Best sq head unit on a buget???

Going to do the sq thing whats the best head unit now on a buget ?? low noise etc, and i am not talking 2-4 grand more like $300-600

Thanks

my denon

Eclipse, makes awesome head units but I am a little bias. lol

Navi wrote:

my denon

x2 that hu is nice. wish i had the extra cash to get it for my kid

quad box wrote:

Going to do the sq thing whats the best head unit now on a buget ?? low noise etc, and i am not talking 2-4 grand more like $300-600

Thanks

What does it need to do??? Just play cd's or do you need EQ, TA, Crossover, ect???

Rick Sellers wrote:

quad box wrote:

Going to do the sq thing whats the best head unit now on a buget ?? low noise etc, and i am not talking 2-4 grand more like $300-600

Thanks

What does it need to do??? Just play cd's or do you need EQ, TA, Crossover, ect???

just play cd's, no eq's no cross overs etc, just quit tracking no noise.

Navi wrote:

my denon

Denon still around????

Why do you have a sudden spark of interest in SQ? I thought you were an SPL guy.

As far as off the shelf new pieces I still like Alpine. However if you can get a hold an old school HU such as Sony C-90 or Eclipse ECD-416 you might be better off. The race to see who can sell the HU with most features for the least amount of money has cost dearly in the SQ department. IMO

i have always liked sq, and part of our new company is going to be sq so i want to do a nice build in the truck, i was thinking Alpine the unit that has only signal out that was like 3 grand a few years back, but as you stated all the og stuff ruled but the ipod put that to rest people don't understand that compress music like that is not sq

I miss my Eclipse. No onboard amplification. Only low level outs. It made room for the important things. I did not and still do not like the "push button" volume on older and new HUs. I prefer an analog knob to turn.

quad box wrote:

Navi wrote:

my denon

Denon still around????

Not in Car, at least in north america.

buy a used Alpine 7909, Sony C90, Alpine 7949, Clarion DRZ, RF 8250, etc.

Nakimichi has a plain jane 400 model that is going for 299.99 on line that i know of...some people like it others don't. I love my C-90 and I have had a 7909 but the best of the bunch was the ES Z-50 (which is a changer/processor combo) but I heard it in Earl Z's car from WAYYYYYYY back when. Basically from what I heard from other decks (almost sold/traded my C-90-4000 combo) that have tons of features is they tend to sound hollow compared to the "good" decks even though they are "old". Could just be me though. Another good deck was the Pioneer Premier DEX-M88 but IMO its a step behind a c-90 or 7909. Good place to look for a C-90 is http://www.matronics.com/4kcontrol/ they have a forum not often used but people sell on it monthly seems like.

i had a nakamichi c-45z for 6 yrs and it was a very nice radio. then i came into a money crunch and sold it for 300... i have regretted that. i like kenwoods now.

jsketoe wrote:

buy a used Alpine 7909, Sony C90, Alpine 7949, Clarion DRZ, RF 8250, etc.

if he wants quiet tracking noise stay away from the c-90....its still hard to beat the alpine 7909 or the old clarion 9255 if your buying used

good tips guys, i would hate to have to resort to a older head unit i will have to look more into that, Kenwood is an ideal i tell yea this makes me want to produce a head unit for the new product line.

i just got a kenwood kdc x991 its a clean head unit. i found a good deal for it recently for just under 450. hope this helps...

x991 ain't bad

oh yeah...tru on the c90...c90's track like a C130

quad box wrote:

i have always liked sq, and part of our new company is going to be sq so i want to do a nice build in the truck, i was thinking Alpine the unit that has only signal out that was like 3 grand a few years back, but as you stated all the og stuff ruled but the ipod put that to rest people don't understand that compress music like that is not sq

The F#1 status. Very cool pieces. Good luck finding one though. The Alpine 9887 is a nice affordable headunit. Sounds good, lots of adjustments, the imprint does a decent job if you have extra eqs after it you can fine tune it more. Give me a call sometime Quad, I'll lend you any advice and help that I can.

I say eclipse or clarion if you want new. The CD700 or the DRZ

Actually, he stated no frills, sq head unit.

I would think the DRX9255 would be a better score

Personally I would stay away from Kenwood for SQ. Eclipse is the way to go. Clarion is also very good, Alpine is also but I would still pick Eclipse

the alpine f1' sure have excellent time alignment...

cadencechef wrote:

the alpine f1' sure have excellent time alignment...

Do you just try and say stuff that is out of left field?

What does that have to do with the topic? He said, he wanted a deck with no bells and whistles. BTW the F#1 head doesn't do TA without the processor... something he never asked about.

Please, get a clue.

took the words right out of my mouth

Kenwood KDCX592. Single din, high voltage output w/ low impedance, cool display, 24 bit dac, Non-flip face (for ease of custom installation), quiet transport, and cheap as h e l l! you can get one at ful retail for like 150.00. If you want a great SQ deck that is a current model, you can not go wrong.

Eclipse is great, but you really have to listen to each deck in your system before deciding. I have a slew of Eclipse decks (which I am running and old Eclipse deck in the Honda), and it took a while to find one that was quiet.

what about the kenwood mp732 do you guys like that piece?

really dont know but rockford sounds good to me but the tuner is crap