Can't make up my mind...

I can't make up my mind on which head unit to get...I don't know what kind of speakers I want either, but that'll come later. First I need a good quality head unit to start with. I'll have $400 - $500 to spend...maybe $600...gotta keep it on a budget, though.

I'd like something that's expandable...processors...DVD player...monitor...etc, but that's not really a must.

I want at least a 4V output.

I don't care how many watts it has cuz I'm going to use external amps anyway.

Must have seperate subwoofer level controls.

I'd like it to have time alignment.

Must have a good eq (as in...no "high" and "low" levels)...parametric...graphic...whatever as long as it gives me flexability and control.

Must have an aux in because I plan on running an iPod (or something similar if there's anything out there that's better...suggestions?) through it.

Don't care about "XM Ready" or whatever cuz that's a load of crap...you still have to buy all the same shit.

Prefer no motorized face, but I don't care too much.

Don't really care too much what it looks like in general as long as it's not completely fugly...function over form.

I've been looking at Alpine, Clarion, and Pioneer, but there are so many out there that I couldn't possibly look at them all. My goal is clarity and quality at high volums for all frequencies...not just a loud ass sub...had that before.

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-DwidrFMCRIF/cgi-bin/Prodview.asp?c=3&g=300&I=500CDA9835&s=0&cc=01

That's what I'm leaning toward right now.

good unit...

It does everything I was looking for and seems to be of very high quality, so it's definately my pick until something comes along to change my mind...if that happens.

One of the coolest things about it is their "ipersonalize" feature. That's awesome that I can use their site to get a good foundation to build upon so I don't have to sit in my car and annoy the neighbors for an hr while I tweak knobs. Just pop a CD in...very very cool.

I have the 9835 and I absolutely love it. Build quality is top notch, appearance is spectacular (pics don't do it justice, the brushed aluminum is really sexy), and it has assloads of features. I have just a few pics of mine if you're curious

www.resnet.trinity.edu/areynol1/hosting/audio/9835_01.jpg
www.resnet.trinity.edu/areynol1/hosting/audio/9835_02.jpg
www.resnet.trinity.edu/areynol1/hosting/audio/9835_03.jpg
www.resnet.trinity.edu/areynol1/hosting/audio/9835_04.jpg

Sweet...It seems to be exactly what I'm looking for. Nothing too stupidly flashy, all the features I wanted, and that ipersonalize thing is kinda just a little icing on the cake.

Thanks for the feedback. Good to hear from someone that owns one.

What plans you have for the rest of your system?

it's all in the sig

components - Adire Koda 6.1 (already in)
front stage amp - Linear Power 2.2HV (ordered, but not here yet)
sub - Adire Brahma 15 (haven't ordered yet)
sub amp - Cadence ZRS-8 (haven't ordered yet)

What are your plans? That's quite a unit to start off with, should make a good base for just about anything

I saw your sig, but I had no CLUE what half those brand names are. :p

That's exactly what I was looking for...the best starting point I could get.

I don't know exactly what I want as far as brands go, but I'm thinking about just going alpine all along. They make everything, it's all top quality stuff, and it'll all work together well, so there isn't really any reason to complicate things by mixing and matching stuff.

I noticed you're going the component route which I was leaning towards as well. I'm reaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaally vague about this stuff because I've never built a system of the calibur [sp.] that I'm aiming for and I'm not quite sure of the best ways to do it all, but I'm learning as I go.

After the head unit, I'm going to begin the search for tweeters, 6.5" door and rear speakers (4 total), and I already know what sub I want...JL Audio 12W6v2-D4. I've read more than one review of that specific sub that said "best ever...ever...ever...ever...", so I'm thinking it's probably pretty damn good. Can't forget amps for all this shit...that's a whole 'nother beast, though and I have no CLUE what route to go with that. Cross that bridge when I get there.

ah, well here are the links to those things I'm getting, if you were wondering

Linear Power 2.2HV (http://www.linearpower.com/html/to3.html)
Adire Koda Components (http://www.acoustic-visions.com/~acoustic/products/speakers/car_audio/adire_koda_6-1_component.shtml)
Adire Brahma 15 (http://www.acoustic-visions.com/~acoustic/products/subwoofer_drivers/adire_brahma/)
Cadence ZRS-8 (http://www.cadencesound.com/action.lasso?-Database=Products&-Table=WEB&-ResponseAny=amplifiers_detail.html&-token.series=&-token.description=Mono%20Block&-KeyField=ID&-KeyValue=199&-search)

As for what you're planning, please don't go all Alpine. Apart from their headunits they make decent budget stuff at best, don't start off with one of the best headunits you can buy and then crap out when it comes to the rest of the system. The w6v2 is a very very good sub like you've heard, that's a solid foundation to build your sub setup off of, now you just need to work on the front stage.

