What makes a HU better than another HU?

[aldive]

What features make one HU better than another Hu?

Thanks....

 

[Mike 92 XLT]

Well, I suppose it all depends on what you value the most. I tend to think that things like a 4V or better pre-out (sends a cleaner signal to the amp) and dual 18-bit or dual 20-bit DACs help to insure the cleanest sound possible, and that's very important to me. Features such as mp3 playback capability, RDS, XM and Sirius capability, CD changer control, and a high watt amplifier section (if you're not running an amp) are also worthwile things that people want. It just depends on what you are looking for.

peace

Mike

 

[Kontrol-Trak]

What Mike said. Sound & build quality, easy controls.

 

[leenjen]

good build quality and sound quality are most important. they usually have the higher output voltages and the important features anyway. once you find a bunch of quality headunits, then pick out the one that looks the best.

 

[tbomb]

yeah, its mostly personal preference. i mean, most units within a certain price range are pretty close in features (and most of the essential features have already been mentioned here.) and like lee said, pick a couple that you might be interested in and pick your favorite one.

i think pretty much, price will dictate the group of units you select, then available features will narrow it down some more, then you pick which ever one you like the looks of and controls and things like that.

when i picked mine last week, it came down to a double din unit with some basic features, or a single din unit with a TON more features. i also considered the aiwa cd-mp32 (or whatever the better mp3 playing unit they make is) and i looked at a few others that play mp3s (i think its a cool feature), and i ruled all of them out; that came down to personal preference - i didnt like the looks of any of them, and none of the ones i saw had user friendly controls.

some brands are also known to be not so good, while others are known to make great products, even the lower end models, so thats another thing to consider. oh, and, also, your plans for the system. for instance, if youre not planning on running any amps, then dont worry about preamp outputs, but if you want amps, you better make sure your unit has preamp outputs (or enough of them) - you could just have one set of preamp outputs, and run everything off of an electronic crossover, but, well, once again, personal preference.

 

[Kontrol-Trak]

Check out this HU: Denon DCT-Z1

Dead Link Removed

It's one of the best sounding car CD receivers in the world. No fancy features, just pure SQ. The price is about $2,400 Not available in U.S.

 

[Mike 92 XLT]

I......want.....


peace

Mike

 

[nosaj122081]

Its mostly an opinion thing... First, be honest with your system plans, don't buy features you won't need/use. Then, get a list and listen to those, I never buy blind. Then you get into perference things; personally, I like knobs, I hate too many buttons, I don't like little displays or displays that are hard to read in bright sunlight, things like that. Lots of things are IMO gimmicky and/or bold faced lies though, you gotta sift through the crap to find out the real information on car audio, they don't have a set of guidelines to follow for measurments like home audio does. Good luck!

 

[zensius]

Another thing to take into account is the tires you're running or the exhaust. I know this sounds way out there but if you're running 35 inch Superswampers and some loud ass exhaust because it makes your truck sound tough you aren't going to hear all of the money you spent on quality anyway. So be practical about the sound quality. In the real world one is ever going to hear the difference in the sound quality between the Denon HU and a more reasonably priced unit.

 

[TwoToneX]

Originally posted by zensius
Another thing to take into account is the tires you're running or the exhaust. I know this sounds way out there but if you're running 35 inch Superswampers and some loud ass exhaust because it makes your truck sound tough you aren't going to hear all of the money you spent on quality anyway. So be practical about the sound quality. In the real world one is ever going to hear the difference in the sound quality between the Denon HU and a more reasonably priced unit.

Or just buy subwoofers and don't worry about the outside noise

 

[Mike 92 XLT]

Originally posted by zensius
In the real world one is ever going to hear the difference in the sound quality between the Denon HU and a more reasonably priced unit.

Just to comment on that, my Denon head unit uses dual 18-bit DACs, while my Denon CD changer uses a 1-bit DAC (more common), and yes, there is a noticible difference in sound quality between the two units.

peace

Mike

 

[zensius]

I'm sure there is an audible difference between your 1 bit and an 18 bit but in the real world it's the age old arguement of diminishing returns. A $2400 HU is not worth the money.

 

[Kontrol-Trak]

Originally posted by zensius
I'm sure there is an audible difference between your 1 bit and an 18 bit but in the real world it's the age old arguement of diminishing returns. A $2400 HU is not worth the money.

It all depends on the individual. That Denon deck has a 24 bit DAC. Why would you buy a S500 when you can spend alot less on a Ford Escort? They are both cars afterall. But If you can appreciate the difference, I don't see why it's not worth the money.

 

[zensius]

True, true. And I guess this thread is titled, "What makes one head unit better than another."

 

[Kontrol-Trak]

Those expensive high-end units probably won't do well in our trucks because Explorer is a noisy vehicle to begin with (even with tons of dynamat) It's not worth the price, if you don't have enough $$$ invested in other things already, such as quality amps, speakers, wires, sound insulation, acoustic tuning and so on. lol I know I wouldn't be driving an Ex if I had that much money to spend on car audio.