Cd receiver recommendation?

[jayka]

I have never used any aftermarket cd receivers.
so i need lots of reviews on them.
Ok is there any cd receivers that you recommend within that price? ($400 USD)
Some ppl say clarion's sound quality is not that good. who should i beiieve?
Which one is better? (Pioneer DEH-P7500MP and Clarion DXZ835MP??)
How about JVC KD-LH3150?? or Pioneer DEH-P6500 (this one is cheaper)

 

[Bijou-MP5]

no JVC!!!! either pioneer or Clarion

 

[jayka]

ppl say JVC makes good head unit.
How about Kenwood and Panasonic???
are they any good?

 

[mp5jeff]

go with a pioneer..awesome head units

 

[jayka]

I know pioneer makes awesome units, but i don't like their display . Except the display, i would go for it.
Is there a big difference btwn DEH-P6500 and DEH-P7500MP???
other than mp3 playback?

 

[benimal]

Pioneer head units are overrated (by people). People buy them cause they like the pretty pictures of dolphins swimming and cars racing. I'll take a real head unit such as a higher end Clarion Proaudio or Kenwood Excelon any day over a Pioneer. I don't trust any electronics company that doesn't publish complete specs for all its products.

In your price range, check out the clarion you already mentioned or the Kenwood KDC-X869.

Ben

P.S. I know that specs alone don't determine the quality of a product, but I am using that as a guideline here. I have owned JVC and Kenwood headunits. I have been very happy with the Kenwoods. I would have bought a Clarion for my MSP had it not come with a Kenwood.

 

[benimal]

Just for comparison purposes, look at this comparo if 3 headunits. Ignore the prices, they can be had for cheaper at other places online. For the price Pioneer charges, they should have better specs on the cd audio and a 2 year warranty, not to mention the aux jack should be included (not optional).

Ben "biased against Pioneer"

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-FhFjzS...P750=on&CompareButton.x=10&CompareButton.y=10

 

[jayka]

wow, kenwoods' are more expensive than i expected.

 

[mp5jeff]

pioneers are overated? and you will take a "real" head unit over a pioneer? i didnt know pioneer's were fake...and i got my 6300 for like 150 bucks from brandsmart like 2 years ago and have had 0 problems with it...have you ever had a pioneer benimal??

 

[Poseur]

We already know What I have, here's my reasons:

1. Experience:
My buddy is still roching a pretty decent system with an oldschool Clarion I originally bought back in like '97, then sold to him when I worked a good deal on a kenwood excelon (when the first mask faces came out) Sure it doesn't have the features of newer stuff, but that thing's been sounding great for years, and neither of us have ever ever so much as ran a cheezy cleaner-cd through it. Everytime I hop in his ride, I get a bit of sellers-remourse. I've had alot of other stereos. Nak's, Blaupunkts, Pioneer, Sony, Eclipse, and three different generations of Kenwood Excelon setups. I'm by no means an expert, but of all of my decks I've had, For some reason that old Clarion always stood out as being a favorite. Strightforward, and clean sounding.
2. Specs:
Like I said before, 24bit D/A converters... I'm not sure if I can stress how much of an incredible feature this is Especially for the price. Another thing to look at is S/N ratio. Kenwood's got Clarion beat here, but both are at the top of the heap. 4v pre-outs are also good, although most anything has that. Also Try to find something else out there with 24bit dac's AND mp3 ability, and I'm interested. If you want a flashy setup go with whatever floats your boat. If you want sound quality, check the Kenwood, and Clarion's And don't forget Eclipse. those guys are uber conservative on ratings,but their stuff sounds CLEAN clean.

3. Price:
Okay, so I basically got this deck to tide me over 'til I can swing for a DVD setup. If not, I was just about set to buy an Eclipse high-end deck, and get their stupid commander thing just so I coudl have MP3 decoding. Of course that setup gets pricy. I got my 835 for just over 3 bills at a local shop after giving the dude there a ride home since his truck was in the shop. I should also note that I've got a fairly legitimate hookup for Kenwood, Pioneer, Eclipse, and sony with a friend who works at another shop, but I still couldn't find anything to beat the Clarion. Even with a pretty healthy "while the boss is gone" kinda discount on just about everything else.

