Dan208 Posted November 7, 2009 Report Share Posted November 7, 2009 I have used Kenwood, Alpine and Clarion in the past and liked all of them. I've been out of car audio for about 5 years or so and was wondering what the quality of these are like today. I'm looking at some of their bottom line stuff. Specifically: Alpine CDE-102 Clarion CZ209 Kenwood KDC-MP242 Kenwood KDC-MP342U Quote Feedback thread- http://www.stevemeadedesigns.com/board/topic/70871-dan208-feedback-thread/page__p__981961__hl__dan208__fromsearch__1entry981961 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSwongerAA Posted November 7, 2009 Report Share Posted November 7, 2009 I have the alpine cde-102 and I love it! Built in highpass Xover, front panel USB, iPod compatible, Sub control. If your not running an amp for your highs this deck does it all. The only drawback is the amount of information that you can fit on your screen when your looking through folders or trying to find information on a song. I also love the looks of it and its ease of use. I personally haven't had a chance to run any of the other decks you listed but i have owned a few kenwoods and clarions in the past few years. Kenwoods sound nice but tend to have reliability problems on the cd drive. Clarions are nice also (i haven't seen this years lineup ) but they tend to be pretty ugly in their entry level decks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan208 Posted November 7, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 7, 2009 Yes, I do agree that the Clarion is a little on the ugly side, but it has a sub output. I never had a problem with the Kenwood I had, and I ran it hard for years. I still think the Alpine I had was my favorite (can't remember what model it was) so I might just go that route again. Thanks for your input. Quote Feedback thread- http://www.stevemeadedesigns.com/board/topic/70871-dan208-feedback-thread/page__p__981961__hl__dan208__fromsearch__1entry981961 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AI James Posted November 7, 2009 Report Share Posted November 7, 2009 imo over the years clarion has went down the toilet. the sq deck they have is ok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SN95CHICO Posted November 11, 2009 Report Share Posted November 11, 2009 imo over the years clarion has went down the toilet. the sq deck they have is ok. Eclipse is one of the best headunits out there period. the reason why is the 8v our 5 volts at a very low 55ohrm and none of those decks can do that so none of them have great sq , dont get me wrong the alpine and kenwood are good but clarions are garbage sorry bro i dont want to make you made but its the truth your stereo is only as good as your head unit that is the brain of the operation... know the only time having a deck like a kenwood our clarion is if you add a eq witch will take the voltage from that instead... Quote Eclipse AVN 6620 Blue tooth ,Ipod adapter,Eclipse 21000,Focal 165krx2(Just got),Focal 165v2,Q Logic Kick Panels, JL Audio 300/4,JL Audio 300/2,JL Audio 500/1,2 12w6 AE ,JL Audio 2 12inch H.O box,Kinetic HC800,2 Runs 0 gauge and a lot of dynamate And a lot more to come........... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finkster Posted November 11, 2009 Report Share Posted November 11, 2009 Eclipse is one of the best headunits out there period. the reason why is the 8v our 5 volts at a very low 55ohrm and none of those decks can do that so none of them have great sq ,dont get me wrong the alpine and kenwood are good but clarions are garbage sorry bro i dont want to make you made but its the truth your stereo is only as good as your head unit that is the brain of the operation... know the only time having a deck like a kenwood our clarion is if you add a eq witch will take the voltage from that instead... agreed on the clarion. and agreed on the clipse. i love my cd7000 Quote DAT 4125------>RE XXX comps active Eclipse cd7000 I serve drunks for a living Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TritonBoulder47 Posted November 11, 2009 Report Share Posted November 11, 2009 I've been running Kenwood for years... But I usually only run eXcelons... Quote 2011 Dodge Durango Citadel AWD HEMI - LOADED Stereo: STOCK Emergency Equipment: Morotola - Federal Signal - Feniex - Gamber Johnson Performance: MOPAR Performance - Diablo 911 Calltaker / Diaptcher, Volunteer Ambulance Driver, Rescue Tech, Fire Fighter, Fire Policeman, Emergency Equipment Installer / Repairman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SN95CHICO Posted November 14, 2009 Report Share Posted November 14, 2009 I've been running Kenwood for years... But I usually only run eXcelons... I HAVE A CD7000 AND THE CD8053 AND THE AVN6620 I HAVE ECLIPSE IN ALL MY CARS AND THEY ALL SOUND GREAT ECLIPSE IS THE BEST BECAUSE THEY USE THE BEST SQ CAPS ECT ECT ECT ALSO YOU ALWAYS WANT THE HIGHEST VOLTAGE YOU CAN GET MY BEST FRIEND WAS A ALPINE FANATIC AND ONLY LOVED ALPINE I TOOK HIS ALPINE OUT AND INSTALLED A ECLIPSE AND HE WILL NEVER GO BACK. IM NOT TALKING SHIT ON ANYONE THAT HAS A ALPINE IM JUST SAYING TRY AN ECLIPSE AND THEN YOU CAN SEE FOR YOURSELF JUST SWAPPING DECKS WILL MAKE YOU A ECLIPSE FAN FOR LIFE TRUST ME Quote Eclipse AVN 6620 Blue tooth ,Ipod adapter,Eclipse 21000,Focal 165krx2(Just got),Focal 165v2,Q Logic Kick Panels, JL Audio 300/4,JL Audio 300/2,JL Audio 500/1,2 12w6 AE ,JL Audio 2 12inch H.O box,Kinetic HC800,2 Runs 0 gauge and a lot of dynamate And a lot more to come........... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMac18 Posted November 14, 2009 Report Share Posted November 14, 2009 I beg to differ. A friend of mine has an Ecplise deck and while its a nice deck and sounds great I still prefer my Kenwood. I also only run eXcelon models as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikesmith0890 Posted November 14, 2009 Report Share Posted November 14, 2009 I've ran just about every deck brand out there, mostly the higher end. And while I agree eclipse do have great sounding units, my best experience has been with a few select models of alpine and imo those are much better than the eclipse ive ran. I've even had the opportunity to play with the alpine f1 series h/u which is a totally different ballpark and is a very very very expensive headunit. On topic - for the features listed above, I'd go with the alpine, great bang for your buck for a low end deck. Quote AlphaDamp Sound Deadening CDL Mat - The best Vibration Damper Ever! I'd hit that so fucking hard whoever pulled me out would be King of England. Lol... looks like we were on the same page. Car-B-Ques suck.ya, tires and paint burning make the marshmallows taste funny. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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