[Guest]

im getting a deck pretty soon cuz im tired of using a discman with a car connector kit. i was looking at the Pioneer DEH-P3300 and it looked pretty good to me- then i realized it know jack crap about audio so i figured id ask for some help from da pros. the Pioneer DEH-P4300 looks like the same think only with added goodies, but agian, me and my infinite knowledge of evertying besides car audio doesnt know the real difference. When i finish my system ill have 2 JL 15w3's, a couple amps, door speakers, and a deck. I want my system to bump brotha lynch so hard it will make all the kids run inside and start crying. thanks in advance

tom

oh yeah and i dont want to spend alot, 300 prolly my top- unless all decks under 300 blow... god i dont know

 

[Guest]

My advice is to buy a cheap HU and get an amp to power your doors. I spent $100 on my HU, but you'd never know by hearing it. Just make sure it has RCA outputs.

 

[Guest]

whats an rca output? do u need one of those if u want an amp?

 

[Guest]

Ya you need rcas for an amp if you want a good deck for a res. price get the 6300 it's $329 or for like $50 more you get the 7300 which I have they are great. But I would get advice from your local bump shop and they can tell what you'll need to make those little kids cry.

 

[Guest]

RCA is just a type of connetor, actually. Techinically, what you want is a low level output signal, almost always through an RCA style connetor on the back of the HU. RCA style is the red & white cables at most commonly remembered, used for all kinds of thing in home and car.

I have never seen a HU over $150 that does not have at least two RCA low-level outputs (for stereo left and right). Some of the cheaper ones do which is why I'd verify.

You don't NEED RCA connections for an amp (sub or otherwise), but it certianly makes the connections easier and it sounds better.

 

[Guest]

i almost forgot the tuning capibilties of this deck are endless check it out.

 

[PuckPuck]

rcas are called PRE OUTS... since you are gonna be running a sub and door speakers you need to decided how many door speakers.... i'll give you a few scenearios and some suggestions... i'm doing this right now also (picking a new head unit) but i'm going a little higher end however i hope this helps...

If you want to run 2 door speakers, 2 rear speakers and the subs you'll need: 3 sets of pre-outs with one set being a non-fading pre-out or sub specific pre-out. You'll also want built in crossovers, look for HPF and LPF in the specs of the deck

If you want to run 2 door speakers and the subs you'll need just 2 sets of pre-outs but you still need the non-fading set and the crossovers

To really benefit from something sounding good make sure you have the crossovers thoses there will make or break the sound quality. Also Pre-out voltage is important, unfortunately Pioneer decks are noctorious for claiming one thing and being way below their claims, so if it says 4V pre-outs, you should expect 1.5-2v from them.

Other features that are nice but not necessary are built in EQs and EQ presets, CD Text abilities (this is nice if you burn your own cds and write Text to CD), now don't get CD Text mixed up with the ability to specify a name. CD Text atually reads the text on the cd and displays it, the other way you need to punch it in (kinda dumb). Other nice features are the ability to specific the db level for the sub or non-fading pre-out, and to change the actual crossover points. If you are into in screen savers are cool but don't be fooled by them, they don't make a deck sound better.

What do i suggest, i would say to stray from pioneer, the decks are jammed pack with features but compared to other decks they sound like ****.... the high end sony decks (mobile ES line) are very nice and most are under 300$ and they come with all the features including dancing graphis on some models.... the L3 line has a very unique way to control the deck also, no buttons on the deck, instead you get a wireless joystick (and remote), you mount the joystick anywhere you want and control your deck with it, pretty neat idea. Other companies to look at are alpine and eclipse, although expect to pay for an eclipse deck.

If you need more info just let us know, but i hope this helps you a lot.

 

[Guest]

This is one of the times I'll have to disagree with puck puck. Pioneer sound just fine. In fact I've had 3 pioneer deck all which have sounded excellent to the ones I've had in the past, kenwood, sony, rockford fosgate. Never had a alpine, panasonic, eclipse,...
Oh well do what you wanna do jsut make sure you get the right headunit its kinda the heart of the system to me. good luck

 

[saidsevn]

go to ubid.com and get a good deal n headunits

 

[Guest]

PuckPuck had some great information. Important is the you have variable crossovers in the system. The higher end HU's will have them, but even some cheap amps do too. We're probably overloading you with details. There are so many ways to hook up a system, that it may be best to leave out the details.

Personally, A $150 deck with 1 set of RCA outputs when used as a tuner/CD transport only is all most people need. The only thing a $400 Hu will add are features that I would not use. If they are important to you, stick with with the high end units. One set of RCA outputs (pre-amplified) is all anyone need becasue the signal can be split and no one really needs fader control. I have never heard of anyone adjusting the fade, except to test if each speaker was working.

 

[PuckPuck]

the reason why i said non-fading sub output was because they work also in conjunction with the xovers so that the non-fading sub output receives only the low freqs.... also if you are using 4 speakers i used to set my front speakers a little louder (using fader) then the rears as i only wanted the rear ones for fill...

