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8454 decides to give up on me right before my Excel mids come in for me to test them out Been thinking about replacing it anyway, it's a loaded HU and tends to be a bit "clumsy" (slow as hell) when navigating through all the options.

I guess I'm going to end up get an Alpine DVA-9860, it'll give me control over the H701 processor I'm going to get, plus 24-bit 96khz DACs and it lets me play a DVD-R/RW. Not ridiculously slow or difficult to navigate and I don't have to worry about motorized faceplates and all that jazz.

How old was the clipse? Did the warranty end on it?

04 Model. I'd love to get a warranty, but I got the HU from my brother after he changed plans, and he didn't fill out the warranty card. Partially my fault too, though, I should have gotten one somewhere and sent it in. Oh well. For that reason I'm going to crack the unit and see if it's repairable.

Been planning on a new HU anyway. Want the Alpine because it can control the H701 and I don't want two DIN size faces to have to fit in this tiny truck. I just hope these Excels are "bass engine ready"

I just wish somebody would make a damn simple head unit. No added bells and whistles, no dolphins flopping around on the display, just a dead head that provides radio reception, CD playback, and processor control. And make it not carry huge pricetags or have the inherent reliability issues that the Nak CD-700 has.

Jonathan wrote: no dolphins flopping around on the display,

Gee you wouldn't be referring to Pioneer would you? lol

William from NOLA wrote:Gee you wouldn't be referring to Pioneer would you? lol

Ok, ok, to make it fair, I care nothing about the teeny tiny navigation displays on the new Eclipse HUs. Or any headunit that goes the extra mile to carry the fad riceboy image. If a Nak CD700 didn't have issues, that would be my head unit. No christmas tree-esque lighting, nothing but volume control, tone adjustments, and balance/fader, all with ANALOG pots. And it's a great SQ performer in the CD medium. Just look at this thing and say it isn't dead sexy

Jonathan if you want a really good HU for a decent price you should really consider the Pioneer Premier DEH-P860MP / I can bet on it that you will really be satisfied with that deck. You can always change the screensavers etc.. to just a plain nice look. Its $309 plus shipping at electronicgiant.

I happen to own one and i have owned the Eclipse CD8454 and the Kenwood XXV-01D and i like the premier deh-P860MP alot better then both.

This deck has the 24 bitt-burr brown dac and a 13 band EQ to go right along with it. You also get a 2 year premier warranty on it that covers everything on this unit. Just my .02 cents

Check out this new 2006 premier. Perfect for what your looking for and way better then alpine,eclipse and kenwoods newer stuff in my opinion.

http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/pna/p ... 96,00.html

These are all the best headunits you can get for the money. Guaranteed

http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/pna/p ... 41,00.html

This is just to sexy jonathan and is exactly what your looking for / read specs

Still can't control an H-701 processor, though

My upcoming system, to give you an idea:

SEAS Excel 4.5"-dash mount

Peerless XLS 8" or SEAS L22 in doors-probably the XLS 8" because there would be no need for a sub with it in the doors.

Tweeter undecided-probably either Vifa D26 or SEAS Lotus alum tweeter.
Probably the D26 in the end because it's cheaper and one of the best small format tweeters I've ever heard.

But the basic requirements are that I need time alignment, 1/3 octave equalization, and most importantly I need a crossover for the drivers since I'm running active. The audiocontrol units are limited to 4th order L/R x-overs, and I'd rather have the power of choice on crossover slope . The Alpine is one of the few processors up to the job unless I were to splurge on a Pioneer P9 combo. While a great combo, that $1800 asking price is a bit much considering how much cheaper the Alpine setup would be.

It's basically two options:

The Alpine DVA unit, which allows me to control the processor from the HU itself, as well as gives me burr brown DACs and so on and so forth. Going by retail the HU combined with the processor is going to run ~$1000.

A cheaper HU, probably just a simple one with a pair of preamp outputs, a volume knob. Just something that fills basic requirements without the added hoopla of the more expensive head units. Then the H-701 processor with the RUX-C701 controller. While it would be more hassle to install, it's cheaper than the above combo by about $100. I'd rather spend the extra $100 and save the hassle of finding a place to stick the controller.

That Pioneer is a very nice looking unit. The Clarion DRZ HU is really nice looking, too (and costly). I tend to like navigating through Pioneer HUs better than Alpine, but you have to sacrifice some things in the name of SQ If that one had the ability to do crossover/TA duties I'd consider it. Then an Audiocontrol processor could do the rest.

First things first, though, I'm going to tear into the Eclipse tomorrow and see if it's fixable. If it's something simple I'll get it going again. Never know, it could be a problem with the ignition source in the truck too, maybe the wiring got screwy somewhere. The unit keeps going on and off and the display is doing some crazy stuff. I haven't found any frayed wiring that hints at a problem, but it was getting dark out. Underdash tracing is fun fun fun Gonna run a voltmeter on it when I get some daylight out. Cost-wise I'm hoping the HU is still able to go, then I can save mucho dinero and just get an Audiocontrol processor with DDC to do the processing duties. I must say, even with some 20 year old factory Ford speakers and the rather limited capabilities of a HU, the bone stock dash locations image pretty well once T/A and level control is applied. The stage could be a bit wider, but I imagine once I get some tweeters in the pillars it will widen immensely, having no tweets at all tends to make the sound a little "shut-in" to begin with. And of course some solid midbass drivers/subs will help. If anything else, the midrange clarity should be pretty awesome with those 4.5 inchers, especially in the dash compared to other alternatives (doors, kicks, basically anywhere where your legs/feet can potentially muffle the sound).

Jonathan, the DEH-P880PRS does have EQ and crossover/TA.

"The moment you see it, you know there is something special about the DEH-P880PRS. The centerpiece of the Premier-exclusive PRS lineup, it is designed for those that love music - and love to hear it the best way possible.

Exclusive PRS High Quality Sound Design
Unprecendented control for the purest sound.

Dual (L/R) 16-Band Graphic EQ for unprecendented control
Auto EQ easily creates a baseline equalization for your vehicle
Auto Time Alignment adjusts for speaker placement and creates exceptional staging and imaging
Burr-Brown DAC's for the purest sound
Hi-Volt (5V) Pre-Outs"

Here you go

http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/pna/p ... 96,00.html

All the info needed plus specs