# 2008 Alpine catalog



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

Someone posted this on ca, thought I'd post here.

http://www.floridaspl.com/Alpine_2008.pdf


iva-w505... mmm. 7" screen. Wonder if it'll still control the h701, and what the price is going to be? That's right around income tax return time, too.  

Guys, be on the lookout for my w205. I'll be selling it as soon as the w505 drops. 

woot!


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## skylar112 (Dec 8, 2005)

the IVA-W505 is hot looking.


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## Thumper26 (Sep 23, 2005)

whew, at least there wasn't anything big replacing the x001. the x100 seems to just have a new interface and added imprint, which i have no need for.

looks like i dodged the bullet for this year.


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## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

I'm just wondering about this whole imprint thing. Does that mean that you won't be able to use the h701 with the units that have the imprint feature? 

*crossing fingers that the w505 will control h701*

I've already made a deal with my wife: $50 from each check goes directly to her so she can "hold" it to go toward the w505. :blush:


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## tr0y_audi0 (Feb 13, 2007)

yeah im with you guys,
505 is hot..
also like the new Gear for the boat guys..


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## Abaddon (Aug 28, 2007)

PDX 5 CHANNEL!!!!!!

75 x 4
300 x 1


Thats like.. the PERFECT amp for the wife/girlfriends car...


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## fastev (May 28, 2007)

I'm just waiting for that PDX5...


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## Thumper26 (Sep 23, 2005)

whoa, wtf? i must have overlooked that.

that's awesome. too bad they can't build a 4.150 and a 1.600 or 1.1000 in a single chassis. that'd be tits.

mmm, or a 4.100, 2.150, and a 1.1000 in a single chassis.

someone needs to come up with distro centers like the phoenix gold titanium series had.


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## Mirage_Man (Jun 29, 2007)

Wow if the rest of the graphics on the 505 are that nice I'll start saving... as long as it can control the H701. If it does I hope it has a better GUI for the EQ than the 205.


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## Abaddon (Aug 28, 2007)

Thumper26 said:


> whoa, wtf? i must have overlooked that.
> 
> that's awesome. too bad they can't build a 4.150 and a 1.600 or 1.1000 in a single chassis. that'd be tits.
> 
> ...


Just stack those things!

How about 4 stacked 4.150s

6 x 300 (rated, actual more like 6 x 400)


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## havok20222 (Sep 5, 2007)

tr0y_audi0 said:


> yeah im with you guys,
> 505 is hot..
> also like the new Gear for the boat guys..


Ya, I was looking at that boat gear too. Very nice. I have been toying with getting a boat in the future so this makes me happy.

That W505 does look quite nice.


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## Kenny_Cox (Sep 9, 2007)

wonder if itll still play dvd audio. I def. like the looks of the 505.


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## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

I keep staring at the 505, lol.

A full 7" screen is a +.

I'm wondering if this will be in the same price range as the other double-dins out there. I'm hoping it stays under $1k, which is where the pioneers are at.


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## Mirage_Man (Jun 29, 2007)

bikinpunk said:


> I keep starting at the 505, lol.
> 
> A full 7" screen is a +.
> 
> I'm wondering if this will be in the same price range as the other double-dins out there. I'm hoping it stays under $1k, which is where the pioneers are at.


Considering they're keeping the 205 in the line up I bet it'll be more expensive.


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## Kenny_Cox (Sep 9, 2007)

bikinpunk said:


> I keep starting at the 505, lol.
> 
> A full 7" screen is a +.
> 
> I'm wondering if this will be in the same price range as the other double-dins out there. I'm hoping it stays under $1k, which is where the pioneers are at.


You're supposed to be saving to buy me F1 stuff. What are you thinking?!


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## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

haha


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## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

Mirage_Man said:


> Considering they're keeping the 205 in the line up I bet it'll be more expensive.


I'm scared they may put it in the price range the d310 was- $1500.


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## Kenny_Cox (Sep 9, 2007)

the d310 isnt even on the website anymore, wonder why that is...


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## bjayjr5679 (Nov 8, 2007)

v power line up looks good with a 2000 watt mono!


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## dtviewer (Dec 18, 2006)

Cant wait for some more info. Like when and how much.


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## mobeious (Jan 26, 2007)

does anyone know when this stuff will be out for sell


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## dtviewer (Dec 18, 2006)

Bet this is why crutchfield dropped the price on the ida-x001 to 299. Clearing stock for the new items.


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## BlueAc (May 19, 2007)

mobeious said:


> does anyone know when this stuff will be out for sell


Its Alpine so probably 4th quarter of '08...


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## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

I remember the w200 & w205 both came out mid spring of their release years.


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## Abaddon (Aug 28, 2007)

Yes, but... the type-x component speakers were in the 2007 catalog.. and they are only coming out NOW...


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## matdotcom2000 (Aug 16, 2005)

Damnit that w505 they need to make the screen small which makes the price smaller.  I need those features


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## cmusic (Nov 16, 2006)

Some thoughts:

The W505 is Ai-net compatible so it should work the H701. Don't have a clue about the user interface.

The PXA-H100 seems to be a H650 without the factory inputs and Ant-EQ.

Where's the Vehicle Hub Pro? I have one and I really like it. I guess most salespeople couldn't figure out what it exactly was and did not try to sell it. (Alpine has a reputation of making technological leading products and then not fully explaining them to their sales reps and dealers. When the PXA-H600 came out I had to teach my regional sales rep what it actually did and how it did it after he went to that year's Alpine's sales rep product seminar at the Alpine HQ in Torrance, CA.)

Most importantly: *Where's the F#1 Status line?* I guess the extremely high-end car audio market is not what it used to be.


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## Blackcharger06 (Mar 28, 2007)

cmusic said:


> Some thoughts:
> 
> The W505 is Ai-net compatible so it should work the H701. Don't have a clue about the user interface.
> 
> ...


 I've heard from a few people that F#1 is gone.


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## BigRed (Aug 12, 2007)

yeah, they are not making the F1 stuff anymore. Its funny, because I have the H900 and I called them the other day about a question I had that was not covered in their manual, and after about 15 minutes of being on hold, they quoted all of their answers out of the manual word for word. I don't think many people at Alpine "really" know what the alpine f1 stuff was about.

I live in Torrance, and offered to bring my ride over there so they could possibly figure it out, and the kindly responded with a big "no"


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## Kenny_Cox (Sep 9, 2007)

I called them to ask a few questions about my F1 stuff, the answers were very short, I am talking one word answers. Does this do this? YES, next question. I would have to agree, they don't know much about it. I have also heard, F1 is no longer. Must not be a market for it, I mean shoot, I was trying to sell my stuff, and got nothing.


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## BigRed (Aug 12, 2007)

Kenny, you're stuff will sell, its just bad timing I think because of christmas. I mean I was practically giving away dyn 3 ways and had no bites, although I have sold the drivers individually. Hang in there, your stuff will sell. I really believe that.


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## BigRed (Aug 12, 2007)

Jim to Alpine Tech support: Can you adjust the left and right eq individually
Tech Support: Hold on, let me check (wait 15 min)........yes you can with our software.
Jim To Alpine Tech support: where do I get the software?
Tech support: Hold on (wait 5 minutes) It comes with the unit
Jim to Alpine Tech Support: I purchased it used from somebody. any place else?
Tech Support: send an email requesting it, and we will look into it


Alpine F1, gotta love it


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## unpredictableacts (Aug 16, 2006)

Those PDX amplifier look promising.


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## cmusic (Nov 16, 2006)

I've got an H900 sitting on the shelf right now, no audio output but everything else works. I don't know when I will get around to sending it back in for a third time. It's been sent back to Alpine twice for repairs in the 6 years I have owned it; last time was about a year ago. I agree, there are only a few people at the Alpine HQ that knows anything beyond the instruction manual about the F1 stuff. At the 2001 IASCA finals Steve Brown told me he was the only person from North America that was on the initial F#1 Status design team. (BTW the reason everyone at Alpine refers to the equipment as F#1 Status is because the management of Formula One racing had global trademark rights to F1 and wanted huge royalties from Alpine to use it on their equipment.) 

In the meantime I have an H701 on order from my Alpine dealer.


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## ///Audience (Jan 31, 2007)

The marine PDX's are realllll sexy.


...and does anyone want to buy a w205 right before the release of the w505?


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## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

BassBaller5 said:


> ...and does anyone want to buy a w205 right before the release of the w505?


x2


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## HIS4 (Oct 6, 2005)

I wish they would stop dickin around with portable nav and put it in the W505. It would basically be an AVIC-D3 with the capability to control an outboard processor like the H701 or the imprint processor. That's what I really want to see.


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## ///Audience (Jan 31, 2007)

the new nav looks interesting enough... should be a few years before we ever see that though...


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

I can't believe they're still putting a BB dock in the 505. IMO that makes the dvd slot such a PITA to access. Booooooo. 

Am I the only one that didn't even see the 701 in the manual? I also didn't see optical out listed for the 505. 

I AM diggin the new portable navi that looks to be Garmin-based. Now if only they'd do a HD based add-on navi or build it into an in-dash and they'd be set.


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## rekd0514 (Sep 24, 2006)

Abaddon said:


> PDX 5 CHANNEL!!!!!!
> 
> 75 x 4
> 300 x 1
> ...


Or a 3 way up front.


Also, who is trying the new Type X set. They look impressive, or did someone already try them? I know I saw their pic a long time ago. They definitely look like a high end driver.


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## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

quality_sound said:


> I can't believe they're still putting a BB dock in the 505. IMO that makes the dvd slot such a PITA to access. Booooooo.


x2. Especially if your dash is sloped where the deck is slanted back. 



quality_sound said:


> I also didn't see optical out listed for the 505.


Oh, nooozzzzeee! 
Note they don't list that for the w205 but we know it has it. Maybe they just didn't put it as a feature.


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## GlasSman (Nov 14, 2006)

quality_sound said:


> I can't believe they're still putting a BB dock in the 505. IMO that makes the dvd slot such a PITA to access. Booooooo.
> 
> Am I the only one that didn't even see the 701 in the manual? I also didn't see optical out listed for the 505.
> 
> I AM diggin the new portable navi that looks to be Garmin-based. Now if only they'd do a HD based add-on navi or build it into an in-dash and they'd be set.


The H701 is at the bottom of one of the pages. 

Looks like they're morphing the look of the faces already.


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## GlasSman (Nov 14, 2006)

By 2010 the 6 buttons will be on the *back* of the unit.


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## chadillac3 (Feb 3, 2006)

rekd0514 said:


> Or a 3 way up front.
> 
> 
> Also, who is trying the new Type X set. They look impressive, or did someone already try them? I know I saw their pic a long time ago. They definitely look like a high end driver.


Me; my set would have been here last week, but since I was out of town they're getting delivered Wed. Could be a few weeks before I do the install,though.


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

bikinpunk said:


> x2. Especially if your dash is sloped where the deck is slanted back.


That's why it came out of my Si...before i sold it.


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

GlasSman said:


> The H701 is at the bottom of one of the pages.
> 
> Looks like they're morphing the look of the faces already.


Must have missed it and the site is down now.


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## Babs (Jul 6, 2007)

This PXA-H100 thing... hmmmmmmmm... 

So it appears Alpine listened to the market response where this unit has this or that but I need the processing on that other unit.. such as the very cool IDA concept but it had no processing.. So not only now the new IDA's have it but also a couple others, all via the H100.

This H100 appears to be their work-with-all-new-Alpine Imprint processor, via AiNet.... 

Somehow turns that head unit into an SQ machine?? 
Too good to be true?
Could run active and processed with any H100 compatible head unit maybe?

.. If so... Very very slick!


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## Whiterabbit (May 26, 2006)

I was admiring the KTP-445 "head unit power pack". They come with every Nakamichi MB-X as it is. Now another competing amp is available to compete with the navone teeny amp for rearfill, navigation or blue tooth audio out needs. Center channel, any "non-essential" amplifier needs.


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## doitor (Aug 16, 2007)

If the W505 has optical out and can control the H701, there will be a W205 in the for sale section really soon.


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## Whiterabbit (May 26, 2006)

help me out. the 505 looks identical to the 205 to me.

whats the difference?


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## doitor (Aug 16, 2007)

Whiterabbit said:


> help me out. the 505 looks identical to the 205 to me.
> 
> whats the difference?


Bigger screen.
Better graphic interfase.
Ipod video playback and album work.


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## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

doitor said:


> Bigger screen.
> .


the sole reason I want it


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## Thumper26 (Sep 23, 2005)

compensate much?


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## Whiterabbit (May 26, 2006)

how much larger is the screen? they look basically the same size.


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## doitor (Aug 16, 2007)

half inch bigger.


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## Whiterabbit (May 26, 2006)

so.....less than 10% larger by diagonal measurement? how many hundreds of dollars is someone willing to pay for that?


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## dogstar (Jan 31, 2007)

Depends if it does anything else differently or better, or adds features I guess.

So far I'm pretty happy with my W200, but the 505 sure is pretty in pictures.


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## doitor (Aug 16, 2007)

My biggest complain about the W205 is the graphic interfase.
It works very good, and it's very intuitive to use once you get the hang of it, but the graphics just look old.
Just for that I'll get the W505. If you add to it a bigger screen, ipod video playback and album artwork, it's sound like an interesting option.
My only concern about the description on the catalog is that it says that it's compatible with IMPRINT (like the 9887, and that doesn't have optical). 
Hopefully it has the optical output and it can be compatible with the H701. 
If it doesn't have it, I wont get it.


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## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

Whiterabbit said:


> so.....less than 10% larger by diagonal measurement? how many hundreds of dollars is someone willing to pay for that?


Honestly, a few hundred. He (Doiter) pretty much sums up my intentions. Simply put, I just like the bigger screen and sharper display. It _is_ worth the upgrade to me. I'm sure others wouldn't care. That's fine. They can buy my w205 if I sell it. 



doitor said:


> My biggest complain about the W205 is the graphic interfase.
> It works very good, and it's very intuitive to use once you get the hang of it, but the graphics just look old.
> Just for that I'll get the W505. If you add to it a bigger screen, ipod video playback and album artwork, it's sound like an interesting option.
> My only concern about the description on the catalog is that it says that it's compatible with IMPRINT (like the 9887, and that doesn't have optical).
> ...


Yea, if no optical, I doubt I'd get it. However, I just can't imagine that. All of Alpine's MM units have optical out, AFAIK. And at the price range this one is likely to fall in, I would imagine it does.

Like you, I'm just ready for something else. I regretted from day 1 that I sold my d310 for the w205. Simply put, I just don't like the GUI. If I can upgrade to the w505 without taking much of a loss after selling my w205 then I'll gladly do so as long as it has optical out. If not, there's going to be some serious deliberation anyway; cause to be honest I hardly ever listen to CD's. *gasp... he dissed optical* Yep... scary, I know.


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## elminster (Jan 9, 2007)

why need optical if you aren't going to read optical? heh


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## Thumper26 (Sep 23, 2005)

elminster said:


> why need optical if you aren't going to read optical? heh


?

i believe everyone that cares about optical are running the alping 701, and need the optical for input to the 701.


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## elminster (Jan 9, 2007)

yeah I understand that man, he just mentioned he hardly listens to cds, was just bringing up the point that what is the point of using optical to transport to processor if using a low quality sound format


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## Thumper26 (Sep 23, 2005)

lol, oh. 

you can get pretty close with lossless rips for the ipod. and there's always those times when you throw in a cd.


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## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

Thumper26 said:


> lol, oh.
> 
> you can get pretty close with lossless rips for the ipod. and there's always those times when you throw in a cd.


Pretty much what I meant. I'm not going to say I won't get it if it doesn't have optical; that's all I meant.


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## Babs (Jul 6, 2007)

So anyway, it appears that new processor is a departure from previous... Relies solely on AiNet... Makes me wonder if the signal itself is even traveling to the processor or if the processor is just tapping into the DSP in the head unit, sort of as the brain/computer, then the head unit basically is the sound card doing what it's told from measurements computed by the brain. I'm rather taken with this new processor.

Makes me reconsider an IDA unit, then Imprint processor... No discs, just iPod in any various levels of quality but still full SQ processing. This is cool as I really liked the idea the IDA unit doesn't have a player assembly to crap out eventually and iPod's are basically replaceable.


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## dtviewer (Dec 18, 2006)

quality_sound said:


> Must have missed it and the site is down now.



Site is back up.


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## Blackcharger06 (Mar 28, 2007)

someone talked about the optical connection of the 505, which they will keep but was anyone suprised when they dumped the optical from the changer. Most people just use mp3's now, but it sux that you have to use ai net now. You had to anyways but optical is always the way to go.


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

dtviewer said:


> Site is back up.


Yeah, I was able to get back into it and I saw the 701, it wasn't on the page I thought it would be on.  Man the 505 looks sexy...I might even be able to get over the BB dock moving the dvd slot down. I wonder if it'll start shipping before next year.


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

Blackcharger06 said:


> someone talked about the optical connection of the 505, which they will keep but was anyone suprised when they dumped the optical from the changer. Most people just use mp3's now, but it sux that you have to use ai net now. You had to anyways but optical is always the way to go.



Who uses changers anymore?


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## OgreDave (Jul 13, 2005)

You guys blow my mind. No one mentioned DIVX?


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## Whiterabbit (May 26, 2006)

quality_sound said:


> Who uses changers anymore?


<---- 5 of them in the same car.


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## ssmith100 (Jun 28, 2007)

I wonder if the 505 will use the same trim ring as the 205 (they look similar) ??
I really hate to have to redo this.

Shane


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## s10scooter (Feb 5, 2007)

I really really like that pdx amp.

I am betting I could fit an amp and a small 8" sealed sub in the 3rd seat. Perfect stealth install.

I may just sell everything I have to that. One little 4 gauge power wire and I am good.

However, I am curious about mounting the pdx inset vertically. Sometimes there are heatsink problems with that.


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## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

ssmith100 said:


> I wonder if the 505 will use the same trim ring as the 205 (they look similar) ??
> I really hate to have to redo this.
> 
> Shane


I seriously doubt it. The w205 is 6.5". The w505 is 7". I imagine the outer dimensions have changed a bit, though I could be wrong. It seems to me that "double din" isn't always "double din".


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## elminster (Jan 9, 2007)

you would think it would be the same size still being double din but I know what you mean bikin


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

Whiterabbit said:


> <---- 5 of them in the same car.


Why???


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## dtviewer (Dec 18, 2006)

Some more on the ida-x100 and 200.
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/cars/alp...hd-radio-songs-for-itunes-purchase-339286.php

and
http://www.alpine.es/fileadmin/img/com/product_images/08 products/digitalreceiver_chart.jpg

Heres the 200 and 300. Seems only the 100 has the burr brown dac.
http://www.audiojunkies.com/blog/934/


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## Babs (Jul 6, 2007)

Interesting... 
So they're in reverse order with the 100 being the highest then 200 and 300.

I'd love to know if the Imprint H100 processor will let the X100 run active "2.2" like the 9886?


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## starboy869 (Dec 16, 2006)

That W505 is really nice. A nice big clock  Sorry it's just a pet peeve of mine with my W200. I was thinking about getting the 2nd gen blackbird and was a little worried about interfacing with my W200. Well that worry is now over. However this time I'm going to be checking the screen for any marks before I walk out of the store.


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## Whiterabbit (May 26, 2006)

especially when mechanics are involved, the trim rings get odd shaped very quickly. Many dash kits are "oversized" for this reason. Or DIN faceplates undersized.

makes finding a perfect fit difficult at best, impossible at worst.

That being said, I would suspect the 505 will have the same trim ring. I dont think Alpine would be reinventing the wheel with this one, rather just adding a new injection mold for the face to allow for a larger screen internally.


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## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

Whiterabbit said:


> especially when mechanics are involved, the trim rings get odd shaped very quickly. Many dash kits are "oversized" for this reason. Or DIN faceplates undersized.
> 
> makes finding a perfect fit difficult at best, impossible at worst.
> 
> That being said, I would suspect the 505 will have the same trim ring. I dont think Alpine would be reinventing the wheel with this one, rather just adding a new injection mold for the face to allow for a larger screen internally.


Yea. When I say "double din" isn't always "double din" I mean it. There's alot of guys in the 8th gen civic forum who have double din units. It seems the guys with the Pioneer AVIC-Z1 (7") have a much better fit. They seem to fill the space considerably better than my w205. Even with the trim ring, the w205's seem to fit weird. I'm hoping the w505 will also be a better a fit as well. I'm really psyched on the w505. I just hope it's everything I think it will.


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## Blackcharger06 (Mar 28, 2007)

OgreDave said:


> You guys blow my mind. No one mentioned DIVX?


 yea that sux, I wish it playd divx files. I hate having to convert them to dvd files to play at car shows


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## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

Blackcharger06 said:


> yea that sux, I wish it playd divx files. I hate having to convert them to dvd files to play at car shows


I didn't mention DIVX because I don't watch videos when I'm driving. nor do I care to convert my DVD collection to divx, really.

I guess it's cool. I just won't ever use it.


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## OgreDave (Jul 13, 2005)

Blackcharger06 said:


> yea that sux, I wish it playd divx files. I hate having to convert them to dvd files to play at car shows


It does play them .. there are a couple units w/DivX support  Look carefully ..



bikinpunk said:


> I didn't mention DIVX because I don't watch videos when I'm driving. nor do I care to convert my DVD collection to divx, really.
> 
> I guess it's cool. I just won't ever use it.


I wouldn't watch videos in the car or anything, but damn, that's cool. I could watch/listen to episodes and have like .. an entire trilogy on one DVD.


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## dogstar (Jan 31, 2007)

I watch movies while sitting and waiting, but not while driving... just no interest in trying.


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## Blackcharger06 (Mar 28, 2007)

OgreDave said:


> It does play them .. there are a couple units w/DivX support  Look carefully ..
> 
> 
> 
> I wouldn't watch videos in the car or anything, but damn, that's cool. I could watch/listen to episodes and have like .. an entire trilogy on one DVD.



The iva w205 does not play dvds. Mine does not I've tired it.


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## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

One thing I just realized here.

The w505 has WVGA display, which is at least 800x480, which is 384,000 pixels.

The w205 is only 400x234 resolution which is about 280,000 pixels.

So, the resolution will be more like the d310.  

