Hey all,

I'm considering replacing the HU in my 2002 Camry and have been looking into a DVD/CD/MP3/USB single din head unit as a replacement.

I've found that most of the manufacturers that make this combination of features seem to be the not so well known brands like Eclipse, Pyle, Boss, etc.

I know these brands have been around a long time but just haven't gotten their name rep up to the level of Pioneer, Kenwood, Sony, etc.
Probably just due to lack of marketing dollars.

Are their products decent quality wise? Anyone have experience with their HUs?

Thx. JP

 

wow, dont ever put Eclipse in the same sentence as pyle or boss ever again please. They are leaps and bounds above anything those last 2 companies have ever put out.

stick with these companies and you'll be fine:

Eclipse
Pioneer
Alpine

others that arent bad, but IMO not as nice as the top three are

Kenwood
JVC
Sony

these being mainstream of course.

 

haha pyle boss and eclipse in the same sentance. eclipse is in my opinion the best, followed by pioneer (if you dont include there rca issue) and apline. anything boss or pyle is what i would expect to find at walmart.

 

Eclipse, yes
All others, NO

 

Interesting. Had no idea Eclipse was such a good brand. Nice to know.

 

yep, eclipse decks are rather nice. i love mine.

 

oh ya ecplise HU are nice except for the ribbons on the motorized face plates tear up on them rather easy, i'd personally go with pioneer, never had a problem from them

 

this can happen on any HU brand. Generally, its the user's stupidity or user's friend's/gf's/kid's/parent's stupidity when they try to jam the faceplate back up not realizing its motorized.

That said, I haven't seen any eclipse's with this problem, ever. Sonys, and kenwoods though, absolutely..

 

Has anybody used the brand Dual? and do any of you guys have a 7" screen in an 02 Max? Just curious of the issues you may have had with installation.

 

well that is true, usually the gf's that mess them up lol thats what happened to my kenwood x979 i dunno why she tried pushing it closed lol

i still favor pioneer but i guess its just cause i've not found an eclipse HU i like

 

I havent seen that problem in at least 6 years and even then a rarity with no abuse shown.

 

Eclipse:
Built themselves, not outsourced. (Fujitsu)
3 year warranty
1 year over the counter warranty
1 year theft coverage replacement

Excellent overall product.

 

i didnt' realize they had that excellent of a warrenty on their products, i might wanna consider eclipse HU in the future......by the way don you got a PM

 

So far as far as fit and finish goes: Eclipse vs Pioneer Vs Alpine (just installed one in the GF's car today), the Alpine is BY FAR the best. The SQ is fantastic as well. I don't know whatever stopped me from getting an Alpine before, but I REALLY can't wait till I get my 9887.

 

lol i came from an alpine, the quality sound in my opinion is amazing but its the most unuser friendly freakin cd player i've ever freakin had, and cause i've said it a few times already i'll say it one more time, FREAKIN!!!! lol

 

Haha...

I found the functionality to be excellent, and the menu's seem intuitive once you know how to use'em

 

well i didn't have the best of the alpine cd players, i'm thinking it was 5 series can't remember the exact number, my parents got it now, but it was the first one in the line up that had ipod interfacing in it, only paid about $200 for it, their top line stuff seemed a how long more user friendly compared to the one i bought

 

a PRO-Alpine comment from Parag? is hell freezing over?

which unit did you put in her car?

 

I always found them easier as well. particularly compared to Eclipse - which is why i was always confused when people have said the interface on Alpines are irritating (minus the 'escape' button, you always have to hold it )

 

lol it must have just been the one i bought, either way i'm happy with my pioneer for the moment, but i'm sure i'll get the itch for something else, always do, can't ever be content with anything lol

 

i regret selling my 9835... ive contemplated trying to find another one... but ive gotten so used to having a double din in dash screen, im not sure i can go back to a single din head unit

 

For the $270 the 9887 costs I would have to agree it's a fairly good unit, which of course makes me wonder why they already dropped and replaced it.

 

I can't blame you for missin it.

 

270? where?

 

I don't find much information on what the R has over the 9887. Any word?

 

Thats cost on it..

 

Not R, different model number.

 

oh. yeah i was wondering.. usually people quote retail.

 

I have never had a problem with my Eclipse HUs( previous one was stolen then insurance replaced it with 5442, years old and still works like a champ.) Dual is complete ****. My buddy got one and was braggin about, then it quit on him. He replaced it with a new one and it quit. 2 units in about a month. Then finally got an Alpine.

 

What model number?

 

I don't recall, but should be available in another month or two.

 

i still won't buy pioneer for awhile. they're very user friendly...but eh, until they get their act straight with the microfuse...it's off my list.

 

True dat, ditto. I am very very anxious about the 9887. I do believe it may change my entire philosophy on HU's.

 

microfuse?? i've had my pioneer for 8 months now not a single problem, other than its hard to see the display when you got sunglasses on lol

 

If you have an ipod, get an Alpine. Their percentage search feature is incredible.

I have a Panasonic HU (cq-c7205u) and I'm quite happy with it, the SQ, display, and adjustability are impressive. Noise-free ipod capability is great too, as well as the aux-in on the back. Wish it had Alpine's percentage search feature though.

 

No ipods here, but the alp still sounds GREAT.

 

hmmmmmm.....will the HU replacing the CDA-9887 have the same processing built in?

It is weird that this unit just came out and now it is being replaced......



By the way I've found Alpine HU's the easiest to use.

 

BTW, Crutchfield offers the imprint for $50 on a install and run the software, then return basis. I might try this.

Does anyone know if the imprint settings can be turned on or off and be retained? I might do it

 

i believe not, parag. once its on its on.. you could reset everything, but then you'd have to re-do the TA tuning and everything...

 

Hmm.. guess I'll have to think about it then.... Then again... defeat function may have some bearing on this? To either use the imprint's eq'ing or bypass... idk... we'll see.