# DXZ775USB



## nismos14 (Jun 22, 2007)

*DXZ775USB: Ratings for 860mp, CD7100, 880prs and 9887 as well*

So I thought I would share my experience with this deck. 

First the menu system is very intricate, but makes a whole lot of sense. There are options all over the face that allow you to do different adjustments as needed. It takes no time getting used to the slide face and the slide buttons but its nothing that any dimwit couldn't get used to quickly. As far as SQ, this deck sounds great right out of the box. 

For 3-way active mode which is the way I am running it, the pe-q is a 3 band, and it allows for some adjustments that no other HU save maybe other clarions can let you adjust. I can adjust the 3 bands to the same frequency IE all at 63 hz, and adjust them all up to a +36 db gain at that frequency, that is pretty sick if you ask me but of course not recommended. The boost is adjustable left and right as well. I could do a 12db gain on the left and a 6 db gain on the right if I wanted to. I have not used the standard bass/treble control but I am impresed with this 3band peq. 

Crossover points are fantastic, and you can bandpass the sub channel, so in essence this deck is ideal in running a 3-way up front without sub. To add a sub you would want / need some additional processing/crossover.

The display is a little dated in its look. The display is poor, adjustability of the color is great, but it just looks so... cheap? The slidetrak makes the deck face a bit bulky. I can't complain though I love the way the deck sounds, the outputs are strong at 6v, marked difference from the 9887 I had. I cannot comment on the sub output yet as that is not something I have tested (my IB subs are still awaiting a few parts to get started). 

Overall here is how I would rate the deck:

Looks: 5/10
Build quality/face feel: 5/10
Functionality: 9/10
Preout strength: 10/10
Features and expandability: 9/10
SQ: 9/10
EQ: 8/10
Menu setup and access: 7/10
Ease of use: 7/10
Value: 10/10
Total: *79*

Compare that to these other headunits (of course my opinion only)

*Premier DEH-P860MP:*
Looks: 8/10
Build quality: 8/10
Functionality: 9/10
Preout strength: 10/10
Features and expandability: 8/10
SQ: 9/10
EQ: 8/10
Menu setup and access: 8/10
Ease of use: 8/10
Value: 7/10
Total: *83*

*Premier DEH-P880PRS:*
Looks: 9/10
Build quality: 8/10
Functionality: 10/10
Preout strength: 8/10
Features and expandability: 8/10
SQ: 9/10
EQ: 10/10
Menu setup and access: 8/10
Ease of use: 8/10
Value: 7/10
Total: *85*

*Eclipse CD7100:*
Looks: 8/10
Build quality: 7/10
Functionality: 8/10
Preout strength: 8/10
Features and expandability: 8/10
SQ: 8/10
EQ: 10/10
Menu setup and access: 7/10
Ease of use: 7/10
Value: 7/10
Total: *78*

*Alpine CDA-9887:*
Looks: 9/10
Build quality: 10/10
Functionality: 8/10
Preout strength: 6/10
Features and expandability: 8/10
SQ: 8/10
EQ: 8/10
Menu setup and access: 9/10
Ease of use: 8/10
Value: 8/10
Total: *82

*For more on the 880/800prs/ 9887 and CD7100 visit my comparison thread: 
http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/showthread.php?t=22606


----------



## elminster (Jan 9, 2007)

*Re: DXZ775USB: Ratings for 860mp, CD7100, 880prs and 9887 as well*

really good to see a review of this deck, one concern is that your rating system gives results so close it doesn't really point towards one deck or another based on the final value, thankfully you include individual categories


----------



## nismos14 (Jun 22, 2007)

*Re: DXZ775USB: Ratings for 860mp, CD7100, 880prs and 9887 as well*



elminster said:


> really good to see a review of this deck, one concern is that your rating system gives results so close it doesn't really point towards one deck or another based on the final value, thankfully you include individual categories


Yea I guess it sort of says, none of these decks is perfect, but they all do a pretty good job.


