Hi, I'm sort of getting bored of my pioneer 4900iB and want to get something better. But before I jump into the head unit buying do I need to get a new harness for the new head unit or will they all work with the one I got from crutchfield for the 4900ib? I'm looking for a head unit that is SQ oriented, and the P880PRS stands very high on my list. Will this require a new harness? And if so where do you get them?

 

Somebody here has to have upgraded their existing aftermarket head unit before...Do you need a new wiring harness or not?

 

jeez you cant wait a day


Anywhoo the 880 should plug right in.

The rcas might be set up a little differant but it should be no problem.

I

 

It's true that the 880 could be a better HU for SQ than the 4900, but in actuality it'll depend on the rest of the system. The 880 has much improved EQ compared to the 4900, and while it also offers time alignment that'll help optimize for a single position, it can degrade the quality for other listeners. If you're really interested in SQ, the 4900 is already a great unit, so you might want to put effort into upgraded mid-hi speakers and their position (move from doors to kick panels), along with powering them with their own amp (not HU) first. Without improving the rest of the system, it wouldn't be worthwhile to upgrade your HU, as any improvment in SQ would likely be psychological (all that time, trouble & expense, so people convince themselves it MUST sound that much better, in order to justify the upgrade in their own mind).

 

I have PG RSD65cs's on a JL 300/2 amp for my fronts and an eD 11kv.2 for low end.

 

Oh, sorry. I looked at your profile, where you don't have those listed, but now I see they're in your sig (so update your profile!).

So how about moving them to the kick panels? Honestly, that would improve SQ more than upgrading your HU. What is it in the way of SQ that the 4900 is lacking, that you feel the 880 would improve upon enough to be worth the investment? I'm just hoping you won't be disappointed, but that really depends on what your comparative expectations are.

 

-The 4900 is lacking specific EQ settings. It only has Low/Mid/High. You can't change the slope on the crossovers.
-It doesn't have a 24-bit DAC. I've been told you can't tell the difference but I'm throwing it out there.
-It has 4V outputs instead of 5V
- No auto-eq or time alignment
- other features like more information on the display about whats playing.


Basically I just want a new deck that has more options. I've been searching endlessly for one that has good eq settings and other features and I just keep coming back to the 880...It has more than 3 EQ settings, an Aux input, more info on the screen, and a few extras. Thats what I'm looking for in a head unit. I've looked at alpine, clarion, eclipse, kenwood, and other pioneers and haven't found one that comes close for the price, yet.

 

Sounds like you've researched it adequately and given everything appropriate thought, so maybe it'd actually be a decent upgrade in your scenario. Good luck, hope it works out like you want, I'm sure it's a nice HU.

 

I got to thinking today while driving to class. Would it be a wiser upgrade to get sound deadening then the head unit? I don't know how much sound deadening effects the SQ when not moving so I'm stuck. Anybody have any opinions on which upgrade would be best to get first?