lithoman

How does the sound compare as i heard sony is a down grade in sound quality...to alpine..??
I dont know as i have never had any of the 2

Chris S

Both are very clear, have 24 bit DAC's, etc. The SQ difference is in the tuning options. W/ the Sony, you get time alignment, 7 band parametric EQ, hi/low pass crossovers, and more. You can get that w/ the Alpine, but you have to buy (and find a place to stuff) their Imprint module. Same thing if you want BT, it's included in the Sony, another module/$100+ in the Alpine (and it doesn't stream audio, unlike the Sony's built-in capability). Last but not least, I love being able to leave a USB drive or iPod inside the HU, no cables to run and it's easy to access.

I'd just rec. buying one on Amazon (s/b barely above $200 w/ shipping, buy a Modifry harness/DCI, and give it a try. Easy enough to return if you don't like it.

lithoman

Ok do you need an amp to power this rascal as the alpine has the mini matching sub for around 100bucks if it needs more power?
you almost have me switched..

thanks for your reply

Chris S

No amp needed w/ efficient speakers (I'm running Polk MM6501's), though more power rarely hurtslll

lithoman

I just installed my new polks 6501's today. First speaker took two hours as i am a perfectionist...everything had to be triple checked. The second speaker took 40mins. I installed a new hu two weeks ago which made unbelievable sound improvement. a sony mex bt3900u...i wanted an Alpine but it would not stream Bluetooth music without a 125 dollar add on. Well i couldnt be happier with the sony, it does everything i want and sounds awesome. I can get into my car with my droid in my pocket not even playing music and turn on my car hit play and it starts playing music that i have on my droid....i do not have to touch anything on my phone. I have an amp coming next week but i think i will save it and use it with a sub woofer as the components sound loud and crystal clear without an amp. The mids are tight not boomy with the polks so if you want big base get a sub. The stock speakers had more boomyness then the polks but you had major distortion with them.
I have a dbls meter and was playing music hitting 96 to 100 dbls with no distortion. why amp that..save it for the sub.
Just my opinion.. Anybody else have a dbl meter running higher then 100?

s4play

To the poster that said you don't need amps, you must either have very low expectations or not play very loud. NO WAY an amp in a deck can run as clean as you say. Think about it - small radio chassis has to fit all those other components and you expect that 50 watts to be the same 50 watts from a Audison or other full size quality amp???? Those mfr. claims for 40 watts is peak power or when lighting strikes maybe! ROFL

A good set of component speakers will get destroyed by the a deck amp as the sound wave will be totally clipping causing the voice coils to heat up and seize!

My Focal K2P's are taking 200 watts per side from a JL HD900/5 amp which is a 5 channel amp. 2 channels are bridged to each side and 500 watts for the subwoofer running (x3) JL 6w3's. My system pounds hard as a single 12w6 and hits fast and pretty deep.

You cannot substitute good sound for weak power, it's like trying to run NOS on a Geo Metro motor


here's my setup:


Super high power Focal K2p's in door:


Alpine radio behind smoked plexi (invisible when off)


Full Dynamat with triple 6w3:


Complete full ultra-suede interior with heated Recaro seats:


Focal's hidden behind stock 03 door panels in full suede:


here you can see the full dynamat behind each door + FOCAL:


DEFI Gauges and V1 covered in matching suede too:


Engine bay color matched with SOS Charger good for almost 400 RWHP:



PACKAGE deal, complete Audio and Power setup + comfort all in one:

lithoman

OK Ok so i am a little jealous of s4play's setup. very nice!!! rock on

Chris S

No kidding, that's a sweet ride!

I also have the 6501's running off a Sony HU's internal power, and agree that it's plenty loud enough. I don't need any more volume, but would still like to get an amp, as it would be cleaner w/ more dynamic range. Regardless, it's a nice setup for now considering the low cost/weight and simplicity of the setup.

lithoman

I added an amp...thought I was happy before. all smiles now

JayKnight

OK after owning my S for a little more than 3 years,I figured it was time to upgrade the sound. Well it is complete, and here is a run down of all items installed.

Alpine CDA-9883 Headunit
Delphi XM Roady
Modifry DCI
30 Gig Ipod Classic
Alpine Type-S 6.5 Component
Alpine Type-S 6x9
Rockford Fosgate Prime 300.4 Amp (2)
Kicker Comp 4 8" Subs (2)
Darkside V1 Sub Enclosures
KnuKoncepts RCA Cables
KnuKoncepts Power/Ground Dist. Blocks
Memphis Power/Ground/Speaker Wire

Here is how it all started, and yes it all fit.


Thanks to Darkside Subs for getting me the boxes as fast as he did.



Quick shot of the XM Roady and Alpine HU


Of course we all know that a sound system is only as strong as the weakest link, so I have the
Alpine holding strong


And the final finished product. Amps, subs, and 6x9s installed.



Thanks for looking, comments and feedback always welcome.