----------



## elminster (Jan 9, 2007)

*Re: DXZ775USB: Ratings for 860mp, CD7100, 880prs and 9887 as well*

yeah I guess they all do the same thing for the most part heh


----------



## nismos14 (Jun 22, 2007)

one edit

*Eclipse CD7100:*
Looks: 8/10
Build quality: 7/10
Functionality: 10/10
Preout strength: 8/10
Features and expandability: 8/10
SQ: 8/10
EQ: 10/10
Menu setup and access: 7/10
Ease of use: 7/10
Value: 7/10
Total: *80*

Can a mod replace the CD7100 info with what I pasted above?


----------



## mvw2 (Oct 2, 2005)

I really, really, really wish the Edit feature stayed a whole heck of a lot longer...

Great to see a review of this deck. It's a great buy at $100 less than any other 3-way active option out there.

I'm curious about the EQ thing. You mentioned that you can independently adjust right and left sides. Does this mean you have 3 parametric EQs for each side or are you using 2 of the 3 available and choosing one for one side and one for the other side? I've glanced through the manual in the past and never noticed a left channel - right channel selection of any sort. Could you clarify on this a bit.

Also, the manual doesn't say too specificially, how small of a resolution does the TA have? Down to what distance/millisecond increments?

I agree with the crossovers. They're more versatile than any of the other HUs. You both get bandpass plus you're not bound to 200Hz max for the subwoofer out. It goes up to something like 650Hz if I remember correctly, making it far, far more useful in use with a 3-way front stage. I think it's one of the better benefits of the HU...along with it's 2/3 price tag.

Well, you've pretty much used all the affordable 3-way active HUs out there. You might as well pick youself up a JVC KD-SH1000 (or classier pre-gen. SHX850/AR8500) and finish off all the available options for $300 and under, lol.



(cough) PICS (cough)


----------



## nismos14 (Jun 22, 2007)

mvw2 said:


> I'm curious about the EQ thing. You mentioned that you can independently adjust right and left sides. Does this mean you have 3 parametric EQs for each side or are you using 2 of the 3 available and choosing one for one side and one for the other side? I've glanced through the manual in the past and never noticed a left channel - right channel selection of any sort. Could you clarify on this a bit.


You can choose different points for each side. 3 each.



> Also, the manual doesn't say too specificially, how small of a resolution does the TA have? Down to what distance/millisecond increments?


 Ah I think it goes in inches, in 2" increments, I'll have to look, this deck is coming out shortly and going into my soon to be ex gf's car.




> I agree with the crossovers. They're more versatile than any of the other HUs. You both get bandpass plus you're not bound to 200Hz max for the subwoofer out. It goes up to something like 650Hz if I remember correctly, making it far, far more useful in use with a 3-way front stage. I think it's one of the better benefits of the HU...along with it's 2/3 price tag.


 Absolutely.



> Well, you've pretty much used all the affordable 3-way active HUs out there. You might as well pick youself up a JVC KD-SH1000 (or classier pre-gen. SHX850/AR8500) and finish off all the available options for $300 and under, lol.


 Sure.. have one to donate? 





> (cough) PICS (cough)


 It's coming out soon, I will attempt to snag pics as I pull it out, unless I forget .


----------



## Dr.Telepathy SQ (Nov 17, 2007)

nismos14 said:


> You can choose different points for each side. 3 each.
> 
> Ah I think it goes in inches, in 2" increments, I'll have to look, this deck is coming out shortly and going into my soon to be ex gf's car.
> 
> ...



In the soon to be ex gf's car???ouch!! Maybe a cheapo deck instead

Nice reivew. I do love the fact that the deck allows more active control in a 3way front. I've intalled this deck in a friends car. You can also get this deck referbed for $170 shipped at onlinecar st.com


----------



## nismos14 (Jun 22, 2007)

Dr.Telepathy SQ said:


> In the soon to be ex gf's car???ouch!! Maybe a cheapo deck instead
> 
> Nice reivew. I do love the fact that the deck allows more active control in a 3way front. I've intalled this deck in a friends car. You can also get this deck referbed for $170 shipped at onlinecar st.com



I sold the one in her car so it was between giving her this one, or giving her a cd3200 that has BT built in, since I don't need active in my crx it was the right choice. Also, I can run the cd3200 and have BT in both my cars (800prs and btb200 in my SE-R).