*says to self... YES!!!*


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## OgreDave (Jul 13, 2005)

Blackcharger06 said:


> The iva w205 does not play dvds. Mine does not I've tired it.


Mp3s on DVD's, or DVD video? I have no problem w/MP3s on DVD on a 205. Haven't bothered trying a movie, but I can do that ..


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## ///Audience (Jan 31, 2007)

Blackcharger06 said:


> The iva w205 does not play dvds. Mine does not I've tired it.


mine deffiatly does. watched many of em. hell i think the eric clapton Crossroads DVD is in there now!


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## Blackcharger06 (Mar 28, 2007)

OgreDave said:


> Mp3s on DVD's, or DVD video? I have no problem w/MP3s on DVD on a 205. Haven't bothered trying a movie, but I can do that ..


 That was dumb, sorry I ment to say that my iva w205 does not play divx files. I put them on a dvd and it did not work. Dvd files work just fine. What i Do now is put full cds on a dvd instead of using a changer. There is no sense in having a high end system with overly compressed music.


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## dtviewer (Dec 18, 2006)

Are the new Alpines coming out soon? I was just at BestBuy and they had the ida-x001 on clearance, and also the 9885. Both were still more than crutchfield.


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## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

Blackcharger06 said:


> What i Do now is put full cds on a dvd instead of using a changer. There is no sense in having a high end system with overly compressed music.


I couldn't get my w205 to play .wavs burned on a DVD


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## Blackcharger06 (Mar 28, 2007)

bikinpunk said:


> I couldn't get my w205 to play .wavs burned on a DVD


 It might be the program or how the files are loaded on. I put all the songs in a folder and they now appear on the dvd when I browse the deck. You also might have burned the songs at a data file, or a type of disc that is not compatiable with the deck. I know to play divx files on my dvd player at home I have to burn them as a Data disk.


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## OgreDave (Jul 13, 2005)

DivX wasn't supported on the 205. It's available on the 505 though .. and some of the 100 series in that catalog.


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## Whiterabbit (May 26, 2006)

bikinpunk said:


> One thing I just realized here.
> 
> The w505 has WVGA display, which is at least 800x480, which is 384,000 pixels.
> 
> ...


that could be worth several hundred. my screen is 400x234 range and its useless for everything except SNES.


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## nepl29 (Mar 25, 2007)

Acording to aline press release, the SRIP is $1100 for the IVA-W505. It will be available in April and it looks like it will be able to control the h701 processor.

http://www.alpine-usa.com/US-en/company/pr/pr.php?prid=179&year=2008


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## dogstar (Jan 31, 2007)

Impressive... lots of upgrades for only a $100 step in msrp over the W205.

I might could upgrade to that...


----------



## skylar112 (Dec 8, 2005)

nepl29 said:


> Acording to aline press release, the SRIP is $1100 for the IVA-W505. It will be available in April and it looks like it will be able to control the h701 processor.
> 
> http://www.alpine-usa.com/US-en/company/pr/pr.php?prid=179&year=2008


hawt. I might step that way.


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

skylar112 said:


> hawt. I might step that way.


x2. 

I'm just glad they're keeping the w205 in their lineup. That'll keep the w205's value pretty good.


----------



## s10scooter (Feb 5, 2007)

dtviewer said:


> Are the new Alpines coming out soon? I was just at BestBuy and they had the ida-x001 on clearance, and also the 9885. Both were still more than crutchfield.


I doubt it. It took over a year for the 17PROs.

If/when the pdx5 comes out, I may get it. I am just curious how the 17pro will sound underpowered.


----------



## ungucpho (Feb 14, 2007)

IVA-W505 doesn't list optical output according the press release


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

ungucpho said:


> IVA-W505 doesn't list optical output according the press release


Noticed that too.

I'm hoping it just wasn't listed by mistake. However, both the w205 & d106 have it included in their specs.

That would suck if it wasn't there.


----------



## ungucpho (Feb 14, 2007)

that would be a big killer since i'd want to run W505 & H701 processor


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

Maybe it's because the 505 is Imprint capable???


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

quality_sound said:


> Maybe it's because the 505 is Imprint capable???


Fawk Imprint! 

It says "processor ready"... and below says "imprint ...". Point being they made that two separate bulletins, so maybe it does mean the h701 ready. I dunno. 

There's a few more months to go, so we'll see. I might even shoot them an e-mail now. They might answer me. *shrugs*

Edit: Can't find an e-mail addy for them. Their phone line says they are experiencing a high volume of calls. haha


----------



## doitor (Aug 16, 2007)

ungucpho said:


> IVA-W505 doesn't list optical output according the press release


The W205 doesn't either and we all know that it does.


----------



## ungucpho (Feb 14, 2007)

doitor said:


> The W205 doesn't either and we all know that it does.


from the press release

IVA-W205 – 2-DIN Mobile Multimedia Station
Connectivity Features: 

Audio Features: 

24-bit DAC 
*Optical output *
DVD-Audio 2-channel down-mix 
DVD +/-R/RW playback 
Full processor control 
DTS, Dolby Digital and Dolby Pro-Logic II support 
MediaXpander™ 
3 pre-outs, subwoofer level control 
CEA-2006 Power Ratings: 18W x 4 RMS 

IVA-W505 – 2-DIN Mobile Multimedia Station
Connectivity Features:

24-bit DAC 
DVD-Audio 2-channel down-mix 
DivX, DVD +/-R/RW playback 
Full processor control 
DTS®, Dolby Digital® and Dolby Pro-Logic II® support 
IMPRINT™ Ready with dual input capability (PXA-H100 audio processor required) 
Power Pack Ready (KTP-445 amplifier upgrade required) 
3 pre-outs (2V), subwoofer level control 
CEA-2006 Power Ratings: 18W x 4 RMS


----------



## doitor (Aug 16, 2007)

Ups.
Haven't read the "press release".
Was only looking at the catalog.
But it's the only one that doesn't say "optical out".
That's not good.
At least for me.


----------



## dogstar (Jan 31, 2007)

Hopefully we don't have to wait another year to get the W510 "Now with optical out" and cough*$1500msrp*cough.

Let's hope it was just a misprint or omission.


----------



## Foglght (Aug 2, 2007)

Thumper26 said:


> whoa, wtf? i must have overlooked that.
> 
> that's awesome. too bad they can't build a 4.150 and a 1.600 or 1.1000 in a single chassis. that'd be tits.
> 
> ...


If they come out with that, I'd buy it in a heartbeat. That is exactly what I need. Then 3 amps become 1.


----------



## nepl29 (Mar 25, 2007)

as far as i can tell the imprint processor does not support DTS, DOLBY PRO LOGIC II.


----------



## Whiterabbit (May 26, 2006)

you guys should know better.

Knowing Alpine, you will have to buy the Optical Out Adapter to enable that feature


----------



## newtitan (Mar 7, 2005)

called the techs today, and he asked around and they all said from all teh information they had the W505 DID NOT have optical out as its meant to run direct with the imprint processor NOT the h701


he said the managing techs were all at ces, and said he would email back with a manual and or some other confirmation


that would be ROYALLY about as dumb as taking out the graphical EQ/crossover section in the W205, 

the cutting of costs alpine does REALLY pisses me off some times

looks like I may have to get the zapco processor amps once and for all arrrgh


----------



## dogstar (Jan 31, 2007)

Starting angry form letter campaign in...

3...
2...
1...
go!


----------



## Blackcharger06 (Mar 28, 2007)

newtitan said:


> called the techs today, and he asked around and they all said from all teh information they had the W505 DID NOT have optical out as its meant to run direct with the imprint processor NOT the h701
> 
> 
> he said the managing techs were all at ces, and said he would email back with a manual and or some other confirmation
> ...


 Guess ya guys wanna hold on to those iva w205 after all


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

Blackcharger06 said:


> Guess ya guys wanna hold on to those iva w205 after all


Really.

I'm hoping Alpine will pull through, but part of me was thinking from the beginning that we'd run into this. They're pushing the H100, and having h701 compatibility makes it that much harder for them to move h100 units. 

We'll see...


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

Looks like I'm going to keep scouring for a W200...


----------



## dogstar (Jan 31, 2007)

quality_sound said:


> Looks like I'm going to keep scouring for a W200...


I'll sell you mine for the low, low price of $1300


----------



## veloze (Jul 2, 2007)

Alpine released today some suggested retail prices for the new upcoming products. I guess, we'll be selling our W205 at a lost for those who want to upgrade to the new W505.  



> Pricing and Availability
> Alpine products are available at authorized Alpine dealers.
> 
> PND-K3 Portable Navigation Device
> ...


----------



## veloze (Jul 2, 2007)

Here's the product data on the new Alpine IVA-W505. Let's see who's going to be the first takers on this unit, and I can't wait for a review.  



> IVA-W505 – 2-DIN Mobile Multimedia Station
> Connectivity Features:
> 
> DVD-R/-RW/CD/MP3/AAC/WMA/DivX playback
> ...


----------



## TheDavel (Sep 8, 2006)

SOT: I know where 2 IVAW200's are that are new in box... selling for $649 with full manufactures warranty... My work, Ultimate Electronics in Colorado Springs. Cost is $628 so there isn'e much markup we are just trying to get rid of them.


----------



## dogstar (Jan 31, 2007)

Hmm, it says "Full processor control" then two lines down says "imprint ready but requires pxa-h100"

I wonder... guess we have to wait and see, but if they remove optical I'm definitely starting my email campaign.


----------



## rcurley55 (Jul 6, 2005)

hmmm, maybe dump the h701 to get the zapco dsp then get the W505 and not worry about it...decisions decisions.

Alpine dumping the optical out would just be rediculous - they have always wanted to be a modular company and this is a step in the wrong direction.


----------



## dtviewer (Dec 18, 2006)

rcurley55 said:


> hmmm, maybe dump the h701 to get the zapco dsp then get the W505 and not worry about it...decisions decisions.
> 
> Alpine dumping the optical out would just be rediculous - they have always wanted to be a modular company and this is a step in the wrong direction.



ANOTHER hu change for you??


----------



## starboy869 (Dec 16, 2006)

I'm happy with RCA. Still can't wait until this is released.


----------



## Blackcharger06 (Mar 28, 2007)

Well atleast it does divx  With out an optical it's going to make a big difference and the fact that you can't boost your voltage from 2v to 4v. I hate to say it, but it looks like the zapco dsp is the way to go


----------



## Whiterabbit (May 26, 2006)

dogstar said:


> Hmm, it says "Full processor control" then two lines down says "imprint ready but requires pxa-h100"


If its got ai-net it should absolutely still control the H701. Without optical you'd just be stuck with an analog input.


----------



## dogstar (Jan 31, 2007)

Wasn't really what I was getting at but yes, you are right.


----------



## FSUnoles (Apr 29, 2007)

TheDavel05 said:


> SOT: I know where 2 IVAW200's are that are new in box... selling for $649 with full manufactures warranty... My work, Ultimate Electronics in Colorado Springs. Cost is $628 so there isn'e much markup we are just trying to get rid of them.


hmm my cost is 495 bucks for the 200... shoot the cost on the 205 is 562.00

im in fl...guess colorado shoots up, i'd love to get the 200 but from the looks of our system there are no 200's left and i might be stuck with a 205, can the 200 take the kce300bt bluetooth?


----------



## starboy869 (Dec 16, 2006)

The W200 doesn't take that bluetooth mod., but the earlier version one.


----------



## GlasSman (Nov 14, 2006)

Whiterabbit said:


> I was admiring the KTP-445 "head unit power pack". They come with every Nakamichi MB-X as it is. Now another competing amp is available to compete with the navone teeny amp for rearfill, navigation or blue tooth audio out needs. Center channel, any "non-essential" amplifier needs.


Alpine did the tiny amp thing YEARS AGO. I have a 3081 (I believe it is) box and all from back in '91/'92that is rated at 18 x 2.

And MUCH better quality than the Navone Crapomatic.


----------



## starboy869 (Dec 16, 2006)

I can't wait until April.

I bet this will show up around May/June in Canada.


----------



## Bollwerk (Jul 25, 2007)

For what it's worth, I called Alpine tech support and the guy I spoke to was quite sure the IVA-W505 will have optical output and be able to control the PXA-H701 processor. I hope he's right.


----------



## simplespirit (Jun 5, 2005)

http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Product/Item/Main.aspx?search=iva-w505&i=500IVAW505

According to that it does have a SPDIF (tos) out.


----------



## kiwizak (Feb 20, 2008)

also as far as i know alpines usb connection for the ipod is digital, is that correct?


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

kiwizak said:


> also as far as i know alpines usb connection for the ipod is digital, is that correct?


Negative. Only their IDA's have a digital iPod connection.


----------



## Babs (Jul 6, 2007)

Agreed... 

I imagine a USB thumb-drive straight into head unit would have to be digital, but I'm always leary of an iPod input into any head unit or external box.. The IDA may be the ONLY ones that process it digital through their burr-browns or other DAC's.


----------



## veloze (Jul 2, 2007)

My logic tells me if the IVA-W505 comes with a SPDIF output ( TOSLINK ) in the rear; I suspect the H701 will be able to work because you need an external processor for this headunit to play Digital Audio Format (Dolby Digital output, DTS digital output) unless is already built-in internally.

Now with the IMPRINT is just for the custom tuning capabilities like EQ, SQ, TA, etc. & to activate crossover points, treble & bass.

For those of you who have the H701 & upon connecting the processor, I guess the IMPRINT feature will be bypassed. I might be wrong, but I'm just speculating.


----------



## ATK_Designs (Feb 24, 2008)

I was told by a friend that works for Alpine that the W505 is really worth the wait. I was about to pull the trigger on the W205, but I'll hold on a little longer.


----------



## Whiterabbit (May 26, 2006)

fancy features are meaningless if the interface is useless garbage.

Which is the #1 reason the car PC people spouting off the features they have access to mean nothing when it comes to why even the alpine 2din cd players with their poor interface trump a PC.

for the 505 to be really worth the wait it will have to have a totally redesigned user interface. I'm not sure Alpine [more specifically their customers] is/are ready for that


----------



## MrLister (Feb 17, 2006)

meh still very ugly UIs for the screens. Very nice marine deck tho


----------



## FSUnoles (Apr 29, 2007)

yea my system , i just checked, said the w505 for MAY. so im waiting for it. it will end up costing me another 100 bucks but i hate the GUI on the 205 so ill wait


----------



## starboy869 (Dec 16, 2006)

Forget the W505

X075 is  however in japanese I can safety assume

http://www.alpine.co.jp/products/mobilemediastation/x075/2007/lineup.html#b4

40GB HDD, SD, DIVX, etc

however around $2.6K retail or $1.8K yahoo jpn


----------



## dogstar (Jan 31, 2007)

starboy869 said:


> Forget the W505
> 
> X075 is  however in japanese I can safety assume
> 
> ...


*starts scribbling letters to Alpine*

Goddamn, I want one.


----------



## dpbdc (Apr 1, 2008)

Wow. I was waiting for the 505! I just bought my 205 and 2 weeks later the 505 shows up for the new year. Looks like I'll be upgrading either way...!


----------



## starboy869 (Dec 16, 2006)

http://cgi.ebay.com/ALPINE-IVA-W505...ryZ32825QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


and

http://cgi.ebay.com/ALPINE-IVA-W505...ryZ32825QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

umm, HELL yeah!!!


----------



## ZoNtO (Sep 20, 2005)

PDX5 just came into our local shop, I had them put one on reserve for me!


----------



## Booger (Apr 27, 2007)

W505 in person is BAD ASS!!

IT WILL CONTROL THE 701 !!!!


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

Booger said:


> W505 in person is BAD ASS!!
> 
> IT WILL CONTROL THE 701 !!!!


where'd you see it?


Optical out FOR SURE?... CF is saying yes, but I want to know from someone who's SEEN it.


----------



## starboy869 (Dec 16, 2006)

bikinpunk said:


> where'd you see it?
> 
> 
> Optical out FOR SURE?... CF is saying yes, but I want to know from someone who's SEEN it.


Could always ask a retailer on ebay? I'll tell you in about 3 weeks time when I get mine. Canadian market is a little slow to release it.


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

I guess I'll just find out Tuesday/Wednesday when it comes in. I just ordered one from CF (want the warranty).


----------



## doitor (Aug 16, 2007)

bikinpunk said:


> I guess I'll just find out Tuesday/Wednesday when it comes in. I just ordered one from CF (want the warranty).


So the secret is out. 
But that doesn't look like dual single din units. 
And I'm officially jealous.

Jorge.


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

doitor said:


> But that doesn't look like dual single din units.
> And I'm officially jealous.
> 
> Jorge.


I know it. I'm the most wishy-washy person I know.

Don't be jealous just yet.


----------



## Whiterabbit (May 26, 2006)

couldnt crutchfield have told you if it had an optical port?


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

I asked. Other than looking at their specs they don't know. They won't walk out there to find out.

I can return it if not. I'm quite certain that it does. CF's site even says it will do 5.1 surround with a processor. All the other units that do this... they have optical out. 

To be honest, I just wanted to jump on it. Sometimes when newly, anticipated stuff comes out it's gone and re-stock can take weeks. I wanted to see it for myself. Surely you can understand.


----------



## ///Audience (Jan 31, 2007)

bikinpunk said:


> I guess I'll just find out Tuesday/Wednesday when it comes in. I just ordered one from CF (want the warranty).


what the hell happened to all your threads about 2 double din units?


----------



## The Drake (Apr 3, 2007)

crap, so to buy it authorized for 1k or get in a little cheaper on ebay?


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

BassBaller5 said:


> what the hell happened to all your threads about 2 double din units?


The largest part is that I didn't expect this unit to be out for AT LEAST another month given Alpine's reputation. The 2nd part is that no matter what I looked at I still couldn't find anything that would do everything I want it to do. Hopefully this unit looks sharp.



jddavid123 said:


> crap, so to buy it authorized for 1k or get in a little cheaper on ebay?


Seems that way. You can save about $150 getting it on e-bay. Might not be a bad idea, but for me, the extra $100-150 is worth the peace of mind in case something goes wrong.


----------



## The Drake (Apr 3, 2007)

bikinpunk said:


> Seems that way. You can save about $150 getting it on e-bay. Might not be a bad idea, but for me, the extra $100-150 is worth the peace of mind in case something goes wrong.


I am wondering if its worth the peace of mind for me too. Just seems like such a little difference in price compared to the w205 for example, that you can easily save $350 vs authorized and then this one for only $125? Seems like it will be worth it.


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

jddavid123 said:


> I am wondering if its worth the peace of mind for me too. Just seems like such a little difference in price compared to the w205 for example, that you can easily save $350 vs authorized and then this one for only $125? Seems like it will be worth it.


It also helps that the w205 is readily available.

I wonder if the prices will drop over the next few months. Even still, I'm with you. At this point, the difference is so minimal, it's not necessarily _worth_ the risk to me. Especially seeing how this seems to be a completely new design and not based off a predecessor. Though it does share similarities to the w205.


----------



## The Drake (Apr 3, 2007)

alright I pulled the trigger, guess my W200 will be going up in the for sale section pretty soon here if I cant find someone local to grab it.


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

jddavid123 said:


> alright I pulled the trigger, guess my W200 will be going up in the for sale section pretty soon here if I cant find someone local to grab it.


lol. Where'd you get yours from?

Heck, you should have it Monday if you ordered from CF... they're in NC or Va, right?


----------



## 60ndown (Feb 8, 2007)

bikinpunk said:


> I know it. I'm the most addicted person I know.


fixed


----------



## The Drake (Apr 3, 2007)

bikinpunk said:


> lol. Where'd you get yours from?
> 
> Heck, you should have it Monday if you ordered from CF... they're in NC or Va, right?


Yeah I went with CF. I think VA so it shouldn't take but a day


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

60ndown said:


> fixed


Sadly, true. 



jddavid123 said:


> Yeah I went with CF. I think VA so it shouldn't take but a day


Don't post pics until I get mine in and fire it up. I don't wanna ruin the surprise, lol.


----------



## BigRed (Aug 12, 2007)

it says on crutchfields specs column "dolby digital and dts via optical out" 

Nice!


----------



## newtitan (Mar 7, 2005)

crutch and alpine keep telling me you new a toslink to optical adaptor(not out yet they said...), and they were not sure what type of display (graphic ala the w200) or (letters ala the w205) since they told me its more taylored for the imprint processor


cant wait to see the results

annd I hope they fixed the ipod control as the newest version "classic" 6th generations DONT work with the 422 on the w205 or w200


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

newtitan said:


> crutch and alpine keep telling me you new a toslink to optical adaptor(not out yet they said...), and they were not sure what type of display (graphic ala the w200) or (letters ala the w205) since they told me its more taylored for the imprint processor
> 
> 
> cant wait to see the results


I just can't imagine why Alpine would change the optical out if even their specs tout it as being able to control a 5.1 surroud sound processor, which we all know is the h701. 

When I talked to Alpine's tech a couple months ago he said he wasn't sure what it would be. CF told me today that they weren't sure but their site & system that the CS reps see when you place an order says that it has an optical output. 

We'll see, I guess.


----------



## The Drake (Apr 3, 2007)

newtitan said:


> annd I hope they fixed the ipod control as the newest version "classic" 6th generations DONT work with the 422 on the w205 or w200


Are you sure about that? because I purchased the classic 160gb ipod from BB two months ago and use the 422 with the w200 and everything works fine for me.


----------



## ///Audience (Jan 31, 2007)

best thing about workin at BB....

gettin alpine for 50% off!!!!!


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

BassBaller5 said:


> best thing about workin at BB....
> 
> gettin alpine for 50% off!!!!!


wonder if you guys will get the w505.

I know my local one doesn't carry the w205. My friend who works there also said he can't order anything for himself they don't carry in the store; so in that case, no w205 @ 5% above BB cost.


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

Yeah, I just went to my old shop and they don't have it yet and one of the guys tried to tell me it wasn't shipping yet. I told him Crutchfield has them and they're on eBay and that I was going to go home and order on from CF...and I did. 

Had to pay extra for shipping so I can get it here before I leave for Spain though. Not real pleased about that. But on the plus side, CF really wasn't any more than the eBay sellers. The guy that was the cheapest was going to charge me tax and shipping where CF wouldn't have. Ended up being a small difference but figured it's worth it for the warranty when it's that close. 

Just wish I could have supported my local guys though.