Thanks for the links, man. I'll check it out.

Go figure...first class head units and 2nd or 3rd class everything else. Even their amps are kinda meh?

I have the car in my sig...an 86 300ZX turbo...I had one MTX 12" in my old 300ZX and it would set off car alarms with only about 300 watts. I'm thinking one of those JL subs pushing the RMS 400 watts would do juuuuuuuuust fine for my tiny ass interior.

As for the rest of the speakers, I dunno. You think I'd even need to amp the other speakers? One side of me thinks the sub would be hard for them to keep up with...but, on the other hand, this is one of the most powerful head units I've EVER seen. I would rather have a bit too much power than come up short for the sake of sound quality.

A truly no-frills design allows us to devote all of our energy to making this amplifier perform like others only wish they could.

No joke...that's what I want, though...I want it to do what it's supposed to and do it well...and it's supposed to power my damn sub, not light up the back of my car or something...

That component set is friggin awesome. 7mm throw on a midrange driver is insane. Eliminates the need for tweeters, too. I'd put those in my doors...that leaves the rear speakers open, still...

That second amp is way more powerful then I would ever need. 2000 watts is a TON....the sub is 400 watts RMS and I don't know if I'll even need to amp the front speakers cuz my car's interior is so small.

I wish linear power had a few more options .... I would love to see a 2.2 in a 4 ch amp - perhaps with slightly less power, to run a mid and tweeter set actively. And why do so many 4 ch amps have to have a built in crossover ?

Yeah the 2nd amp would be way more power than you need, they do have some smaller models though that would power a w6v2 well though. Best prices I've found on Cadence amps are here (www.usacaraudio.com), I haven't ordered there though so I don't know if they're reputable or not.

Anyway, if you get any front speakers worth their weight, you're going to need an amp to power them well. I can't think of any good speakers that will work well on headunit power, even the high power than the 9835 manages to put out.

That's what I thought. I was planning on amping them anyway just so I know the mid/highs will be able to clear the sub, but I didn't know if it was necessary. I'll keep an eye out for amps for all of it from now on since now I know what head unit I'm getting.

I really appreciate all the feedback. I'll try to post updates from time to time as progress continues. It may be a while though...performance comes first...always go fast first, then worry about looking fast and all the other toys. I have the alternator pulled now to put in a higher output one (and cuz the old one was dead) and I think I'm going to do some performance mods (electric fan...maybe under drive pullies...boost controller...) while I have the engine bay all taken apart and stuff is out of the way.

All it takes is time. Later, man.

I was looking at the cda-9835 ..... would it be comparable to the old cda-7998

I asked the same thing on CAF, and the one guy who replied that had used them both said that they were pretty much the exact same deck. Features, display, menu system, all the same. Only differences are the 7998 has more buttons (1.5 din), it moves around more (motor wears out faster), and it doesn't have a removable face plate. Both are $400, but that's from crutchfield and authorized on the 7998, and unauthorized ebay-style on the 9835.

I got the 9835 because I think it looks nicer personally, the brushed aluminum is a thing of beauty.

i wouldnt recommend getting it at crutchfield. u can get it for cheaper somewhere else :2cents:

well, normally that would be true, but not when crutchfield has their occasional end-of-year blowout sales, like the 7995 for $300 or the 7998 for $400. You can't even find those kind of prices on ebay, and with crutchfield you get a warranty. Of course it doesn't matter because the 7998 is already gone and I didn't know that, last I checked they were still blowing them out, guess they sold out.

they sold out of the 7998, although you can still get them for around $400 on ebay. That will be the next upgrade for the Accord .... an Alpine CD player and audio control DQT with remote panel. But it will be like thanksgiving/ christmas time at the earliest. Maybe they will sell the 9835 for cheap at the end of the year, like they did the 7998 last year :grinno:

I was planning on getting the CDA-9835 off ebay. I love ebay. I always look on there before I look anywhere else. 98% of the time, you can find the exact same thing you're looking for, usually new in the box, sometimes even with warranty, but way cheaper.