Clarion Vs Alpine Vs Pioneer Vs Kenwood EDIT - Its a Clarion DXZ 785 USB

frankmehta · 27th February 2009, 16:46

i'll take what hydra is taking.. hell make it 2 of them (i have 2 cars, you know :-P )

low_bass_makker · 27th February 2009, 18:04

Read all the thread but here are my two cents.

All the HU are equally good but the final answer comes to two thing, Features and sound output. Check out the features which you like the most and set a priority order. Then try audition all of them which you selected (if possible in your car) and select which sound you the best. It can be either of them mentioned in thread title.

speedzak · 27th February 2009, 19:45

Got to see, feel and hear a Clarion 786 today.
Boy! The HU is great in terms of features, appearance and sound.
It's well balanced in the mids and upper ranges. I couldn't judge much clearly about the lower ranges since the setup didn't have a sub. And for me, without a sub, it's not worth contemplating on the lower sections of music. The speakers were from Boston (don't know the model). Front and rear coax! It had a Clarion amp too which is supposed to be putting out 80w X4 (I couldn't look at it). The car is a 2002 model Accord (gen 1 in India).
The setup played very clear and even the MP3s didn't sound very bright or sharp. Titanic was the only audio cd present in the car and it did sound very good. Better than all MP3s he had which were mostly of MJ, Rihanna, Snoopdog, other various Rnb artists and Khaled, Amr Diab, Nancy Ajram etc.. from the mid east kind. I didn't put my head into his hard metal and trance collection from the iPod.

What I can conclude from this short session is that it ain't that bad looking in real (well, it may differ from person to person). Controls are a bit confusing in the beginning but ain't that bad too. But a very good sounding HU with all the features one may count on hands.
For the price it's available now (less than 300 dollars in some sites, I heard), it's well worth a buy.

frankmehta · 27th February 2009, 21:34

Zakkie its selling for $140 with ship at Newegg.com :-) landed cost in india is Rs 10k only. Tempting na?

Invinsible · 28th February 2009, 00:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by frankmehta

Zakkie its selling for $140 with ship at Newegg.com :-) landed cost in india is Rs 10k only. Tempting na?

Well checked the site the one they have listed is 785 and not 786, which is a discontinued model no wonder it's priced so low.

LBM:

Quote:

Then try audition all of them which you selected (if possible in your car) and select which sound you the best. It can be either of them mentioned in thread title.

Well what you say is right and that's my first priority but don't think neither the kenwood or the Clarion is available here off the shelf and for auditioning.
So guess the only way is trust all those ears who have.

SPEEDZAK: If I am not mistaken you have heard the Alpine, Pioneer P80 and now Clarion. What about kenwood? Which one do you think would be the best bet?

frankmehta · 28th February 2009, 00:37

[quote=Invinsible;1192595]Well checked the site the one they have listed is 785 and not 786, which is a discontinued model no wonder it's priced so low.

discontinued or not, the value for money aspect of this head unit is quite awesome! id buy it if i could

devarshi84 · 28th February 2009, 01:34

afaik there's not much difference between the two anyways.

speedzak · 1st March 2009, 04:43

Pioneer P80RS, Alpine 9887, Clarion 786.
I've had my very good fortune of hearing these HUs! :

Without any experience with the X991 I would rate the HUs below.

Clarion 786:
I'd select this one as the winner of the trio here. A very good sounding, feature packed and most attractively priced unit. It sounds much refined for it's price. Has all the necessary features (& some more) one would wish in an advanced HU of these times, and has a very great price tag which blows the competition off. Well! The interface and appearance may not gel with everybody though.

Alpine 9887:
This HU takes the 2nd spot according to my ears. A famous ICE enthusiasts' favourite currently. True to the brand sound, decent features, trademark but bettered interface and distinguishedly Alpine appearance. It sounds like a typical Alpine (some love it and some hate it). Has some of the very good audio and interface features but falls a bit short on connectivity options. Interface is typical alpine but in this version, they have smoothed out some rough edges in the navigation and controls. Once you look at it, you'll know it's an Alpine. Very classy, trademark appearance.
The extra emphasize on the upper mid ranges as mentioned by some here do exist in many Alpine HUs. And this can be a bit too irritating if one listens to music for long periods on a mid strong speaker setup. I think the imprint kit may solve this issue to an extend but it is a drawback in this otherwise a masterpiece of a HU.

