[navin]

SM, chill. Sorry I did not see a crucial word in your post "MY". I figured with all the IT boom in HYD every audio manufacturer would be making a beeline to distribute their goods there. Focal and others are quite easily available in Mumbai.

[Sam Kapasi]

Originally Posted by SoundManiac

[left]

As for Infinity, Sam's distributor in AP has no stock! He needs a confirmed order for procurement. Now, I for one would not confirm the order before listening to what any brand sounds like! Why Infinity, this fellow needs at least a week to arrange for even JBL Compos

Yes, I am aware of that problem. Working on it.

[SoundManiac]

Originally Posted by navin

SM, chill. Sorry I did not see a crucial word in your post "MY". I figured with all the IT boom in HYD every audio manufacturer would be making a beeline to distribute their goods there. Focal and others are quite easily available in Mumbai.

Hey no need at all for sorrys and chills man! I didn't find anything wrong with your previous post. However, my previous post - on reading it now - I did find a bit indignant!! So you must have got the impression that i was ticked off of or something! Nothing of that sort.....

The point that i clarified about the brands I tried, is something that has always been on my mind. Actually, I feel, it is very importatnt for one to list the brands that one has tried before revealing which brand one finds the best!!! (for the reasons in my previous post).

It is, in fact, as a sense of responsibility towards all those who might base their buying decisions on the posts in the forums. I like to tell them my experience - I've tried brands a,b,c,d and from amongst them found brand c to be best (my choice). Haven't tried brands x,y,z so can't tell about them. So, when i say "brand C is best!" - it is to be taken with all due caution. And i wonder if anyone took note of but in most if not all my posts where I've given my preferences, I've always listed the brands I've tried to find the best......

ha! me looks like me sounded a bit preachy here - anyway for now it looks best to put the matter to rest!!!

P.S. As for ICE scene in Hyderabad - I again plead - Guru Log! kuch karo bhai!!!!

[Beeman]

Originally Posted by SoundManiac

Hey no need at all for sorrys and chills man! I didn't find anything wrong with your previous post. However, my previous post - on reading it now - I did find a bit indignant!! So you must have got the impression that i was ticked off of or something! Nothing of that sort.....

The point that i clarified about the brands I tried, is something that has always been on my mind. Actually, I feel, it is very importatnt for one to list the brands that one has tried before revealing which brand one finds the best!!! (for the reasons in my previous post).

It is, in fact, as a sense of responsibility towards all those who might base their buying decisions on the posts in the forums. I like to tell them my experience - I've tried brands a,b,c,d and from amongst them found brand c to be best (my choice). Haven't tried brands x,y,z so can't tell about them. So, when i say "brand C is best!" - it is to be taken with all due caution. And i wonder if anyone took note of but in most if not all my posts where I've given my preferences, I've always listed the brands I've tried to find the best......

ha! me looks like me sounded a bit preachy here - anyway for now it looks best to put the matter to rest!!!

P.S. As for ICE scene in Hyderabad - I again plead - Guru Log! kuch karo bhai!!!!

Very well put dude. That is very helpfull to other people otherwise everyone just starts assuming things.

[BHAGWAN]

Originally Posted by karthik247

Alpine all the way. I just can't think of another brand thats gonna beat it in terms of sound quality.
Even if the speakers, subs, amps etc are not Alpine...the HU just has to be one

Hi !

I agree !

Alpine all the way;

All 3 of my cars have Alpine Head Units - 9835.

They are really very very good.

I like Eclipse too, but you do not get them in India.

BHAGWAN

[jkdas]

Alpine; Used one for almost 5 yrs. Zero problems!

Sony; .....almost one yr now....has problem with reading mp3 cds now and then

Pios; never used, too many fake around and hence I may never buy one. I like some Pio units like P1Y etc.

Kenwood; I didnt like their performance/clarity.

[navin]

Originally Posted by jkdas

Alpine; Used one for almost 5 yrs. Zero problems!.

5 years is not even getting started with Alpines. The one in my Astra is from 1987 and works fine but plays only tape.

I have bought 3 alpines in the last 2 years 9830, 9833 and 9847. Not one issue.

My friends and relaives have bought over 10 Alpines in the past 5 years not one problem. While I have no issues with other brands I prefer to recommend Alpines only becuase i feel safe I wont incur anyone's wrath.

My FIL actually called me to tell me that the system in his swift (Alpine-JBL) was the best he has heard - even better than the system he had in his Audi 80 (in 1989).

He actually looks forward to his 5pm drive now. So to all of those near Versova if you see a 60 year old man bopping to 50 cent and 2 pac in a Beam Blue Swift Zxi you know who it is.

