Feature for feature, they seemed to be priced pretty similarly. Is either brand preferable to the other, especially regarding sound quality and output power?

 

It's a bit of a generic question without the added info of which models you're comparing, but on the whole I'd definitely say that pound-for-pound Alpine has a solid product and the reputation to back it up....however Pioneer's Premier line is quite impressive as well. IMO, Alpine gets the nod over the Pioneer label with Premier sliding above Alpine. It really comes down to personal preference as to what features are of most importance to you since both will have their pros and cons to even out the differences...for instance, Alpine (higher quality models) and Pioneer Premier both have exceptional sound quality, but for me I prefer Premier's higher preamp output level for the same money. Once again, that's IMO...decide what's most important to you and go from there.

 

Their pretty close. You could go on and on with this one. Play with the two and choose it based on the user interface you like. I use to prefer Alpine, but lately Pioneer is doing better in that regard.

 

Here's what you do, with the models you have in mind, buy one from Crutchfield, install it for a few days, then return it and get the other one, then after a few days determine which you liked better. Last time around trying to decide on a new head unit I must have gone through 7-8 ones through them. They pay return shipping and everything. I ended up settling on an Alpine FWIW.

 

I have always been a fan of Alpine, but my current Alpine 9884 is difficult to see the display during the day. I used both the Metra and Scosche install kit, and the Scosche was a bit eaiser to see, but still difficult. May go to a Double Din at a later point.

 

Find a local car audio specialist and try the unit(s) out there. Support them and give them the business. Buying and returning and buying the other one is asinine. Rod, if you went to a specialist, you would have saved time, money and effort. They are in business for a reason. If everybody just bought shit off the internet, many many people would be out of jobs. Think of all those businesses that keep their money in the local community. In the case of a Big Box store, the money goes to shareholders.

 

absolutely at this point in time Pioneer. Alpine recently signed a deal with Best buy and circuit city and the quality went to the pooper. internl components are now put into head units based on cost , not quality. They cut alot of features that are standard on almost every other manufacturer such as a HPF, and 5-7 band EQ. the 9887 was their last good head unit.

Pioneer DEh 800PRS is the SQ king right now.

 

Trust me, I'd love to abide by that principle...but the local car audio shops in my area are either arrogant and condescending or just plain ignorant. It's a wonder that they've even stayed in business quite frankly and I'm sure that a lot of other people have encountered the same attitudes at their local shops as well. I even had one shop tell me that they wouldn't let me pay them to install product that I didn't purchase from them!! Couple that with the fact that many of these same shops charge 25, 30, or even 50% more than online retailers (plus charging you for install on top of that) and I'll save myself the extra cash for other mods instead of giving it to people who would rather rape me on price than be competitive. But I digress...that wasn't the OP's question.



As one person said up above, Pioneer has come along nicely with their interfaces, so if you can score a Premier unit for the same money you were looking to spend for an Alpine then I think you'll be happy. You'll be looking at the top 2 or 3 Alpine units for the same quality as the Premier units. That's not a knock against Alpine, rather more of a compliment to the resurrection of the Premier line of Pioneer's products. Good luck!

 

i personally prefer older alpine products... 7998, 9835, 9815, but i prefer pioneer's lower ends in terms of ease of use and features for someone on a budget. if you had a bit more money, i would go for an alpine 9887, iirc they brought back the bass engine pro. Donald, i disagree with you that the 800prs is the sq king... there are plenty of units out there that sound a lot better than the 800prs, clarion drz9225 comes to mind, as well as a lot of units that a lot of people here wouldnt bother with... no offense to anyone :P

 

I think he might have been meaning re: the OP's original question of Alpine vs. Pioneer. I agree that Clarion makes some nice head units...I just wish the rest of their products were up to the same level of quality. Their amps and subs still leave a lot to be desired, but they seem to be making a push back into the higher-end arena, so we'll see if they make it. Here's to hoping they do!

 

Double post. Stupid BlackBerry!

 

haha i misread something, but out of all of alpine's and pioneer's units, for a single unit, i'd take the 800prs, but if i had a little bit of coin to spend, h701/c701 > 800prs haha

 

Just an FYI, you can pick up the Pioneer Premier DEH-800PRS for a mere $395 on www.onlinecarstereo.com


5V pre's make me horny! Haha

 

Thanks for the comments. I had posted about above two brands as they both seemed popular here and both available at Best Buy but now I'm considering a Kenwood in which I'm going to post about.

 

CarFi? Online retailers have no overhead compared to a store. Hence the difference in pricing. Installs aren't free.

 

Could not agree more. There are no good local shops in my area, and the shops that are here specialize in very few brands so there really is no selection, and the talk to you and act like you have no clue what you are talking about, when in fact I have probably more knowledge than half of them. If you find a great retailer online, I have no problem whatsoever using them. Crutchfield is one of them by far, their knowledge, service, and selection is unmatched by anyone I have yet come across. Boy I should get a comission from them lol!

 

The Clarion DRZ9225 is an OLD OLD unit. it has been out of production for at least 4 years. Alot of places still have them lying around because they were expensive, don't play MP3's etc.. the DRZ 9255 also is a Macintosh head unit with a clarion faceplate. Clarion bought macintosh a few years back, I agree it offers better SQ as a pure head unit than the 800PRS. but it's not a crrent head unit. and the PRS has WAY WAY more tunign features