the audio school.

If you looked you would know the Alpine CDA-9887/86 both have 6ch time correction so "time delay" is not an issue, if you could read you would know there is no "bunch of sound" coming from the rear, and the solution to a good sounding system is not "more money more power etc etc...", you may think you know what your doing, it is becoming more and more obvious that you know ****, or to be kind, you know very little. 94

 

The people where he gets his information from:
http://www.soundsolutionsaudio.com/f...0&#entry567530