----------



## machinehead (Nov 6, 2005)

Was this review for the older 775 or the newer 785? I dont think the 775 had a 3 way xover, just the 875 did. Although i could be mistaken. What increment is the alpine's TA in?


----------



## nismos14 (Jun 22, 2007)

machinehead said:


> Was this review for the older 775 or the newer 785? I dont think the 775 had a 3 way xover, just the 875 did. Although i could be mistaken. What increment is the alpine's TA in?



775, and the 785 did and do 3 -way, I had it running active as stated in first post. 

I don't remember the increments on the Alpine, sorry.


----------



## machinehead (Nov 6, 2005)

nismos14 said:


> 775, and the 785 did and do 3 -way, I had it running active as stated in first post.
> 
> I don't remember the increments on the Alpine, sorry.


I looked it up, 3.4 centimeters


----------



## machinehead (Nov 6, 2005)

Did you use the clarion or alpine with an Ipod? Could you comment on which was better?


----------



## nismos14 (Jun 22, 2007)

Didn't use an ipod with either.


----------



## mvw2 (Oct 2, 2005)

The 775 and 785 models are basically identical. I didn't notice any new features to the unit with the model year update. The manual didn't really point to anything, so I don't know.

It's nice to see that the unit has seperate left and right control. It makes the unit rather versatile for the more stock type installs.


----------



## nismos14 (Jun 22, 2007)

Only real change is built in ipod, I think.


----------



## fonque (May 30, 2008)

This deck is a tricky one to review. It has 3 modes,each mode sets the function of the 6 available channels, and changes the available menus and the way they operate. There is 
normal mode, 2 front 2 rear 2 subs, 
2 way mode, 2 tweeters front, 2 midbass front, 2 rear fill (full-range)
3 way mode, 2 tweeters front, 2 midbass front, 2 subs 

2 and 3 way mode are active set up, the head unit will allow you to choose the cross over points. Normal mode will allow you to set a low pass crossover point for the subs.
The parametric equalizer is available in all 3 modes. However, in normal mode, there are 3 bands for the front pair and 3 bands for the rear pair. In 2way and 3way modes, the p.eq has 3 bands for left and 3 bands for right.

Also time alignment is adjustable on all 6 channels individully in 2.3cm increments up to i believe 501cm.


----------



## mvw2 (Oct 2, 2005)

Thanks for the info. This keeps sounding like a really neat deck.


----------



## gunn234 (Feb 27, 2007)

Hey nismos14,

Have you ever tried to play Apple Lossless/ALE straight off a USB drive? Had it worked?


----------



## 60ndown (Feb 8, 2007)

its cheep

http://www.cartronixplus.com/templa...LL&subname=na&pagename=Online Store > ALL > 

http://www.hookedontronics.com/show_product_details.jsp?cid=51612&c=0808Froogle&b=Clarion_DXZ775USB


----------



## nismos14 (Jun 22, 2007)

gunn234 said:


> Hey nismos14,
> 
> Have you ever tried to play Apple Lossless/ALE straight off a USB drive? Had it worked?


I did not try that actually.


----------



## Lothar34 (Oct 6, 2006)

I just bought the 785 and it looks to be pretty much the same, but it will do iPod control via the USB input.

I haven't tried Apple lossless audio off a USB drive, but I can't imagine why it wouldn't play it.

I agree with the first post almost entirely. The display doesn't look cheap to me, but it does have a couple problems. One is that it's hard to read. The contrast between the lit and unlit portions of the LCD is very small. Adjusting it doesn't really help, but I think if there was a way to tilt the display like my old JVC, then it would be OK. The other problem is that is completely impossible to read if I wear my polarized sunglasses. On my old HU, I could read it just fine as long as I didn't tilt my head 90° (and the LCD displays on my car's gauge cluster are the same way). This one though has wavy lines all over it no matter how I tilt my head. I have to lift the glasses up to see it. It's a PITA right now but I imagine once I've had it a while and get everything set the way I want it, it won't be an issue.


