Alpine VS. Pioneer H/U

[nozerider]

Well I recently decided to redo some of my system, and decided it was time to replace my old clairon HU. Since I mplan on making my system a mostly Alpine one, I looked around, and found a good deal on crutchfield.
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-CLOhex...=0&c=3&g=300&I=500CDA9805&o=p&a=1&cc=01&avf=Y

But a friend also got a Pioneer HU recently , and it is nice, so i also saw this one.
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-CLOhex...=0&c=3&g=300&I=130DEHP360&o=p&a=1&cc=01&avf=Y

Here's a comparison page.
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-CLOhex...5=on&ITM130DEHP360=on&IMAGE4.x=37&IMAGE4.y=10



So I need to know which is a better hu for my system. Keep in mind a few things.
*I'm not overly capable in the car audio department, so something that is easy for me to adjust the sub level and such would be great.
* I need something that can quite capably power my S10 and speakers.

Thanks for the help.

 

[nozerider]

Also I was under the impression that a system will generally sound better if it is all of one brand. Is this true?

 

[03ExplorerSPT]

Originally posted by nozerider
Also I was under the impression that a system will generally sound better if it is all of one brand. Is this true?

Nope. Not true. I have mixed brands for my whole system and it sounds great.

I vote for the Pioneer HU but I'm biased. I love my Pioneer.

 

[evoq007]

I say alpine, the pioneer does not have a sub pre-out on it.

Scott

 

[BBQ_HotDogs]

Do you ever plan on playing XM radio? Neither of these units can do it without the extra modulator. I like the 9815 unit by alpine the best. But if these 2 stereos were my only choices, it would be the Alpine simply because it is a superior unit over Pioneer.

 

[Hokie]

Originally posted by nozerider
So I need to know which is a better hu for my system. Keep in mind a few things.
*I'm not overly capable in the car audio department, so something that is easy for me to adjust the sub level and such would be great.
* I need something that can quite capably power my S10 and speakers.

Thanks for the help.

Go with the Alpine. It has a higher pre amp voltage (4V vs 2.2V) and it has subwoofer outputs. I personally think the Pioneer has better sound control (Easy EQ gives you 5 factory presets and a 3 band eq) but the Bass Engine system is nice and easy to use (no presets and a 2 band eq). You just push the volume knob in and can quickly change the sub level, treble, bass and center frequencies

I have had Pioneer, Kenwood, and Alpine and have been happy with all of em.

And as a former employee of Crutchfield (certified installer at the Charlottesville retail store), you can't go wrong buying from them. The master sheets and installation kits really make life easy when it comes to installation time

Oh, and when you order, ask if they have the item in the outlet (returned item ~ still comes with same warranty, I buy all my stuff from the outlet). It'll save you ~20% if they do

 

[nozerider]

Thanks alot all, I think the Alpine is the one for me