Ive been a die hard Alpine fan since i got one back in '01. Well i just got my tC and want to take a hammer to the pioneer it comes with (no power... Vol = Max shouldn't be that quiet...) So i was looking over decks i want.

Inital choices:

Alpine CDA-9856 - $199
Alpine CDA-9857 - $329

well after owning the tC for a couple weeks ive fallen in love with the steering wheel controls, so that means i need a

PAC SWI-ALP ($60) (only works with the 57)
and an
AUX IN cable ($30)

and i was at the local shop and read up on the USB MP3 thing which i was like AWESOME!!

Thats another $150...

So to get the alpine setup i want will cost me ~550 bones and id have to mount the USB MP3 module somewhere... and over 400 jsut for basic Functionality (including steering wheel control)


So, my next decision is where do i got once i stray from the known.

Eclipse CD3000?

something else?

 

i'd say go Pioneer. i have been using them for my own car and among a few other cars that i have done installs on. everytime someone asks about what kinda deck they should use i recommend pioneer. i havent had any problems with my deck (Pioneer 8600MP). as for the stock pioneer deck... mine was quite loud when i maxed it. did you play with the SSP trick? but to each his own. but i say pioneer =]

 

SSP trick?

As in switching from tC to xA/B?

 

yeah. it was pretty loud when i used the xB feel with my sub.

 

haha I have a 9857 collecting dust in my room.. used it for 2 months before upgrading to the iva-w200

 

The top 5% off al IASCA sound off competitors use, ECLIPSE. They may not have dancing dolphins on the screen, but you can not beet the sound quality. True preamp section, 5 volt pre out and 55 ohm pre amp resistance. Not to mention the "usable" DSP. I am a die hard Eclipse fan, as most SQ guys are and I highly recommend these units.
I find that most people are buying car stereo for the gadgets and the look of the screen/unit. It has become a rarity that someone actually buys a car stereo for what it was intended to do. Reproduce music as close to its original recoding as possible. Eclipse has preached this for years and years, when was the last time you seen Alpine/Kenwood/Sony/Pioneer sell this feature? Don't take my word for it, scour their respective web sites and try to find marketing that involves sound quality. Bet you can't....

 

Ive noticed that the alpines are starting to drop thier pre-amp voltage, mine was 4 (forget the # but i got it new in '01), and they are at what now 3, 2v? Pretty dolphins are for pink cars, haha i want quality. THe more i read about the Eclipse's the more they look like what i want, My biggest draw to Alpines were the toned down look (that and its what my friend reccomneded 5 years ago )

Ive narrowed it down to the CD3k and the CD4k, anything bigger is out of my price range...

 

The break down on what the CD4000 has over the CD3000
2 AUX in (1 is AUX ready, need to buy seperate cable)
Built in Crossover
5 illumination combonations
good luck...

 

I have a premeir 860 and very happy with it sounds good.

 

I have the eclipse cd3000. I didn't get the 4000 b/c it seemed like a waste or $100. I spent the money for the aux105 part for the auxiliary port, but the 4000 changes colors - big deal

The cd3000 is seriously the best investment yet in regards to my audio system. That alone was significantly better for the sound quality than were the new speakers and amp combined! Unbelievable how good the eclipse unit is. I tried a pioneer first and it didn't sound nearly as good. Maybe its the 5V on the cd3000, I dunno, but its GREAT.

The other upside to the cd3000 is the fact that we don't need a pac device to hook up the steering wheel controls. That will save you like $70 and the installation difficulties. There is no location on the cd3000 for the sw control harness, but you just splice the wires right in, and they work - I know because I did it.

Lastly, the unit is only $250, while to get something of this quality and capability in another brand is closer to $400 in my opinion. So its just the $250 and the $30 for the aux105 if you want it.

Hope that helps! I definitely would not have done anything differently, great HU

 

The CD400 also adds the crossover which can be valuable if you are only using an amp for you subs. This way you can crossover you mid/highs to make them more efficient. And yea, Eclipse's stereo wheel control is default Toyota. Eclipse is actually a joint venture between Fujitsu Ten, Denso and Toyota. So even some of the wire harness are Toyota plugs

 

Agreed with everything that you just said except for the crossover. the cd3000 has a built in crossover as well!

 

I stand corrected. you the bomb.com

 

Its all good, i've done so much research on these things before I bought em that I know it like the back of my hand. lol.

One thing that I forgot to add, is about the appearance of the cd3000. I was hesitant at first because it looked too 'busy'. I saw how much simpler the alpines, etc seemed. I was wrong though, it is not at all complicated to use. I was completely comfortable within 5 minutes of driving, and the contrast control made it real easy to use as I raised the contrast all the way up and it is nice and bright.

Here is a detailed pic so you guys can see more what i'm talking about. Courtesy of crutchfield:





Really easy to use, and the display is much simpler than the picture makes it out to be

 

Well I was the one that said it looked busy also. I went to circuit city to see on in person and I was really impressed. So much that I now own the CD4000. EXCELLENT head unit. I would still prefer a little less flash but the quality is great. I'm really impressed and I've been in car audio for years. I'm generally tough to impress. There is alot of junk out there.

 

Oddly enough, I used to be the Eclipse Manufacturers Representative for Northern California and a product freak. So for anyone to get the jump on me in product knowledge is a little humbling to say the least...

 

and dont forget a remote! haha, either that or crutchfield likes giving free stuff.

I'm thinking of getting the cd4000 as well, just need to find another bill.

 

the cd3000 comes with a remote for $20, and as I said, the crossover is on the cd3000 as well. So just the 1 aux ready port, the remote (saves you $20 over the 3000 (even though I don't have/want the remote)) and the 5 illumination combination. Just those 3 - worth $100? hmmm