----------



## jonnyanalog (Nov 14, 2007)

its got a face of a pig!


----------



## nismos14 (Jun 22, 2007)

jonnyanalog said:


> its got a face of a pig!


Wow, very insightful.


----------



## Lothar34 (Oct 6, 2006)

It WON'T play in iPod mode with a 4th-gen unless you pay extra for the CeNet thing. POS. Anybody want to buy an iPod?


----------



## jonnyanalog (Nov 14, 2007)

nismos14 said:


> Wow, very insightful.


it is if aesthetics play a role in your install....i would never use it based on this alone.
it was meant to be light hearted sorry to offend.


----------



## nismos14 (Jun 22, 2007)

Lothar34 said:


> It WON'T play in iPod mode with a 4th-gen unless you pay extra for the CeNet thing. POS. Anybody want to buy an iPod?



How much how many gigs?


----------



## Lothar34 (Oct 6, 2006)

nismos14 said:


> How much how many gigs?


It's a 40GB 4th gen. It's pretty scratched up (I only wanted it for the car). I bought it for $76 plus shipping, and I'll sell it for $76 plus shipping. It comes with the USB cable and a fresh pair of ear buds. This is who I bought it from:
http://electronics.shop.ebay.com/it...QQ_flnZ1QQ_sacatZ73839QQ_ssnZanewbizQQ_ssovZ1


----------



## nismos14 (Jun 22, 2007)

hmm you have pm.


----------



## gunn234 (Feb 27, 2007)

Just a reminder and bump. Frys Electronics or Outpost dot com is selling the newer version of this head unit with ipod and usb direct for $149.90.

The DXZ785USB.


----------



## nismos14 (Jun 22, 2007)

^ DXZ7*8*5USB


----------



## Lothar34 (Oct 6, 2006)

gunn234 said:


> Just a reminder and bump. Frys Electronics or Outpost dot com is selling the newer version of this head unit with ipod and usb direct for $149.90.
> 
> The DXZ785USB.


Son of a *****. I just bought mine for $220


----------



## gunn234 (Feb 27, 2007)

I actually got two of the DXZ785USB from Frys' for $99.00 each BNIB. They went quickly and are now discontinued. 

One of the things I noticed about the floor models is that the graphics on display showed lines running through the normal AM/FM display like it got jarbled with the star graphics at one of the start of the settings menus. It looks like a model-wide defect. Does anyone else have this head unit to comment on it?

(nevermind) false alarm. I looked at the models on youtube and the lines going through are part of the display features. I guess it's suppose to be some sort of screen saver. I wonder why Frys discontinued it so quick though.


----------



## BlackLac (Aug 8, 2005)

hmm, should I not upgrade my 775 to a 785? I just want the USB Ipod use. I haven't even installed my 775 yet.


----------



## BlackLac (Aug 8, 2005)

BlackLac said:


> hmm, should I not upgrade my 775 to a 785? I just want the USB Ipod use. I haven't even installed my 775 yet.


bump


----------



## nismos14 (Jun 22, 2007)

If you want the usb, just get it? We can't spoon feed the decision only you can make


----------



## Lothar34 (Oct 6, 2006)

gunn234 said:


> I actually got two of the DXZ785USB from Frys' for $99.00 each BNIB. They went quickly and are now discontinued.
> 
> One of the things I noticed about the floor models is that the graphics on display showed lines running through the normal AM/FM display like it got jarbled with the star graphics at one of the start of the settings menus. It looks like a model-wide defect. Does anyone else have this head unit to comment on it?
> 
> (nevermind) false alarm. I looked at the models on youtube and the lines going through are part of the display features. I guess it's suppose to be some sort of screen saver. I wonder why Frys discontinued it so quick though.


Did you not get a manual with yours?


----------



## gunn234 (Feb 27, 2007)

They were both complete BNIB. $99.00 Quite a steal.


----------



## Lothar34 (Oct 6, 2006)

Yeah you got a much better deal than me. 

Anyway there are instructions in teh manual for turning off the screen saver.


