Is this headunit any good?? I saw it at crutchfield and it looked cool. How is Clarion compared to other makes??

Thanks

 

They're nice decks, but they have a weak preampflier. So if u don't plan on amplifying ur speakers, I would suggest a different brand

 

AltiMax is right. Some of the higher-end ProAudion models REQUIRE that you use amps in your configuration, because the head units don't provide enough power to the speakers.

I think that the ProAudio components of Clarion are some of the best you can find, for the price. I had two different ProAudio head units in my Accord (it was broken into twice), and if I didn't already have Kenwood in my Max now, I'd be buying a Clarion ProAudio HU myself - but since I have a Kenwood CD Changer already, I'm just looking to upgrade my head unit to a newer Kenwood model.

peace2u

 

hmmm...I don't get it. It say the Clarion has 50watts x 4...isn't that enough to run all 4 speakers. Right now my Kenwood Mask runs 40watt/channel and its plenty loud. I'm not an audio nut so maybe I'm wrong about something here...can you guys clear things up a bit.

One last thing...what is the take on Aiwa units...any good??

Thanks,
Kevin

 

Kevin...
stay away from Aiwa. Stick with brands like Alpine, Kenwood, Eclipse, etc. When a vendor says 45 watts by 4 they are talking about peak, thermal, when lightning strikes in front of you type power. If Alpine makes a deck that says 60 watts by 4 (which they do), and a V12 power amplifier that says 40 watts by 4, does it make alot of sense to buy that V12 amp? Hell no! Most decks put out an average ouput of 8-10 watts RMS (what the deck puts out continously all the time with no distortion). Wattage is NOT an important feature on a cd player. Features like preamp voltage, multiple preouts, etc are more important features you should look for.

 

I'd have to agree with Maximadave - I only had amps with my Clarion setups, so the power of the HU really didn't matter too much to me. Right now, though, I have a Kenwood cassette deck with CD Changer controls that's brandishing the 45Wx4 output, and it's probably doing it too!

Happy New Year to everybody!

peace2u

 

Dave's right about RMS. If u look on the specs for that deck in the Crutchfield catalog I believe RMS on that deck is like 18 watts