# mp3 HU (not the same as below)



## sethwas (Apr 30, 2002)

So,
I've been hunting around e-bay, epinions, and crutchfield and I'm trying to get a decent mp3 playing HU for my wifes car.
Here are the conditions:
It can't be silver (ok if it must it must, but it clashes with everyhting, silver goes with nothing in most cars unless you have a brushed metal trim which 90% of cars don't.)
It has to be from these companies:

Blaupunkt
JVC
Pioneer
Alpine

The ones I left out are Kenwood, Clarion, and Sony (panasonic too).
I'm not partial to these companies for car audio. 
Also I'm not partial to Alpine expecially since I think they are ugly, but you guys keep pushing the alpine.

Here's the catch. There are no amps, no custom wiring, just new speakers to go along with the HU. Majority of the time it will be playing radio, and my wife may burn a CD or two or 50 so thats why it has to have mp3 support (it costs too much to burn CD files since you can only fit maybe 17 on a disc, and I'm not getting a changer which goes in the trunk which takes up room, needs wiring through the car and can't be accessed when driving. (unlike my 5 disc in dash changer)).

Any preferences/advantages to one system over another.
I'm partial to blaupunkt since thats my current system and I think its killer for the money. Also they look OEMish and are easy to use/navigate.
I'd like to keep the cost below $165 shipped.
Currently all but alpine Mp3 players go for $130 less shipping.
Let me know.

Seth


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## Bumpin (Feb 18, 2003)

I would go with the pioneer. They are really good quality. Thats the only kind of HU i've ever owned. Always been happy with them and have always recommended them to my friends.


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## sethwas (Apr 30, 2002)

BTW,
Sony's new (or not so new) mp3 HU is the cleanest look for the car (88 integra) It just so happens that there are x-plod speakers in front anyway. I know people aren't wild about sony and car audio, but I'm talking an mp3 player, and isn't sony's technology in mp3 kinda above the heap?

Seth


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## sethwas (Apr 30, 2002)

JVC KD-SX990 
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3024041518&category=18798
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Pioneer DEH-P5500MP 
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3024314581&category=39762

Pioneer DEH-P4500MP '03
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3023595608&category=39752

Pioneer DEH-P4500MP '02
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3024675229&category=3293

Pioneer Premier DEH-P450MP 
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3024747136&category=18798
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Blaupunkt MP3000 
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3023578370&category=3293

Blaupunkt Austin CD41 
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3023188380&category=3293

Blaupunkt San Jose MP41 
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3023393153&category=3293
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SONY CDX-MP40 
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3023221258&category=39753
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ALPINE CDA-9807 
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3024548780&category=39750
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CLARION DB336MP 
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3024250683&category=18798

I don't think the alpine is going to fit my budget. (must be significantly under $200 with shipping)

Seth


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## superfro86 (May 15, 2002)

i say get a alpine. there mp3 head units load the songs as quick as a regular cd player. look at this site, carmedia1.com and see what u like


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## sethwas (Apr 30, 2002)

Ok,
I visited their site. Their prices weren't too bad. They did have some crazy stuff though. Anyway, theres a store locally (FL) that sells for the same prices. However, all pretty much looked the same on paper. 
I don't really know what I should be looking for. 
Unfortunately the Alpines are too expensive. They are on average 30% more than the rest.

Seth


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## WaLdo98 (Apr 30, 2002)

I would say go for Pioneer or Alpine. Kenwood is pretty decent as well, but I trust in either Pioneer or Alpine more. Its really about preference and what you want, so the choice is up to you.


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## superfro86 (May 15, 2002)

theyre worth it


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## sethwas (Apr 30, 2002)

Ok,
So I've checked out the sony, and it has really intuitive buttons. Unfortunately the screen and its symbols are hazy (as in comfusing). I looked at the pioneer and the buttons suck. JVC was nice too, but again its screen is counterintuitive. God forbid there should be a marker that moves left and right or up and down for volume, and not be a 3 dimensional ring. On to find the rest.

Seth


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## Icej (Oct 25, 2002)

I would watch out for sony, my friend who installs stereos professionaly said they they skip really bad when you go over a bump or something. I have a kenwood and am very happy with it only thing that isn't good is that it didn't have subwoofer imputs so I adjust the bass and it changes it for all the speakers.


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## sethwas (Apr 30, 2002)

I saw the alpine selection today.
Wow are they really nice. The green ones sort of make me nauseous, but the blue ones are sleek.
All the buttons are major quality inspiring, not like the pioneer.
They feel like real home theater stuff.
However its like $220 for their basic cd/mp3 however that may be doable. If only it came in black and not silver...

Seth


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## samo (Apr 30, 2002)

I have an Alpine deck (a 2000 CDA-7863) and it's been a fantastic CD player. Of course, it doesn't play MP3s, so I can't speak on the quality of their MP3 technology, but it's been a fantastic investment. I highly recommend Alpine when it comes to headunits.

However, Alpine technology comes at a price. I've heard rumors that their lower-end decks _seriously_ skimp on features and quality in order to make their higher-end ones more affordable. So, unless you feel like you can shell out the cash for a high-end one (which you said you can't), my recommendation must go elsewhere.

I have used Kenwood products in the past for lower-end audio systems and have been very impressed. My subwoofer amplifier was Kenwood and it performed flawlessly for two years. It's now sitting in my dining room.

I helped perform Sean's install with a Sony video screen and CD changer, and although for the price he paid, it's fantastic gear, I have noticed some flaws in the workmanship. Particularly the SCSI cable going to the video feed box seems quite chintzy, and tends to come loose, making the entire screen go blank. Sean has also mentioned an inability to play certain burned CDs, although that's not _necessarily_ the CD changer's fault. I'm not sure whether or not he has checked how the unit performs on MP3s. I also noticed that the preamp voltage seems a bit low. These are, of course, very minor quirks, and some might be our fault (the SCSI cable comes to mind), so YMMV with Sony gear.

Blaupunkt gear fails to impress me time and time again. My mom's Jetta has a Blaupunkt unit, and it's exceptionally quirky and underpowered. The CD changer refuses to play CDs until the stereo has been on for at least an hour, and it skips - a lot. Although low frequencies come quite clearly, the upper range is quite muted. It also seems to have a strong rear channel bias, even with the fader set significantly to the front.

As for Pioneer, I have only worked with one Pioneer headunit, an older model, which went from Sean's Sentra to his Hatchi-Roku. Although the wiring was quite confusing, it was mostly due to the built-in alarm, which we opted to not use. Avoid this feature. The controls are relatively intuitive, although some tend to switch around on you, and there are a number of submenus to get used to. This is an older model, though, so I don't know how the new ones hold up.

Again, these are just my experiences, so take what you wish from them. If I were to purchase a lower-end MP3 deck today, I would probably buy a Kenwood.


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## Ninety-Nine SE-L (May 5, 2002)

I'm trying to build myself a hard drive based MP3 player for the car (check out prjc.com). Do you think it's worth it (I already have alot of the supplies incl an extra laptop hard drive) or should I get a HU that plays them off of CD-RW? I have a huge collection and it would take about 6 ot 7 CD-RWs to fit all my MP3s.


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## samo (Apr 30, 2002)

Personally, unless you have some other use for an in-car laptop system (i.e. S.D.S.) there's no reason to go to all that trouble. Just get a nice MP3 deck and save the HD system for later when you need to run other things off it.


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