# Sub $300 Time Alignment Head Unit



## rton20s (Feb 14, 2011)

Interested on thoughts in choosing a head unit to aid in going two way active without a separate processor. The amp I will be using can handle the crossovers on its own, but I need time alignment to get full use of going active. I’d love to go double din A/V unit with good iOS compatibility, but I just don’t think it is in my budget. Definitely trying to keep the head unit cost under $300. 

So far, I have found the following:
JVC KD-A925BT
Kenwood KDC-X995
Kenwood KDC-BT948HD
Kenwood KIV-701
Kenwood KIV-BT901
Alpine CDA-117

Any thoughts on any of these units? Positive experience? Models to avoid? Other models I should be looking at?


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## schmiddr2 (Aug 10, 2009)

Easy to find a 9887 for under $300. T/A, EQ, + xovers for 3way. Alpine CDA-9887 CD MP3 ipod Receiver comes complete NEW on eBay!


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## Serieus (May 27, 2011)

i like my kdc-x995, have had it for a few weeks now and it works great. the only downfall imo is that the equalizer is graphic rather than parametric, and there is some screen glare. the non-excelon version of the 995 i believe has a parametric but i'm not sure if the internals are the same quality. i believe the cda-117 has a parametric equalizer as well, and doesn't have as much of a glare issue on the screen, but i heard some things about distortion and ultimately, that + the lower price of the 995 led me to my purchase and i haven't been disappointed.


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## Hanatsu (Nov 9, 2010)

I'd go for an 9887. Had one of those and was very pleased with it


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## pjc (May 3, 2009)

I have owned a 9887 and really liked it. Just in my opinion one of the best sounding decks for the money is the Clarion DXZ785USB. The faceplate is a little bunlky but very nice sound and usually go for $130. Nismos14 has a DXZ775 for sale right now for $150 I think. I have a brand new in box Eclipse CD8443 for $200.


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## rton20s (Feb 14, 2011)

So what would the advantage of that CDA-9887 be over the CDA-117 from Alpine? The specs look very similar, save for a broader EQ on the CDA-9887. Is there something else I am overlooking? 

It also appears that there are some trade-offs with the Kenwoods. Only the 948 has a parametric EQ, but you sacrifice 2 bands as well as time alignment. So I think that one is out. The 995, 701 and 901 all have time alignment, but only have graphic EQs. The same holds true for the JVC. 

It also appears that the Kenwoods and JVC have a lot more connectivity and features beyond the SQ front included (Bluetooth, HD Radio, Pandora). Whereas everything is an add on or not even an option on the Alpines. This could/would drive up the price on the Alpine significantly. 

The older Clarions also look decent, but I wonder about connectivity, as I will likely be using an iPhone 4 for my source quite often. Are the DZX785 and DZX775 compatible with the current iPhone? These also fall into the same category as the Alpines in terms of connectivity features when compared to the Kenwoods and JVC. 

And while the crossover options are nice on some of these head units, I don’t know how critical that is for me, as the amp I will be using can handle the crossovers.


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## pjc (May 3, 2009)

The iPod connectivity on the Clarion 785 is pretty nice. Like mentioned earlier the "slide face" is different but once u get use to it it's not bad at all. I found it to be alot more user friendly than my 9887. Definitely like the look of the 9887 better though. The 9887 has active crossovers build in whereas the 117 needs the Imprint added to it to do active. Someone correct me if I am wrong.


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## robert_wrath (Apr 24, 2011)

Other alternatives:
- Eclipse CD7200MKII
- Pioneer DEH-P800PRS
- Pioneer DEH-P880PRS

The Eclipse has been a leading contender for years since production has come to a halt. Full Active capability is the game here. Both Pioneers are on the heels behind the CD7200MKII. It would come down to aesthetics and/or Look & Feel. Hope this helps.


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## Hanatsu (Nov 9, 2010)

pjc said:


> The iPod connectivity on the Clarion 785 is pretty nice. Like mentioned earlier the "slide face" is different but once u get use to it it's not bad at all. I found it to be alot more user friendly than my 9887. Definitely like the look of the 9887 better though. The 9887 has active crossovers build in whereas the 117 needs the Imprint added to it to do active. Someone correct me if I am wrong.


