ok yall got another question for yall now I have broken it down two 2 HU's either the Eclipse DD LCD unit or the Clarion DD LCD HU which do you think I should get. Anoter Question how does everyone rate the JL audio Stealth box I listen to mostly rap and Regaee and am lookin for more bass. I will be guttin my whole system putting in all new speakers as well as adding a 300 amp for the stealth wehn and if I get it. thanks for everyones help in this matter.

J

 

I like Clarion because they have a detatchable face. Even though Eclipse has the security system, most crooks crusing around won't realise it, and steal it anyway.

 

Eclipse h/u are more high end compared to that of clarion. plus they have the 3 years theft protection. Always good when you're spending $$$ on headunits.

 

not damage to your car. And actually, Clarion has units of much higher quality than most Eclipse. I consider them both about the same in the end. They both have comparible units in all price ranges. When choosing one over the other, It all comes down to a mater of taste. IMO, Clarion has a bolder sound, Eclipse has a more open sound. I've had both in my Max, and like them both, I just chose the Clarion because of the detatchable face while living in New York City, and parking my car on the street.

 

Damage to your car is when car insurance kicks in. But I agree, Clarion and Eclipse might have comparable models but if i'm not mistaken, Eclipse does make some high end stuff (i.e 55090 DVD H/u or the 7302 double din w/ built in screen. If you looking into navigation, eclipse is the way to go.

 

if your worried about theft... Insurance pays but the first $200 is out of your pocket plus your car will be in the shop for at least 1 day.

 

and a DD HU with built in LCD.

They are pretty much toe to toe.

 

The whole point about the theft (and I have also been victim) is to keep the car from getting broken into in the first place... If they see a detatch face unit in there, they're less likely to break into a car and steal anything..
if they see the eclipse with a faceplate in there, they smash the window (there's $100 gone, $150 if you have tint)..
THEN they find out it's an eclipse and either trash your car out of revenge, or steal it anyway. These guys don't take time to unscrew everything either, they simply take a crowbar to the dashboard.
that's several hundred bucks to fix also.

eclipse only covers the equipment lost, and most insurance companies figure depreciation into their estimates when repairing from car theft- IF THEY COVER IT AT ALL).. They'll fix the car itself, but any equipment stolen is out of your pocket most of the time.

I've got a $5000 rider on my policy because of my stereo, but I can probably onlgy get $12-1500 out of it even if the whole thing was stolen, simply because of depreciation. most of my equipment is 5-6 years old, and the insurance company will laugh when I tell them it will cost $600 to replace a 6yr old amp.

The last time my truck got broken into, they stole $3500 worth of brand new equipment, broke a window, ruined the entire dash, cut holes in my seats, and pried the key lock out of my door. (they broke the window after the key lock was out and the door still wouldn't open)

Soooooo, I'd say go for the detatch face for preventative measures. noone's going to try to steal a head unit if it doesn't have a face on it.

 

Also insurance will only cover items mounted in factory locations.

 

Tint your windows.. it wouldn't be hard to look inside. I'd still go with the Eclipse=) never had a good impression with Clarion for some reason. Just my 2 cents.

 

Thank you for eveyones help. Man its hard to find A good deal from where I am from went to a local tweeter and lookin at 2000 + _ mabey a few. THey only had the Eclipse available there and didnt have one on Display. Still lookin for a one stop shop in RI/southern MA (I live in providence. Thanks for all the Help still cantdecide lol will have yo make it a toss up where it depends on who I get the Best deal from. Happy New Year everyone!!!!!!!!!

 

All the following statements are my opinion...

I had a Stealthbox, and loved it. If you want great sound and trunk room, it can't be beat (a pic's in my homepage, if you haven't seen it already)

Electronics, my personal opinion, is that it's hard to go terribly wrong, if you get a middle-line or higher head unit. Clarion has a pretty good reputation nowadays, but a lot of people still don't like them because in the old days, they were an inexpensive brand, and first impressions are hard to get past. I don't know the whole history of it, but a couple years ago, when people realized that Clarion CD Changers could plug into mega-thousand dollar Macintosh units, Clarion's status went up.

Another personal opinion... the MP3 juggernaut is gonna take the car audio world by storm... One CD with MP3's on it is potentially 10 hours of music on one disc, right there in your dash. My next unit will definitely be MP3 capable.

And I think approximately $1500 is where you start reaching the point of having a really really nice stereo. Nothing wrong with spending more, though.. :-)

[Edited by jsmiam on 12-31-2000 at 10:15 AM]

 

About the Mp3s.. I still think the sound quality that comes out of it isn't the greatest. I still like original CDs but they do get expensive nowadays!