New head unit... Alpine or Kenwood???

[FiTxAg04]

Hey guys, I'm in the market for a new head unit and I've narrowed it down to 2 finalists, the Kenwood Excelon KDC-X990 http://www.crutchfield.com/S-aweEFDc...0&I=113KDCX990 and the Alpine CDA-9857 http://www.crutchfield.com/S-aweEFDc...0&I=500CDA9857

I have had nothing but Alpines in the past and I have had great experience with them. My problem with their newer units is that they only have 2V preouts and no motorized face. But, the display is sweet and from what I've heard, their new iPod interface is the best and fastest available.

On the other hand, I found the above Kenwood at an online retailer for the same price as the Alpine from Crutchfield. 5V preouts, beautiful looking display, seemingly great control over the sound. The downside to this unit, as far as I can tell, is I'd have to pay an extra 100 bucks for the iPod interface that is slower than Alpines.

Like I said, I've never owned a Kenwood unit, and I am very curious as to what you folks who have used them have to say about them. I am also curious as to the fit and finish of the new Alpine units, and whether or not I would be better off going with the Alpine or with the Kenwood.

Also, just in case it matters, I'm not going to be using the deck's internal amp at all, all my speakers are powered by external amps.

Thanks a lot!

[PaulD]

I too am not enthusiatic about alpines latest headunit offerings

[JunkTitleGolf]

I would go with the Kenwood. I also don't have an iPod so the whole Ipod interface plays no role in my decision though. I think mainly the answer lies soley in you. Are you going to be doing alot of Ipod interfacing enough to care less about the other features offered on the Kenwood or are you caring more about the features than the interface. Also how can one interface be slower than another. I know this sounds weird but...isn't the "interface" just a cable the plugs into an aux. input on your stereo?
That's my 2 cents

[vinnym86]

i own a kenwood deck, they're decent. lately, however, i've been getting some skips on bumpy roads. that could be a problem on any deck, though. get which ever you find easiest to use or the one with the features you want. as for quality, both those companies run close. i think Alpine would have the higher s/n ratio.

also check out Eclipse and Clarion.

[CBFryman]

look at eclipse. i love mine and i will never change to another brand now.

use the sweet nector of eclipse

[CBFryman]

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-IaS7ORc...=099CD4000#Tab

motariized face plate, 5v outs, and has AUX in, screw the ipod interface, just use the AUX in and controll your ipod on your ipod for the fastest of all