Now that I have had the deck for a month or so, I still really dig it, my only gripes at that the rotary knob could be larger or somehow easier to grab, and the remote does not have a button control for "folder up" with MP3's. One thing I really do miss about my kenwood setups was their sly add-on steering-wheel remote. Never knew howmuch I liked that thing 'til it's gone. The deck, though sounds very good. I can't wait to hear it with my new amps and sub in place.

Anyway, there's my 2cents. Take it as you will, again, I'm no expert, just a guy who's had alot of different decks through the years and who kills many hours hanging with a close friend who works at a stereo shop going through specs and playing with setups. All I can say for sure is that I'm quite happy with my clarion, and it's proved to be pleasing enough that I may never need that DVD deck. (More money for other toys)

 

[ahb11m]

sound quality? yeah ya want something that sounds good, but unless you do comps, or like listening to music in your car while its parked and shut down, sq isn't a HUGE factor - sure you want it to sound decent which can be done for under 500 easily...

my reasons?

wind noise, road noise, tyre noises, alternator whine, other cars on the road, a car built out of plastic and metal (rather than wood) seats, bodies in the car metal rattling metal - eg number plates, torsion springs etc etc

 

[servoeyes]

Ok...benimal...you say that pio makes flashy displays for people who want dolphins and race cars. Have you even bothered to look at a Kenwood unit recently? That's all they do! They're unreliable and flashy. Yes they don't sound horrible (>100dB SN, always key), but I wouldn't put a High end pio below them.

Now.. That being said, Clarion makes a decent (if not too pricey)product, and as Posuer put it...there's something to be said about 24-bit DACs...but, JVC also makes a HU w/ MP3 capability and 24-bit DACs. At least...they did. The digifine series used to have these, but I haven't looked into it recently. Either way, the digifine is a good HU. Now...I would personally go Alpine, Eclipse, Pioneer/Premier, or JVC if i had to do it now. My Kenwood is fine for me, and money is a bigger concern. But if you're buying new any of those brands will do you just fine. I'm not sure how panasonics are, but they have a very clean look, and if you plan on using an external amp, I'm sure they'll be fine.

 

[benimal]

pioneers are overated? and you will take a "real" head unit over a pioneer? i didnt know pioneer's were fake...and i got my 6300 for like 150 bucks from brandsmart like 2 years ago and have had 0 problems with it...have you ever had a pioneer benimal??

I never said they were fake. By overrated, I meant that many people have the perception or opinion that everything Pioneer produces is the best or on par with other brands such as Alpine, nakamichi, Kenwood, etc. My personal opinion is that people put too much stock in Pioneer's offerings. The better marketing gets the sale, but not always the better product. And I never said Pioneers couldn't be had cheap. There's always going to be some place that you can get a good deal onany head unit. You just have to know where to look.


I personally have never owned any head units, but family members and close personal friends have. That has formed the basis of my opinions.

Didn't mean to start a flame war... head units are like religion

 

[benimal]

Ok...benimal...you say that pio makes flashy displays for people who want dolphins and race cars. Have you even bothered to look at a Kenwood unit recently? That's all they do! They're unreliable and flashy. Yes they don't sound horrible (>100dB SN, always key), but I wouldn't put a High end pio below them.

Now.. That being said, Clarion makes a decent (if not too pricey)product, and as Posuer put it...there's something to be said about 24-bit DACs...but, JVC also makes a HU w/ MP3 capability and 24-bit DACs. At least...they did. The digifine series used to have these, but I haven't looked into it recently. Either way, the digifine is a good HU. Now...I would personally go Alpine, Eclipse, Pioneer/Premier, or JVC if i had to do it now. My Kenwood is fine for me, and money is a bigger concern. But if you're buying new any of those brands will do you just fine. I'm not sure how panasonics are, but they have a very clean look, and if you plan on using an external amp, I'm sure they'll be fine.

Yeah it's said that Kenwood had to follow suit with the flashy displays. I personally like the simple uncluttered display without all those stupid graphics, but would not pay additional money to replace my stock HU to get rid of them.

Why do you say that the newer Kenwoods are unreliable? On what information are you basing that statement?

As to not putting a high end Pioneer unit below the Kenwoods, are you talking about the Premier units or just regular Pioneer?
The Premier units aren't too bad, but still are too much like Pioneer for my likes.