Correct. You need an external box, the PXA-H100 to get access to the additional tuning functions. The 9887 has all those functions built-in, it's imprint ready aswell. Believe they changed some components too, the 9887 had an Audyssey processor if I remember correctly. Good source unit in any case


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## robert_wrath (Apr 24, 2011)

Hanatsu said:


> I'd go for an 9887. Had one of those and was very pleased with it





Hanatsu said:


> Correct. You need an external box, the PXA-H100 to get access to the additional tuning functions. The 9887 has all those functions built-in, it's imprint ready aswell. Believe they changed some components too, the 9887 had an Audyssey processor if I remember correctly. Good source unit in any case


Alpine Buffs *LOVE *this piece. Expandability for Imprint (H100 or the New H800 hopefully) a Big Plus.


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## bonvivant (Aug 2, 2011)

If you search craigslist you can find an avn for just a little more then $300.


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## ZAKOH (Nov 26, 2010)

I believe Kenwood KDC-BT948HD 'time alignment' is a joke. The only thing you can do with it is tell whether your car is "big" or "small" and whether you seat on the right or left side. It's scandalous they advertize this as time alignment capable head unit. It's like saying your stereo has a volume control, but once you install it, you realize that there are only two volume settings, high and low.

Having read reviews and played with various of these, I would prefer Kenwood KDC-x995 over JVC, but I would take some time to learn whether Alpine CDA-117 is better than both. Kenwood KIV-BT901 is like KDC-x995 but with much better screen, much faster interface, but no CD playback capability. Another interesting stereo is Sony DSX-S300BTX digital media player.


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## sqnut (Dec 24, 2009)

robert_wrath said:


> Other alternatives:
> - Eclipse CD7200MKII
> - Pioneer DEH-P800PRS
> - Pioneer DEH-P880PRS
> ...


The Pio's are actually a step above the Eclipse and the 9887 cause they offer a 16 band eq which is independent for L/R channels. That is a huge difference when you're tuning.


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## tyroneshoes (Mar 21, 2006)

Sony's newer decks have time alignment as well


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## schmiddr2 (Aug 10, 2009)

I was reading about some of the newer Sony HU's and to me it seemed like they had T/A that is set by choosing from preset speaker positions on the screen, not by a constantly variable number for distance- like the 9887 and most others. Is this wrong?


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## Ultimateherts (Nov 13, 2006)

sqnut said:


> The Pio's are actually a step above the Eclipse and the 9887 cause they offer a 16 band eq which is independent for L/R channels. That is a huge difference when you're tuning.


And that great pico fuse...


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## ZAKOH (Nov 26, 2010)

schmiddr2 said:


> I was reading about some of the newer Sony HU's and to me it seemed like they had T/A that is set by choosing from preset speaker positions on the screen, not by a constantly variable number for distance- like the 9887 and most others. Is this wrong?



The only way to find out is download their manuals and read (crutchfield.com has them all). I checked this for Sony's digital media player and it does seem to accept variable adjustments.


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## trojan fan (Nov 4, 2007)

schmiddr2 said:


> I was reading about some of the newer Sony HU's and to me it seemed like they had T/A that is set by choosing from preset speaker positions on the screen, not by a constantly variable number for distance- like the 9887 and most others. Is this wrong?


preset speaker position/location dependent only...non variable number


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## trojan fan (Nov 4, 2007)

ZAKOH said:


> It's scandalous they advertize this as time alignment capable head unit. It's like saying your stereo has a volume control, but once you install it, you realize that there are only two volume settings, high and low..



x2......:beerchug:


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## f150fx4 (Jan 5, 2009)

I can personally recommend the Clarion. iPod and iPhone works very well. 
If you can find the clarion, it great bang for the buck.

I also have the alpine Ina-w910 with imprint. Similar specs to the cda117. Good sound, eq, ta. Eq is a little more flexible than the clarion with the imprint. 
Price is much higher for the 117 and Imprint than the clarion 775 or 785. 

George


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## duro78 (Dec 24, 2011)

Got a brand new 9887 for $240 on eBay last week

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk


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## tyroneshoes (Mar 21, 2006)

schmiddr2 said:


> I was reading about some of the newer Sony HU's and to me it seemed like they had T/A that is set by choosing from preset speaker positions on the screen, not by a constantly variable number for distance- like the 9887 and most others. Is this wrong?


I only used the new sony double dins and you DO dial in an amount of delay in ms, not select speaker postions. Im ussiming their single din higer end units have the same feature. Crutchfield is an 1800 number to confirm.


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## sqnut (Dec 24, 2009)

Ultimateherts said:


> And that great pico fuse...