Pioneer P80RS:
I don't like this HU. My first experience with this one was not very deep and I liked it initially. The second experience was in one of my close friend's car. I was the one who recommended and bought the HU for him. Initially, I was impressed but it wore off soon. As I paid close attention in some weeks, I didn't like the sound. There were many things lacking in my kinda music. Bass sounded a bit too emphasized and sharp also. I blamed it on the speakers and reasoned myself. But I changed the speakers and nope! It didn't make much of a difference. I re installed the whole setup spending more than a week behind it. Umm umm!! It didn't raise upto what I want. It appeared to me as a glorified version of the 8850 which was available at that time (early 2007). I changed the HU to a famous Alpine of that time and voila!! The whole setup came alive. 1.2lacs spent on the setup now stood up in pride! I was happy.
There on, I haven't given this HU any good place in my heart or mind. I did listen to a few setups later on where this HU was used and sounded good, but I never felt it to be rated in the distinguished status of a High end HU. I did like this HU in Flying bong's setup, Amey's setup and B&T's setup. All have different speakers, amps and cars. But as I said, I always came back with the feeling that it could've been a bit more better if another HU was on the lead. Many experts here (Gunbir, B&T and FB) have used this HU in their own installs and have said good things about it. So, is it just me? Hmmm... Once bitten....
This is straight from my mind (what I've experienced) and I never once held back my fingers while typing this.

Regarding Kenwood, they're making some very good sounding HUs lately. Their entry level (basically made by Nippon at some chinese factory or so..) did bring a lot of bad name to this brand. But their higher end HUs are simply a class apart. Their reference unit KCD01 is one of the best HUs I've ever heard in my whole life. Even their mid level HUs are warm sounding and very natural.
I'm yet to listen in detail to any HU above 6539 and some 7xxx HU my cousin has in his car in Dubai. 6539 is one amazing HU with the best sound in it's price range. Even the 7xxx is one amazingly great and natural sounding unit. I've randomly listened to many Kenwoods in ICE showrooms and electronic stores in my nomad kinda life. I did like many of them and always wished to buy some high end stuff from them. X991 is a worthy contender it seems! I'll be able to tell you about it after my next trip to Dubai. Lol!

@Frank, devarshi...
There're quiet a few differences in the 785 and 786 models. Check the specs carefully before you sink in!

frankmehta · 1st March 2009, 10:44

quite a perfect review man. your words on the alpine 9887 are quite correct, but i think correction can be achieved with slightly more tuning. But then i like my music that way :-)
the 785 plan has been stalled due to one mr father who feels his son is spending a bomb on his car. lol. anyways best of luck to devarshi and nishant. Id love to have the 785 for my zen though!

abhinav.gupta88 · 1st March 2009, 21:09

Excellent Review Zak.
Sir , you gotta review my ICE when you come here.
A complete. By then 1 of my upgrade will be done.

@ Gunbir, Thanks sir for the explanation today. Really helped me think about some HUs.

P.S. Can you PM me the price of the HX-D2 which you are selling ( Sam told me) and that from the Lotus ( if you know)

chipfoose · 5th March 2009, 12:01

Invinsible have you finalized your HU? i think Clarion is good VFM HU.

Invinsible · 10th March 2009, 12:10

Well I checked with the Alpine regarding their V series amp, called up their US technical department. Asked them if it can work with 6 VOLT input from the headunit since the amp has input sensitivity of Max 4V and to my surprise they said it would work fine along with even 8V input with having the gain setting Halfway. Exactly what I had thought of.
So, I suppose having the Clarion or Kenwood shouldn't be a problem.
Unless for someone who is interested in having a SQL setup. For me it should be fine.

Invinsible · 13th March 2009, 01:09

Well after going through the opinion, reading a lot of review on the net, comparing the feature list, ordered for the Clarion DXZ785USB from US.

Asked a friend of mine to order as he is coming down.
Should be getting it by Monday. Also spoke to the Alpine guys and said that Vpower amp can run with upto 8Volt input as long as the gain is set to half.

Now all I need is suggestion of who can do the best job with the installation?

Where can I get the dash kit from ? and the cost ?

Will I need a new harness?

I have parking sensors in my head unit any idea if I would have to be an aftermarket parking sensor or will the OE sensors will work?

Thanks guys for all the wise suggestion, really helped.

frankmehta · 13th March 2009, 02:54

contact bass&trouble via PM. he will be the best person for the install. Anyways, forget the oe sensors bro. the harness, dash kit and everything else will be handled by b&t.

congrats about the clarion! it seems like everyone around me is getting this head unit! cheers to that!

speedzak · 13th March 2009, 13:13

Congrats!
A wise and VFM decision on the HU.

Boom is a good place for install. Get in touch with B&T, Sam and Frank for some advice on the best place for your install in Mumbai.

Will wait to see the install pics and report.

