I need to get a new head unit for my coupe. I looked at the Alpine 9813 and the Panasonic CQ-DF903U. The panasonic has a nice display and all, but I am only familiar with Alpine. I like the look of both of the head units, but which one should I get?
i have the Panasonic head unit and like it very much. the display looks really cool and everyone that gets in the car compliments it, and i mean everyone. it puts out a lot of power to the speakers and has 3 preamp outputs for subs etc.. it is also very easy to use and the remote is very useful (even though i lossed it in about a week ). i can't say too much about the Alpine except for the fact that that company has a very good rep. for quality...
i have the alpine 7995, and i love it. if i were to get an alpine with an internal amp for my speakers, id get one wtih V-Drive though (i use an external amp for the speakers). it puts out i think 22 or 25 RMS (actual RMS, not BS ratings, it requires a 10 ga. amp kit though) and 60 watts MAX. a friend of mine has a pansonic and its nice. havent had much experience with them though. and the alpines MediaXpander is a great feature.
I have a lower end Alpine in now...cant remember the unit#. I like it and the Alpine in my Police car and in my Van. I saw the Panasonic and thought about switching to try it, that is an expensive change though.
I don't need the internal amplifier, only use it to power 2 3.5's in the dash. The rest of the speakers are run through amplifiers.
I would also consider an Eclipse head unit if I were you. I had a Lincoln Mark VIII with a very good sound system and it had an Alpine in it. It sounded great but later I switched to an Eclipse and it sounded much clearer and defined. The Eclipse is probably the best out-of-the-box head unit on the market. From what I've seen the prices of Eclipse head units aren't that bad anymore (under $300 now). The headunit I had was the 5441 and it had 5V outputs. The new CD8053 has 16V outputs!
I have the Alpine 9815 in my Stang and love it. It's basically the 9813 with a couple more features and a nicer display. I'm very happy with it and it sounds great. I was a Kenwood guy before, but this Alpine has made me realize why everyone speaks so highly of them...they truly are great HU's.
Eclipse HU's are also great for SQ but they look pretty plain so if you are used to getting compliments then I wouldn't expect nearly as many with an Eclipse. Ditto with Nakamichi decks (those are pretty fugly). However, I didn't buy my HU based primarily on looks and flash--if I did, I would have chosen a Sony Xplod deck.
I have the Alpine 9815 in my Stang and love it. It's basically the 9813 with a couple more features and a nicer display. I'm very happy with it and it sounds great. I was a Kenwood guy before, but this Alpine has made me realize why everyone speaks so highly of them...they truly are great HU's.
Eclipse HU's are also great for SQ but they look pretty plain so if you are used to getting compliments then I wouldn't expect nearly as many with an Eclipse. Ditto with Nakamichi decks (those are pretty fugly). However, I didn't buy my HU based primarily on looks and flash--if I did, I would have chosen a Sony Xplod deck.
While not based on experience, I'd say try and swing the 9815. One of these days I'll figure out a way to justify one
Until then my Alpine 7871 keeps me happy, as have every Alpine I've ever owned.