[viper]

HI,

If its head units we are talking about then its Alpine all the way. have been using it since the past 12 odd years till date. No problems in any of the 5 units owned till date. Actually kept upgrading with newer models as they kept being launched. The models used till date

1> TDA -7638E first
2> CDA - 7939E
3> CVA -1000
4> CDA - 7572
5> ERA -G320 DSP
6> CDA - 9835 present

Viper

[prince85]

navin, was that an imported astra you talking about because as much as i can remember the opel astra was launched in india somewhere in 1995-96.
I have alwasy used pioneer head units(keh 5025(cassete player), 6750, 7750 and now the P1Y) and i have never had any problems with it. I have heard the alpines and IMHO its better but very slightly. Another reason which i guess people love alpine head units because generally alpines form a part of high budget car audio systems with great speakers, subs etc. whereas brands like pioneer, sony, blaupunkt etc. are part of medium budget systems. I guess if the headunits are properly compared with comparable equipment there won't be much of a quality difference.
I feel the higher end pioneer units are on comparable terms with the alpines.Sam used a certain premier headunit in the eyeballer and then replaced it with the Pioneer P1Y.why?? sam knows better.

PS. I hope i did not offend anybody but if i did

Cheers

[gunbir]

Originally Posted by prince85

navin, was that an imported astra you talking about because as much as i can remember the opel astra was launched in india somewhere in 1995-96.
I have alwasy used pioneer head units(keh 5025(cassete player), 6750, 7750 and now the P1Y) and i have never had any problems with it. I have heard the alpines and IMHO its better but very slightly. Another reason which i guess people love alpine head units because generally alpines form a part of high budget car audio systems with great speakers, subs etc. whereas brands like pioneer, sony, blaupunkt etc. are part of medium budget systems. I guess if the headunits are properly compared with comparable equipment there won't be much of a quality difference.
I feel the higher end pioneer units are on comparable terms with the alpines.Sam used a certain premier headunit in the eyeballer and then replaced it with the Pioneer P1Y.why?? sam knows better.

PS. I hope i did not offend anybody but if i did

Cheers

Pioneer and Alpine both make excellent HUs. Of late both have had a few minor issues though. ALpine did a Glidetouch and Pioneer has CD eject issues on some models. But both have workarounds and the problems are fixable.

End of the day, its about the sound. Although I havent done an ABX, but many who have done so abroad have picked the Pioneer 8650 over the Alpine 9853.

Apart from quaility, each brand has their lemons and hits. I bought a Kenwood KCD-5029 for my moms car. And for Rs.5500, it has great build quality and SQ. For that price, I couldnt find a better HU.

So it depends... keep an open mind.

[5u3zEr0]

I have been using different models of Pioneer HU's for the last ten years now and have had no problems. But that doesnt mean that I will stick to them. I will buy whatever my EARS like. For me Pioneer is best VFM and if mated with the right amps and speakers can sound really nice.

[navin]

Originally Posted by prince85

navin, was that an imported astra you talking about because as much as i can remember the opel astra was launched in india somewhere in 1995-96.

I feel the higher end pioneer units are on comparable terms with the alpines.Sam used a certain premier headunit in the eyeballer and then replaced it with the Pioneer P1Y.why?? sam knows better.

a) I got the Alpine in 1987. It first was on my Nissan Sentra SE-R then moved to my Contessa in 1989 and then to my Opel in Sept 1996. See the Alpine has outlasted 2 cars.

b) Ihave no issue with Pio or clarion or Eclipse or Kenwood or JVC. It is just that I've had an Alpine since 1984 (before the 7385 I bought in 1987 I had one in my Honda in 1984) and feel comfortable with the brand.

Besides Pioneer HU are often sold without Bill or Waranty in India and I've been told there is a lot of spurious Pioneer floating in the market. This scares me from any Pionner product as (a) you dont know if you are getting the original (b) if you get a fake there is no Bill that can be used to persecute anyone.

This is despite the fact that the blokes in Singapore (Pio execs) who acknowledge that India is a big market for them and they are fully aware that Pioneer products bought in Singapore are being routed to India. I get the feeling that the Pioneer exces in singapore have no respect for the Indian customer and as an Indian I object to that.

[prince85]

Navinji, Thanx for the clarification about the opel astra because i was really confused over the whole 1987 issue.

Your reasons for objecting to pioneer not being available in india with b&w is fair enough. But i am sure you know that pioneers are available in india with b&w through autocop but they are priced insanely high. But navinji, to the best of my knowledge even if you do end up with a pioneer without b&w, and if in any way it does have a problem, it can be repaired in most places atleast in a place like mumbai. But i have heard that brands like alpine, sony take ages to repair under the warranty period when they are returned to the dealer itself. And more importantly you are looking at a 1 year warranty. What after that?? There are very few guys out there in the market who can repair these things to satisfactory levels and if you decide to give the headunit to the dealer itself after the warranty period, chances are that it will be a very expensive job. And what is the use of 1 year warranty when there is very little chance of it going kaput in this period.

Yea, i agree that fake pioneers are also being sold in the market as originals but then even with careful inspection one can get over with this problem as well.

On a lighter note, let me be the first to congratulate you on passing 3000 posts here on team-bhp. Guys like me have learnt a lot form a pro like you.

[Sam Kapasi]

THREE THOUSAND POSTS!! Good God! Congratulations old man!

[adit1329]

i had a sony hu and also a kenwood hu both with xplod speakers..

i found that the kenwood had a good rich bass than the sony hu..

i found the sony xplod VFM