I agree about the 24-bit DACs. I had forgotten about the JVC KD-SH707 and 909. Those HUs are harder to come by these days, but are decent units from what I understand (no personal experience but almost bought one for my old car before selling it). It's my opinion that the newer digifines are decent but don't compare to the last series (2.2s)

I have never used any Panasonic head units. I know some peoplelike them but I have heard reliability is a concern.

When it comes time to replace the Kenwood in my MSP, I will probably look at an Alpine unit. I have never owned one of those (once again friends and family have) but like the styling and overall specs.

The problem is that when people ask about head units, they don't mention if they are concerned about SQ or flashy looks. Like Sony [probably will start another flame war here ] I feel that Pioneer caters more to the people who desire flashy stuff than SQ (audiophile).

Ben

 

[benimal]

said = sad in the first line of my last post...

 

[servoeyes]

It's not a flamewar, just a discussion. I'm not sure why you think Kenwood is near on par w/ Alpine or Eclipse, etc. I wouldn't put Pio with them either (except the really higher end Pio stuff). Nak and Denon make some sick HU, that are totally unflashy, but are also not for the general consumer.

Basically I think there would be the strata:

Audiophile: Denon, Nak
Enthusiast : Alpine, Eclipse, Premie (Pio high-end)
Mid-Level Consumer: Clarion, Blaupunkt
General Consumer: Sony, Panasonic, Kenwood, Pio, Panasonic...basically the stuff you can get at BB or CC, etc.

In my experience, that's what I've found. Obviously it's a broad generalization, because each brand has it's weaknessess and strengths. It all depends on what you're looking for, but generally, less flash = more value.


--EDIT--

To address what you said, Benimal...the Kenwoods in the MSP have recently had lots of problems and my sub went twice. I also have a kenwod home system that the volume pot has gone out on. Basically...I speak from my own expereience. Also...they're overpriced compared to what you can get from an Alpine or Eclipse for a little more. And yes...I was talking about Premier. I do however think that sony blows the largest goats, unless you want a mini TV screen and ass-like sound.

 

[lamp3]

My kenwood Z919 is for sale =)

 

[benimal]

It's not a flamewar, just a discussion. I'm not sure why you think Kenwood is near on par w/ Alpine or Eclipse, etc. I wouldn't put Pio with them either (except the really higher end Pio stuff). Nak and Denon make some sick HU, that are totally unflashy, but are also not for the general consumer.

Basically I think there would be the strata:

Audiophile: Denon, Nak
Enthusiast : Alpine, Eclipse, Premie (Pio high-end)
Mid-Level Consumer: Clarion, Blaupunkt
General Consumer: Sony, Panasonic, Kenwood, Pio, Panasonic...basically the stuff you can get at BB or CC, etc.

In my experience, that's what I've found. Obviously it's a broad generalization, because each brand has it's weaknessess and strengths. It all depends on what you're looking for, but generally, less flash = more value.


--EDIT--

To address what you said, Benimal...the Kenwoods in the MSP have recently had lots of problems and my sub went twice. I also have a kenwod home system that the volume pot has gone out on. Basically...I speak from my own expereience. Also...they're overpriced compared to what you can get from an Alpine or Eclipse for a little more. And yes...I was talking about Premier. I do however think that sony blows the largest goats, unless you want a mini TV screen and ass-like sound.

Servo, In general I agree with you about the rankings in your list, although I would move the Kenwood Excelon units higher. It's true that you can go to BB or CC and get a Kenwood, but most of those places don't sell the excelons (just like they don't sell the higher end Alpines or Pioneer Premiers).

I agree with you about your assessment on less flash = more value (hence my comments on not needing swimming dolphins on my display). But flash is whatmany people find cool. It's true that cars are not the best platforms for audiophile equipment, but even a trained ear can discern differences in quality between the general consumer and enthusiast categories.

Last but not least, I have read recently (on this board) of various problems with the Kenwood units in the MSP. I can't say that I've experienced those problems, but I've only had my car for 2 weeks. All my other experiences with Kenwoods have been excellent.

When it comes to home audio, I will admit that I purchased a Pioneer receiver (but I also have a Harman Kardon DVD changer).
I just don't like the Pioneers for car audio. Their home audio stuff I think is pretty decent for the money (granted I can't afford the likes of Rotel or some of the other high end lines). But that's a different discussion....

Ben

 

[chitownballer]

cut the s*** and get an alpine, you easily find them for under $400..

 

[chitownballer]

or you could pay $250 and go with my panasonic headunit, its great.