Everyone talks how Alpine is the best and they are pretty damn good but I also like the new Pioneer's on the market for the 2004 models.

Here's my fav one:

http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetai...d=&newdeptid=9#

I've been big on JVC stuff since I started doing car stereos. I think if you go high end you're going to be happy with most brands. Alpine may VERY well be the better then JVC. But the speakers and amp in my car don't let me hear any perceivable difference. So I'll stand by my JVC. I don't like MP3 players myself. Everyone I've ever had skipped horribly.

Yah I stuck a JVC deck in my moms car and it sounds pretty good with the stock speakers. One thing I've always liked about JVC is the build of their decks. The buttons and dials always feel solid.

The only negative thing I can say about a JVC is that some overheat. Or so I've heard. Mine never have though, and I've been through a few. I won't say every stereo is equal. But I don't think 250 Alpine is better then a 250 JVC or Kenwood or Pioneer. If you buy a 80 Sony Explode from walmart you get a cheap CD player. If you buy a 200-300 dollar stereo you get a much nicer stereo that puts out better sound and has better features. It's really about what you want or need from your stereo. I can't say an Alpine has ever impressed me more then other brands.

Yah they do run really warm. After playing the JVC for around 30 min and I touch the screen it feels like it can burn you.

This is what's in my car right now. Had it almost two years now, I think. It's starting to have trouble ejecting CDs sometimes. Other than that it's good. Oh, and the "DIM" feature is nowhere near dim enough, it lights up the whole car.

I've always been a Pioneer fan for quality gear at a decent price.

I've got a Pioneer DEH-P5500MP, works like a champ, great sound quality, and I've never had an MP3 skip or stutter.

Installed an IP-Bus aux input adapter in the glove box for easy RCA-input and expandability (XM anyone?) and currently have a Belkin auto kit for my iPod (just plug one cable into the iPod and it charges AND provides line-out into my head unit)

Plus a steering wheel remote which sometimes works great, and other times just doesn't have the range it really needs...

Blaupunkt San Francisco CD72, or the new one Blaupunkt made, or the Alpine W/O an internal amp...

I love my CD72, all the figures you'll see are not correct... that thing sounds so much better than every other head unit I've ever had... too bad the 33 watts RMS/65 peak isn't enough for ANY of my speakers....

Blaupunkt has some very nice sounding and looking stuff.

Yeah, I love my San Francisco, so many controls... Looks nice and clean too, not all jumbled up with buttons...

i have had this baby in my 99 black on black miata:

here

it has not given me any problems what-so-ever. plays every data cd filled with mp3s i throw at it. i just need to find a good sub amp for the trunk.

^ Most places are clearing out the very last boxes of last years models, you should take a look into a Rockford 2003 model, you could prob get for a good price. I have an Alpine powering my 2 10" subs right now and I'm satisfied.

ive been waiting for this summer to get a Pioneer DVH-P5000MP
ooooohhhhh, man ive been drooling over that, to put in my 92 heritage edition
(check sig)

Eclipse or Clarion are my two votes. The only thing I hate about the Eclipse decks is no detachable faces. Yeah I know they have the whole Satellite network thing but it doesn't work that great. As far as the sound goes though they are unbelieveable. Clarion isn't too bad either. I don't like Pioneer decks at all.

ESN. Eclipse Security network. Heh. I was more than a little off the mark with that one. Someone misinformed me on it. Here is what it really does:

For security, the unit uses ESN (Eclipse Security Network). This is a system that uses a Key CD, which is needed to reactivate the unit in case of power loss or removal from vehicle. If the Key CD is not inserted, the deck will not operate. After 10 failed attempts, the deck has to be returned to the factory to be reset. It is a clever and effective theft deterrent, and you don't have to carry your faceplate around when you leave the vehicle. Another nice security feature is the ability to display the serial number of the unit by pressing a combination of buttons.

Here is what I have: Kenwood KDC-722
The only gripe I have about it is that the remote is too big... The price is generally around $300.00. I got it from BestBuy for $200.00 after rebates.

Mine lists some where between $750-850, didn't pay that much, Mine has a removable security card, that does the same thing, but I still don't leave the face on there, cause just cause they won't ever be able to make it work again, doesn't mean they won't fuck you car up and take it anyway...

Yeah, unfortunately security measures like that or ESN are based on the assumption that car stereo theifs will know about that system. They fail to recognize that the average car thief is a dumb fuck who wouldn't stay up to date on such things. On the other hand, just about any idiot knows that if they see a deck with no faceplate that it isn't gonna do them any good.

I have a Sony CDX-MP40.. It's rather good but it lacks in bass, it should really have a loudness funtion or a better eq..

And for speakers I have som Alpine 6x9 SPS-690A.. They are quite good for the money..

And for the trunk.. I have an JBL gt3 10".. It's a good one actually =) Lots off deep bass =O the way I like it =P

And the powerplant is a JBL GTO-4000. It runs good with the other stuff I have =)

But the fact that my car sound costs more then the car itself i pretty annoying =)

gonna buy a new one soon though =)

Yeah that is rediculous. I see people like that all over town. $600 POS car with $2,000 kickass stereo. I love my music and having a nice sound system but the car comes first.

i have had 3 sony decks and they all sucked. they skipped alot, and the buttons gave out quick. i am running an alpine now. this is my second one. (upgraded) kenwoods are also very good.

This is what i have in my car. Put together with a Phoenix Gold Tantrum 500.2 Amp and a Phoenix Gold Octane-R 8.04 Amp, Phoenix Gold DVC Subwoofer, Pair of Focal 6.25" components up front and 6x9 Pioneers in the rear deck. My Ride a 1996 Honda Accord EX Coupe dropped 1.8" all around

Wow, this is an old thread. Anyways, IMHO Pioneer just doesn't produce the sound quality that they should for the money. I love their DVD Burners but I won't touch anything else made by them.

I own a $500 Blaupunkt SF CD72, and while it is a nice CD player, I don't feel it was worth the $$$. It's very fragile and there aren't enough options for me... my next deck WILL be Eclipse...

w00t
old thread revival!
guess it doesnt matter much on this part of the forum as there isnt much here, and its a lot less lively than the main modding forums

personally, i have a crappy AIWA CDC-MP3
got it back when car cd players first started playing MP3
its a piece of crap because MP3 playback skips a lot, plays cds good, and it has a line input, so that works fine to plug in my Nomad Jukebox
Id get rid of it, but I want to get a different car soon, so it may be pointless.

http://img.neoseeker.com/v_image.php?articleid=624ℑ=21

I have a rockford rfx9000, and i am pretty happy with it. It does really well with mp3 disks but will skip if u are on a bumpy road (read shit ass gravel road) or if u smoke a big hole when using regular cds. The thing i like most about it is the volume knob... so much nicer than buttons.