27th February 2009, 16:46	#46
frankmehta Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 4,000 Thanked: 3,577 Times View My Garage	i'll take what hydra is taking.. hell make it 2 of them (i have 2 cars, you know :-P )
	() Thanks

27th February 2009, 18:04	#47
low_bass_makker Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Faridabad Posts: 6,815 Thanked: 305 Times View My Garage	Read all the thread but here are my two cents. All the HU are equally good but the final answer comes to two thing, Features and sound output. Check out the features which you like the most and set a priority order. Then try audition all of them which you selected (if possible in your car) and select which sound you the best. It can be either of them mentioned in thread title.
	() Thanks

27th February 2009, 19:45	#48
speedzak BANNED Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: India Posts: 4,347 Thanked: 27 Times	Got to see, feel and hear a Clarion 786 today. Boy! The HU is great in terms of features, appearance and sound. It's well balanced in the mids and upper ranges. I couldn't judge much clearly about the lower ranges since the setup didn't have a sub. And for me, without a sub, it's not worth contemplating on the lower sections of music. The speakers were from Boston (don't know the model). Front and rear coax! It had a Clarion amp too which is supposed to be putting out 80w X4 (I couldn't look at it). The car is a 2002 model Accord (gen 1 in India). The setup played very clear and even the MP3s didn't sound very bright or sharp. Titanic was the only audio cd present in the car and it did sound very good. Better than all MP3s he had which were mostly of MJ, Rihanna, Snoopdog, other various Rnb artists and Khaled, Amr Diab, Nancy Ajram etc.. from the mid east kind. I didn't put my head into his hard metal and trance collection from the iPod. What I can conclude from this short session is that it ain't that bad looking in real (well, it may differ from person to person). Controls are a bit confusing in the beginning but ain't that bad too. But a very good sounding HU with all the features one may count on hands. For the price it's available now (less than 300 dollars in some sites, I heard), it's well worth a buy.
	() Thanks

27th February 2009, 21:34	#49
frankmehta Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 4,000 Thanked: 3,577 Times View My Garage	Zakkie its selling for $140 with ship at Newegg.com :-) landed cost in india is Rs 10k only. Tempting na?
	() Thanks

28th February 2009, 00:37	#51
frankmehta Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 4,000 Thanked: 3,577 Times View My Garage	[quote=Invinsible;1192595]Well checked the site the one they have listed is 785 and not 786, which is a discontinued model no wonder it's priced so low. discontinued or not, the value for money aspect of this head unit is quite awesome! id buy it if i could
	() Thanks

28th February 2009, 01:34	#52
devarshi84 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Ahmedabad - Tor Posts: 4,024 Thanked: 211 Times View My Garage	afaik there's not much difference between the two anyways.
	() Thanks

1st March 2009, 04:43	#53
speedzak BANNED Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: India Posts: 4,347 Thanked: 27 Times	Pioneer P80RS, Alpine 9887, Clarion 786. I've had my very good fortune of hearing these HUs! : Without any experience with the X991 I would rate the HUs below. Clarion 786: I'd select this one as the winner of the trio here. A very good sounding, feature packed and most attractively priced unit. It sounds much refined for it's price. Has all the necessary features (& some more) one would wish in an advanced HU of these times, and has a very great price tag which blows the competition off. Well! The interface and appearance may not gel with everybody though. Alpine 9887: This HU takes the 2nd spot according to my ears. A famous ICE enthusiasts' favourite currently. True to the brand sound, decent features, trademark but bettered interface and distinguishedly Alpine appearance. It sounds like a typical Alpine (some love it and some hate it). Has some of the very good audio and interface features but falls a bit short on connectivity options. Interface is typical alpine but in this version, they have smoothed out some rough edges in the navigation and controls. Once you look at it, you'll know it's an Alpine. Very classy, trademark appearance. The extra emphasize on the upper mid ranges as mentioned by some here do exist in many Alpine HUs. And this can be a bit too irritating if one listens to music for long periods on a mid strong speaker setup. I think the imprint kit may solve this issue to an extend but it is a drawback in this otherwise a masterpiece of a HU. Pioneer P80RS: I don't like this HU. My first experience with this one was not very deep and I liked it initially. The second experience was in one of my close friend's car. I was the one who recommended and bought the HU for him. Initially, I was impressed but it wore off soon. As I paid close attention in some weeks, I didn't like the sound. There were many things lacking in my kinda music. Bass sounded a bit too emphasized and sharp also. I blamed it on the speakers and reasoned myself. But I changed the speakers and nope! It didn't make much of a difference. I re installed the whole setup spending more than a week behind it. Umm umm!! It didn't raise upto what I want. It appeared to me as a glorified version of the 8850 which was available at that time (early 2007). I changed the HU to a famous Alpine of that time and voila!! The whole setup came alive. 1.2lacs spent on the setup now stood up in pride! I was happy. There on, I haven't given this HU any good place in my heart or mind. I did listen to a few setups later on where this HU was used and sounded good, but I never felt it to be rated in the distinguished status of a High end HU. I did like this HU in Flying bong's setup, Amey's setup and B&T's setup. All have different speakers, amps and cars. But as I said, I always came back with the feeling that it could've been a bit more better if another HU was on the lead. Many experts here (Gunbir, B&T and FB) have used this HU in their own installs and have said good things about it. So, is it just me? Hmmm... Once bitten.... This is straight from my mind (what I've experienced) and I never once held back my fingers while typing this. Regarding Kenwood, they're making some very good sounding HUs lately. Their entry level (basically made by Nippon at some chinese factory or so..) did bring a lot of bad name to this brand. But their higher end HUs are simply a class apart. Their reference unit KCD01 is one of the best HUs I've ever heard in my whole life. Even their mid level HUs are warm sounding and very natural. I'm yet to listen in detail to any HU above 6539 and some 7xxx HU my cousin has in his car in Dubai. 6539 is one amazing HU with the best sound in it's price range. Even the 7xxx is one amazingly great and natural sounding unit. I've randomly listened to many Kenwoods in ICE showrooms and electronic stores in my nomad kinda life. I did like many of them and always wished to buy some high end stuff from them. X991 is a worthy contender it seems! I'll be able to tell you about it after my next trip to Dubai. Lol! @Frank, devarshi... There're quiet a few differences in the 785 and 786 models. Check the specs carefully before you sink in!
	() Thanks