----------



## doitor (Aug 16, 2007)

quality_sound said:


> and order on from CF...and I did.


So now 2 guys in here ordered the W505.
I expect FULL hand's on review when you to get it. 
And thanks for not only rubbing it in our noses that you just ordered the W505, but you also had to tell us you are going to Spain. 
j/k

Jorge.


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

doitor said:


> So now 2 guys in here ordered the W505.
> I expect FULL hand's on review when you to get it.
> And thanks for not only rubbing it in our noses that you just ordered the W505, but you also had to tell us you are going to Spain.
> j/k
> ...


I got UPS 2-day shipping so I'm expecting it no later than Wednesday and I'll get pics of the back of the unit up ASAP.

I'm only going to Spain to visit my wife. She's stationed there for 15 months and then we're moving to Germany.


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

jjDavid ordered it, too. that's 3 guys.

I should have mine Tuesday or Wednesday. It was shipped out Friday. 


I'll do a full fledged review asap. Tomorrow I'm pulling out the w205 so I can use the bypass right away.

Edit: actually... wonder if the harnesses are the same? would make it easy to switch out.


----------



## starboy869 (Dec 16, 2006)

I have my name on one does that count? haha CF had free shipping yesterday on orders over a certain amount. Too bad Canada still has to wait a couple more weeks.


----------



## Booger (Apr 27, 2007)

I have mine!!

The need a way to get the owners guide on line. 

PS- The Optical port is in the installation and wiring section!!


----------



## dogstar (Jan 31, 2007)

Booger said:


> I have mine!!
> 
> The need a way to get the owners guide on line.
> 
> PS- The Optical port is in the installation and wiring section!!




Sooooo... is it a toslink output, coaxial optical, or some funked up proprietary thing??


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

Booger said:


> PS- The Optical port is in the installation and wiring section!!


I have no idea what this means?

Does the h701 work with it, have you tried it?


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

Yeah, how do you tell us you know and then not tell us!!!

Also, what iPod adapter do you need for video?


----------



## Booger (Apr 27, 2007)

Sorry...

my kids are running crazy!!

Ipod cable with video is included!!


----------



## St. Dark (Mar 19, 2008)

They list some KWE-610A as the adapter from their new plug to standard Toslink. Unfortunately, no price or availability on this part. Bastards!


----------



## Durzel (Apr 6, 2008)

Watching this thread with keen interest, I'm in the UK and as far as I know currently there is ZERO information about whether this unit is even coming out over here, much less when it is due.

So we know now that it has an optical output like the W20x - just need to know 100% whether it controls the H701


----------



## dogstar (Jan 31, 2007)

I think that as long as it has Ai-net it will control the H701, what I think is more uncertain is just what type of optical output it has, whether Toslink or some proprietary nonsense.


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

Yea. One guy says it does have optical, but above someone says that it's not the typical one.

I think we're just going to have to wait until someone here gets theirs in.


----------



## BigRed (Aug 12, 2007)

my local stereo shop might have one on monday. I have dibs when they come in. I'll rip the box open and take lots of pics immediately


----------



## The Drake (Apr 3, 2007)

quick question on the W505, I know it plays divx files, but will it identify divx files on the ipod? Meaning can I just drag and drop some divx movies to my ipod and then the W505 will be able to see them on the ipod? 

I am aware that divx files cant be played on any ipod, but just curious on if this HU will be able to even see these files on the ipod.


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

Booger said:


> Sorry...
> 
> my kids are running crazy!!
> 
> Ipod cable with video is included!!


Wait, the HU COMES with the video iPod cable???? I guess the 422i I ordered will be going back to CF.


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

St. Dark said:


> They list some KWE-610A as the adapter from their new plug to standard Toslink. Unfortunately, no price or availability on this part. Bastards!



I just Googled this part and got NOTHING. Not a single hit.


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

jddavid123 said:


> quick question on the W505, I know it plays divx files, but will it identify divx files on the ipod? Meaning can I just drag and drop some divx movies to my ipod and then the W505 will be able to see them on the ipod?
> 
> I am aware that divx files cant be played on any ipod, but just curious on if this HU will be able to even see these files on the ipod.


I doubt it because as far as I am aware the HU doesn't see the HU as a thumb drive and as such will not read info that's loaded that way.


----------



## St. Dark (Mar 19, 2008)

quality_sound said:


> I just Googled this part and got NOTHING. Not a single hit.



No ****...no kidding...I talked to an Alpine rep and they didn't know anything.

The radio comes with a USB cable, and and adapter to iPod video... so with all that you are pretty much set...and it works with the PXA-H100 Imprint processor (also now shipping).
The owner's manual indicates that it will work the H701 just fine... only you will need that bloody KWE-610 if you want to do digital to digital Why on earth they decided to go to this cable after years of using Toslink... wtf.


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

St. Dark said:


> The owner's manual indicates that it will work the H701 just fine... only you will need that bloody KWE-610 if you want to do digital to digital Why on earth they decided to go to this cable after years of using Toslink... wtf.


That's probably the dumbest thing evar!

Where did you get the manual? PDF? If you have an electronic version would you mind sending it to me so I can get a head start on reading it? I'd also like to know if it's the same harness as is the w205. If so, I can reuse the w205 harness and not have to wire a new one. 

*I would imagine the harness is the same, since alpine's only changed harnesses once in the past few years*


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

I wouldn't mind getting a PDF of it as well if someone has it. I got my tracking info from CF today so I should have it Tuesday.  

Great to hear about the iPod video adapter being included but it sucks about the optical out adapter.


----------



## s60rguy (Feb 14, 2007)

bikinpunk said:


> *I would imagine the harness is the same, since alpine's only changed harnesses once in the past few years*


Well they apparently just got rid of Toslink, so guess what?? Don't be shocked if this is the year they decide to change the harness


----------



## The Drake (Apr 3, 2007)

Got my tracking number last night and its out for delivery today!


----------



## starboy869 (Dec 16, 2006)

Need to save a few $ over retail

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-oHO96X...nvpair=FFPrice_Range%7c%5brank4%5dOver+%24450

If you wait a week or two something might come up.


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

^^^Not available in scratch and dent.


----------



## starboy869 (Dec 16, 2006)

I'm curious why do they have it listed in the S&D section then if not going to be there. BLAH!! I thought they didn't have anything at the moment.


----------



## Durzel (Apr 6, 2008)

Is it the case that no one actually has this in hand at the moment who has a H701 setup they can test with? 

I'd like to know whether the info about needing the seperate box is 100% correct or whether it's speculation... I've seen a lot of things said about this unit around the web posted as fact, at one point there wasn't even supposed to be any optical output.


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

^ Still nothing for sure. If people have this unit, I would imagine they would love to be the first to share pics, so I'm not believing anything until it's in my hands. Waaaay too much speculation at this point.

Mine will be here tomorrow according to UPS. Pisses me off that UPS doesn't run at my house until 6pm.  

I'll be taking my w205 today though.


----------



## Durzel (Apr 6, 2008)

Cool 

I'm desperate to see pics & a review, pretty much decided I'm going to sell my IVA-W200 and get this - just have to see how long Alpine take to release the EU version over here (IVA-W505R I believe).

Coming from a W205 you'd have a good frame of reference for what's better, worse, etc


----------



## The Drake (Apr 3, 2007)

I will let you guys know tonight for sure if no one else chimes in that can get it locally. I tried calling a few local places to see if they had it on display or anything but no one here has it in stock, just on order.


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

Yea, none of my local shops have it. Nor do they know when they'll get it in.


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

Mine either. The discount would have been nice (I still get 20% over cost at my old shop) but I shoudl have mine tomorrow. 

Oh, and what's with UPS not showing expected delivery times and dates anymore????


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

quality_sound said:


> Oh, and what's with UPS not showing expected delivery times and dates anymore????


Mine shows it:
Status: In Transit - On Time 
*Scheduled Delivery: 04/08/2008* 
Shipped To: DECATUR, AL, US 
Shipped/Billed On: 04/04/2008 
Service: GROUND 
Weight: 12.60 Lbs


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

Weird, when I track mine I don't get that. 

Tracking Detail 

Tracking Number: 1Z 280 770 02 3532 680 5 
Type: Package 
Status: In Transit 
Shipped/Billed On: 04/07/2008 
Service: 2ND DAY AIR 
Weight: 13.30 Lbs


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

quality_sound said:


> Weird, when I track mine I don't get that.
> 
> Tracking Detail
> 
> ...


Why is yours heavier?


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

Cuz mine is better?? 

The 422i I ordered??? Plus they threw in the free dash kit, harness and antenna adapter I don't need. I figure I can find someone that does.


----------



## doitor (Aug 16, 2007)

bikinpunk said:


> Why is yours heavier?


The "counterfit" ones weight 12 ounces.
The good ones 13. 
j/k
My jealousy speaking. 

Jorge.


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

quality_sound said:


> Cuz mine is better??
> 
> The 422i I ordered??? Plus they threw in the free dash kit, harness and antenna adapter I don't need. I figure I can find someone that does.


The civic dash kit would've cost me $40. I did get a new harness and antenna adapter though. *shrugs*



doitor said:


> The "counterfit" ones weight 12 ounces.
> The good ones 13.
> j/k
> My jealousy speaking.
> ...


I'll make sure to put up some hi-res pics just for you!


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

Yeah I remember that monstrosity from when I had my Si. What a POS that was. The best thing I've found so far for the Civic is the OEM parts.


----------



## doitor (Aug 16, 2007)

bikinpunk said:


> I'll make sure to put up some hi-res pics just for you!


Those look just like the originals on the outside. 
The difference is on the inside. 
j/k

Jorge.


----------



## ///Audience (Jan 31, 2007)

what do we know about the w505 that will significantly make it worth it to upgrade?

besides that its the "new unit"


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

Higher resolution, USB inputs, iPod video inputs, Imprint capable, new GUI, iPod album art, mostly a bunch of little things that add up. 

I think it'll do Divx now too.


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

quality_sound said:


> Higher resolution, USB inputs, iPod video inputs, Imprint capable, new GUI, iPod album art, mostly a bunch of little things that add up.
> 
> I think it'll do Divx now too.


To me the resolution alone is worth the upgrade. It will have the same as the d310 which is a night and day difference from the w205/200.

If it does indeed come with ipod usb cable, that'll be cool. I already have a USB extension cable so I can run it to my glovebox. 


One thing we haven't discussed here is the bypass method. I really hope the tr7 works with this new unit. *ruh-roh*


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

I can't see why it wouldn't. I really don't think they're going to go with anythingmore complex than the crap you're "supposed" to do now. It owuld be nice if they went back to the single wire parking brake lockout again though.


----------



## The Drake (Apr 3, 2007)

Heck mine is different from all yours too, lol. I just got whatever came free with it catalog, kit, etc... 




Tracking Number: 1Z 280 770 03 3533 523 1 
Type: Package 
Status: In Transit 
Shipped/Billed On: 04/07/2008 
Service: GROUND 
Weight: 12.50 Lbs

Package Progress
Location Date Local Time Description
RALEIGH,
NC, US 04/07/2008 6:47 A.M. OUT FOR DELIVERY
04/07/2008 5:58 A.M. ARRIVAL SCAN
RICHMOND,
VA, US 04/07/2008 3:35 A.M. DEPARTURE SCAN
04/07/2008 12:18 A.M. ORIGIN SCAN
US 04/07/2008 11:11 A.M. BILLING INFORMATION RECEIVED


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

Damn you and not living on the other side of the country!!!


----------



## starboy869 (Dec 16, 2006)

Could be worst. I won't be seeing one until May


----------



## The Drake (Apr 3, 2007)

bikinpunk said:


> To me the resolution alone is worth the upgrade. It will have the same as the d310 which is a night and day difference from the w205/200.
> 
> If it does indeed come with ipod usb cable, that'll be cool. I already have a USB extension cable so I can run it to my glovebox.
> 
> ...


oh yeah the resolution and the video capability with the ipod pretty much is well worth it to me! 

we will see if the tr7 works or not, I am not too worried.


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

Your package is on time with a scheduled delivery date of 04/09/2008. 


Tracking Number: 1Z 280 770 02 3532 680 5 
Type: Package 
Status: In Transit - On Time 
Scheduled Delivery: 04/09/2008 
Shipped To: ROCKLIN, CA, US 
Shipped/Billed On: 04/07/2008 
Service: 2ND DAY AIR 
Weight: 13.30 Lbs 


For some reason I was thinking it would be here on Tuesday...damn.  
But at least the info was updated.


----------



## The Drake (Apr 3, 2007)

yeah I was really suprised that mine would be here today considering it didnt ship out til late last night, but I am not going to complain!


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

Well considering how close they are to you 1 day makes sense. I did Second Day Air to CA because I'm flying out to Spain on Sunday and Ground wouldn't have been here until next Monday. No bueno.


----------



## St. Dark (Mar 19, 2008)

Okay, the manual will take a bit (it's on CD, don't have access at the moment)
but here is a shot of the rear.The #%&*@ digital jack is the copper one with 4 pins, in the lower RH side w/ the two white plugs adjacent.

Note the USB plug sitting on top, with the video iPod adapter that plugs into that sitting next to it.

Haven't seen it powered up though...  supposed to have the same resolution as the IVA-D900/901, though...far better than the D310!


----------



## dogstar (Jan 31, 2007)

St. Dark said:


> Okay, the manual will take a bit (it's on CD, don't have access at the moment)
> but here is a shot of the rear.The #%&*@ digital jack is the copper one with 4 pins, in the lower RH side w/ the two white plugs adjacent.
> 
> Note the USB plug sitting on top, with the video iPod adapter that plugs into that sitting next to it.
> ...


Thanks for the pic.

F**king alpine.... Sigh, I wonder how horribly expensive the adaptor is going to be and when they will deign to release it to us, the unwashed masses.

Please sah, more optical adaptah please.


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

St. Dark said:


> Okay, the manual will take a bit (it's on CD, don't have access at the moment)
> but here is a shot of the rear.The #%&*@ digital jack is the copper one with 4 pins, in the lower RH side w/ the two white plugs adjacent.
> 
> Note the USB plug sitting on top, with the video iPod adapter that plugs into that sitting next to it.
> ...


Dammit, I can't view that pic at work. 

From the sounds of it, it seems to be the same digital output on the back of a lot of units. My Panasonic flip-down has a 4-pin connector as well. Now I want to see the pics to compare.


----------



## The Drake (Apr 3, 2007)

well if enough of us complain to alpine and threaten to return theirs then maybe they will throw the adapter in for free, or even crutchfield will throw it in for free due to false advertisment? But I guess technically its not false since they didnt mention toslink?


----------



## Blackcharger06 (Mar 28, 2007)

So does this thing work with the pxa h701 or what?


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

dogstar said:


> Thanks for the pic.
> 
> F**king alpine.... Sigh, I wonder how horribly expensive the adaptor is going to be and when they will deign to release it to us, the unwashed masses.
> 
> Please sah, more optical adaptah please.


The only good thing is that I still don't have my amps yet so I can't use my 701 right now anyway.


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

jddavid123 said:


> well if enough of us complain to alpine and threaten to return theirs then maybe they will throw the adapter in for free, or even crutchfield will throw it in for free due to false advertisment? But I guess technically its not false since they didnt mention toslink?


Bingo, we don't really have a leg to stand on BUT if enough people complan they might goodwill it when it IS available. 



Blackcharger06 said:


> So does this thing work with the pxa h701 or what?


It still has an Ai-Net connection, correct?


----------



## edy (Jan 16, 2008)

A lot of W505 talk, but... anyone getting/got a PXA-H100 and hooked it up to a IDA-x100?  That's what I'm mainly curious about.

I called a local dealer and they'll only sell it for MSRP and even then it's a special order. So it's either CF (which isn't shipping yet), or eBay. eBay is looking good due to both the PXA and KTX being bundled together.


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

jddavid123 said:


> RALEIGH,
> NC, US 04/07/2008 6:47 A.M. OUT FOR DELIVERY


Are you going to be firing it up today when you get it in?






quality_sound said:


> From the sounds of it, it seems to be the same digital output on the back of a lot of units. My Panasonic flip-down has a 4-pin connector as well. Now I want to see the pics to compare.


Hopefully there's some sort of workaround so I won't have to wait months for Alpine's part.

It really makes me curious, though... I wonder if Alpine is considering a new processor? Why else would they go through all this trouble if they don't have plans of making this type of connection on another piece?...


----------



## St. Dark (Mar 19, 2008)

Blackcharger06 said:


> So does this thing work with the pxa h701 or what?


The manual DOES say it works them.


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

St. Dark said:


> Okay, the manual will take a bit (it's on CD, don't have access at the moment)
> but here is a shot of the rear.The #%&*@ digital jack is the copper one with 4 pins, in the lower RH side w/ the two white plugs adjacent.
> 
> Note the USB plug sitting on top, with the video iPod adapter that plugs into that sitting next to it.
> ...


I think this display is WVGA, and if so, isn't but 120k more pixels than the w200/w205, and is right about the same as the d310.


Is this digital out proprietary?... I'm considering putting a pic up on a home audio forum to see if anyone might have an idea of what it could be.


----------



## The Drake (Apr 3, 2007)

bikinpunk said:


> Are you going to be firing it up today when you get it in?


Its DELIVERED! Yeah, I plan to fire it up although without the optical connection toslink there I dont think I will get too far... Depends on how much free time I have tonight too.

I am getting off work and will take some other pics and let you all know.


----------



## St. Dark (Mar 19, 2008)

bikinpunk said:


> It really makes me curious, though... I wonder if Alpine is considering a new processor? Why else would they go through all this trouble if they don't have plans of making this type of connection on another piece?...



That's the weird part. They DO have a new processor, the H100 Imprint... but it uses AiNET for signal transfer. So why they went with a new connector at all for digital is a mystery.


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

jddavid123 said:


> Its DELIVERED! Yeah, I plan to fire it up although without the optical connection toslink there I dont think I will get too far... Depends on how much free time I have tonight too.
> 
> I am getting off work and will take some other pics and let you all know.


Well, if you don't get it done, then I'll for sure be giving detailed pictures and results tomorrow when I get mine in. I'm about to go to my car and pull out the w205 and package it up.

I'm most curious to see what the h701 interface looks like. 



St. Dark said:


> That's the weird part. They DO have a new processor, the H100 Imprint... but it uses AiNET for signal transfer. So why they went with a new connector at all for digital is a mystery.


I know it. That's what I don't understand at all.


----------



## St. Dark (Mar 19, 2008)

bikinpunk said:


> I think this display is WVGA, and if so, isn't but 120k more pixels than the w200/w205, and is right about the same as the d310.
> .



1.15 megapixel, same panel as the D900, the F#1 screen and the standalone 7" with BlueTooth that they have currently. 800 x 480 RGB.


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

St. Dark said:


> 1.15 megapixel, same panel as the D900, the F#1 screen and the standalone 7" with BlueTooth that they have currently. 800 x 480 RGB.


Nice!  

Here's the others for comparison:
D105/w200/w205 resolution: 280,800 pcs (1,200 x 234)
D310 resolution: 336,960 pcs (480 x 234 x 3)


Seems like the w505 is a 'flagship' model?


----------



## doitor (Aug 16, 2007)

It seems like all of you "impulse shoppers" are going to be running new RCA's to your H701? 
And also running ANALOG for quite some time. 
Just my envy talking.

Jorge.


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

doitor said:


> It seems like all of you "impulse shoppers" are going to be running new RCA's to your H701?
> And also running ANALOG for quite some time.
> Just my envy talking.
> 
> Jorge.


Could be. 

I'll be alright for a while. I rarely listen to cds. I'll just stick to my ipod (analog) until things are straightened out.


----------



## Durzel (Apr 6, 2008)

4-pin optical plug definitely looks proprietary, it's also kinda strange that out of all the ports on the back of the unit it's the only one that looks like it was put in after the build specs were done (the hole for the port isn't the same shape as the port itself).

If Alpine were just looking to maximise profits you'd think they would've kept to the W20x configuration - at least that way more people would be tempted to upgrade outright. As it is those of us with digital-to-processor setups are going to be having second thoughts. Or maybe they just know we'd suck it up and buy it regardless of having to buy a seperate box


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

That would be my guess since we're already a grand deep in just the HU.


----------



## doitor (Aug 16, 2007)

quality_sound said:


> That would be my guess since we're already a grand deep in just the HU.


Alpine, that's just not right. 
I REALLY want this HU, but won't be getting it if on top of the $$$$$ for the HU, I need to spend more $$$$ on a converter box just for it to work with YOUR processor.
That's just WRONG.   
On a side note, your signature has been changing A LOT lately.  

Jorge.


----------



## cheez80 (Sep 2, 2006)

would it be possible for anyone to post interface photos?

i'm thinking of trading my dnx7100 for one of these, since the dnx has interface issues and won't work with my iphone.

thanks in advance!


----------



## The Drake (Apr 3, 2007)

Ok, I hooked it all up and no you dont need any RCA's run, I just hooked up the ai-net cable and audio is working too, but dont think its a digital connection like the optical is, but who knows I could be wrong. I will post the pics I took of it just hooked up temporary in a few minutes here. 

EQ interface looks same as W205, just text, no graphic like the W200. Only played a few mp3 files through the ipod so far. Once I upload the pics and get some food I will go back out and install it.


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

^ If no one has by tomorrow afternoon I will. My dash is currently sitting in my kitchen awaiting the unit so that I can bolt it in place and hook it all up.


----------



## The Drake (Apr 3, 2007)

OK, just threw up some pictures on my site, its not the cleanest but whatever:

http://drakedavid.com/pictures/W505/DSC_0049.JPG
http://drakedavid.com/pictures/W505/DSC_0050.JPG
http://drakedavid.com/pictures/W505/DSC_0051.JPG
http://drakedavid.com/pictures/W505/DSC_0052.JPG
http://drakedavid.com/pictures/W505/DSC_0053.JPG
http://drakedavid.com/pictures/W505/DSC_0054.JPG
http://drakedavid.com/pictures/W505/DSC_0056.JPG
http://drakedavid.com/pictures/W505/DSC_0057.JPG
http://drakedavid.com/pictures/W505/DSC_0058.JPG
http://drakedavid.com/pictures/W505/DSC_0059.JPG
http://drakedavid.com/pictures/W505/DSC_0060.JPG
http://drakedavid.com/pictures/W505/DSC_0061.JPG


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

quality_sound said:


> Dammit, I can't view that pic at work.
> 
> From the sounds of it, it seems to be the same digital output on the back of a lot of units. My Panasonic flip-down has a 4-pin connector as well. Now I want to see the pics to compare.


