[s-cars] AUDIophile! Stereo Options?

[Ben Swann]

I guess too late since I already sent the $   I did have the reservations, but
specs-wise seems nice, especially for the cost.  I don't like the fiddly knobs and busy
panels on most units these days, but seems to be all that is out there.  I was willing
to compromise somewhere if the price was good, and so I went for it - a nearly new unit
for half the new price.  It is an ALPINE after all, and although I haven't had one in
awhile, I recall the ones I had to be among the best.

The good thing about it is that I can swap it out easily since the connects are pretty
much non-proprietary.  So not to sound too out of date, I'll do a search on RDS - one of
those things I don't need now since I don't know much about it, but will when I find
out.  Really basic FM is OK with me.

CDs and FM - what more does one need as long as the system represents true high
fidelity?  I certainly hope they have not gone backwards in sound reproduction circuitry
and amplification.

FWIW - I do tend to be a bit behind the times on this stuff for various reasons, mainly
financial.  I have/have had a lot of cars and do a lot of stereo installs using what is
available for low budget.  I'll get a car, fix it up and make things work including
sound.  Most folks aren't goning to pay for a premium sound system.  I'll take the nice
units I find an stick them in my car.  The systems are often dated, many are simply
cannibalized from a car I'm parting out.  Often these were mid-high end for the day and
generally put out a great sound for what the system costs. 

This time I'm going to spend a bit more, but even with mostly slightly used stuff, I'll
probably have between $500 and $1k in the sound system.  I'm doing that only because of
the time and money already invested in the car - one that I plan to keep forever.

I'll get some pictures of it out on Motorgeek later.

Ben 

-----Original Message-----
From: JC [mailto:jc at j2c3.com] 
Sent: Thursday, November 04, 2010 12:12 PM
To: 'Ben Swann'; 'Eric Sanborn'
Cc: s-car-list at audifans.com; quattro at audifans.com; 200q20v at audifans.com
Subject: RE: [s-cars] AUDIophile! Stereo Options?

Ben -

I have a 988x (forget the exact model at this moment) in the Battlewagen...
To be honest its made me ditch my long time loyalty to Alpine.

Works OK. But audio quality is not remarkable and other usability issues have been a big
disappointment.

Various criticisms, some of which are issues that Alpine has been declining on for some
time:

- Features are low for the money you're paying, ex: no RDS on mine without buying the HD
Radio add-in. Ridiculous not to have RDS, and I'm 99% sure the feature exists on the FM
tuner chips inside but they've just not turned it on.  They seem to be living 10 years
behind the curve "ooohhh RDS? well that's a fancy extra feature! high technology!" No,
Alpine, no it's not. A base Kia sh!tbox has RDS on the crappy OEM radio.
- Leading right off that the add-on units are ridiculously expensive IMO (ie BT or
SatRadio or HD or Imprint EQ).  If those were reasonable it might be OK answer to the
previous issue but they are not. but even then those boxes are big and more stuff to jam
behind your console, which is a PITA when things like BT and RDS and even HD Radio
should just be build into the damn thing for $400 or more.
- iPod integration is OK but not brilliant. still old firewire-style charging on the
cables for instance, and not iPhone compatible so you always get that stupid error to
"dismiss". I would have thought they'd have sorted that by now but the website still
amazingly doesn't say "iPhone compatible"
for those units so I guess not. looks like the iDA unit is iPhone compatible finally but
that thing has no radio presets or other analog buttons that are still nice to have so
you're in BMW iDrive mode aka always dicking around with menus to do the most simple
stuff.
- Alpine interfaces have gotten more and more arcane IMO. Its often very obtuse and
non-intuitive how to do things.  This is even true of the last couple Alpines I bought
(ex: always some unlabeled weird method to re-set the time vs. being easy and obvious
and menu driven) More specifically: one thing you'll find in almost all on-line reviews
of these 988x units is the complaint that the volume knob acts as a scroll for menus
(Good!) but stupidly, despite the fact that it is also a push-button, you don't push it
to select things (STUPID!), you have to hunt to one of the little buttons on the side to
select. completely anti-intuitive.
- Lastly the device is able to be firmware upgraded by USB but despite the fact that
they list that as a "feature", if you press the question Alpine will basically admit
they will never be releasing firmware updates to owners and basically the day the new
model goes live they stop development.

Bottom line I'd never buy this unit again, and I'm wishing I went with the Eclipse I
looked at at the same time...

HTH...

JC

>
> I have to admit, there is a lot of bang for the buck in that unit.
>
> I'm just about to get this one slightly used for half the new price:
> http://www.alpine-usa.com/product/view/cda-9887/
>
> Wondering if that is a mistake since I can get this new for less.
>
> Ben
>
>   _____


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