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Hi Guys

I want to upgrade my factory fitted sound and know that a good Alpine head unit is the first step forward.

Theres 3 particular models I am considering, wanted to ask your opinion's if anyone owns any of these and can help me pick one or any useful advice, which is better value for money and why? Would be much appreciated guys.

1) CDA 9855rb - http://www.caraudiocentre.co.uk/product ... duct=21009

2) CDA 9853 - http://www.caraudiocentre.co.uk/product ... duct=20887

3) CDA 9857 - http://www.caraudiocentre.co.uk/product ... duct=21584


Cheers



Shak

i think i prefer the looks of the 3rd one.

Hiya mate

Any particular reason why? do you mean the spec or just the physical look of it?

personally I think if youre going to spend that much money you should get a one that plays dvds then you can put 4.5gb worth of mp3 files on 1 dvd for instance.


Also I find that this site http://caraudiosecurity.com/shop/produc ... turer_id=3

Is often the cheapest for audio (despite a hell of a lot of links from people to caraudiodirect.co.uk there not usually the cheapest)

Here is a list of dvd players:

http://www.caraudiodirect.co.uk/dvd-pla ... 9c1b0eda42

Tis up to you, pay for the alpine name or get a jvc dvd drive or even a usb drive one etc. If it was me Id prefer to have a 4.5gb dvd music player! the jvc ones even come with usb slots too! Whereas if you buy an alpine it wont play dvds, doesnt have the usb slots etc. I doubt theres a massive lot of difference in playing quality unless its for a competition with a ridiculous sound system on. One good feature the alpine ones have is the quick search mp3 feature which makes it easier to look for the files you want to play.

You could get an alpine dvd player but there £299... or you could try ebay etc. It is quite hard picking one, but think what do you want exactly.

Hmm. I get your point about lacking the dvd, usb connection and possibly even bluetooth but never the less Iv always heard people to emphasise Alpine is the King of car stereos, in terms of sound qualty and relyability. How much of this is true I dont know as yet till iv bought one. Confused now. An Alpine DVD H/U would cost me in the region of £700. Way over my budget!!!!

Caraudiodirect may not be the cheapest but the service is second to none

I'd go with the 3rd one too as I've had a 9853 and the glide bar is bloody horrible to use
I hated it so much that I sold the 9853 and bought an older 9815

All the Alpine's I've ever had have sounded fantastic. I'd rather have an Alpine than anything from another manufacturer, even if they do have bluetooth or DVD capability As long as the Alpine can play MP3's

It's all about sound quality, and for me, nothing beats an Alpine

shakt1 wrote:Hmm. I get your point about lacking the dvd, usb connection and possibly even bluetooth but never the less Iv always heard people to emphasise Alpine is the King of car stereos, in terms of sound qualty and relyability. How much of this is true I dont know as yet till iv bought one. Confused now. An Alpine DVD H/U would cost me in the region of £700. Way over my budget!!!!

I know people say alpine is the best, its certaintly the most expensive and it probably is the best. BUT if you arent running an amp and speakers then its not going to make a massive difference to any other reasonable head unit.

You can get an alpine dvd head unit for £299 at car audio direct though its not £700

Its Alpine DVA-9860R, which is meant to be £370 and caraudiodirect (which i previously said isnt usually the cheapest, is doing a top deal on these now for £299!)

http://www.caraudiodirect.co.uk/alpine- ... -4476.html



you get the best of both worlds there, top make and for the future it will last. If you dont want dvd then you cant really go wrong with the units you mentioned. You can try them out in halfords (obviously dont buy them from there)

I dont think Im to concerned about DVD playback, just having the ability to playback MP3's cd/r is good enough for now.
The CDA 9857 has a pretty decent spec but doesnt have the Alpine Media Xpander (MX) - is this really something that would make a difference? do any of you use the MX capability on your H/U and if so what do you suggest?

shakt1 wrote:I dont think Im to concerned about DVD playback, just having the ability to playback MP3's cd/r is good enough for now.
The CDA 9857 has a pretty decent spec but doesnt have the Alpine Media Xpander (MX) - is this really something that would make a difference? do any of you use the MX capability on your H/U and if so what do you suggest?

I have a 7893 and a 9815 which I bought from Ebay for £120 & £100 respectively.

I use the media expander on both units as it gives more bass

Both units can play CDR, MP3 & WMA and have time correction, which is fantastic when it's set up right

If you buy an Alpine unit with the glide bar on it, you'll eventually grow to hate it with a passion

Have a look for 7893, 9812, 9813, 9815, 9833 & 9835 units

Thanks Il run a search on them models you mentioned and do a bit of research Your the second person to comment about the glide bar, is it really that bad Out of the 3 units that I have mentioned which would you opt for if any? Also it seems like Media Xpander is a must have feature dont you agree?

The 9812RB spec seems great, award winning apparently . Best unit for £300-400 range, but only costs £200 . The only problem being,its silver! Wont really look pleasant inside the car will it with everything else on the dash being black and also with the older type of display it has compared to some of these newer models

shakt1 wrote:The only problem being,its silver! Wont really look pleasant inside the car will it with everything else on the dash being black

Get yoursel a 9812RR. It's black with red lighting rather than the 9812RB which is silver with blue lighting

Thanks, il look into that.

Anyone know any sites besides Ebay where I can possibly buy a 9812 RR? or anyone here selling any decent Alpine H/U????