Which HU Is the best one?

DarkShadow · 5 Nov 2006 at 23:26

Basically I have a Ipod nano that I would like to use along with the usual stuff such as good sound qual etc. I know it may not be much but my budget is arounds £150 at a push as I'm hoping to see this as an invest. For example, when I buy a new car I could transfer my kit over and so on.

I've been looking at all sorts and I've narrowed it down to Pioneer & Alpine HU's.

I've also seen a fancy Clarion HU which costs arounds £335 but is avail @ a certain e-tailer for arounds £180.

http://caraudiosecurity.com/shop/product/products_id/4298.html

Here are some units I've been looking at:

http://www.caraudiodirect.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=4679

http://www.caraudiodirect.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=3823 (Cheapest)

http://www.caraudiodirect.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=4683

http://www.caraudiodirect.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=4109
(Expensiver)

I'd appreciate any suggestions/advice you guys could offer.

Cheers

Reality Bites · 5 Nov 2006 at 23:33

I have the 9853 but unless you're going to mess around setting up all the graphic equaliser etc i would go for something else. There's no simple settings on this one where you can adjust bass/treble etc but you get a wide range of options when it comes to setting up the graphics. There's plenty of preset and you can program your own.

I've tried to set my 'sound' up at the amp end and leave the graphic as neutral.

Also, some find the slide bar difficult to use, but it's not bad once you've played with it for a bit.

The sound of the alpines can get a little harsh if you're not carefull what you pair them with speaker wise. Mine took a good 20 hours before it tamed down.

If i were to buy again, i would have gone for one of the higher end pioneers.

DarkShadow · 6 Nov 2006 at 15:23

Anyone else?

MagicBoy · 6 Nov 2006 at 21:48

I had a Alpine 9855 on loan from a mate for a while after he upgraded (same as the 9853 but with a fancy display). It lasted 10 days before I ripped it out and put the OEM Fisher Price style headunit back in. The Alpines sound fantastic but the inaccuracy of the glidetouch, the amount of messing around to setup the sound, the sheer stupidity of the radio interface and the treacly ssssllloooowww iPOD browsing did my head in. I just wasn't prepared to spend 10 minutes setting up the music before I drove anywhere.

So forget the glidetouch 9853 - it's a pain in the arse to use. If you are using an iPOD then get the 9850 as the full speed iPOD interface makes a world of difference. The 9847 will in all likelyhood sound nearly as good as the more expensive model and be simpler to use (relative to normal Alpine standards).

Not seen the Pioneer, but one of the guys at work swears by his bluetooth equipped DEH-P55BT.

wez130 · 6 Nov 2006 at 22:04

how about scrap the ipod idea (just a suggestion), and go for a HU with USB input then buy a portable HD (160gig can be had for £50)

I've just bought the Kenwood KDC-W534UA with 1gig USB stick for £135 from caraudiodirect and am well pleased with it. Go and have a look in Halfords, they have it for £200

Dublove · 7 Nov 2006 at 13:19

I have a pioneer deh 75bt (can't remember the full model name). Had it a week and very impressed. Display looks identical to the 6800mp. Sound quality is great, easy to use. The ipod adapter is a solid bit of kit too, playlists and track names come up instantly. Get the steeringwheel remote as well.

jpmonkey69 · 7 Nov 2006 at 13:26

Dublove said:
I have a pioneer deh 75bt (can't remember the full model name). Had it a week and very impressed. Display looks identical to the 6800mp. Sound quality is great, easy to use. The ipod adapter is a solid bit of kit too, playlists and track names come up instantly. Get the steeringwheel remote as well.

I've got a DEH -P75BT too

It's by far and away the best HU I've owned... The BT handsfree kit is hella ace too!

paradigm · 7 Nov 2006 at 13:31

jpmonkey69 said:
I've got a DEH -P75BT too It's by far and away the best HU I've owned... The BT handsfree kit is hella ace too!

I'll echo that but with a slightly lower model, the DEH-P55BT. Awesome headunits.

lordrobs · 7 Nov 2006 at 13:41

paradigm said:
I'll echo that but with a slightly lower model, the DEH-P55BT. Awesome headunits.

Me too, me too!

The bluetooth is fantastic but its fantastic in that you forget all about it and god forbid you ever be without one again. I just take it as a given that getting in my car with my phone with the bluetooth on in my pocket means that any calls are going to come over my cars speakers in crystal clear quality.

Looks great now I've got over the new toy colour scheme and set it to a nice subtle amber button and display combo.

DarkShadow · 8 Nov 2006 at 20:02

paradigm said:
I'll echo that but with a slightly lower model, the DEH-P55BT. Awesome headunits.

I've seen this on for £175 inc free delivery. However, It doesn't support the Sony Ericsson P900 which is what I currently have and P990i which is probably my new phone to be.

So I think I'll give the whole bluetooth Idea a miss.

Recieving a lot of mixed feedback on which HU's to go for, some people have been recommending the 9853 and swearing by it and others against it.

I'm completely clueless on what to get

The Pioneer 6800MP is similar to the P55BT but better, bar the capabillity of having bluetooth according to the spec sheets.

Would appreciate any more advice please, completely baffled :confused:

Dublove · 9 Nov 2006 at 11:23

Get the pioneer mate. You wont regret it. I've just been very impressed with pioneer of late, Just ordered Pioneer 4channel and monoblock amps and a sub.

A lot of people say Alpine are great but I can't comment the thing that puts me off Alpine HU's is that they all look the same and look very cluttered imo.

paradigm · 9 Nov 2006 at 11:31

The bluetooth doesn't officially support my phone either, but so long as the device supports the wireless headset profile, bluetooth WILL work.