----------



## BlackLac (Aug 8, 2005)

nismos14 said:


> If you want the usb, just get it? We can't spoon feed the decision only you can make


These Clarion's don't get alot of attention of this site. Is the 785 exactly the same as the 775 but it also has iPod capability over USB? Just want to make sure the 785 didn't get cheaped out over the 775. It's not very often manufacturers make a nice product in this price range without screwing it up shortly after. Someone complained about teh display, but it was a floor model so, just wanted to make sure these are up to par.

If the 775 sounds better I'll keep it.


----------



## nismos14 (Jun 22, 2007)

Sound wise, should be identical.


----------



## gunn234 (Feb 27, 2007)

I'm just curious if anyone knows for sure if the D/As are bypassed in the ipod and USB connections. I would assume that USB direct and ipod direct would imply such a feature, but they don't quite spell it out in their marketing like Alpine does with their IDA-X100. 

It wouldn't make sense from a cost of manufacturing standpoint to convert the signal from a usb device or ipod from digital back to analog, and then the analog again back to digital. I know that the previous models with external ipod adapters had to do this. 

The only reason why a manufacturer would have to go the D/A to A/D then back D/A route is if the RIAA had enforced this feature upon them for the purpose of keeping even much further away from the quality of CD quality playback. Unless they had paid some royalties in the case of the Alpine model.


----------



## Lothar34 (Oct 6, 2006)

BlackLac said:


> Someone complained about teh display,


It's kinda hard to read. It could use more contrast and I can't read it all with my polarized sunglasses on.


----------



## MCarmer (Apr 6, 2009)

good reviews, nice that they are broken down categories so you can see the strong points and weak points.

Thanks for the information.


----------



## Hatchit (Oct 25, 2009)

okay guys i need some advice, i got this exact deck on my truck, it was professionally installed by FRY'S about two years ago, and now i got a sub/amp set went to hook it up and when i pulled the deck out there arn't any RCA wires for the amp to run from... i looked in my box and there isn't a harness in there, i have looked all over the net searching for the harness and have come to the conclusion that the frickers that installed it for me decided to keep the harness sense we weren't installing subs at the time... so my question is, was there a harness for the RCA plugs in the box and should i hold the company reliable or do i have to track down that part from god knows where...
ANY HELP WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED, thank you


----------



## Hatchit (Oct 25, 2009)

Lothar34 said:


> It's kinda hard to read. It could use more contrast and I can't read it all with my polarized sunglasses on.


This might be because the screen cover is also polarized for some colder areas, but thats purely speculation...


----------



## nismos14 (Jun 22, 2007)

Hatchit said:


> okay guys i need some advice, i got this exact deck on my truck, it was professionally installed by FRY'S about two years ago, and now i got a sub/amp set went to hook it up and when i pulled the deck out there arn't any RCA wires for the amp to run from... i looked in my box and there isn't a harness in there, i have looked all over the net searching for the harness and have come to the conclusion that the frickers that installed it for me decided to keep the harness sense we weren't installing subs at the time... so my question is, was there a harness for the RCA plugs in the box and should i hold the company reliable or do i have to track down that part from god knows where...
> ANY HELP WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED, thank you


Frys must have taken it, why? I don't know.


----------



## Hatchit (Oct 25, 2009)

nismos14 said:


> Frys must have taken it, why? I don't know.


do u know where i can get that harness... frys has told me if i can find the harness they will pay for it but because they dont carry this model anymore that they cant give me a different one...


----------



## WRX/Z28 (Feb 21, 2008)

Hatchit said:


> do u know where i can get that harness... frys has told me if i can find the harness they will pay for it but because they dont carry this model anymore that they cant give me a different one...


I know it's a couple months late, but:

CLARION 855552056 RCA CORD IN STOCK $12.68 Consumer Electronic Parts and Accessories at PacParts, Inc.


----------



## WRX/Z28 (Feb 21, 2008)

Hatchit said:


> do u know where i can get that harness... frys has told me if i can find the harness they will pay for it but because they dont carry this model anymore that they cant give me a different one...


Amazon.com: Clarion 855552056 RCA OUTPUT CORD DXZ775USB: Everything Else

here too...


----------

