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Old 05-31-2003, 09:41 AM   #1
gills
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Default Sony Head units, what do you know about them?

Hey guys, i'm looking at this sony head unit:


To me it seems like a very good value it terms of what you get for your money but my bro just told me that Sony decks aren't to great. I did some research myself and it seems that the newer sony units were bench tested very well. What else is cool about this one is it comes with an adjustable 7 band EQ.
So all you audiophiles out there help me out and point me in the right direction. As you can see i'm looking for a somewhat high-end unit that isn't guady looking or carnival-esque if you know what i'm saying.

One more thing, my bro also said that Eclipse head units are very good and would blow away this sony. But i did some research on it and it seems i don't get nearly as much for the money with the Eclipse when compared to the Sony. The unit i'm speaking of is the Eclipse CD5433:




Ok, any advice would be great on what i should do.
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Old 05-31-2003, 10:32 AM   #2
JayB
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I would go for the Eclipse..hands down. You get alot of gimmicks if you will, on the sony, kenwood, pioneer..etc. (screen savers come to mind)

The eclipse is made for sound quality. I am not sure what price range the eclipse you like is in, but eclipse usually are a bit pricy. you get what you pay for though. I usually buy high end alpine, or eclipse. Eclipse is always a bit more than the alpine, with less features..but the quality of the eclipse is awesome. Both build and sound quality (esp if you get the 8v pre-outs or even the new 16v pre outs!!!)

Hope this helps
Jay
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Old 05-31-2003, 04:50 PM   #3
gills
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Thanks Jay.

yea i went to my local stereo shop and fiddled around with the Eclipse a bit and OH MY the quality in sound and build quality is leaps beyond the sony. F that sony that's for sure. The alpines were really nice too but they are a little to "cheesy" looking in my eyes. The Eclipse looked perfect.

Here's my setup for the STi so far:

So here is my setup so far:
Deck-Eclipse CD5423


Amplifier- Alpine MRV-F450(50x4ch + 200x1ch)


Front 6.5 speakers- Infinity Kappa 60.5cs


Rear 5.25 speakers- JBL power P552


10" sub in sealed box-Alpine SWR 1041d


-----------------
Is 200 watts enough for that sub? Let me know what you guys think and how this'll rock me!

Thanks,
Tom
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Old 06-01-2003, 03:43 PM   #4
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If a head unit doesn't have MP3 capability then it's not woth buying. I have the sony headunit and I love it. It sounds better than any eclipse or alpine I've ever heard.
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Old 06-01-2003, 06:15 PM   #5
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Okay, first off...Fahq sony, my buddy had one and it sucked...about the sub, how many watts is it able to take? and what kind of bass are you looking for, do you listen to bassy music such as hip hop and rap, or are you just looking for the full sound of rock?
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Old 06-01-2003, 07:58 PM   #6
gills
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Quote:
Originally posted by scoobydrew06
Okay, first off...Fahq sony, my buddy had one and it sucked...about the sub, how many watts is it able to take? and what kind of bass are you looking for, do you listen to bassy music such as hip hop and rap, or are you just looking for the full sound of rock?
I listen to mostly hard/heavy rock/metal but i throw in some hip hop and other stuff to. So i'm looking for a nice tight clean bass hit with no sloppiness because a lot of the music i listen to has "double bass" in it.
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Old 06-01-2003, 08:11 PM   #7
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Okay well that sub should sound great since it has 100-300W RMS total power range...Another friend of mine has alpines throughout the car with a 10" 200W RMS type S with only about 150 watts going into it and it sounds great...so yours should work out pretty well
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Old 06-01-2003, 08:12 PM   #8
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Are you installing all of this yourself?
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Old 06-01-2003, 09:11 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally posted by scoobydrew06
Are you installing all of this yourself?
I'm unsure. I really want to for experience but i don't want to F anything up. If i have a professional install it, i'll have the added benefit of if something goes wrong i just take it back to them. But for some reason i'm paranoid about taking my brand new STi to a place, you know? Why do you ask anyway?
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Old 06-01-2003, 09:48 PM   #10
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Cool, how much should I expect to pay for Eclipse CD5423? I was looking at Panasonic Ghost units (5v pre amp) and Alpine Alpine CDA-9811 unit myself.
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Old 06-01-2003, 09:54 PM   #11
gills
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Quote:
Originally posted by newsman
Cool, how much should I expect to pay for Eclipse CD5423? I was looking at Panasonic Ghost units (5v pre amp) and Alpine Alpine CDA-9811 unit myself.

