Yousaf
Second Unit
- Joined
- Nov 20, 2002
- Messages
- 251
I am currently looking to purchase a new HU, in the approximately $300-400 range. Two models that particularly piqued my interest were the Alpine CDA-9813 and the Panasonic CQ-HX2038U. Apparently, Alpine is known for having better sound quality although I won't be able to buy new speakers for a while (many months), so I don't know how much of a difference I will be able to hear using the stock speakers. It also seems to have some advanced features (parametric EQ, etc.) that are beyond the capabilities of the Panasonic. However, I positively HATE the way it looks. It reminds me of too many Nike/Addidas shoes today that try and pack as many colors and shapes into the given amount of space. Ugly and cluttered, but I'm a fan of sound quality so if it's really that good I would be willing to put up with the looks.
The Panasonic certainly looks its price...in fact, it is probably the best looking HU IMO. The touchscreen feature is pretty spiffy as well. Panasonic doesn't seem to mention many of the software features available on this unit, so I don't know if they just don't mention them or if they don't exist. I'm sure that the overall sound quality is less than the Alpine unit, but how much worse can it be? I mean, if it comes reasonably close I would definitely go Panasonic.
I guess what I'm looking for is an informed push toward the Panasonic, if it performs well enough. I really want to buy it, but for about $100 more than the Alpine I'd be kicking myself if it sucked. Does anyone have any firsthand experience that they could share? Even if not, could you still recommend which might be better? I went through all 8 pages of Google matches on the Panasonic and could not find a single review, so I actually have tried to do my research.
The Panasonic certainly looks its price...in fact, it is probably the best looking HU IMO. The touchscreen feature is pretty spiffy as well. Panasonic doesn't seem to mention many of the software features available on this unit, so I don't know if they just don't mention them or if they don't exist. I'm sure that the overall sound quality is less than the Alpine unit, but how much worse can it be? I mean, if it comes reasonably close I would definitely go Panasonic.
I guess what I'm looking for is an informed push toward the Panasonic, if it performs well enough. I really want to buy it, but for about $100 more than the Alpine I'd be kicking myself if it sucked. Does anyone have any firsthand experience that they could share? Even if not, could you still recommend which might be better? I went through all 8 pages of Google matches on the Panasonic and could not find a single review, so I actually have tried to do my research.