Yep, the EXACT same digital (optical maybe?) out my Panasonic flip-down and my Pioneer D4 use. I'm sure there's a simple solution available.


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

Durzel said:


> 4-pin optical plug definitely looks proprietary, it's also kinda strange that out of all the ports on the back of the unit it's the only one that looks like it was put in after the build specs were done (the hole for the port isn't the same shape as the port itself).
> 
> If Alpine were just looking to maximise profits you'd think they would've kept to the W20x configuration - at least that way more people would be tempted to upgrade outright. As it is those of us with digital-to-processor setups are going to be having second thoughts. Or maybe they just know we'd suck it up and buy it regardless of having to buy a seperate box



It's not a proprietary piece. My current flip-down and my D3 both had it and I think my Kenwood DDXs did as well.


----------



## ssmith100 (Jun 28, 2007)

Well,
Looks like the wiring harness is different. The one that plugged into the W205 that had white w/ brown, white and orange is now on the head unit. I'd bet the main wiring harness is different too. Snap us some pics of the new IPOD cable please.

Thanks,
Shane


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

jddavid123 said:


> OK, just threw up some pictures on my site, its not the cleanest but whatever:


Fixed


----------



## The Drake (Apr 3, 2007)

there ya go, thanks! 

The harness is the same, I just plugged up what I had in the W200 and everything functioning perfectly.


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

ssmith100 said:


> Well,
> Looks like the wiring harness is different. The one that plugged into the W205 that had white w/ brown, white and orange is now on the head unit. I'd bet the main wiring harness is different too. Snap us some pics of the new IPOD cable please.
> 
> Thanks,
> Shane


The new iPod cable is in the link on page 22. Looks like a Kenwood input now. I do like the fact that a lot of the cables are removable now, a la Pioneer and Kenwood. 

The main harness looks the same as the old one )it's the black one on the left) but I'm wondering WTF the connector that looks like a 75 Ohm antenna connector is for.


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

jddavid123 said:


> there ya go, thanks!
> 
> The harness is the same, I just plugged up what I had in the W200 and everything functioning perfectly.


Have you tried the 2 different modes (normal and pro???) to see if that changed the processor interface at all?


----------



## The Drake (Apr 3, 2007)

quality_sound said:


> Have you tried the 2 different modes (normal and pro???) to see if that changed the processor interface at all?


No, didnt have time to mess with it for long, had a total of 15 minutes to hook it up take pics and then throw my w200 back in, lol. I gotta grab something to eat here and I will go back out and mess with it some more.


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

quality_sound said:


> Yep, the EXACT same digital (optical maybe?) out my Panasonic flip-down and my Pioneer D4 use. I'm sure there's a simple solution available.


GET TO LOOKING!


----------



## ssmith100 (Jun 28, 2007)

Quality,

I must be blind......can't find the link on page 22. 

Shane


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

quality_sound said:


> The main harness looks the same as the old one )it's the black one on the left) but I'm wondering WTF the connector that looks like a 75 Ohm antenna connector is for.


1.) I'm wondering this, still.

JJ, did you use the w200 harness? My bypass is tied to my w205 harness and I'm wondering if I'll have to resolder the bypass to the new harness or if I can leave things as they are.

Edit: Didn't see this:


jddavid123 said:


> The harness is the same, I just plugged up what I had in the W200 and everything functioning perfectly.


Woot!!!!!!!




2.) It looks like they didn't upgrade the visuals on the processor. But, at least the screen will be bigger. *shrugs*

3.) So, do I still need the kce-422i iPod cable? If not, I'll give it to the guy who bought my w205. 

4.) It's still sexy, no matter what add-on output I may have to buy!


----------



## Blackcharger06 (Mar 28, 2007)

OK so what have we learned here. The display is better the 505 plays divx and video from an ipod. You can't plug the 505 into the pxa h701 with the optical connection, just ai net? I'm sure a lot of people just want to know if it works optically. I could care less about an ipod, I'm all set with listening to overly compressed music on my after market sound system. It's 1400kpbs or nothing. I got this unit for the optical connection the other features are just a bonus. Why they had to mess with things and add in the h100 processor or whatever I have no idea.


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

^ I'm just happy that I rip all my music lossless. I'll be dealing with the iPod for a while, I suppose.


----------



## The Drake (Apr 3, 2007)

bikinpunk said:


> 3.) So, do I still need the kce-422i iPod cable? If not, I'll give it to the guy who bought my w205.


I am not sure, I only had it hooked up with the 422, didnt take the video ipod cable out of the packing yet or have any videos on my ipod. Anything else you want me to test out when I go out to hook it up?

Yeah I only ripped my music lossless as well and the ipod is the easiest interface to me so I will have it for a while. If I listen for quality then I will pop in a CD.


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

jddavid123 said:


> I am not sure, I only had it hooked up with the 422, didnt take the video ipod cable out of the packing yet or have any videos on my ipod. Anything else you want me to test out when I go out to hook it up?


I think that's my main thing. I could figure it out myself, but I'm wrapping up the w205 right now. If I can get it all boxed up and ready to ship tonight that'd be good.

I just needed to know about the harness/bypass (big concern of mine) and the iPod control.

If you could let me know how those are (suppose the harness/bypass is out, correct?) I'd really appreciate it.


----------



## doitor (Aug 16, 2007)

So how many cables do you need to plug to the Ipod?
It comes with the video cable, right?
But it also works with the 422?
I'm getting confused.

Jorge.


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

doitor said:


> So how many cables do you need to plug to the Ipod?
> It comes with the video cable, right?
> But it also works with the 422?
> I'm getting confused.
> ...


My guess is if it has the video cable, that it will play audio also. But, who knows. May not have the same on-screen controllability. I would think not, but apparently Alpine is all over the map lately...


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

jddavid123 said:


> Yeah I only ripped my music lossless as well and the ipod is the easiest interface to me so I will have it for a while. If I listen for quality then I will pop in a CD.


yea. I'm not about to run RCA's in my car all the way to the processor. I'm not up for gutting my car just for that. I'll sit tight to see how this whole optical cable issue works out.


----------



## doitor (Aug 16, 2007)

bikinpunk said:


> My guess is if it has the video cable, that it will play audio also. But, who knows. May not have the same on-screen controllability. I would think not, but apparently Alpine is all over the map lately...


That's what I would tought.
Why 2 cable options?

Jorge.


----------



## doitor (Aug 16, 2007)

bikinpunk said:


> yea. I'm not about to run RCA's in my car all the way to the processor. I'm not up for gutting my car just for that. I'll sit tight to see how this whole optical cable issue works out.


You don't need to.
If optical output is off, all music goes via AiNet.

Jorge.


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

doitor said:


> You don't need to.
> If optical output is off, all music goes via AiNet.
> 
> Jorge.


Good. Earlier you mentioned running RCA's and that's why i thought I had to do that to play cd's. Thanks for clearing that up.


----------



## doitor (Aug 16, 2007)

bikinpunk said:


> Good. Earlier you mentioned running RCA's and that's why i thought I had to do that to play cd's. Thanks for clearing that up.


Just messing with you.
RCA's are only needed with non-AiNet HU's.
Now where is your picture with the sombrero. 

Jorge.


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

ssmith100 said:


> Quality,
> 
> I must be blind......can't find the link on page 22.
> 
> Shane


Sorry, it was on 23, not 22. 














bikinpunk said:


> 1.) I'm wondering this, still.
> 
> JJ, did you use the w200 harness? My bypass is tied to my w205 harness and I'm wondering if I'll have to resolder the bypass to the new harness or if I can leave things as they are.
> 
> ...


I don't even see a place for the 422i to plug into it. The semi-square with the rounded corner is for navi. From the pic above it looks like it's a combination of USB and mini-jack with the supplied cables on top of the unit. 

Well my 422i is going back. I'm going to suggest CF update their info on the unit about the optical out and the iPod adapter to keep even more people from having to send it back.


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

doitor said:


> Just messing with you.
> RCA's are only needed with non-AiNet HU's.
> Now where is your picture with the sombrero.
> 
> Jorge.


You don't wanna see that now! I just got outta the shower and am walking around in my PJ's!


----------



## doitor (Aug 16, 2007)

bikinpunk said:


> You don't wanna see that now! I just got outta the shower and am walking around in my PJ's!


No I don't. 
From the last picture it looks like that cable allows the Ipod to be connected to the USB port on the back of the HU.
Does the mini jack plug to the back also?
To the yellow "Ipod video" input?
Or does it go to the front to plug other devices?

Jorge.


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

It looks like you'd use the cable on the right for a thumb drive with the gray plug in the back of the unit and then you plug the thumb drive into the female USB. F

For iPod it looks like that second cable plugs into the female USB port and then the mini-jack and dock connector plug into the iPod. 

I really hope you don't have to plug the mini-jack plug into the iPod for audio. I know it's not really any worse than the dock connector but the dock connector isn't as fragile and Pioneer and Kenwood can do it without plugging into both.

And that still doesn't explain the yellow connector on the 505. 

Didn't someone have a digital copy of the manual??

I want to RTFM!!


----------



## starboy869 (Dec 16, 2006)

Are those ipod cables included or extra?


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

Included.


----------



## The Drake (Apr 3, 2007)

quality_sound said:


> Didn't someone have a digital copy of the manual??


I was in the process of uploading it, my connection is lagging and just now got it up, but here is the manual all of you want to see. 

http://drakedavid.com/pictures/W505/ENGLISH.pdf


----------



## doitor (Aug 16, 2007)

jddavid123 said:


> I was in the process of uploading it, my connection is lagging and just now got it up, but here is the manual all of you want to see.
> 
> http://drakedavid.com/pictures/W505/ENGLISH.pdf


AWESOME.
Thanks.

Jorge.


----------



## starboy869 (Dec 16, 2006)

saved


----------



## Durzel (Apr 6, 2008)

I'm a little confused about this optical/AI-Net situation.

Currently on my IVA-W200 I have tne AI-Net and optical cables connected to my PXA-H701, optical carries sound, AI-Net allows me to change settings on the W200. Am I right in thinking that on this new unit the AI-Net cable carries the sound as well, and that I wouldn't even need an optical cable - therefore extra box not required?


----------



## doitor (Aug 16, 2007)

Durzel said:


> I'm a little confused about this optical/AI-Net situation.
> 
> Currently on my IVA-W200 I have tne AI-Net and optical cables connected to my PXA-H701, optical carries sound, AI-Net allows me to change settings on the W200. Am I right in thinking that on this new unit the AI-Net cable carries the sound as well, and that I wouldn't even need an optical cable - therefore extra box not required?


Only cd/dvd audio goes via Optical.
The rest (Ipod, radio, satellite, etc) goes via Ai Net.

Jorge.


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

Durzel said:


> I'm a little confused about this optical/AI-Net situation.
> 
> Currently on my IVA-W200 I have tne AI-Net and optical cables connected to my PXA-H701, optical carries sound, AI-Net allows me to change settings on the W200. Am I right in thinking that on this new unit the AI-Net cable carries the sound as well, and that I wouldn't even need an optical cable - therefore extra box not required?



The ONLY time optical carries audio signal is when you're listening to a CD or DVD. For ANY other source the audio is run down Ai-Net. 

However, if you don't have optical you can set it to run EVERYTHING down Ai-Net all the time.


----------



## doitor (Aug 16, 2007)

The manual says that the 422 is used. 
WTF.

Jorge.


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

So, via the manual:

*Ipod info:*
It appears that if you have an iPod video (5th gen) you use the USB. however, you CANNOT use any previous iPod via USB and you have to use the full-speed cable. So, looks like I'll be hanging onto my fullspeed cable.

And, like said above, if you want to watch video you HAVE to use the USB for info/video and the 3.5mm jack (connected on the same cable) to get audio.

weird...

*Optical:*
Requires new cable. KWE-610A (sold seperately). 
So, doesn't appaer we'll have a converter box... rather a new cable altogether. Weird old alpine. Quality... what's your take on this? Maybe your Pioneer cable will work after all?


----------



## doitor (Aug 16, 2007)

On the wiring diagram on page 87 it uses the cable that comes with the unit.
Apparently you either use the USB port for the Ipod along with the mini jack if you want the video, OR you use the 422 for audio only.

Jorge.


----------



## doitor (Aug 16, 2007)

bikinpunk said:


> So, via the manual:
> 
> *Ipod info:*
> It appears that if you have an iPod video (5th gen) you use the USB. however, you CANNOT use any previous iPod via USB and you have to use the full-speed cable. So, looks like I'll be hanging onto my fullspeed cable.
> ...


You NINJA POSTER.
LOL.

Jorge.


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

doitor said:


> You NINJA POSTER.
> LOL.
> 
> Jorge.


LOL. Hey, you figured it out!


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

Woot, it's gettin' closer!!!
OAKLAND,
CA, US 04/07/2008 6:00 P.M. ARRIVAL SCAN

Where did you guys find the manual? Is it on Alpine's site yet???

Man I'm glad I have an iPod video.  But I'm kinda bummed about needing two connections to it. 

Where does the 422i plug in?


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

bikinpunk said:


> So, via the manual:
> 
> *Ipod info:*
> It appears that if you have an iPod video (5th gen) you use the USB. however, you CANNOT use any previous iPod via USB and you have to use the full-speed cable. So, looks like I'll be hanging onto my fullspeed cable.
> ...


Erin,
I'd be willing to bet that they took the Toslink out because of people like us complaining about the tight fit not to mention how few people actually use it. 

Pioneer deosn't have a cable to go from 4-pin to optical that I'm aware of but I never really looked before. I want to say Panasonic mentioned it in their manual. 

I'll do some digging.

Paul


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

quality_sound said:


> Erin,
> I'd be willing to bet that they took the Toslink out because of people like us complaining about the tight fit


That's actually the first thing I thought when i saw that.


----------



## The Drake (Apr 3, 2007)

quality_sound said:


> Woot, it's gettin' closer!!!
> OAKLAND,
> CA, US 04/07/2008 6:00 P.M. ARRIVAL SCAN
> 
> ...


The 422 along with ai-net plugs into the cables that stick out on the left side, I didnt show them in the pictures but they are there. 

The manual is on the CD I received with the Unit itself.


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

Okay, I just searched the pics and manual and I think I've got it figured out, but am just wondering...

It appears as if the unit has multiple harnesses; one for the usual power/ground/speaker/etc. Then another for the RCA outputs, and then another for the inputs. Does this look like that to you guys?

I'm mainly intersted in the input portion so that I can tap some RCAs into the h/u for RTA stuff.


----------



## JDM_Ej (Mar 16, 2008)

Eh, I still can't decide if this is worth upgrading my W200 for.


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

JDM_Ej said:


> Eh, I still can't decide if this is worth upgrading my W200 for.


No doubt I'm glad I bought it. Aesthetics are HUGE to me on a cd player. This looks like a beauty.


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

The only thing I find ugly is the badge at the top and maybe it's the pics but it looks like Alpine got rid of the auto dimming display as well.

As for the Panasonic cable, I found it. Part Number CA-LRD60 but it's $99.95 direct from Panasonic. I hope to God it's cheaper somewhere else or Alpine's isn't that bad. But to make sure it was the right one I zoomed in the .pdf and you can clearly see it going into the 4-pin connector on the Panny and terminates in a male Toslink. I doesn't list length but I'm guessing 6 meters from the part number. 

The manual is online and the model number for the flip-down is CY-VHD9401U. 
Link on this page to the manual if you want to read it, page 18-41 has the diagram.

Found it on eBay as well...still $99.95.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Panasonic-CA-LR...0231083QQihZ004QQcategoryZ32809QQcmdZViewItem

$65.00 here:
http://www.vancebaldwin.com/products/?MSCCA-LRD60


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

jddavid123 said:


> The 422 along with ai-net plugs into the cables that stick out on the left side, I didnt show them in the pictures but they are there.
> 
> The manual is on the CD I received with the Unit itself.



The manual is on CD now??? Well that sucks balls.


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

quality_sound said:


> The only thing I find ugly is the badge at the top and maybe it's the pics but it looks like Alpine got rid of the auto dimming display as well.
> 
> As for the Panasonic cable, I found it. Part Number CA-LRD60 but it's $99.95 direct from Panasonic. I hope to God it's cheaper somewhere else or Alpine's isn't that bad. But to make sure it was the right one I zoomed in the .pdf and you can clearly see it going into the 4-pin connector on the Panny and terminates in a male Toslink. I doesn't list length but I'm guessing 6 meters from the part number.
> 
> ...


Good find.

Might just wait for alpine though. $65 is kinda pricey!

I actually like the badge at the top. Sometimes that little ////ALPINE logo gets me psyched.


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

quality_sound said:


> Found it on eBay as well...still $99.95.
> http://cgi.ebay.com/Panasonic-CA-LR...0231083QQihZ004QQcategoryZ32809QQcmdZViewItem


I sent an e-mail to these guys. Asked if they'd take $45 shipped, lol. If they do, I may buy it. I SERIOUSLY doubt they'd say yes, though. haha


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

bikinpunk said:


> Good find.
> 
> Might just wait for alpine though. $65 is kinda pricey!
> 
> I actually like the badge at the top. Sometimes that little ////ALPINE logo gets me psyched.


I liked it better at the bottom like the 200/205 personally.


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

Did some searching around and found this:
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-JQRsZRKgfZ3/App/Product/Item/Main.aspx?i=133CALRD60


I found it in a forum where they were discussing using Pioneer's P9 combo with the h701. 4-pin on the P9 and toslink (as we know) on the h701.

Quality, you may have just solved things for us. I'm going to wait for a reply from the e-bay seller and if they offer a good price I'll be the guinea pig.

Good ol' Werewolf was the one to speak about it on carsound.com:


werewolf said:


> Thought I might elaborate a bit ... seems to be two questions : one physical, one electrical or "format" related. On the physical side, Pioneer seems to like these optical cables where the toshiba electrical-to-optical transducer is inside that little module on the end of the cable, rather than inside the box (so to speak). Makes physical compatibility a bit tricky, but that's where Panasonic solved the problem for us
> 
> 
> 
> ...


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

I do what I can.


----------



## Durzel (Apr 6, 2008)

Wow that's some good news then if the Panasonic cable works.

Again I'm probably being stupid here but if it were possible to send all audio information down the AI-Net cable, why even bother with the optical cable? Why, if AI-Net does the job in one cable, are we even concerned about the optical cable compatibility at all?


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

Durzel said:


> Wow that's some good news then if the Panasonic cable works.
> 
> Again I'm probably being stupid here but if it were possible to send all audio information down the AI-Net cable, why even bother with the optical cable? Why, if AI-Net does the job in one cable, are we even concerned about the optical cable compatibility at all?


Pure digital transfer. Difference is noticeable. Especially when listening to 'digital silence' tracks. 

Honestly, it's not a deal breaker, but it is a bit disappointing that alpine 'screwed' us. Again, my thinking is that they've got something up their sleeve, but maybe not after finding the panny cable.


----------



## The Drake (Apr 3, 2007)

Ok another update here, got it in again for the moment and played a DVD and the quality of the screen blows me away for sure! Very impressive, the only downside to this screen is the contrast ratio isnt that great and its a TN panel they are using for the LCD so viewing angles and color accuracy are not that great, but still acceptable in a vehicle IMO. But of course no Dolby digital or DTS since no optical connection yet, so DVD's pretty much suck 

But either way the LCD is clearly superior in every way to the older models. I think it even might get much brighter than the W200 I had in there, but its night and my eyes could just be playing tricks on me too.


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

jddavid123 said:


> Ok another update here, got it in again for the moment and played a DVD and the quality of the screen blows me away for sure! Very impressive, the only downside to this screen is the contrast ratio isnt that great and its a TN panel they are using for the LCD so viewing angles and color accuracy are not that great, but still acceptable in a vehicle IMO. But of course no Dolby digital or DTS since no optical connection yet, so DVD's pretty much suck


Forgot to ask you: is this unit the "pulsetouch" kind?

Oh, and we are working on a solution to the optical.


----------



## The Drake (Apr 3, 2007)

bikinpunk said:


> Forgot to ask you: is this unit the "pulsetouch" kind?
> 
> Oh, and we are working on a solution to the optical.


I was looking around for that in the menu's and couldn't find it anywhere so looks like no pulsetouch, I meant to mention that too.


----------



## St. Dark (Mar 19, 2008)

Someone asked about the "75ohm coax" lookin' jack in the upper left corner- that's for the GPS antenna if you use it with a Blackbird.


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

Durzel said:


> Wow that's some good news then if the Panasonic cable works.
> 
> Again I'm probably being stupid here but if it were possible to send all audio information down the AI-Net cable, why even bother with the optical cable? Why, if AI-Net does the job in one cable, are we even concerned about the optical cable compatibility at all?


Because optical will mean no cable induced noise issues, a better D/A conversion, and the ability to play true 5.1 if you so desire. 

Ai-Net will only send ANALOG audio, optical send DIGITAL audio.


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

jddavid123 said:


> I was looking around for that in the menu's and couldn't find it anywhere so looks like no pulsetouch, I meant to mention that too.


Weird. It's gonna be odd not having that. When I mess with other touchscreens without it, it freaks me out. I'm used to the 'touch me back' feel. Oh well. At least it's touchscreen, unlike the d900/d901.


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

St. Dark said:


> Someone asked about the "75ohm coax" lookin' jack in the upper left corner- that's for the GPS antenna if you use it with a Blackbird.


I noticed this on the w205 tonight. I was wondering what that was...


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

St. Dark said:


> Someone asked about the "75ohm coax" lookin' jack in the upper left corner- that's for the GPS antenna if you use it with a Blackbird.



Isn't the antenna built into the BBII??


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

bikinpunk said:


> Weird. It's gonna be odd not having that. When I mess with other touchscreens without it, it freaks me out. I'm used to the 'touch me back' feel. Oh well. At least it's touchscreen, unlike the d900/d901.


Yeah I always liked that. I can't imagine they took it out unless it was causing a lot of failures, but I'd never heard of any failures related to that.


----------



## The Drake (Apr 3, 2007)

quality_sound said:


> Isn't the antenna built into the BBII??


yeah for the BBII I think it is, but it could be for non-portable GPS that hooks into these bad boys.