9lives - i USED to think that pioneer decks were very good... then i found out (the hard way) they aren't what they put up to be, ask some of the more skilled people on the board, namely thoses with MECP they will tell you that pioneer decks are mostly show no go. for reference to this check out this post here

 

[Guest]

hey puck i here what you are saying, i just thought that budgetwise it's probaly a little better than sony or kenwood. I suggested he talk to craig. cool

 

[StreetConcepts]

The MOST important part of a system is the head unit. It is the source unit. If the source sucks so will everything behind it. I suggest you get a decent deck with good output voltage on the rca's eclipse, alpine, and clarion all have models with 4volt and higher rca outputs. I will NEVER reccomend pioneer b/c they are notorious for having nice flashy features and weak rca output.

with the system you are putting together look for a deck from 1 of the 3 i mentioned that has front/rear/sub outputs on the headunit and 4 volt or better rca output voltage. you can expect to spend in the ballpark of $350-$450 for a deck with these feaures.

I could care less if the deck has dolphins or spaceships or zombies running around. make sure the basics are there and then worry about the flash.

 

[Guest]

what about the Alpine 7863 ? it has 3-Position HP/LP Crossover and 2 preouts. I hate this, i wish i new more about what im doing because i realize that now im trying desparately to find a head unit and i dont know anything about them. Crossover? Digital Servo? Oversampling? god this is so frustrating. anyone with any help please let me in on some secrets or something cuz im having a really hard time

thanks
tom


edited because alpine1.com is gay and they have a bad link

 

[ChenZhen]

AHHHHH STREET!.. You are so right!.. Pioneer's CURRENT line of decks do generally suck....They're all blinking lights.... BUT Pioneer's Premier line is better...In fact, Pioneer's old ODR (optical digital reference) system is still the best sounding system I've ever heard in a car, and I wish I had gotten it....It had pure class A amps, fiber-optic connections (no RCA's), speakers made out of "sea-weed" (yup), and it was fine-tuned with a $25,000 RTA that Pioneer had flown in when you bought one!!!!!!!!...but it was BOOOKO-BUCKS!

Instead, I wound up with the next best thing a couple years ago (I figure), the Premier DEX-M88..... It was their first deck with 4V pre-outs and 24-bit Burr-Brown d/a.... It was VERY over-built: the tuner is separate (GEX-T70), has an optical input for 6-disc changer, and the illumination color was designed to be interchangeable (for competition purposes)!!!!.... I had it changed from blue to green.

....$250, about 6 yrs old, see the pic on my website below.....

Good luck finding one Keane!!!!

Seriously, Street is right, go 24-bit and you'll never go back......

 

[Guest]

Upon Craig earlier advice I will More than likely getting an eclipse head unit via my friend though the same type of program craig rec. his (dealer accomodation) however, I did check and the 7300 pioneer has 4v preouts. But I 'd probaly listen to craig his knows his stuff.

 

[JUD]

This is just my opinion:

It really doesn't matter what name you have on the head unit. Most name brand head units today are all good. I once heard a cheap 1990's Jensen hooked to a nice system (Why it was done, I still don't know)and it sounded good. I have owned three pioneers, a sony, and a kenwood deck. I personally like the pioneer the best. Especially my OEL display pioneer. But that's just me.

Once you start sending the signal through EQ's and processors and amps, the sound coming out of the head unit isn't as important anymore. If you don't plan on any competition, which is doesn't sound like you are, stick with the middle of the road stuff and save some money. Ofcourse, I didn't listen to my own advice. I have the top of the line pioneer deck, premier amp and subs. But that's just what I wanted and I ended up getting a good deal on my stuff. If pioneer is what you want, get it. If not, get something else, but don't be worried about quality, too much.....unless you have $25,000 to spend on a radio.

 

[Guest]

I've got the 7863 great deck. take my advice buy an alpine and never look back. I sell both Alpine and Pioneer, and me store has a repair department, for every one alpine deck that needs repairs we see ten Pioneers. Trust me !

 

[Guest]

Yo Millionbuy.com seems to have some good prices but I've never ordered from them. I've heard good things about Panasonic and Kenwood headunits from a lot of people if you want good looks and decent performance/features in a mid-range deck. Otherwise, everybody is saying go Alpine or Eclipse or Clarion...

I like the Steal-Me-Now® display on my Pioneer DEH-P7300. Peace going out to all the haters. All chicks dig is the cool graphics dudes...most of them don't care about how loud / good the sound is as long as it's not total crap.

bunce - How many MORE Pioneer headunits do you sell than Alpine headunits? I'm sure Pioneer sells more and that has something to do with it. Alpine probably does have better quality though

PS 800.com and Crutchfield.com give you free installation kits with wiring harnesses and dash kits so compare their prices with other places prices + $15 for wiring harness + $20 for dash bracket. think you still need to buy an antenna adapter anywhere you go though...about $10 for that.