1st March 2009, 10:44	#54
frankmehta Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 4,000 Thanked: 3,577 Times View My Garage	quite a perfect review man. your words on the alpine 9887 are quite correct, but i think correction can be achieved with slightly more tuning. But then i like my music that way :-) the 785 plan has been stalled due to one mr father who feels his son is spending a bomb on his car. lol. anyways best of luck to devarshi and nishant. Id love to have the 785 for my zen though!
	() Thanks

1st March 2009, 21:09	#55
abhinav.gupta88 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Delhi , India Posts: 4,092 Thanked: 325 Times View My Garage	Excellent Review Zak. Sir , you gotta review my ICE when you come here. A complete. By then 1 of my upgrade will be done. @ Gunbir, Thanks sir for the explanation today. Really helped me think about some HUs. P.S. Can you PM me the price of the HX-D2 which you are selling ( Sam told me) and that from the Lotus ( if you know) Last edited by Rehaan : 3rd March 2009 at 00:24. Reason: Typo corrected on request.
	() Thanks

5th March 2009, 12:01	#56
chipfoose BHPian Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: blr Posts: 86 Thanked: 0 Times	Invinsible have you finalized your HU? i think Clarion is good VFM HU.
	() Thanks

10th March 2009, 12:10	#57
Invinsible Senior - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Bombay Posts: 1,257 Thanked: 62 Times	Well I checked with the Alpine regarding their V series amp, called up their US technical department. Asked them if it can work with 6 VOLT input from the headunit since the amp has input sensitivity of Max 4V and to my surprise they said it would work fine along with even 8V input with having the gain setting Halfway. Exactly what I had thought of. So, I suppose having the Clarion or Kenwood shouldn't be a problem. Unless for someone who is interested in having a SQL setup. For me it should be fine.
	() Thanks

13th March 2009, 01:09	#58
Invinsible Senior - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Bombay Posts: 1,257 Thanked: 62 Times	Well after going through the opinion, reading a lot of review on the net, comparing the feature list, ordered for the Clarion DXZ785USB from US. Asked a friend of mine to order as he is coming down. Should be getting it by Monday. Also spoke to the Alpine guys and said that Vpower amp can run with upto 8Volt input as long as the gain is set to half. Now all I need is suggestion of who can do the best job with the installation? Where can I get the dash kit from ? and the cost ? Will I need a new harness? I have parking sensors in my head unit any idea if I would have to be an aftermarket parking sensor or will the OE sensors will work? Thanks guys for all the wise suggestion, really helped. Last edited by Invinsible : 13th March 2009 at 01:16.
	() Thanks

13th March 2009, 02:54	#59
frankmehta Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 4,000 Thanked: 3,577 Times View My Garage	contact bass&trouble via PM. he will be the best person for the install. Anyways, forget the oe sensors bro. the harness, dash kit and everything else will be handled by b&t. congrats about the clarion! it seems like everyone around me is getting this head unit! cheers to that!
	() Thanks

13th March 2009, 13:13	#60
speedzak BANNED Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: India Posts: 4,347 Thanked: 27 Times	Congrats! A wise and VFM decision on the HU. Boom is a good place for install. Get in touch with B&T, Sam and Frank for some advice on the best place for your install in Mumbai. Will wait to see the install pics and report.
	() Thanks