My local shop quoted me at 289 for that one. It lists at 375. They are RARELY on Ebay as well. I'm not sure why.
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Old 06-01-2003, 10:46 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally posted by mattnis
If a head unit doesn't have MP3 capability then it's not woth buying. I have the sony headunit and I love it. It sounds better than any eclipse or alpine I've ever heard.

Using "MP3" and "sounds better" in the same post is the funniest thing I've heard this week.

I don't use lossy compression at all, but if I had to, it would be Ogg, WMA, and MP3 in that order - although MP3 and AM stereo (that's not a misprint) are pretty close.
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Old 06-02-2003, 12:03 AM   #13
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I ask because I have installed my own systems, and all of my friends systems, and if you were around mass somewhere i could help...plus maybe i'd get to take the STi for a spin in return for my labor
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Old 06-02-2003, 01:21 AM   #14
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I think one of the reasons we don't see a lot of Eclipse stuff on the e-bay is that they are fairly new to US market. I mean, I've never heard of them before I started shopping for car audio "hardcore" fasion. Plus, they seem to take home audio route - you can't buy their stuff on the i-net - hence smaller exposure.
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Old 06-02-2003, 01:25 PM   #15
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I just put an Eclipse 5423 into my ride a few weeks ago... it is without a doubt the best HU I've ever owned (2 Kenwoods, 1 Alpine prior). The sound quality if fantastic and the ergonomics of the unit are great. It also looks quite good in the WRX dash (other than the horridly bright blue button lights). I don't mind the lack of mp3, because I'd rather have sound quality over convenience ANY day of the week.

My current setup:

Eclipse 5423
Arc Audio 4050 CXL Amp running the fronts + sub
Currently Infiniti Kappa's in the front... hopefully getting replaced with Focal Polykevlar's in the near future.
Alumapro BP-12 Enclosure (may be getting rid of this.. it hits HARD but takes a LOT of room. Probably gonna get a smaller Alumapro 10 and do a custom fiberglass deal. I need trunk space back. It's still an amazing sub though)

And my cautionary tale of Sony: Unless it's a Mobile ES unit, it's utter crap. The ES units are OK, but I'd probably still spend my money elsewhere.

Sergi
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Old 06-02-2003, 01:43 PM   #16
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gellar, how much you paid for Eclipse head unit? I will go to car audio shop today and am gaging for what kind of price I should huggle with them
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Old 06-20-2003, 08:50 AM   #17
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I have a Sony MP70 HU. The sound quality is great and I've never had any problems with it. You talk about sound quality but there is no way the difference is audible to the human ear. Check your components. If you have junk connections and junk wiring then the sound isn't going to be good. How can you go wrong with the Sony when its got MP3/CD/FM with XM radio ready, and the cool disk drawer that pops out. Doesn't scratch cds like the front load players!
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Old 06-22-2003, 12:27 AM   #18
calworld
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the pioneer premier and kenwood excelon has just as good SQ as the eclipse
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Old 06-22-2003, 01:32 AM   #19
gellar
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Quote:
Originally posted by newsman
gellar, how much you paid for Eclipse head unit? I will go to car audio shop today and am gaging for what kind of price I should huggle with them
Doh! I missed this post earlier, sorry man! My cousin's an authorized Eclipse dealer, so I got mine at dealer cost, which made it an absolutely sweet deal. I do believe the MSRP is around $300, which makes this the best deck on the market for the money.

Quote:
Originally posted by jlitch
I have a Sony MP70 HU. The sound quality is great and I've never had any problems with it. You talk about sound quality but there is no way the difference is audible to the human ear. Check your components. If you have junk connections and junk wiring then the sound isn't going to be good. How can you go wrong with the Sony when its got MP3/CD/FM with XM radio ready, and the cool disk drawer that pops out. Doesn't scratch cds like the front load players!
Alright, check it... you just said that sound quality and the difference being inaudible to the human ear, then you go to say to check the components of the system as a cause of bad sound? That pretty much means that one of the components, the CD Player itself, can be the weak link. CD Players have wiring and connections in them too... including a DAC and various other important pieces that relate to SQ. There's certainly a difference.