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

The antenna connection for those is on the navi unit.


----------



## The Drake (Apr 3, 2007)

quality_sound said:


> Yeah I always liked that. I can't imagine they took it out unless it was causing a lot of failures, but I'd never heard of any failures related to that.


ditto, it is weird using without it, but nothing I cant get used to. The biggest change for me is going from the graphic W200 to the text.... its kind of a pain when I need to mess with it.


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

Yeah, I got used to not having it with my D3 so I'm ok there but I REALLY wouldn't mind the graphical display.

A thought I just had, I wonder what the Imprint looks and functions like on the 505? Anyone else think they might have designed this to work specifically with the Imprint and it has some bad ass setup options???


----------



## ///Audience (Jan 31, 2007)

quality_sound said:


> Isn't the antenna built into the BBII??


the BBII cant get reception tucked away in a dash and inside a headunit. You have to have an external antenna.

(of course they tell you this so you will buy it and then when your BBII comes in a month later you realize it came with one and wasted 25 bucks....  )


----------



## newtitan (Mar 7, 2005)

damn you guys are l like inspector gadget lol

AWESOME thread and thanks for all the postings

im cool for now in with my avn6620/dc reference processing for now (hate the laptop access though) 

I do miss my h701 thats for sure (MUCH easier access to crossover/eq controls), but the lack of graphical is making it less sad lol


in still waiting on the new kenwood dnx8120 i wouldnt mind the 5.1 processing that it has built in, and from what I can see it has the best interface of all the current nav/multimedia units

I have nav for once and I sure as hell am not going back without it lol


sooo hows the blackbird II NAV functionality on the w505??


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

Unless the 8120 GUI is VASTLY different than the rest of the Kenwood lineup (and I'm pretty sure it's not) the GUI blows goats.


----------



## The Drake (Apr 3, 2007)

newtitan said:


> sooo hows the blackbird II NAV functionality on the w505??


I dont have the BBII and from the looks of the reviews I dont ever plan to get one unless the price drops down to $100. I wouldnt think it would be much different from the W205 though, nothing else has really changed as far as the interface.


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

Got a reply from the e-bay seller:
"cost me twice that , sorry no"

I offered $40+shipping. No way that cable cost them $80...


----------



## The Drake (Apr 3, 2007)

bikinpunk said:


> Got a reply from the e-bay seller:
> "cost me twice that , sorry no"
> 
> I offered $40+shipping. No way that cable cost them $80...


yeah, there is no way. 

Oh yeah I also wanted to mention that the buttons on the front are not nearly as easy to press compared to the W200. Its so smooth its hard to press them, they dont come out a little bit like on the W200 and I am assuming the W205 as well. Not really liking that, but I mainly use the remote anyway so its not a huge huge deal.


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

I almost ordered the cable, but I think I'm just gonna wait for Alpine to drop theirs. $65+shipping is too much when Alpine's could be much less. Optical isn't that important for me ATM.


----------



## ssmith100 (Jun 28, 2007)

I wonder when places like woofersetc and onlinecarstereo are going to be getting these in ???? Julian at woofersetc said it would be at least another month. I really don't want to pay retail from Crutchfield and I need two of these.............now One to replace my W205 and one for the wife's new Jeep Commander.

After reading the manual it looks like all connections are very similar to our W205's except for the Pre-outs being plugged in and the camera and remote in/out being fixed to the unit. Looks like it's going to be a simple swap.

Shane


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

Exactly, plus I don't have my amps anyway.


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

jddavid123 said:


> yeah, there is no way.
> 
> Oh yeah I also wanted to mention that the buttons on the front are not nearly as easy to press compared to the W200. Its so smooth its hard to press them, they dont come out a little bit like on the W200 and I am assuming the W205 as well. Not really liking that, but I mainly use the remote anyway so its not a huge huge deal.


I bet it's just something to get used to. If I have to I can start using the remote again. Did it come with one, or is that extra as well?



ssmith100 said:


> I wonder when places like woofersetc and onlinecarstereo are going to be getting these in ???? Julian at woofersetc said it would be at least another month. I really don't want to pay retail from Crutchfield and I need two of these.............now One to replace my W205 and one for the wife's new Jeep Commander.
> 
> After reading the manual it looks like all connections are very similar to our W205's except for the Pre-outs being plugged in and the camera and remote in/out being fixed to the unit. Looks like it's going to be a simple swap.
> 
> Shane


Yeah, the harness is the same so it should be a simple swap. Add in the PAC or Peripheral CAN-BUS interface and steering wheel control modules for the Jeep and you're set.


----------



## The Drake (Apr 3, 2007)

quality_sound said:


> I bet it's just something to get used to. If I have to I can start using the remote again. Did it come with one, or is that extra as well?


Yeah it comes with the same remote the W200/205 came with, infact I havent even opened the new one up, just using the one that came with my 200.


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

Mine's out for delivery! woot!

My install thread's gonna be LOADED with pictures, lol. There's really no point now that JJ has added them here, but oh well. Pictures are cool!


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

Nice. I might get the RUE-4204 anyway though. The supplied one is a bit small.


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

bikinpunk said:


> Mine's out for delivery! woot!
> 
> My install thread's gonna be LOADED with pictures, lol. There's really no point now that JJ has added them here, but oh well. Pictures are cool!



Hell yeah!!! Mine showed up in the distro center about a block from my house as of 4AM but it hasn't gone out for delivery yet. Imight call them to see if I can pick it up on my way home.


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

quality_sound said:


> Hell yeah!!! Mine showed up in the distro center about a block from my house as of 4AM but it hasn't gone out for delivery yet. Imight call them to see if I can pick it up on my way home.


My UPS doesn't run until after 6pm.


----------



## The Drake (Apr 3, 2007)

quality_sound said:


> Hell yeah!!! Mine showed up in the distro center about a block from my house as of 4AM but it hasn't gone out for delivery yet. Imight call them to see if I can pick it up on my way home.


My UPS location wont allow you to pick up anything before there is at least one delivery attempt. Even if it was very important I could never get them to allow me to pick it up before first delivery attempt. It certainly doesnt hurt to try though.


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

Yeah, that's what I figured.


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

Woot!

ROCKLIN,
CA, US 04/08/2008 7:56 A.M. OUT FOR DELIVERY 
04/08/2008 4:00 A.M. ARRIVAL SCAN


----------



## alphakenny1 (Dec 21, 2005)

jddavid123 said:


> I dont have the BBII and from the looks of the reviews I dont ever plan to get one unless the price drops down to $100. I wouldnt think it would be much different from the W205 though, nothing else has really changed as far as the interface.


what did you find these reviews? i'm still seriously considering a w205/bb2.


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

Cruthfield, epinion, Cnet and a host of others. You should be able to Google reviews for it.


----------



## Blackcharger06 (Mar 28, 2007)

ssmith100 said:


> I wonder when places like woofersetc and onlinecarstereo are going to be getting these in ???? Julian at woofersetc said it would be at least another month. I really don't want to pay retail from Crutchfield and I need two of these.............now One to replace my W205 and one for the wife's new Jeep Commander.
> 
> After reading the manual it looks like all connections are very similar to our W205's except for the Pre-outs being plugged in and the camera and remote in/out being fixed to the unit. Looks like it's going to be a simple swap.
> 
> Shane



What is different about the pre outs, and the camera and remote in/out being fixed to the unit? I'm seriously thinking about ordering the unit and the 65 dollar cable, and want to just un plug one and plug the other one in. I've got the pac interface controls, a tr-7 and everything else that you need to hook up the unit to the pxa h701.


----------



## s60rguy (Feb 14, 2007)

alphakenny1 said:


> what did you find these reviews? i'm still seriously considering a w205/bb2.


Here's my personal review.

I got mine 12/5/07. Got it home, took it outta the box, installed the external antenna to the radio, popped the BB2 into my w205 and was amazed. Loved every feature of it, easy to navigate the menu's, found how to sync it with my phone, did that, then I was mad. It would only load the first 7 or 8 names and numbers in my phone book (I have a Blackberry Curve). I figured since I have alot in there, it was just taking a while, let it sit there for 10mins or so, tried to scroll through them and nothing. Still only had 7 or 8 names and numbers in there.

So I go for a drive. Stays pretty accurate of where you are. If you are driving along with a road that runs beside you, your map position will jump onto the other road then back onto the road you are actually on. It will do this very fast, but you can notice it on the screen.

January comes around and now I'm really having problems. When I first got the BB2 I would pop it in my w205 (or start my truck), wait for it to "start up" and then I could select "Blackbird" in the Source Menu. This would take no more than 1 minute. NOW that I've had it for about a month, it takes my w205 ATLEAST 15 MINUTES to recognize the BB2 and show it in the source menu. Sometimes it won't even recognize it at all, and I gotta eject the BB2 hit the reset button, put it back in, and sometimes THAT DIDN'T EVEN WORK, and I'd have to reset it a few more times before the w205 would recognize it. Then while I'd be driving my "you are here dot" would go crazy and start jumping all over the map, and instead of showing what street I was on, it would show map coordinates!!! 

Now Feb. comes around and I gotta take a Road Trip. Try to load up the BB2 and of course the w205 isn't recognizing it. So I get out my 5 year old Garmin Street Pilot that has NEVER given me 1 problem, EVER, and I use that instead of the BB2. Now on the Road Trip back to my house, I decide to see if the BB2 feels like working, and what do ya know!! It feels like working. So I just leave it on and use it along with my Garmin and everything is good.

Now in March I decide to use the BB2 around town, just because sometimes I like to have a Nav Map on my screen instead of the normal "music screen". Now the damn thing won't even load up. I get the caution screen about not using the BB2 while driving and yadda yadda, click that I want to use it in english and BOOM! Freezes right there. Eject the BB2, reset it, get to that screen again, FREEZES!! A few days later I try to use it again, I get past the language and warning screen, and it takes a while to find where I actually am and plot my "you are here dot". So it finally finds me and I try to zoom in. NOTHING. Try to zoom out. NOTHING. So now it's stuck on a 250ft zoom and won't zoom in or out. I eject it, about to throw it out the window, but I refrain. I get back to my house, put it in the box and go to my shop the next day and have them send it out.

So needless to say, if you get the BB2, it'll work perfect for the first month, then after that, it's all down hill.


----------



## alphakenny1 (Dec 21, 2005)

yuck


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

Blackcharger06 said:


> What is different about the pre outs, and the camera and remote in/out being fixed to the unit? I'm seriously thinking about ordering the unit and the 65 dollar cable, and want to just un plug one and plug the other one in. I've got the pac interface controls, a tr-7 and everything else that you need to hook up the unit to the pxa h701.


I wouldn't think anything's changed. The wiring schematics look pretty mcuh the same other than the optical cable.


----------



## Blackcharger06 (Mar 28, 2007)

bikinpunk said:


> I wouldn't think anything's changed. The wiring schematics look pretty mcuh the same other than the optical cable.


 I'm going to wait a bit on these and see how it goes. If it's really plug and play and this panasonic cable works I'm in.


----------



## The Drake (Apr 3, 2007)

It is plug and play, I just ripped out my W200 and used all the same cables when I hooked up the W505 and everything is fine.


----------



## ///Audience (Jan 31, 2007)

jddavid123 said:


> It is plug and play, I just ripped out my W200 and used all the same cables when I hooked up the W505 and everything is fine.


any chance the harness from the w200 plugs into the w505 as well?


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

s60rguy said:


> Here's my personal review.
> 
> I got mine 12/5/07. Got it home, took it outta the box, installed the external antenna to the radio, popped the BB2 into my w205 and was amazed. Loved every feature of it, easy to navigate the menu's, found how to sync it with my phone, did that, then I was mad. It would only load the first 7 or 8 names and numbers in my phone book (I have a Blackberry Curve). I figured since I have alot in there, it was just taking a while, let it sit there for 10mins or so, tried to scroll through them and nothing. Still only had 7 or 8 names and numbers in there.
> 
> ...


Have you tried you BBII in another 205 to see which piece is faulty? What about using it stand alone?


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

BassBaller5 said:


> any chance the harness from the w200 plugs into the w505 as well?



Alpine hasn't changed harnesses since, what, 98 or so?


----------



## ///Audience (Jan 31, 2007)

quality_sound said:


> Alpine hasn't changed harnesses since, what, 98 or so?


sweet! my harness is mutilated (only running power, ground, and ignition directly to the sources).

plus its covered in techflex


----------



## Blackcharger06 (Mar 28, 2007)

jddavid123 said:


> It is plug and play, I just ripped out my W200 and used all the same cables when I hooked up the W505 and everything is fine.


 Everything except your optical cable right? I'm getting pm's from a few different people that say you guys are 99% sure that the panasonic cable will work but nobody has tried it yet right? The cable that everyone uses now won't work with out an adapter or a whole new cable all together. I'm all set with using ai net, I hate it how the newer cd changers don't have the optical anymore. I'm looking at the older dvd units that use optical and using it as a mini ipod with wav files on it. With 5 discs and 8.5 gigs a disc that is a lot of high quality files. It's just a mental thing I just know that they songs are't as compressed as mp3's I can barely tell the difference.


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

Well, I ordered the panny cable earlier this afternoon. No telling how long it'll be before it gets here, though since it's not kept in stock. I even contacted Panasonic themselves and they no longer make the cable. 

If it doesn't fit I'll sell it. Apparently Pioneer has the same connector on the P9 and some guys were using it to connect the P9 to the h701. We'll see...


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

Just got mine in. Pics will be in my install thread here in a few. 

I also finished up my pillars just in time. Should have the w505 installed by tonight. 

check my install thread (link below) for pics. 

WOOT!


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

Bastages!!!

As long as my R3 shows up I'll have mine in tonight and feeding signal to my flip-down and have the iPod connected as well.


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

Something I noticed... this thing comes with a connector for a microphone. Alpine says that mic is not included. ... wonder what that could be for. 


I was going to make a run to wal-mart and get a 3.5mm jack extension so that I can run the ipod video usb/mic cable out longer, but it just might be enough as it is. I already have the USB extension.


----------



## s60rguy (Feb 14, 2007)

quality_sound said:


> Have you tried you BBII in another 205 to see which piece is faulty? What about using it stand alone?


Oh yea, forgot the stand alone part

After I had the problems with it in the w205, I tried it standalone. And it powers on, but freezes and sits at the blue "///ALPINE" screen. Doesn't even make it to the warning & language selection screen.


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

bikinpunk said:


> Something I noticed... this thing comes with a connector for a microphone. Alpine says that mic is not included. ... wonder what that could be for.
> 
> 
> I was going to make a run to wal-mart and get a 3.5mm jack extension so that I can run the ipod video usb/mic cable out longer, but it just might be enough as it is. I already have the USB extension.



Mine came with a mini-jack extension. How much longer do you need it to be?


----------



## The Drake (Apr 3, 2007)

bikinpunk said:


> Something I noticed... this thing comes with a connector for a microphone. Alpine says that mic is not included. ... wonder what that could be for.
> 
> 
> I was going to make a run to wal-mart and get a 3.5mm jack extension so that I can run the ipod video usb/mic cable out longer, but it just might be enough as it is. I already have the USB extension.


yeah, its pretty long as it is, about 6ft I would guess? and I think the mic might be for the imprint stuff when its hooked up, thats just my guess though. Did either of you notice the brightness on the screen to be higher than the W205? I can tell its brighter and more vivid than my W200 for sure.


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

Yea, I didn't see the mini-jack extension. Man, those cables are ridiculously long. You can see in my install thread where I have the unit sitting on my console and all the cables reach into the dash from there.


----------



## St. Dark (Mar 19, 2008)

bikinpunk said:


> Something I noticed... this thing comes with a connector for a microphone. Alpine says that mic is not included. ... wonder what that could be for.


The BBII comes with the external mount GPS and the BlueTooth mic for use with an IVA; that's what the mic input is for. So as you can use BT when docked!

The PXA-H100 has it's own mic input for Imprint tuning.


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

I'm curious about wallpapers... I may check Alpine's site for some and see how it handles them.


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

bikinpunk said:


> I'm curious about wallpapers... I may check Alpine's site for some and see how it handles them.


I have some already burned to a CD from my W205. There's a site with BUTTLOADS of them.

It looks like the second eq/div switch is for the iPod and it looks you DON'T need the mini-jack plugged into the iPod. The first pic we saw was the extension cable.


edit: both eq/div switches must be set the same. changer only = norm on both 701 or h100 = eq/div on both.


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

quality_sound said:


> I have some already burned to a CD from my W205. There's a site with BUTTLOADS of them.
> 
> It looks like the second eq/div switch is for the iPod and it looks you DON'T need the mini-jack plugged into the iPod. The first pic we saw was the extension cable.
> 
> ...


I had some made on that site (I'm assuming you're talking about pride rock). Alpine's site has some and says the w505 is supported, so I'd assume the same can be said for the ones on pride rock.

I'm getting a few right now. Actually, Alpine's site has some awesome "nature" backgrounds.


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

Holy crap...you can choose a separate display style FOR EACH SOURCE and you only need the 422i if you're going to run the BT module.


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

quality_sound said:


> Holy crap...you can choose a separate display style FOR EACH SOURCE and you only need the 422i if you're going to run the BT module.


Really?... Hey, how do I get my album art to show up? I have yet to get anything to pop up, but I have it on my ipod.  Do I need to use the usb connection?


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

Background info - page 41


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

bikinpunk said:


> Really?... Hey, how do I get my album art to show up? I have yet to get anything to pop up, but I have it on my ipod.  Do I need to use the usb connection?


Yep. Why didn't you use the USB to begin with? Now that I found out you don't have to have mini-jack AND dock connector both plugged into the iPod I'm stoked!


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

quality_sound said:


> Yep. Why didn't you use the USB to begin with? Now that I found out you don't have to have mini-jack AND dock connector both plugged into the iPod I'm stoked!


You mean that it's one unit?

So, you're saying that it does display are if you use the USB? I'm about to wlak out there with a disc full of backgrounds. Just asking while I'm searching for some.


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

Page 53 - How to set up the H100 MANUALLY and in 3-WAY MODE...and yes, you can do separate left and right x-over/eq with the H100 but you only get 7 G-EQ bands.


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

bikinpunk said:


> You mean that it's one unit?
> 
> So, you're saying that it does display are if you use the USB? I'm about to wlak out there with a disc full of backgrounds. Just asking while I'm searching for some.



I'm saying you don't need the 422i for iPod, only the supplied cables to get iPod video AND album art. 

And yes, the backgrounds appear to work the same as the 205.


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

Edit: I wan to be 100% on this one.


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

If you want you can run dual iPods, one from USB and one from Full-Speed connector.


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

quality_sound said:


> Page 65 - Banking. 10 "Banks" of 1000 songs each you can download DIRECTLY from any USB device and it will also bring over the album art and meta data.
> 
> Yes, TEN THOUSAND songs stored in memory. THIS ****ER HAS A BUILT IN HDD!


No way!  

Surely you have to have the iPod still connected!


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

*background info:*
2 things:
1) Alpine's backgrounds work. Go to their i-personalize page and have at it. 
2) Pride rock's don't. It gives me an error when I tried to d/l them. Unless I did it wrong... I right clicked, saved as "xxx.apn". Hoping I just did it wrong. 
EDIT: yep, doing it wrong. I always fail to see the 'download now' button on their page. 


Backgroud only changes for CD as far as I can tell.


*iPod album art*
Apparently doesn't work if you're using the 422i. I say that b/c if you're using that connectiong you likely can't use the USB due to your ipod generation. The usb connection wouldn't recognize my ipod (4th gen, I believe) but recognized my wife's ipod Video no problem. Bummer.


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

bikinpunk said:


> No way!
> 
> Surely you have to have the iPod still connected!


No, because you're pulling them off of a thumb drive, not your iPod. You'll never be able to pull them off of your iPod but load up a thumb drive and have at it. 

Man it sucks to try and read a .pdf owners manual but I'm glad I did. This thing does a LOT more than I thought it did and is WELL worth the $999 MSRP IMO.


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

I feel like such a nerd right now...


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

quality_sound said:


> No, because you're pulling them off of a thumb drive, not your iPod. You'll never be able to pull them off of your iPod but load up a thumb drive and have at it.
> 
> Man it sucks to try and read a .pdf owners manual but I'm glad I did. This thing does a LOT more than I thought it did and is WELL worth the $999 MSRP IMO.


So, could you also save DIVX movies, etc on the thumb drive and call it up later? If so, that is bad-ass!


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

Wonder what would happen if I used the apple usb connector and connected the ipod that way?... could I then save the songs off my iPod? 


Seems there's a lot more to this unit that was thought.


----------



## ///Audience (Jan 31, 2007)

quality_sound said:


> Page 65 - Banking. 10 "Banks" of 1000 songs each you can download DIRECTLY from any USB device and it will also bring over the album art and meta data.
> 
> Yes, TEN THOUSAND songs stored in memory. THIS ****ER HAS A BUILT IN HDD!


why the hell didnt alpine advertise that!?!?!? thats a huge reason people go with other units, lack of HDD!!


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

Here's a couple new backgrounds. so, yes, the backgrounds from pride-rock.com work. 





















The 'team hybrids' is for you, Doitor! I know I'm not on the team, but thought you'd like that pic... since it's yours!


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

bikinpunk said:


> So, could you also save DIVX movies, etc on the thumb drive and call it up later? If so, that is bad-ass!


I didn't see anything about Divx movies but I'm going to reread the manual a few times.


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

quality_sound said:


> I didn't see anything about Divx movies but I'm going to reread the manual a few times.


From the looks of it, it doesn't seem so. Just music.


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

bikinpunk said:


> Wonder what would happen if I used the apple usb connector and connected the ipod that way?... could I then save the songs off my iPod?
> 
> 
> Seems there's a lot more to this unit that was thought.



I doubt it since it's the program that knows to look in the hidden folders.


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

BassBaller5 said:


> why the hell didnt alpine advertise that!?!?!? thats a huge reason people go with other units, lack of HDD!!



And why the hell do they call it "Banking"???


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

bikinpunk said:


> From the looks of it, it doesn't seem so. Just music.



Still, think about it like this. You store all your music in the W505 and then load your iPod with movies...


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

quality_sound said:


> Still, think about it like this. You store all your music in the W505 and then load your iPod with movies...


