Cannot make my mind up!

[Disposed]

I am between the Clarion cz702 and the 80prs. Now i know they have been compared to death but i just cant decide if i should buy the Clarion at $125 or the pioneer at $260...

I deliver pizza part time in the evenings in my 02 echo so i spend a good deal of time in this vehicle.

What i have in the car in the rear are the JBL GTO 938 and 638 in the front being driven by the GTO 504 amp and KDC-X995 HU. No sub not a huge bass head as i listen to metal. The problem i have with my current HU is the rear pre amp is bad (just plain dead no juice coming out at all) so i am running it all via the fronts and cant use the HU crossover etc. making it a real pain to make any adjustments. (not to mention the stupid faceplate losing connection constantly and lack of a2dp)

What i cant decide on is whether or not its worth spending double on the pioneer. I really like the pioneer but question whether i will really benefit from the extra cash with my mid level coax setup.

Any thought? Should i just get the clarion or take the plunge and spend double?

Click to read more...

 

[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

The sound quality is overall better on the 80 prs, The clarion's interface is not as user friendly as the 80 prs and tuning is a lot simpler with the 80 prs. I had a friend buy a clarion cz702 as a guinea pig so i could play with it hehe. Overall I'd say its totally worth the extra splurge.

 

[Disposed]

I thank you sir, but my wallet does not.

 

[keep_hope_alive Premium Member]

i don't like either option. the Clarion has a cheap faceplate and minimal display - it's a pain to tune. the Pioneer is a pioneer - so it's crossovers are terrible, common features are buried in a menu, and they are easily prone to noise.

people seem to desire head units because they are active capable, but so are many modern and old school amplifiers.

The Alpine CDE-147BT gives nice tuning features (BT, MX, 9-band parametric, time alignment, crossovers, 6-channel 4V, etc.) and interfaces at $200. the display is simpler, and the 154, 148 or 149 offer better displays with the same internals at slightly higher prices.

 

[keep_hope_alive Premium Member]

http://www.caraudio.com/forums/head-unit-classifieds/612510-alpine-cde147bt-radio-chevy-dash.html

 

[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

i don't like either option. the Clarion has a cheap faceplate and minimal display - it's a pain to tune. the Pioneer is a pioneer - so it's crossovers are terrible, common features are buried in a menu, and they are easily prone to noise.
people seem to desire head units because they are active capable, but so are many modern and old school amplifiers.

The Alpine CDE-147BT gives nice tuning features (BT, MX, 9-band parametric, time alignment, crossovers, 6-channel 4V, etc.) and interfaces at $200. the display is simpler, and the 154, 148 or 149 offer better displays with the same internals at slightly higher prices.

prone to noise is install dependent, most 80 prs have no problems with that aspect. The tuning features have an easy learning curve and the crossovers do their job just fine man.

 

[joom 10+ year member]

I have a deh80prs, a cz702, and a cde hd 148bt. Of all threel I prefer the Alpine. They all three have their merits but if I had to have just 1 it would be the Alpine.

 

[keep_hope_alive Premium Member]

prone to noise is install dependent, most 80 prs have no problems with that aspect. The tuning features have an easy learning curve and the crossovers do their job just fine man.

i've seen well over 200 posts of people complaining about noise from Pioneer head units, and that's just what i've seen. I don't see any from other manufacturers. That's a big deal. Many have not swapped hot and still had noise. Pioneer is aware but does nothing. I've discussed this with their techs and they know but don't care. That is negligent.

The Pioneer crossovers sound poor. defeat them and use a good crossover and the difference is immediately apparent. to me, they sound like Behringer crossovers - which are terrible and cheap - cheap as the 80PRS. 24 bit DAC isn't all we care about. Even the Alpine crossovers have an unexpected shape but they sound good.

With Alpine, sub level is one press of the volume away. the most common thing we want to tweak by album/song. Pioneer hides it in a menu.

i'm not arguing, just sharing my reasoning in more detail. i know the 80PRS is the forum boner because it has active crossovers - but if someone doesn't like their crossover sound quality or menu structure, it becomes a paper weight. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

---------- Post added at 06:11 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:10 PM ----------

 

I have a deh80prs, a cz702, and a cde hd 148bt. Of all threel I prefer the Alpine. They all three have their merits but if I had to have just 1 it would be the Alpine.

the display on the HD149BT is really worth the extra coin. I like the BioLite display a lot.

 

[LosIsATool 5,000+ posts]

The 80prs poops all over my old 117 and the 117 poops all over the 149. 80prs all day. I have never seen a noise issue with a 80 and I have never seen a 149 with 16 band L/R EQ.

 

[Disposed]

Sorry i am so late in replying. I did order the 80PRS it will be here tomorrow. I did consider the Alpines because i found the 149 cheaper but not prime (besides 2 day shipping its effortless to return prime items). I also have been turned away from Alpine over the years because of their habit of nickel and diming customers on things that their competition included. I dont know if thats still the case with Alpine or not but it just left a bad impression. Many years ago i was all Alpine all day no question the last alpine i had didnt even have an EQ like every other stereo in its price range just bass and treble...

 

[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

Sorry i am so late in replying. I did order the 80PRS it will be here tomorrow. I did consider the Alpines because i found the 149 cheaper but not prime (besides 2 day shipping its effortless to return prime items). I also have been turned away from Alpine over the years because of their habit of nickel and diming customers on things that their competition included. I dont know if thats still the case with Alpine or not but it just left a bad impression. Many years ago i was all Alpine all day no question the last alpine i had didnt even have an EQ like every other stereo in its price range just bass and treble...

any question in using it, feel free to ask.

 

[Disposed]

Thank you, i think ill have it figured out soon enough. Have to do some modifying on this stupid car for my fronts first before i really get into setting everything up.

 

[Popwarhomie 5,000+ posts]

Sorry i am so late in replying. I did order the 80PRS it will be here tomorrow. I did consider the Alpines because i found the 149 cheaper but not prime (besides 2 day shipping its effortless to return prime items). I also have been turned away from Alpine over the years because of their habit of nickel and diming customers on things that their competition included. I dont know if thats still the case with Alpine or not but it just left a bad impression. Many years ago i was all Alpine all day no question the last alpine i had didnt even have an EQ like every other stereo in its price range just bass and treble...

I felt the same way about Alpine. I love my 80prs. Good choice.

 

[Disposed]

i
the display on the HD149BT is really worth the extra coin. I like the BioLite display a lot.

What extra coin? The 149 is actually a good bit cheaper. I do appreciate the input dont get me wrong it just came down to features i needed and 2 rear USBs ranked pretty high for me. If i dont like my pioneer its going back for the 149BT. A decade ago i would have just bought the current alpine model in my price range but the crap they pulled for years just turned me off. Thank you for your input.

Just got it installed waiting until work to really get into it.

 

[keep_hope_alive Premium Member]

What extra coin? The 149 is actually a good bit cheaper. I do appreciate the input dont get me wrong it just came down to features i needed and 2 rear USBs ranked pretty high for me. If i dont like my pioneer its going back for the 149BT. A decade ago i would have just bought the current alpine model in my price range but the crap they pulled for years just turned me off. Thank you for your input.
Just got it installed waiting until work to really get into it.

extra coin compared to the lower models. main difference between 148 and 149 is the display

i've liked Alpine for years. they always had nice tuning features. when they changed to the 98xx series, the CDA-9815, 9835, 9887, 117, etc all had good features and many were active capable.