I have always been a Sony man, since my first car. The latest Sony CDX-M8800 I have has been acting up, the outside screen keeps dying and the cd skipps. After going through three units within the past three years, I'm tired of it.

Could you please suggest a good brand and model for me. I'm looking for a 1-din with good sound quality. I'm willing to spend $200~$300, which I believe is a reasonable price for a head unit. I was looking at Pioneer N3, but I don't think I can handle when it gets stolen due to my location. I will fell better getting something cheaper stolen. Please gime me your input on what brand is good with specific models. TIA

hey man. I don't have any specific models on hand, but i have always gone with kenwood. IMO they are one of the best makers of head units. i have never cared for the sony's. I recommend you look into getting a kenwood because you can get a very nice one for the price range your lokking for. just my 2 cents.

Ive had a couple sony's in both my old firebird and my GS. never really liked them too well and as you said they kinda just wore out quick (6-10 months in most cases). currently im running a Eclipse CD5425 head unti. has some good features like mp3 out and sirus ready. ive been running it through polk/momo speakers for the past 6 months..never skipped or had any problems with..plus the sound quality is friggin way better then the sony's. might be a good idea for you.

opps forgot the price. $253.00 with install and sirus hook up

do you have an ipod? the 2006 alpine and pioneer decks are the best in terms of ipod compatability. alpine and pioneer are also 2 of the top brands in terms of sound quality.

I say you go out and buy the stock CD player that came with our car.

I know its double din but i've never had a problem with it the sound quality is very good, and it doesn't skip. I have had 2 pioneers and a JVC.. and sounds as good if not better than those two.:)

I personally just picked up the kenwood EZ500. based on everything i've read on it and it's features for only $230 it seemed like a good deal. I personally picked up a factory refurbished one from onlinecarstereo.com for only $159. I've had sony and it was ok at best, i've had alpine and it sounded great, pioneer and panasonic i've also had and both were very nice units. I'm giving kenwood a shot, alot of people i've talked to say they make great headunits

I had a Kenwood deck for three years and it sounded passable but not competition winning by any means. I just got an Alpine CDA-9815 and the iPod adapter and I have to say it is words better. Tons more adjustability, way way more features (all useful) a really good parametric EQ, a three way crossover, plays MP3s and WMAs, has a faster seek time then the Kenwood, and so on...

I'm not gonna lie, Kenwood has gone steep downhill lately going with the other bargain basement deck manufacturers in making decks that look cool instead of sound good. Sony has sucked for years, those decks are awful, the preouts distort well below their rated voltage, they don't last, and they look and feel cheap. I would recommend an older Alpine over the new ones even, the 2002-2004 models are the best (back when the silver and blue ones were better then the green ones).

i've had the same alpine headunit for about 4 years now. never any problems. go with alpine and you'll be set. panasonic is also making good headunits these days.

i've got an apline cda-9855 with glidetouch, and i'm using the ipod adapter, and the sound quality is amazing and the cd player is very easy to use, looks great, and has tons of options for your sound preferences. Only downside is the pricetag. Best place to get it is on ebay for ~300

i have had 4 differant panasonic head units in my cars and loved everyone. i also had a alpine and they last forever not the best in looks but if you like it go for it

eclipse or alpine

alpine solves all problems. i have the 9830, paid 280 about 2-3 years ago, had ZERO problems, installed in 4 different vehicles. prolly will run about 230ish brand new now. i suggest that for a nice fairly basic h/u

I went with this one:

http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/pna/v3/pg/product/details/0,,2076_310069882_291159491,00.html

What do you think?

Its a little more expensive than what you originaly said but that is an awesome choice. The high volt preouts make all of your speakers sound very nice, and if you have the patience to set up sound down to the smallest detail the 780 is the one to get. Most people think that it is pricey just because of the screen but look at all of the sound controls that it has. Its just a great cd player!

Yeah, I noticed the 16 band eq. The price was $270 shipped brand new. Little more than what I wanted to, but I think this should be a good unit. We'll see, it's in the mail right now...

If your adding amps donw the road. id spend the big bucks buy the Eclipse cd5000, its aroudn 500, but its has an 8v preout, thats power there... its expensive but you have eclipse so its reliable, and its good quality!!

Originally posted by BurntRed22
If your adding amps donw the road. id spend the big bucks buy the Eclipse cd5000, its aroudn 500, but its has an 8v preout, thats power there... its expensive but you have eclipse so its reliable, and its good quality!!

4v preamp is all most systems will ever need. only if you're going sound quality do you really need anything over that. and that's only for the best systems.

Ive bought Eclipse CD8445 2 weeks ago. Amazing HU, LOT of functions... 8V preout ready for GPS, HD radio, Sirius... the sound is crazy!

next unit i'm getting is an alpine iva-d310

7 inch touchscreen flip out, all kinds of other functions. plus ipod hookup and xm functions.

did you install the 780mp yet? i'm lookin to get that one in the near future.. i was gonna go with the 880mp but i don't think i'd make enough use of the bluetooth functino to warrant the extra $100. do you have an ipod? from everything i've heard the 2006 are a lot better in terms of ipod control.

Originally posted by MCubed45
did you install the 780mp yet? i'm lookin to get that one in the near future.. i was gonna go with the 880mp but i don't think i'd make enough use of the bluetooth functino to warrant the extra $100. do you have an ipod? from everything i've heard the 2006 are a lot better in terms of ipod control.

I actually decided to install it on my truck. But damn, I love it! The display is awesome! I also like the eq and the audio options. I don't have my system installed yet, so I can't give you a full feedback.

Originally posted by BurntRed22
its expensive but you have ECLIPSE SO ITS RELIABLE, and its good quality!!

First time I've heard that... LOL, I'm talking about the car by the way :order

eclipse or alpine, hands down