I'd rather have it the other way around, though. Movies are a much more rare occassion, and I'd hate to pull my songs off my ipod to put movies in its place. 

I know what you're saying though. 


I'm with bassballer... WTF didn't they advertise that?!


----------



## starboy869 (Dec 16, 2006)

hdd on board? WTF!! What size?

Now I can't wait til May


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

starboy869 said:


> hdd on board? WTF!! What size?
> 
> Now I can't wait til May



Don't know. According to the manual there are 10 "Banks" that will hold 1000 songs each. No bitrate is specified. 


Okay, I'm rereading that section again and now I'm confused because now it sounds to me like it just divides up the songs in the USB device for easier searching.


----------



## Whiterabbit (May 26, 2006)

if it were anything it would probably be flash. a 4 gig ipod holds about 1k songs, so you'd be looking at around 40 gig. five 8 gig flash chips would do it.

I agree it is unlikely said flash would be on-board without advertisement. I suspect it is an organizational feature.

Cant paste "HDD" all over your radio if it's flash memory. and if you saw a radio with "FLASH!!!" silkscreened on, wouldnt you say "what the hell kind of Dual radio IS this?"


----------



## starboy869 (Dec 16, 2006)

Hmm I would prefer a flash drive over a mobile hdd in a vehicle enviroment.

I really should find some time to read the manual however I have a 2yr old and a 2 week old baby in my house.


----------



## veloze (Jul 2, 2007)

For those that already have the Alpine IVA-W505, congrats on your purchase, and I hope you guys enjoy this new head-unit.  

Is it possible you guys start a new thread specifically for the W505 because this thread is getting too damn long to read. You guys can talk about pros & cons, user reviews, installs, post pics or videos, etc...etc

I'm just waiting for a good subjective review from one of you; that way I might decide to pull the trigger in buying this unit.  

I hope someone post a review with the IMPRINT or H701 processing.


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

veloze said:


> For those that already have the Alpine IVA-W505, congrats on your purchase, and I hope you guys enjoy this new head-unit.
> 
> Is it possible you guys start a new thread specifically for the W505 because this thread is getting too damn long to read. You guys can talk about pros & cons, user reviews, installs, post pics or videos, etc...etc
> 
> ...


Why can't we just continue in this thread? It's kind of morphed into that already. There will be reviews as we get them installed.


----------



## The Drake (Apr 3, 2007)

I emailed crutchfield about the unit not coming with the optical connection and here is their response(hoping for a freebie cable when it comes out):

First email response:
"Hello,

I spoke with Alpine and the preliminary information we received indicated that the unit would have an optical output but after speaking with Alpine directly they have advised that the unit in fact will require an adapter for this and that the adapter is still in development and not currently available. They were not able to give me an ETA on this as well.

I do apologize for this mistake and I have pushed forward to remove the incorrect information from our advertising. I would be happy to arrange for a return for refund or exchange for the unit for a different item."

I responded: "Would you be able to ship the cable free of charge when its released and you receive them in stock?"

their response: "From what the rep at Alpine said the part will only be available from their parts distributors so at this point it does not look like we will even stock it nor have any idea what the part will cost or when it will become available. I understand if this constitutes a return of the unit but at this point with the information we have I have no way to make you that promise. I am sorry.
Thank you, 
Conner"


Not sure what to make of that, but just wanted to share that with everyone.


----------



## The Drake (Apr 3, 2007)

I gotta be honest though, if that cable is going to be $100 from alpine then I am going back to my W200 for a while. It was hard enough putting up $1k for this and to tell me another $100 I gotta fork over... well thats just crossing the line for me.


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

veloze said:


> I'm just waiting for a good subjective review from one of you; that way I might decide to pull the trigger in buying this unit.


I hope to have one up by Friday night. I'm going to give it some time and listen to it and play around with the features. I want to give myself time to get the ins and outs, especially with the (possible) HDD thing. I'll do pics and the whole shebang. 



jddavid123 said:


> I gotta be honest though, if that cable is going to be $100 from alpine then I am going back to my W200 for a while until. it was hard enough putting up $1k for this and to tell me another $100... well thats just crossing the line for me.


In that case, I'm hoping that the cable I ordered yesterday will work.


----------



## notacop (Jan 27, 2006)

The manual says that it can pause satellite radio!


Almost like a Tivo for Sirius. That would be awesome. I have a handsfree bluetooth kit installed in my car (the motorola ihf1000) and when a call comes in it mutes the radio. Very handy, but also a pain if I was listening to a good talk show (Jason Ellis FTW!) and I miss out on the punch line of a few stories or jokes. The ability to catch up by fastforwarding through boring parts or songs I don't care for would be awesome.


I have been keeping my eye on this unit for a while. Thanks to all you early adopters for taking the plunge and getting us more info on this unit!


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

jddavid123 said:


> I emailed crutchfield about the unit not coming with the optical connection and here is their response(hoping for a freebie cable when it comes out):
> 
> First email response:
> "Hello,
> ...


There is NO WAY they would only have that part available from PAC Parts.


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

jddavid123 said:


> I gotta be honest though, if that cable is going to be $100 from alpine then I am going back to my W200 for a while. It was hard enough putting up $1k for this and to tell me another $100 I gotta fork over... well thats just crossing the line for me.



Considering all the new things this adds over the 200, not to mention the better screen, I don' thave too much heartburn over the price or the add-on, especially since the iPod cable was included.


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

quality_sound said:


> Considering all the new things this adds over the 200, not to mention the better screen, I don' thave too much heartburn over the price or the add-on, especially since the iPod cable was included.


exactly.


----------



## alphakenny1 (Dec 21, 2005)

FYI, ipod cable was also included when the w200 first came out too. well at least for the first month at least. the 9857, 9856 also came with ipod cables too. So don't feel all that special . 

But if this cable is anywhere near $50, i'm going to be pissed. Alpine is just trying to squeeze out all the money they can from the consumer. I bought my W200 for $585 almost 2 years ago and now these things are like $1000, F*ck. Hopefully price goes down soon, haha.


----------



## Durzel (Apr 6, 2008)

Does anyone know off hand if the W505 front panel has the same dimensions as the W200? I know the screen is larger (7" vs 6.5") but I was under the impression that this was due to shaving off space from the side borders.

Reason I ask is that I've got a custom dash in my Civic Type-R which was made especially for the W200, so if the W505 is different I would need to get it refabbed.

Ideally if someone who has both W200 and W505 now could measure the height & width of the screen that would be awesome


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

alphakenny1 said:


> FYI, ipod cable was also included when the w200 first came out too. well at least for the first month at least. the 9857, 9856 also came with ipod cables too. So don't feel all that special .
> 
> But if this cable is anywhere near $50, i'm going to be pissed. Alpine is just trying to squeeze out all the money they can from the consumer. I bought my W200 for $585 almost 2 years ago and now these things are like $1000, F*ck. Hopefully price goes down soon, haha.


In their defense, this unit is much better than the others. Also, consider that the d300/d310 were $1500 when they first came out and they didn't have near the capabilities that this unit has. To be quite honest, knowing what I know now, I'm surprised that the price is as low as it is. 

But, yes, having to buy another optical cable is stupid. 



Durzel said:


> Does anyone know off hand if the W505 front panel has the same dimensions as the W200? I know the screen is larger (7" vs 6.5") but I was under the impression that this was due to shaving off space from the side borders.
> 
> Reason I ask is that I've got a custom dash in my Civic Type-R which was made especially for the W200, so if the W505 is different I would need to get it refabbed.
> 
> Ideally if someone who has both W200 and W505 now could measure the height & width of the screen that would be awesome


I can break out the calipers when I get home if no one else can do it for you. I have the w205 sitting in a box and am going to ship it out tomorrow.


----------



## doitor (Aug 16, 2007)

Bikin, thanks for the pic of the Team's background, but I'm still waiting for the sombrero pic.  j/k
I haven't read anywhere but is the pac-tr7 working with this HU?

Jorge.


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

doitor said:


> Bikin, thanks for the pic of the Team's background, but I'm still waiting for the sombrero pic.  j/k
> I haven't read anywhere but is the pac-tr7 working with this HU?
> 
> Jorge.


Yes, it does.

JJ clarified for us about 10 pages ago, lol. It's hard to keep up with this thread.


FWIW, I reused my w205 harness since it was already wired up to my car's harness and the bypass. Just a straight swap. No problems. So, the guy that bought my w205 will get a brand new harness.


----------



## doitor (Aug 16, 2007)

bikinpunk said:


> Yes, it does.
> 
> JJ clarified for us about 10 pages ago, lol. It's hard to keep up with this thread.
> 
> ...


Great news.
You guys just type to fast.
You need to make summary every 10 pages or so to keep us up.
But WHERE IS THE SOMBRERO PIC? 

Jorge.


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

doitor said:


> You need to make summary every 10 pages or so to keep us up.
> But WHERE IS THE SOMBRERO PIC?
> 
> Jorge.


I'm going to do a review sometime in the next couple days. I'm going to wait until I can go into detail with each aspect and have pictures, too. 


The sombrero pic is coming...


----------



## alphakenny1 (Dec 21, 2005)

bikinpunk said:


> In their defense, this unit is much better than the others. Also, consider that the d300/d310 were $1500 when they first came out and they didn't have near the capabilities that this unit has. To be quite honest, knowing what I know now, I'm surprised that the price is as low as it is.


still $1000 for a stand alone unit? you got to be kidding me. While you can get an eclipse 6620 with navi for $900 on ebay? This little dock and roll thing is pissing me off. $700 for a bb2 while nothing even close in its price range and anything Garmin will smop the bb2 to ****s (or from reviews at least). Alpine is way over doing the navigation area of their line, with trying to squeeze out as much as they can from the consumer. See thats the sad thing, you think for what it does "is as low as it is." but thats relative to alpine, to me their DD units are way more expensive than any other DD units that include navi.


----------



## newtitan (Mar 7, 2005)

BassBaller5 said:


> why the hell didnt alpine advertise that!?!?!? thats a huge reason people go with other units, lack of HDD!!


WAIT THE w505 has an INTERNAL HARD DRIVE TOO???? 

WOW

please do confirm?????


----------



## The Drake (Apr 3, 2007)

quality_sound said:


> Considering all the new things this adds over the 200, not to mention the better screen, I don' thave too much heartburn over the price or the add-on, especially since the iPod cable was included.


Well its not that I wouldn't get it later, but the fact that the optical cable isnt even released yet pretty much closes the deal for me right now. I would honestly rather hook up my W200 and have the digital/dolby/DTS available to me and a lower res screen for now until the unathorized pricing drops and the optical cable is released. (I have a 5.1 setup in the car for those that dont know)

You also gotta understand I paid like $500 for this with the TR7 and ipod cable so this is a big leap and well each year new features and upgrades are Expected in the technology market and still keeping the same price or only a little higher than a product thats one generations behind it, let alone two generations. Its a great product, no doubt about it and if I dont keep this one then I certainly plan to get it in the future.


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## doitor (Aug 16, 2007)

alphakenny1 said:


> still $1000 for a stand alone unit? you got to be kidding me. While you can get an eclipse 6620 with navi for $900 on ebay? This little dock and roll thing is pissing me off. $700 for a bb2 while nothing even close in its price range and anything Garmin will smop the bb2 to ****s (or from reviews at least). Alpine is way over doing the navigation area of their line, with trying to squeeze out as much as they can from the consumer. See thats the sad thing, you think for what it does "is as low as it is." but thats relative to alpine, to me their DD units are way more expensive than any other DD units that include navi.


I totally agree with you.

Jorge.


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## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

alphakenny1 said:


> still $1000 for a stand alone unit? you got to be kidding me. While you can get an eclipse 6620 with navi for $900 on ebay? This little dock and roll thing is pissing me off. $700 for a bb2 while nothing even close in its price range and anything Garmin will smop the bb2 to ****s (or from reviews at least). Alpine is way over doing the navigation area of their line, with trying to squeeze out as much as they can from the consumer. See thats the sad thing, you think for what it does "is as low as it is." but thats relative to alpine, to me their DD units are way more expensive than any other DD units that include navi.





jddavid123 said:


> Well its not that I wouldn't get it later, but the fact that the optical cable isnt even released yet pretty much closes the deal for me right now. I would honestly rather hook up my W200 and have the digital/dolby/DTS available to me and a lower res screen for now until the unauthorized pricing drops and the optical cable is released. (I have a 5.1 setup in the car for those that dont know)
> 
> You also gotta understand I paid like $500 for this with the TR7 and ipod cable so this is a big leap and well each year new features and upgrades are Expected in the technology market and still keeping the same price or only a little higher than a product thats one generations behind it, let alone two generations. Its a great product, no doubt about it and if I dont keep this one then I certainly plan to get it in the future.


I do agree with you in that respect. Alpine vs. themselves?.. doing good with this piece. Alpine vs. others?... not so well. 

But, as much as I hate to admit it, I LOVE alpine h/u's so the price is justified for me. The cosmetics of this piece are MUCH more appealing to me than the Eclipse/Pioneer units, and those are the only ones I would even consider if I weren't buying Alpine. 

It seems as if the optical issue is the straw on the camel's back for a lot of people. To me it's not. I just suck it up and deal with it. But, I completely understand that you guys are pissed about it. I'm not happy either. But, since I'm more psyched on this unit than anything I've had so far (I like it more than the d310) I'll just deal with the price and alpine's gouging for now.

One thing I will say to consider if the z1/z2 from Pioneer. They carry a $1500 (unauthorized) price tag and people love that. It's a pretty good comparison with the w505, especially seeing that the w505 apparently has a HDD of sorts. The Z's don't have any form of digital input, nor do they directly control a processor. If you wanted to make that a competitor tack on at least another $400. Now, the Alpine is cheaper, and IMO, nicer. 


*wow, I sound like a total fanboy... not intended*


----------



## ssmith100 (Jun 28, 2007)

Quality,

Your exactly right on the cable. No way that it will only be available through PAC. From everything I'm reading here and other places it seems the W505 is a hell of an upgrade even from my W205. I just wish it was availble at some other places now for less.

Shane


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

alphakenny1 said:


> FYI, ipod cable was also included when the w200 first came out too. well at least for the first month at least. the 9857, 9856 also came with ipod cables too. So don't feel all that special .
> 
> But if this cable is anywhere near $50, i'm going to be pissed. Alpine is just trying to squeeze out all the money they can from the consumer. I bought my W200 for $585 almost 2 years ago and now these things are like $1000, F*ck. Hopefully price goes down soon, haha.



The difference is, those were just bundled 422i's, correct? Alpine is supplying a DIFFERENT cable. The 422i is separate. I bought it because I thought i needed it but i have a 5G iPod video so I'm going to send the 422i back and use the USB input.


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

Durzel said:


> Does anyone know off hand if the W505 front panel has the same dimensions as the W200? I know the screen is larger (7" vs 6.5") but I was under the impression that this was due to shaving off space from the side borders.
> 
> Reason I ask is that I've got a custom dash in my Civic Type-R which was made especially for the W200, so if the W505 is different I would need to get it refabbed.
> 
> Ideally if someone who has both W200 and W505 now could measure the height & width of the screen that would be awesome


If no one else gets to it first I'll measure it when I get home. You are coorect though, they just made the borders smaller to get a larger screen. The folding section looks to be the same size.


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

alphakenny1 said:


> still $1000 for a stand alone unit? you got to be kidding me. While you can get an eclipse 6620 with navi for $900 on ebay? This little dock and roll thing is pissing me off. $700 for a bb2 while nothing even close in its price range and anything Garmin will smop the bb2 to ****s (or from reviews at least). Alpine is way over doing the navigation area of their line, with trying to squeeze out as much as they can from the consumer. See thats the sad thing, you think for what it does "is as low as it is." but thats relative to alpine, to me their DD units are way more expensive than any other DD units that include navi.


And those navi units don't do anywhere near as much as the 505 does. 
No optical (of any kind) output. 
They just added iPod control and it blows. 
No satellite radio pause. 
No USB input. 
No ability to use an iPod and USB at the same time. 
Better screen on the 505. 
I'm not sure if the 6620 will do Divx. 
505 will decode DTS as well as DD. 
505 plays DVD-A. 
505 has S-Video and composite video out. 
Two different display modes. 
User uploadable backgrounds. 

And I'm sure there's a LOT more that I haven't even seen yet. I'd have to look again, but I'm pretty sure CF had an option to add the BB II for $300 at checkout. If you're going to compare pricing at least compare the same pricing. Using eBay pricing on the 6620 and CF on the 505 isn't fair. You can get the 505 on eBay for $850. 

Yes, if your MAIN thing is to get a DD that has navi there are better units. I also agree the BB II needs a LOT of work. But if a $100 unit that doesn't do navi is too expensive what are your feeling about things liek the Z2 with an MSRP of $2300?



newtitan said:


> WAIT THE w505 has an INTERNAL HARD DRIVE TOO????
> 
> WOW
> 
> please do confirm?????


I may have been wrong on that. We're still looking into that. It might only be an organizational tool.


----------



## alphakenny1 (Dec 21, 2005)

bikinpunk said:


> I do agree with you in that respect. Alpine vs. themselves?.. doing good with this piece. Alpine vs. others?... not so well.
> 
> But, as much as I hate to admit it, I LOVE alpine h/u's so the price is justified for me. The cosmetics of this piece are MUCH more appealing to me than the Eclipse/Pioneer units, and those are the only ones I would even consider if I weren't buying Alpine.
> 
> ...


Yes the "worth" part will obviously vary from person to person. If I didn't have the h701 and if i didn't love the ipod controls on the w200, no question i'd just go the eclipse/dc amps route. I just hate the fact that the bb2 is $700 is it gets mixed reviews online. Especially since a user on here has had problems with his w205/bb2 loading up, that gets me scared. I don't care what anybody says, the $700 alone for the bb2 is not worth it. But I'm still considering it since I want navi bad and no matter how I spin my numbers, getting w205/bb2 is much cheaper than getting the 6620/dc amps.


----------



## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

quality_sound said:


> I'd have to look again, but I'm pretty sure CF had an option to add the BB II for $300 at checkout.


If this is true I want a link. I'll call CF to see if they'd give it to me since I didn't catch that.


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

ssmith100 said:


> Quality,
> 
> Your exactly right on the cable. No way that it will only be available through PAC. From everything I'm reading here and other places it seems the W505 is a hell of an upgrade even from my W205. I just wish it was availble at some other places now for less.
> 
> Shane


eBay has them for $850 + shipping. Hell, eBay had them before CF did.


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

bikinpunk said:


> If this is true I want a link. I'll call CF to see if they'd give it to me since I didn't catch that.


Damn, it was the W205 you could do that with but it's over anyway.


----------



## alphakenny1 (Dec 21, 2005)

quality_sound said:


> And those navi units don't do anywhere near as much as the 505 does.
> No optical (of any kind) output.
> They just added iPod control and it blows.
> No satellite radio pause.
> ...


I guess I never made my goals clear. all that stuff you stated, I could care less about. All I want is navi, ipod control, and some sort of processing control. I don't care about resolution, usb, video, optical (only for h701 use though). those things you listed are definitely nice and something I would like to have but still, how about making all that with navi and charge like $1500, then it might be worth it. I don't drive the car enough to take advantage of the video capabilities. Still doesn't change the fact that alpine is trying to take advantage of pricing. Just these little things alpine is doing is supremely gay. Again the big thing is, alpine is gay for the $700 price tag on their bb2. Gay! Like I said, worth depends on the person.


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## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

alphakenny1 said:


> I guess I never made my goals clear. all that stuff you stated, I could care less about. All I want is navi, ipod control, and some sort of processing control. I don't care about resolution, usb, video, optical (only for h701 use though). those things you listed are definitely nice and something I would like to have but still, how about making all that with navi and charge like $1500, then it might be worth it. I don't drive the car enough to take advantage of the video capabilities. Still doesn't change the fact that alpine is trying to take advantage of pricing. Just these little things alpine is doing is supremely gay. Again the big thing is, alpine is gay for the $700 price tag on their bb2. Gay! Like I said, worth depends on the person.


In that case, I totally agree with you. Just get the c701/h701 and Pioneer's D3 and call it a day. no optical out, but you might be able to do that on your own using the tutorial here.


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

alphakenny1 said:


> I guess I never made my goals clear. all that stuff you stated, I could care less about. All I want is navi, ipod control, and some sort of processing control. I don't care about resolution, usb, video, optical (only for h701 use though). those things you listed are definitely nice and something I would like to have but still, how about making all that with navi and charge like $1500, then it might be worth it. I don't drive the car enough to take advantage of the video capabilities. Still doesn't change the fact that alpine is trying to take advantage of pricing. Just these little things alpine is doing is supremely gay. Again the big thing is, alpine is gay for the $700 price tag on their bb2. Gay! Like I said, worth depends on the person.


Then for you, I agree, the 505 is not the unit for you. Actually a Kenwood DNX-8120 sounds about perfect if you can get past the clunky controls. 

But before you think the Alpine is overpriced. And I used CF as a comparison to keep it fair. This is essentially the equivalent of a 505 and BB II. One has navi that's hit or miss, the other has horrible control routines.

http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Product/Item/Main.aspx?search=dnx8120&i=113DNX8120


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

bikinpunk said:


> In that case, I totally agree with you. Just get the c701/h701 and Pioneer's D3 and call it a day. no optical out, but you might be able to do that on your own using the tutorial here.



I know the D3 has a "digital" output and it's not a Toslink or 4-pin so I'm thinking it's a coax. I'm not sure if you can convert that to Toslink.


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## alphakenny1 (Dec 21, 2005)

bah i'm getting cheap too. I spinned some numbers and it'll cost an extra $750-800 for the w205/bb2. Or I can go cheap and get a portable garmin for $200, haha.


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## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

quality_sound said:


> I know the D3 has a "digital" output and it's not a Toslink or 4-pin so I'm thinking it's a coax. I'm not sure if you can convert that to Toslink.


I know you can buy a converter box for coax-->optical, but it also needs an AC power source.


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## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

alphakenny1 said:


> bah i'm getting cheap too. I spinned some numbers and it'll cost an extra $750-800 for the w205/bb2. Or I can go cheap and get a portable garmin for $200, haha.


Yea, before I spent $700 for the BB2, I'd just get a cheap garmin. 

But, I never (rarely) travel anywhere I don't already know well.