I'm glad you're happy with the MP70... it's a neat little unit, but I doubt ANYONE will make the argument that it sounds as good as any Eclipse. My thing against it (other than Sony's rep in the Car Audio industry) is the thing you like the most... the drawer. This is a pretty weak piece in a car, since there's a lot of vibration going on. I'd prefer to keep my CD Player with as few moving parts as possible. The more complicated, the more can go wrong.

Quote:
Originally posted by calworld
the pioneer premier and kenwood excelon has just as good SQ as the eclipse
I can't speak for the Pioneer Premier, as I've never owned one, but I came from two Kenwood Excelon units and neither sounded as good as the Eclipse. I do think Kenwood is underrated however, in that it produces decent SQ and comes with a lot of the bells and whistles people are looking for these days.

Sergi
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Old 06-22-2003, 01:46 AM   #20
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I have a Pioneer premier head unit and I've been really happy with it. If you don't get an Eclipse, a Pioneer or Kenwood would be a very suitable alternative (for sound quality and features). Try not to skimp out on the head unit, especially if you want to add more speakers or amps later.
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Old 06-22-2003, 08:07 AM   #21
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Quote:
Originally posted by newsman
I think one of the reasons we don't see a lot of Eclipse stuff on the e-bay is that they are fairly new to US market. I mean, I've never heard of them before I started shopping for car audio "hardcore" fasion. Plus, they seem to take home audio route - you can't buy their stuff on the i-net - hence smaller exposure.
Not to knock you, but I had to comment on this. Eclipse is not "new to US market". They have been around for years. All the way back to the Fujitsu-Ten days. If you've been involved in mid to high-end car audio, you've heard of them. Their decks have been one of the higher quality choices, up where Clarion and Alpine used to be(yes...Alpine is getting more gimmick-oriented all the time) and high-end Nak and McIntosh still are.

It's all about the quality. That said...I even own an old Sony deck. CDX-C680. It's decent for it's time...but I bought it when I had my truck and didn't want nice stuff in there. I've yet to find a deck that's aesthetically pleasing to me and allows function over form(the McIntosh's are just a little too "old school" for me as the front fascia goes). I'll probably end up with an Eclipse, as I'm mostly jonesing for a high-end pre-out voltage to match my amplifier and I don't feel like using Balanced Line driver anymore.

Neil
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Old 06-23-2003, 01:30 AM   #22
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I just ordered the kenwood kdc-x869 (excellon) w/mp3 cap. I like it for the self hiding faceplate that is motorized. That was a main requirement for me. Self hiding, SQ, and MP3 capability. I also like the RDS. The flashing lights and stuff I don't care about.
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Old 06-23-2003, 02:37 AM   #23
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Quote:
Originally posted by philw007
I just ordered the kenwood kdc-x869 (excellon) w/mp3 cap. I like it for the self hiding faceplate that is motorized. That was a main requirement for me. Self hiding, SQ, and MP3 capability. I also like the RDS. The flashing lights and stuff I don't care about.
nice choice
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Old 06-24-2003, 01:22 PM   #24
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Do your Eclipse units dim when headlights are on? Mine doesn't
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Old 06-24-2003, 01:42 PM   #25
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Quote:
Originally posted by gellar
I can't speak for the Pioneer Premier, as I've never owned one, but I came from two Kenwood Excelon units and neither sounded as good as the Eclipse. I do think Kenwood is underrated however, in that it produces decent SQ and comes with a lot of the bells and whistles people are looking for these days.
My Pioneer Premier P1R was great for the 2.5 years I had it in my last car. I absolutely loved it. However, Pioneer is gearing itself more towards the gimmicks to attract 16 year olds with lots of cash. I don't really like anything they currently have out.

That being said, I've never been a fan of Eclipse. I've known way too many that have malfunctioned to feel comfortable with them, especially at the price.

Those things resulted in me getting a new Alpine 9815. It's a bit flashy for my taste ( the P1R was absolute sleekness ), but it's still "clean" looking for the most part. Sound quality was pretty damn good and the three RCA outs can be switched to low/mid/high as opposed to front/rear/sub ( something the P1R had that I wasn't willing to give up ).

Sony is the type of headunit you buy if you're shopping at Sears.
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