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

bikinpunk said:


> Yea, before I spent $700 for the BB2, I'd just get a cheap garmin.
> 
> But, I never (rarely) travel anywhere I don't already know well.


Yeah for $700 I'd just buy the external navi. It's probably the best I've ever used.


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## newtitan (Mar 7, 2005)

I thought the 8120 had an all new 08 interface (or so says all the commercials and web videos) 

have you used it already? or is it the same as the 7120, as it seems you are rather familiar with the kenwood units


im pretty stuck on happy with my 6620, but it DOES NOT play DVD mp3 disc which bugs the heck out of me,and does not have a direct ipod control (uses one of the converter boxes), and no usb connector

the navi is easy enough that I didnt need the manual so thats the biggest plus

so im back and forth between the two

so do explain what is exactly "clunky" about the controls?



quality_sound said:


> Then for you, I agree, the 505 is not the unit for you. Actually a Kenwood DNX-8120 sounds about perfect if you can get past the clunky controls.
> 
> But before you think the Alpine is overpriced. And I used CF as a comparison to keep it fair. This is essentially the equivalent of a 505 and BB II. One has navi that's hit or miss, the other has horrible control routines.
> 
> http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Product/Item/Main.aspx?search=dnx8120&i=113DNX8120


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

newtitan said:


> I thought the 8120 had an all new 08 interface (or so says all the commercials and web videos)
> 
> have you used it already? or is it the same as the 7120, as it seems you are rather familiar with the kenwood units
> 
> ...


The 8120 has the same controls as the Kenwoods from last year. I can't see why they call it new. My biggest issue is when you put in a DVD you have to cycle though the display until video comes up even though audio switches automatically. Also just getting into the different menus and moving around is not very intuitive. They're in stores already (Auto Radio Stero has them in their displays) so you can play with one to see.


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## alphakenny1 (Dec 21, 2005)

haha yea the deal breaker for me is the ipod box rather than a cable. I just absolutely love the ipod interface on the w200. Cudos to alpine for making a great interface. I'll give them that. bastards, haha.


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## bjayjr5679 (Nov 8, 2007)

ha ha someone already gave the 505 a one star review on Cructhfield because of the alpine only cable that is nowhere to be found.


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## ssmith100 (Jun 28, 2007)

For anyone interested there is an E-bay vendor who is an Alpine dealer selling the W505's for $850.00 plus shipping. They will also do a package deal with the BB2. A couple of the corvette guys have bought from them and it looks like I may order mine from them tommorow.

Shane


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## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

ssmith100 said:


> For anyone interested there is an E-bay vendor who is an Alpine dealer selling the W505's for $850.00 plus shipping. They will also do a package deal with the BB2. A couple of the corvette guys have bought from them and it looks like I may order mine from them tommorow.
> 
> Shane


Who is it? May send mine back to CF and save some $.


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## Whiterabbit (May 26, 2006)

bikinpunk said:


> I know you can buy a converter box for coax-->optical, but it also needs an AC power source.


bikin, do you have a pinout for that 4 pin connector? is it 5V, ground, digital signal (including protocol), and signal ground?

if so, depending on that protocol, the convert your cd player to digi out for $6 tutorial will work for you. The 4 pin plug will have everything and the toslink plug will be all you need. Make it $16 so you can buy a 1"x.5"x.5" project box, 4-pin plug, and some solder and you are good to go, right?

the 4 pin connector might not be a bad thing. depends on the digital protocol and the voltage present on the pins.

if you want to give alpine the big middle finger and this route is possible, why not do it? also, check out my response to the $6 digi out tutorial. Because if your digital signal is transmitted via low voltage ground referenced pins, then the LED method will be quite effective. just a nice connector to make toslink reliable and you are good to go.

an evening away from DIYMA on the internet researching digital protocol followed by an hour of o-scope probing might go a long way to getting the 701 running. By the weekend.


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## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

If I had the unit out still, I'd check it right quick, but it's already in my dash. hmm.

I gotta be honest, though, man. I'd be VERY scared to crack that case open and mess with a $1k unit in the event I fudged something. Surely you can understand.


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## Whiterabbit (May 26, 2006)

surely you can understand the reason I ask if the alpine has a "warranty void if broken" sticker across the case lid of the cd player? 

didn't you buy the unit at a premium so you'd have a warranty?


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## aljobie (Apr 9, 2008)

I'm the bloke who gave the W505 one star on Crutchfield. 

Another disappointment was that I also noticed that a lot of static was present when I hooked up the sirius unit using the H701. It was not there not using it. I don't know what to attribute that to though. 

And of course, if you are using the Blackbird for a nav system coupled with the h701, you will not get the voice guidance unless you have the source on Nav. I thought this would have gotten remedied with the new unit. Fortunately, I plan on using my factory nav unit and making it interrupt the h701 via the guide wire and audio input. Besides, the Blackbird is an absolute POS. I should have just gotten a bluetooth module.


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## aljobie (Apr 9, 2008)

As for the digital cable, I should be getting the Panasonic one tomorrow. I went ahead and just bit the bullet on the price. I'm sure I will find a use for it one way or another if it doesn't work with the w505.


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## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

aljobie said:


> As for the digital cable, I should be getting the Panasonic one tomorrow. I went ahead and just bit the bullet on the price. I'm sure I will find a use for it one way or another if it doesn't work with the w505.


Did you order yours from the e-bay dealer or somewhere else?

I couldn't spend the extra $42 to get it a few days earlier from e-bay, so I just ordered it for $65 and will have to wait.


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## aljobie (Apr 9, 2008)

I got the one from ebay for the fast shipping cause I'm anxious to actually fully install this in the car. For the amount of money I've wasted on stereo equipment, I figured another 100 bucks wouldn't hurt. 

I'm actually running the stock navi using the audio control dql-8 to hook up to aftermarket amps and speakers. Tuning it was a [email protected]@ch, and I still wasn't satisfied. I would have went with an aftermarket HU from the start, except my AC was tied into the radio controls. Now, I'm just so sick of the stock HU and its crappy playback and features, I am willing to do anything.


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## doitor (Aug 16, 2007)

Has anyone tryed the compatibility with the PAC SWI-JACK steering wheel control adapter?

Jorge.


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## Miska (Jul 25, 2007)

algobie,

Nice review on CF .......Being disappointed by a major purchase really sucks (I know). 

I hope this optical cable thing get resolved because its complete BS that Alpine hasn't released one, yet they are selling the head unit... Its STILL in development....UMMM OK. How about getting a couple of monkeys and a soldering gun and tell them to get to work! What the hell is there to develop. This isn't rocket science.

I want it but I really need the optical out for my h701


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## notacop (Jan 27, 2006)

Is there anything that shows that the NVE add on nav works with the 505?


I have heard it is the best aftermarket nav unit bar none. No personal experience yet.


But going by retail prices, W505+h701+nve-n872a would not be too far off the pio z2, and you would have a TON more functionality.


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## doitor (Aug 16, 2007)

Miska said:


> algobie,
> 
> Nice review on CF .......Being disappointed by a major purchase really sucks (I know).
> 
> ...


Fiber optic soldering monkeys aren't easy to find, Miska. 
And I'm pretty sure they also charge a lot of $$$$$ and bananas.
That would explain the $65-$100 price. 

Jorge.


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## Miska (Jul 25, 2007)

doitor said:


> Fiber optic soldering monkeys aren't easy to find, Miska.
> And I'm pretty sure they also charge a lot of $$$$$ and bananas.
> That would explain the $65-$100 price.
> 
> Jorge.



Well if your Pioneer cable works, then maybe Alpine needs to hire some monkeys to do their buying


----------



## doitor (Aug 16, 2007)

Miska said:


> Well if your Pioneer cable works, then maybe Alpine needs to hire some monkeys to do their buying


x2.
Buying monkeys are cheaper than fiber optic soldering ones.

Jorge.


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

ssmith100 said:


> For anyone interested there is an E-bay vendor who is an Alpine dealer selling the W505's for $850.00 plus shipping. They will also do a package deal with the BB2. A couple of the corvette guys have bought from them and it looks like I may order mine from them tommorow.
> 
> Shane





bikinpunk said:


> Who is it? May send mine back to CF and save some $.


With shipping it's about $900. Add int he fact I can pretty much guarantee you're not going to get a warranty...I'll stick with my CF 505.


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

doitor said:


> Has anyone tryed the compatibility with the PAC SWI-JACK steering wheel control adapter?
> 
> Jorge.


I haven't but I have no reason to think it won't work all of a sudden.


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

notacop said:


> Is there anything that shows that the NVE add on nav works with the 505?


Besides the manual and the fact it's just an Ai-Net connection? That's like asking if a cd changer will still work. 



> I have heard it is the best aftermarket nav unit bar none. No personal experience yet.


I have to agree. The NVE kicks major ass. Some people do get pissy because it's expensive and not HDD based though. 



> But going by retail prices, W505+h701+nve-n872a would not be too far off the pio z2, and you would have a TON more functionality.


That's my reasoning.


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## The Drake (Apr 3, 2007)

Ok, yeah I am returning mine to wait until the optical cable is released so you will prolly see one pop up in the scratch and dent on CF


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

Why? Just run it analog until it's released or we get confirmation about the Panny cable.


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## Whiterabbit (May 26, 2006)

I should warn you guys.

Here is a CD changer example:

Back in the day everyone used the 13 pin DIN cable. Denon, Sony, nakamichi specifically. Was run by Sony. Clarion/Macintosh used the connector but repinned it including a different protocol. TOTALLY incompatible. But the connectors were the same, right?

Thing is, Mac/clarion swapped power and ground. So by plugging a mac CD changer into a nak radio, the radio powerline to the changer gets shorted to ground.

so I REALLY recommend putting the multimeter probe to the pins before plugging ANYTHING in and turning on the power. Alpine may just be the company to play a practical joke and swap power and ground without using a microfuse to protect the 505 from sparking. I'd also be looking for a service manual for the panasonic cable to figure out where the inputs are and what they are. www.retrevo.com


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

Are you talking about the 4-pin optical deal? If so I agree. If you're talking about the changer no need to worry because the 505 wouldn't be compatible with the Imprint processor if the Ai-Net was different than every other Ai-Net piece.


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## Whiterabbit (May 26, 2006)

im talking about the 4 pin digital line.


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## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

Whiterabbit said:


> im talking about the 4 pin digital line.


I definately agree with you.


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## Bollwerk (Jul 25, 2007)

aljobie said:


> I'm the bloke who gave the W505 one star on Crutchfield.
> 
> Another disappointment was that I also noticed that a lot of static was present when I hooked up the sirius unit using the H701. It was not there not using it. I don't know what to attribute that to though.
> 
> And of course, if you are using the Blackbird for a nav system coupled with the h701, you will not get the voice guidance unless you have the source on Nav. I thought this would have gotten remedied with the new unit. Fortunately, I plan on using my factory nav unit and making it interrupt the h701 via the guide wire and audio input. Besides, the Blackbird is an absolute POS. I should have just gotten a bluetooth module.


I'm curious about your ipod/422i comment in your review. What is so bad about the ipod using the USB input? Is it slower when navigating? Or did you just want the USB available for another device?


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## roland (Apr 9, 2008)

Hi, my name is roland, and I'm a dumbass.

I had the 505 overnighted from Crutchfield yesterday, got it all spread out this afternoon, pulled out the 9587 and started the install......NO F'ING FACTORY BRACKETS! ANYWHERE! I tore apart my workbench, but no brackets. Best I can figure is that they went to the lucky winner of my factory CD changer auction the last time I upgraded. #$%^&!

Now I'm stuck waiting until Monday at the earliest for a new set to come from Nissan. I did get it juiced up just to mess around, and the interface is great. I couldn't get it to play video off my iPod via the USB, but I'm assuming it's because I didn't hook up the brake leads?


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

Whiterabbit said:


> im talking about the 4 pin digital line.


That's what I thought, but I wanted to clarify.

Now, having NEVER dealt with a 4-pin like this before, why woudl it even have 5 Volts running through it if it's optical?


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

roland said:


> Hi, my name is roland, and I'm a dumbass.
> 
> I had the 505 overnighted from Crutchfield yesterday, got it all spread out this afternoon, pulled out the 9587 and started the install......NO F'ING FACTORY BRACKETS! ANYWHERE! I tore apart my workbench, but no brackets. Best I can figure is that they went to the lucky winner of my factory CD changer auction the last time I upgraded. #$%^&!
> 
> Now I'm stuck waiting until Monday at the earliest for a new set to come from Nissan. I did get it juiced up just to mess around, and the interface is great. I couldn't get it to play video off my iPod via the USB, but I'm assuming it's because I didn't hook up the brake leads?



I'm assuming you're using a dash kit with the 9857 and want to use the OEM brackets with the 505? Culdn't you use the dash kit as a temp thing until the brackets show up?


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

Bollwerk said:


> I'm curious about your ipod/422i comment in your review. What is so bad about the ipod using the USB input? Is it slower when navigating? Or did you just want the USB available for another device?



Whether or not he wanted to use the iPod and a second USB device is irrelevant. He's faulting the 505 for not doing something NO OTHER non-USB HU does either. The ONLY way to see album on on ANY HU, Alpine or not, will show up is with a USB connection. For him to say the 505 sucks because the 422i works exactly the same on the 505 as every other Alpine is friggin' ridiculous. 

Then he faults the 505 for the BB II being fugged up.   

The he says you can't use the 701 since the optical cable isn't out. I agree it's not optimal, but it IS doable. 

The ONLY legitimate grip he has is with the optical cable availablility.


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## aljobie (Apr 9, 2008)

Ok Guys, you are right the w505 is not a bad unit, I was just pissed at the optical cable situation and the fact that their was some of the same issues with the audio out with the nav interrupt mode as with the w205.

Now for the verdict with the panasonic cable. I got it in the mail today and the verdict isssssssssssssssssssssssss

It works!!!!!!!!!!!

Proprietary cable my ASS. It's not cheap though. I paid over 100 bucks including the shipping, but at least it worked. The only thing you have to do is shave off the clips and insert it at a 90 degree angle on the back of your unit.


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

How secure a connection was it? It doesn't flop around or anything?


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## alphakenny1 (Dec 21, 2005)

ouch....$100 G to the A to the Y.


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## aljobie (Apr 9, 2008)

But, before you guys get too excited, the audio from the digital cable is audibly lower than through the AI net cable.


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## aljobie (Apr 9, 2008)

the connection is secure enough to not be a problem, but as I said, I do not know if it is a wise investment. I would just wait for the Alpine version. I will install when I fully install my unit. Right now I am still running tests and waiting on the dvd changer. That way, if I don't like it, I will simply turn the digital out to the off position and use the AI Net.


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## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

I only paid $65 for mine. Rumors are that alpine's will be $100. If so, I've come out ahead.


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

aljobie said:


> But, before you guys get too excited, the audio from the digital cable is audibly lower than through the AI net cable.


I'm pretty sure that's standard fare though. However I never thought to test both connections to see if there was a signal strength difference before.


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## alphakenny1 (Dec 21, 2005)

bikinpunk said:


> I only paid $65 for mine. Rumors are that alpine's will be $100. If so, I've come out ahead.


you happy? i wouldn't be. I paid $10 for my optical cable.


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## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

alphakenny1 said:


> you happy? i wouldn't be. I paid $10 for my optical cable.


No. lol. But, in respect to what it might cost, I guess I am.

But, yes, I agree, it's fuggin' ridiculous.


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

alphakenny1 said:


> you happy? i wouldn't be. I paid $10 for my optical cable.



Do you do make that same comment when someone buys a new Ai-Net cable? We understand you don't want a 505 and are not planning on buying one but you CONSTANTLY throwing the condescending remarks out is getting REALLY old. It's making you sound like the one-upping 9 year old I know you're not. 

Everyone should stop thinking of the optical cable for the 505 as a normal optical cable and basically think of it like an Ai-Net cable, especially when it comes to price. 

You don't want one fine, we get it. Let it go. 


And you got robbed on your optical cable. Mine were $4 each.


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## notacop (Jan 27, 2006)

alphakenny1 said:


> you happy? i wouldn't be. I paid $10 for my optical cable.


The 505 has a USB port, that can use a standard $5 usb cable to connect to your thumb drive.


Previous alpines needed a $$$ add on to have a USB connection.

So it goes both ways, optical got harder to achieve, USB got easier. If the cost is more than you are willing to pay, keep the w200 or w205, but then you lose out on all the new benefits. 

You can't compare the cost of a simple cable to an adapter. Products change, connections change. 



Just going to have to get over it. Alpine decided against a true optical connection this time around. I don't think they are going to reconfigure the w505, just for a few of us.


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## skylar112 (Dec 8, 2005)

I was considering the 505, but with all things considered I'm sure its a great unit but greedy Alpine ways has ward me off. Good luck with your units guys.


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

skylar112 said:


> I was considering the 505, but with all things considered I'm sure its a great unit but greedy Alpine ways has ward me off. Good luck with your units guys.


You'll change your mind when you see the resolution.


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## alphakenny1 (Dec 21, 2005)

quality_sound said:


> Do you do make that same comment when someone buys a new Ai-Net cable? We understand you don't want a 505 and are not planning on buying one but you CONSTANTLY throwing the condescending remarks out is getting REALLY old. It's making you sound like the one-upping 9 year old I know you're not.
> 
> Everyone should stop thinking of the optical cable for the 505 as a normal optical cable and basically think of it like an Ai-Net cable, especially when it comes to price.
> 
> ...


hah, my optical cable was $5+5 shipping. I didn't want to walk my ass to radio shack. 

Think about it, instead of keeping the regular optical output they have, alpine is making a "special" cable to make it fit their little h100 or whatever, so then they can charge $100 for the cable? You've got to be kidding me. 

Yes there are only a few of us that have an h701 and of course you are not going to please everyone but I'm one of those "few" and I'm complaining. It still doesn't change the fact that me, as a consumer, am not happy. Is it wrong for me to complain what is wrong from my perspective? For you, you have no problem brushing off it's short comings because it's worth it to YOU. But to ME, I'm complaing on why it's not worth it to ME. I'm sorry I'm ****ting on your piece of equipment but to me it ain't all gravy as you say it is regardless if I've used it or not. I'm not here saying the 505 isn't worth it. The basis of what I'm complaining about is the fact that alpine is charging $700 for a "not good to its price" portable GPS unit and NOW I'm complaining about the fact that alpine is going to charge $100 for an optical cable. 

Is this thread supposed to a love fest for alpine only? Especially on this forum where there is a majority of people who use the H701. If this was a general mobile multi media forum, I'd get rocked since no one else really uses the H701 but especially on this forum where people actually use the H701, they have a right to complain.


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

I agree with everything you're saying Kenny, I really do. It's the way it's coming out. The way it's coming out it's like you're trying to make us feel guilty or ashamed because we did decide to buy the 505 rather than it being a rant about the pricing. 

Yes, the price of the cable is outrageous, but asking someone of paying that much for it made him feel good, that's bad business. 

That's all I'm saying.

No, it's not an Alpine love-fest, but let's keep the criticisms directed at the product and not the people is all I'm asking. Fair enough?


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## skylar112 (Dec 8, 2005)

quality_sound said:


> You'll change your mind when you see the resolution.


Eh, this hobby isn't winning me over enough for me to care about the resolution, though the resolution on the D3 does suck balls. At the end of the day its a damn car. I don't plan to pay that much attention to the screen when I'm driving. I will admit I'm loving the way that unit looks, its pretty looking, but add on after add on it just seems like they are dime'ing you to death. I would love to buy all those things, but its starting to become harder and much harder to justify to myself why I need to pay $100 on a cable, and $5-700 for a mediocre GPS add on.


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## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

skylar112 said:


> At the end of the day its a damn car. I don't plan to pay that much attention to the screen when I'm driving.


I think this is where the divide is. To me, there's nothing more important aesthetically than the cd player. If I'm not happy with the looks of that, then I'm not that psyched to begin with. 

Some people are not like me at all and could care less about what the unit looks like. That's fine.


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## alphakenny1 (Dec 21, 2005)

Maybe I have been brash about saying that they paid for a cable for to me, is not worth it but it's more towards alpine rather than person themselves. For example, Bikinpunk seemed pretty pleased on "coming out ahead" of the cable for which he paid $65 instead of getting wire supplied by alpine for a rumored $100. To me at least, that's sad to even think a $65 cable is "coming out ahead" when before you paid $5-10 for a similar functioning cable. Bikinpunk, I'm not picking on you and I hope you don't take it personally. Sorry if I do. 

Also with the other person, he spent his damn hard earned money on his 505/bb2/h701 etc and when he found out he had to buy a cable that was $100 in his mind it was like "**** it i spent all this money on the equipment anyways what's another $100?" This sort of thinking should never happen. Alpine has got him so deep into it that $100 is worth it to him because he doesn't want to deal with the BS. Again I'm not picking on you and sorry if I am.


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## Durzel (Apr 6, 2008)

Do we have confirmation yet that the Panasonic cable works? I've found a distributor in the UK that is selling them (£59.99 so probably of little interest to you guys in the States) and I want to get one if they do work - assuming that the ETA on Alpines cable is still unknown.


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## aljobie (Apr 9, 2008)

Ok. I did some more listening with movies and various cds...guys here is my advice on the panasonic cable. If you can get it for a reasonable price, do so. If not, I would not bother. I am going to install it since I already paid for it, but I probably could have done without it.  It DOES, however, to answer everyone's question WORK.


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

Durzel said:


> Do we have confirmation yet that the Panasonic cable works? I've found a distributor in the UK that is selling them (£59.99 so probably of little interest to you guys in the States) and I want to get one if they do work - assuming that the ETA on Alpines cable is still unknown.



Confirmed, it's on the last page.


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## skylar112 (Dec 8, 2005)

bikinpunk said:


> I think this is where the divide is. To me, there's nothing more important aesthetically than the cd player. If I'm not happy with the looks of that, then I'm not that psyched to begin with.
> 
> Some people are not like me at all and could care less about what the unit looks like. That's fine.


I walk to work almost all the time, I drive about 300-450 miles a month on the regular for the last 6 months. For me I like having the double din pretty much for the navigation. That was my motivation to go that way into a double din. However navigation from what I hear is subpar in the Black Bird so I have no use for it. All in all I'm not in the car all that much to care so much. If the oem nav was able to play video and mp3s I would have passed up on aftermarket items. So we all have different needs with it, but I agree from an aesthetically point of view I need something that looks decent at least. This unit is certainly sharp, but hopefully the prices on their accesories calm down some. Then I would definitely be in the Alpine market.


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## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

alphakenny1 said:


> Bikinpunk, I'm not picking on you and I hope you don't take it personally. Sorry if I


No offense taken. Although, like QS pointed out, you're not really comparing apples to apples when talking about the 'proprietary' cable vs. a standard optical. but, to clear things up, I completely understand where you're coming from. 



aljobie said:


> Ok. I did some more listening with movies and various cds...guys here is my advice on the panasonic cable. If you can get it for a reasonable price, do so. If not, I would not bother. I am going to install it since I already paid for it, but I probably could have done without it. It DOES, however, to answer everyone's question WORK.


So, what do you think the benefit of the alpine cable would be, then? say the alpine cable does indeed cost $100 (I know I'm speculating here, but go with me)... what benefit would there be to waiting? 

Point is, until we have an alpine cable, and can do A/B testing & seeing their price, you may not have been at a loss buying what you did.


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

aljobie said:


> Ok. I did some more listening with movies and various cds...guys here is my advice on the panasonic cable. If you can get it for a reasonable price, do so. If not, I would not bother. I am going to install it since I already paid for it, but I probably could have done without it. It DOES, however, to answer everyone's question WORK.


Really??? Why do you say that? Was it not much of a difference? Any noise issues when running Ai-Net vs. optical?


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## alphakenny1 (Dec 21, 2005)

i know the type of cabling is different and i understand the difference in price. I know alpine isn't making these cables for $1 and selling them for $100. it's just the fact that they are making an effort to make their own cables then reaping the benefits for this particular case (in general of course it's okay to make your own stuff and make money). 

Does anyone know why they changed it? Is it specifically used for the h100?


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## aljobie (Apr 9, 2008)

Here is a pic


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## alphakenny1 (Dec 21, 2005)

The only way I'd understand changing out to proprietary is if the h100 is absolutely needed in order to make it work. If that were the case, then whatever I said, I'll take back. I understand from a business perspective why they might do that. But as an h701 owner I'm pissed .


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## roland (Apr 9, 2008)

quality_sound said:


> I'm assuming you're using a dash kit with the 9857 and want to use the OEM brackets with the 505? Culdn't you use the dash kit as a temp thing until the brackets show up?


9857 is a single DIN and the kit is molded plastic with a cubby hole under the HU. I'm kinda diggin' riding around with the windows down and a gaping hole in the dash now that it's finally nice here in NC. But not for too long.


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## aljobie (Apr 9, 2008)

Still playing with it over here. Turns out when I said the optical cable was slightly lower, it was because I was listening to a dvd, and I had the dvd settings at different levels. THat was the difference in the sound from them. Now with everything at a setting of 0 (dolby digital, PCM, etc) the panasonic cable is SLIGHTY cleaner and slightly louder than the AI Net. When I say slightly, I do mean slighty. So, for all you audiphiles, I think it is safe to use the panasonic cbale. 

IF, however, like I said before, you cannot get it for a decent price, I promise you aren't missing too much.

And that's my final say on that.


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## aljobie (Apr 9, 2008)

To answer a previous question, there is no added noise from the panasonic cable. No inteference, no hiss, nothing like that as opposed to using the AInet cable.


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

aljobie said:


> To answer a previous question, there is no added noise from the panasonic cable. No inteference, no hiss, nothing like that as opposed to using the AInet cable.



So the Ai-Net cable is still noisy when you[''re running audio that way instead of optically?


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## dogstar (Jan 31, 2007)

quality_sound said:


> I'm pretty sure that's standard fare though. However I never thought to test both connections to see if there was a signal strength difference before.


I found both my w200/h701 and computer/receiver combos were louder when using optical, although with the computer I was using two different models of the same sound card, so it isn't even remotely scientific.


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## Blackcharger06 (Mar 28, 2007)

aljobie said:


> Still playing with it over here. Turns out when I said the optical cable was slightly lower, it was because I was listening to a dvd, and I had the dvd settings at different levels. THat was the difference in the sound from them. Now with everything at a setting of 0 (dolby digital, PCM, etc) the panasonic cable is SLIGHTY cleaner and slightly louder than the AI Net. When I say slightly, I do mean slighty. So, for all you audiphiles, I think it is safe to use the panasonic cbale.
> 
> IF, however, like I said before, you cannot get it for a decent price, I promise you aren't missing too much.
> 
> And that's my final say on that.


 I have my "old" db settings on +5 for everything except for pcm audio. I know that is what I used to set the gains when I did the install. Part of the reason most of us went with the pxa h701 is for the optical connection. If your going to spend any serious money it's the only way to go. I'm still pissed the newer cd players only use ai net. So when are they going to make a 1080p deck


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## aljobie (Apr 9, 2008)

quality_sound said:


> So the Ai-Net cable is still noisy when you[''re running audio that way instead of optically?


I'm sorry. I didn't mean the AiNet cable was noisy when compared to the optical cable. I meant that there was not any more or less noise introduced into the system by using the panasonic optical cable. The audio was slightly clearer and a little louder.

Going back to the DVD level setting issues. PCM is going to sound louder than DTD, Dolby Digital, and Dolpy Pro Logic, and since no matter if you are listening to a DVD or a CD, PCM is what you get through the AiNet cable. However, through the optical cable, if it is DTS, that is what you get; if it is Dolby Pro Logic, that is what you get; if it is Dolby Digital, that is what you get.

Thus, I thought I was listening to the same levels while switching between AiNet and Optical. However, given what I explained above, I was actually listening to PCM when I had it on the AiNet, and Dolby Pro Logic through the optical cable becasue it automatically switches the depending on the signal and which cable is used. Then I popped in a CD which was using PCM for both AiNet and the optical cable and that is when I discovered the difference in sound. The optical cable was slightly cleaner and louder playing the CD. And then when I went back to another DVD which used DTS, the optical cable was clearly the winner in that situation as well.


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## notacop (Jan 27, 2006)

Blackcharger06 said:


> Part of the reason most of us went with the pxa h701 is for the optical connection.




I bought it more for the crossover/time alignment/phase control from the drivers seat. The connection type was a bonus. 





Blackcharger06 said:


> So when are they going to make a 1080p deck



When people start watching it from less than 1 ft away.


If you need to be within 8ft of a 50" to get a benefit of 1080p, how close do you need to be to see the benefit on a 7" screen?


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## aljobie (Apr 9, 2008)

Yeah same here. The crossover is very flexible. I'm using a 4 inch driver in a three way setup for the front and the H701 allows me to bandpass the signal. And not many devices have a 4th level crossover and time alignment built into it. That in itself is worth 3-400 bucks, let alone the 5.1, dpl, etc.


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## The Drake (Apr 3, 2007)

Blackcharger06 said:


> So when are they going to make a 1080p deck


They have it already. 

http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/26/panasonic-showcases-in-dash-blu-ray-head-unit/


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## Miska (Jul 25, 2007)

little confused PCM only plays through ai-net cable.... huh??


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## St. Dark (Mar 19, 2008)

Miska said:


> little confused PCM only plays through ai-net cable.... huh??


The 701 has a level-matching utility for Dolby Digital versus dts versus standard 16bit digital (which is PCM). Since the first two tend to be 24bit, the "average" volume might be lower than a 16bit source such as CD; they let you go in and tweak things to get less disparity when you switch sources.
However, they lump "native" PCM sources (like CD, coming through the optical cable) with the analog inputs (either Ai or RCA if you are using it in standalone mode) which get fed to an A-D converter, which gives out, you guessed it, 16bit Pulse Code Modulation.
So you end up not being able to source level match CD versus FM versus XM versus iPod. Bit of a PITA but, eh, it's a $550 unit that does most of what it's $4000 inspiration did. *shrug* Whatchagonnado?

As to the frigging digital cable debacle- the bloody 'H100 Imprint doesn't even ACCEPT digital in; it's fed strictly via the AiNet. So anybody's guess is as good as anyone elses why the changed it.

They have a $450-ish DVD changer coming allegedly this summer...wonder if IT will have the same damned jack, too.


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## cletus323 (Apr 10, 2008)

bikinpunk said:


> Nice!
> 
> Here's the others for comparison:
> D105/w200/w205 resolution: 280,800 pcs (1,200 x 234)
> ...


You were right before, the specs are:

W505 resolution: 800x480
D105/W200/W205/D310: 480x234

The x3 just means it's RGB, ie there is a Red Green and Blue pixel making up each "actual" pixel in the display.

So the W505 has a little higher resolution than a standard progressive widescreen dvd (480p, 720x480).


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## wrmathis (Jan 6, 2007)

will the w505 + h701 work with the h100? or does the w505 only work with just the h701 or h100, but not both?


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## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

where are we at on the whole HDD/flash issue? Anyone figure it out yet?


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## cletus323 (Apr 10, 2008)

bikinpunk said:


> where are we at on the whole HDD/flash issue? Anyone figure it out yet?


"Banking" is just an indexing function that makes it easier for you to search for songs on usb flash drives or hard drives. It stores the index in the memory banks on the HU so that you don't have to re-inventory the disk every time (unless the contents of the drive have changed).

All of the iDA HU have this feature as well.


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## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

^ kinda figured as much. Otherwise it would've been advertised.

Oh well, probably wouldn't have used it anyway.


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## St. Dark (Mar 19, 2008)

wrmathis said:


> will the w505 + h701 work with the h100? or does the w505 only work with just the h701 or h100, but not both?


The nature of the two would make it impractical to run both. 

The H100 gets it's inputs from AiNet, and is pretty much an auto-set beast, using multiple microphone samples to do it's thing.
The H701 *can* be autoset, although with far less horsepower in how it works, and only one mic sampling (it's more of a set it yourself kinda processor). It has one 2ch pair of analog inputs that it looks at at any give time, so you can't really daisy-chain it after the H100 unless you only use one pair of channels on the H100.


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## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

St. Dark said:


> The nature of the two would make it impractical to run both.
> 
> The H100 gets it's inputs from AiNet, and is pretty much an auto-set beast, using multiple microphone samples to do it's thing.
> *The H701 can be autoset, although with far less horsepower in how it works,* and only one mic sampling. It has one 2ch pair of analog inputs that it looks at at any give time, so you can't really daisy-chain it after the H100 unless you only use one pair of channels on the H100.


Additionally, it only does auto T/A. So, imo, I wouldn't even say it can be autoset. I didn't learn this until i went to do my own auto eq yesterday, and found out it's only auto t/a. :blush:


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

bikinpunk said:


> where are we at on the whole HDD/flash issue? Anyone figure it out yet?



I don't have a thumb drive to try but the more I read it the more I think I was wrong and it's an organizational tool.


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## Whiterabbit (May 26, 2006)

cletus323 said:


> "Banking" is just an indexing function that makes it easier for you to search for songs on usb flash drives or hard drives. It stores the index in the memory banks on the HU so that you don't have to re-inventory the disk every time (unless the contents of the drive have changed).
> 
> All of the iDA HU have this feature as well.


NICE. The most impressive USB player (was from pioneer) scanned a 30 gig drive in a minute and a half or so (other players would take forever) but not rescan unless it was unplugged.

if the 505 gives that kind of performance, but allows for 10 different 30 gig drives (ballpark size of 1k songs @ .wav) to be plugged in with an instant scan and play, ready to go, then damn. THAT is impressive.

and you say its a feature you wouldnt you anyways, but this feature sounds like its the kind of feature that is automatic, and just works every time on its own.


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## Blackcharger06 (Mar 28, 2007)

jddavid123 said:


> They have it already.
> 
> http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/26/panasonic-showcases-in-dash-blu-ray-head-unit/



I had to ask right  The screen is fine for me I just know in my head optical is better so I want to stick with it. I don't care about ipods I just hate all things mac, I have to use them to edit with at work 12 hours a day  Why did they have to mess with a good thing. oh well just my thoughts others are happy, ideas about comments are what make this forum a great place.


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## rockytt (Apr 12, 2008)

Hi - been reading this thread with great interest as I've been gathering the pieces to put together the front end of my system for the past couple of weeks. I've already got two sets of the Alpine SPX-F17T 3-way speaker systems hooked up-but I just ripped out the old HU and *need *to put in an IVA-W505. 
My question is one of depth - I realize from reading the manual that the unit is almost 6-1/2 inches deep, however, can somebody tell me what the actual mounting depth is? Or better yet, what is the minimum mounting depth required? 
Thanks in advance for this one - been enjoying all your experiences with the great sounding/looking piece of hardware!


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## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

The mounting depth will be whatever you make it. For instance, I can make new holes in my brackets so that I can have the unit sit flush, or I can make new holes so that the unit pokes out however much I want to.

So, again, the mounting depth will vary from install to install, car to car.


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## Powers (Apr 10, 2008)

I'm almost ready to pick up two PDX amps and attempt to fit them in the console. If they won't go there, i'll have to make custom fiberglass "pods" to replace some rear cargo pockets.


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## JDM_Ej (Mar 16, 2008)

For those worried about the BB2, you can use the NVE-N852A (i think thats current) DVD Navigation, or use the original Blackbird, and the PMD-DOK1... if you look at the 08 catalog, they are supposed to be releasing another software update for the Blackbird I, so it has the "3D" display. Plus it works FANTASTIC with my W200 and H701.


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## rockytt (Apr 12, 2008)

> So, again, the mounting depth will vary from install to install, car to car


Thanks for getting back on this one - great to be on a forum where people take the time to reply 

It's a little different in my situation so I really need to know the minimum depth required. For example, when the unit is mounted correctly, how far back does it actually go behind the front of the mounting bracket/sleeve. My car is "challenged" when it comes to DD systems and I'm trying to see if I have *major *fabrication work or simply major work if that makes sense.
I've got maybe 5-1/2" to play with and I'm guessing that's just not enough 
Please, if I've completely misread this let me know and I'll order away with a clear conscience. (I just don't have much room behind that center console)


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

what do you drive?


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## rockytt (Apr 12, 2008)

BMW 850 - I've never seen a DD in one before, so I get to be the guinea pig...


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## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

rockytt said:


> BMW 850 - I've never seen a DD in one before, so I get to be the guinea pig...


My guess is if you haven't seen a DD in one it may be that it won't fit a double-din without custom modifaction. Could be wrong.

I'd really just have to see your car to give you an honest answer about the depth. Truthfully, the depth could be whatever you want it to be. You could have the unit sticking out an 1" from the dash, or you could have it pushed back into your dash; again it varies with the car/install. Wish I could give you a better answer than that.


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## JDM_Ej (Mar 16, 2008)

rockytt said:


> BMW 850 - I've never seen a DD in one before, so I get to be the guinea pig...



Custom fabrication will be required to make it fit...


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## rockytt (Apr 12, 2008)

> Custom fabrication will be required to make it fit...


There are three din slots in my center console, two will have to be combined in order to fit the HU. (custom fabrication-yup. Just trying to figure out exactly what kind of custom fabrication)
Depending on the actual mounting depth, I will either _get _to combine the top and middle slots (preferred) or will _have _to combine the middle and lower slots. The top two are better as then the door on the 805 will clear the gear selector when it opens.
(Being a strong proponent of Murphy's law and all its variants, I already know that I'll have to squeeze the unit into the bottom two slots...)


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## JDM_Ej (Mar 16, 2008)

rockytt said:


> There are three din slots in my center console, two will have to be combined in order to fit the HU. (custom fabrication-yup. Just trying to figure out exactly what kind of custom fabrication)
> Depending on the actual mounting depth, I will either _get _to combine the top and middle slots (preferred) or will _have _to combine the middle and lower slots. The top two are better as then the door on the 805 will clear the gear selector when it opens.
> (Being a strong proponent of Murphy's law and all its variants, I already know that I'll have to squeeze the unit into the bottom two slots...)



If its the way I'm thinking, and its like all other BMW radios of that generation, there are no ISO mounts or brackets. You will have to use the cage. The easiest suggestion is just to cut out any pieces in your way until the cage fits snugly. Shouldn't be too hard... I believe there should be enough space back there, but it will be tight will all the connections. Especially if you use a bulky wire harness adapter.


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## rockytt (Apr 12, 2008)

Thanks for the replies-
If I use the top slot(s) there are spots that are only 5-1/2" deep (at best)-which doesn't sound deep enough - (hence the request for the actual depth of the unit)
Really, I understand the need for custom fabrication and have several alternatives - just need to know where I'll be putting the unit and that requires the mounting depth. 
I guess what I'm hoping for is for someone to chime in and say "Well, I just measured my unit and it's only 5-1/4" from the back of the faceplate to the rear - looks like it's going to fit if you use Mounting Hole Position A as described in the manual". What I expect however (eternal optimistic that I am) is that the faceplate is only 1/2" thick and therefore I'm looking at 5-3/4" instead (which won't fit correctly)


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## s60rguy (Feb 14, 2007)

Does the TR7 bypass still work the same on the w505?


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## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

Yes.


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

s60rguy said:


> Does the TR7 bypass still work the same on the w505?





bikinpunk said:


> Yes.



Damn, that's about what, the 5th time that question's been answered in this thread alone???


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## The Drake (Apr 3, 2007)

quality_sound said:


> Damn, that's about what, the 5th time that question's been answered in this thread alone???


haha, well this thread is 14 pages long now afterall and as we all know no one uses the search function


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

14? My counter shows this thread being 53 pages.


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## Whiterabbit (May 26, 2006)

search has nothing to do with it. search tr7 and 505 and this thread pops up. but it doesnt tell us which page those keywords are on, and we cant increase the postcount per page to 200 then scroll until we see highlighted text.

It is cumbersome, and whoever asked for the 5th time would have been stupid to scan through 53 pages of garbage looking for it.


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## veloze (Jul 2, 2007)

Garbage-in & garbage-out. I made a suggestion to start another thread specifically for the w505, and to cut down some of the BS of this current thread. But, I guess no one paid attention.

We should make every effort to have thread specific for a given model or issue. This way, if someone wants to find out about XXX model, all you have to do is put that model number in the search box. 

How in the hell you gonna get any result on model specific if the thread title is for instance "alpine catalog". This thread should it been dead long time ago, and then we should pop another one with a new title.

It's hard as it is to search over freaking 50 pages. This forums does a pretty bad job finding key words. I know because I have experienced myself in the past.

So, I don't blame someone asking the question over again. Maybe, instead of saying..."Oh ****! another dumb question" why don't be kind to send the page link with the information being asked. 

Let's kill this thread, and start a new one for the w505!


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## The Drake (Apr 3, 2007)

Whiterabbit said:


> search has nothing to do with it. search tr7 and 505 and this thread pops up. but it doesnt tell us which page those keywords are on, and we cant increase the postcount per page to 200 then scroll until we see highlighted text.
> 
> It is cumbersome, and whoever asked for the 5th time would have been stupid to scan through 53 pages of garbage looking for it.


you can search a specific thread as well if it is too long. And I have my post to 40 per page so thats why mine is only 14 pages, its a setting in User CP.


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## The Drake (Apr 3, 2007)

You all have any issues with the ipod connection via USB? I have been running into issues where it would lock up my ipod, but the 422 connection, no issues. I have had to reset my ipod two times so far. Its the 160gb classic.


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## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

I haven't yet.


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## cheez80 (Sep 2, 2006)

hello, will the 505's direct usb connection control an iphone?

i ask because kenwood's decks control ipod touches, but not iphones.


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## notacop (Jan 27, 2006)

cheez80 said:


> hello, will the 505's direct usb connection control an iphone?
> 
> i ask because kenwood's decks control ipod touches, but not iphones.




Not sure on that, but I tried the iphone with my w200 with the full speed cable, and it worked great.


Even faded out the music if a call came in.


I expect it would be the same with the full speed cable on the w505. No idea on the USB though.


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

I have a 5G iPod video on USB and it works fine. 

iPhone is listed in the manual as being compatible via the USB input, NOT the 422i connection. 

I'm guessing the 5G and newer iPods are too fast for the full speed connection.

Is the link I put up for the manual I uploaded still good?


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## notacop (Jan 27, 2006)

Well I can say with certainty that I have used an iPhone with the 422i on the W200 and it worked great.


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

notacop said:


> Well I can say with certainty that I have used an iPhone with the 422i on the W200 and it worked great.


Right, but a 505 works a bit different since it has both full speed and USB connections. The 505 can run a 5G iPod video on both connections so the iPhone might work on both as well. Not having an iPhone I didn't really look to see. Only real difference I've seen is the USB connection allows video playback on the 505 as well as the ability to have album art show up on the 505. Speed wise they seem about the same to me.


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## Durzel (Apr 6, 2008)

Is there a perceptable sound quality difference in playing lossless over the USB vs the FullSpeed connection? One of the big attractions for me to this new unit is the fact that I have a pretty high end audio setup in my car (Diamond Audio, Focal, etc) and would like to maximise the SQ I'm getting from my iPod.


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## notacop (Jan 27, 2006)

If you want ultimate ipod quality go with this:

http://www.redwineaudio.com/iMod.html

and plug into your RCA inputs.


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## Bollwerk (Jul 25, 2007)

notacop said:


> Well I can say with certainty that I have used an iPhone with the 422i on the W200 and it worked great.


Interesting. I have a W200 and an iphone and it didn't work for me. It gave me some message about this function not being supported. Am I missing something?


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## notacop (Jan 27, 2006)

Bollwerk said:


> Interesting. I have a W200 and an iphone and it didn't work for me. It gave me some message about this function not being supported. Am I missing something?



Maybe the newer software versions have it blocked. I used one of the very first software versions. I worked at AT&T at the time, company sent around 1 unit to show off to the call centers for a few days before it moved on. I convinced my Senior Manager to let me run it out to my car to try it out.


Played music, all the searching functions worked, and if you called the phone, the music would fade out (more a function of the iphone than it was the w200, since I own a normal ipod and have a bluetooth kit installed).


Maybe that ability was blocked by apple/at&t on a subsequent software update.


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

^^^That's what I was thinking. There is mention of specific firmware versions for USB or FullSpeed.


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## Scott183 (Aug 26, 2009)

Hello all, new here!! Is this thread dead? Just wanted to know if I should start a new one w/ some questions. Thanks Scott


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## PaulD (Nov 16, 2006)

either way, it will end up in the "you should have searched forum" if have failed to read thru 800-900 pages of posting .......


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