The pico fuse blows when _you (the user)_ do something stupid, like hot swapping rca's etc.


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## Bayboy (Dec 29, 2010)

I agree with SQnut... Though t/a is a good thing if it's entirely adjustable, it's sure not worth sacrificing for some of the minimal EQ's that the Kenwoods and other headunits offer. T/a is just piece in the puzzle and won't solve response problems like a good wide band EQ will.

Another problem is that once you go with one of those limited EQ units you will pretty much be trapped if you want to add a better EQ and still retain the t/a function. One of the few pieces that will allow that is the Audiocontrol DQS which adds a whopping amount to total cost. You'd be better off with a competent headunit in the first place like the 9887 or a external like the MS-8 on a lesser hu.


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## Crampon (Dec 27, 2011)

schmiddr2 said:


> I was reading about some of the newer Sony HU's and to me it seemed like they had T/A that is set by choosing from preset speaker positions on the screen, not by a constantly variable number for distance- like the 9887 and most others. Is this wrong?


Hopefully we're talking about the same thing, but I just installed a Sony DSX-S200X and the time alignment can be set to either listening position or a physical distance. The options are:


Front R
Front L
Front
All
Custom
Off
The subwoofer can also be set to Near, Normal or Far.

For the Custom setting, you can set the distance for each individual speaker between 30 and 300 cm in 2 cm steps.


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## ozone (Nov 27, 2011)

rton20s said:


> Interested on thoughts in choosing a head unit to aid in going two way active without a separate processor. The amp I will be using can handle the crossovers on its own, but I need time alignment to get full use of going active. I’d love to go double din A/V unit with good iOS compatibility, but I just don’t think it is in my budget. Definitely trying to keep the head unit cost under $300.
> 
> So far, I have found the following:
> JVC KD-A925BT
> ...


I'm in a similar boat and appreciate this thread, but I thought I would mention something that kind of crossed the x995 off of the list for me. All the specs looked good and I thought I had found the unit, but many of the user reviews complained about two things. One, the glare on the screen in the daylight made the unit unreadable and two, there are no present buttons on the unit, forcing you to go through a menu system to jump to a favored channel.

These things seem kind of small until you think about the usability of it. Probably not a big deal if you don't listen to the radio.

Just thought I would mention it.


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## rton20s (Feb 14, 2011)

I went by 6 different dealers today asking primarily about time alignment HUs. The varied responses were quite interesting. First and foremost, none seemed all that interested in time alignment to begin with, especially not within my budget. 

Here are some of the responses I got:
"This one has fade and balance adjustment," from a really ghetto shop. 

"You have to spend at least $1300 on a double din DVD/AV unit to get time alignment," from a non-authorized shop that had the eXcelon KDC-X995 for more than MSRP. 

"Any time alignment in a head unit is 'fake' and won't do what an external controller will," from the pretentious shop who could do nothing but brag about installing SQ systems consisting of Mosconi amps and "$5500 Focal component sets." 

"You'll never hear the difference in time alignment within a vehicle, you'll hardly hear the difference in a home theater setup." 

A couple of the dealers were much more straightforward and honest. They said that they really don't deal with time alignment at all anymore, because that is not what their customers looked for. They did say that they would be willing to work with me on ordering a head unit if I found one that I thought would fit my needs. They also advised about waiting a few weeks until after CES. 

All that said, it looks like I will likely need to revert back to previous generation head units like the Alpines and Clarions mentioned previously in this thread if I want good crossovers and time alignment. That just means less control over an iPhone, Pandora, etc. that I would get with a newer head unit. 

Otherwise, I find a current head unit with the iPhone and time alignment features I want and rely on an external crossover or amplifier crossover to handle the frequencies to each speaker.


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## ZAKOH (Nov 26, 2010)

ozone said:


> I'm in a similar boat and appreciate this thread, but I thought I would mention something that kind of crossed the x995 off of the list for me. All the specs looked good and I thought I had found the unit, but many of the user reviews complained about two things. One, the glare on the screen in the daylight made the unit unreadable and two, there are no present buttons on the unit, forcing you to go through a menu system to jump to a favored channel.


I don't think that the screen glare is a big problem. On my unit (x994, which is basically the same), I simply flip/reverse the foreground and background colors. As for station presets, you can cycle through them without going into the menu system, if you configure the "seek mode" for that. However, then you lose the ability to actually "seek" a station without going into the menus. IMO, other units should have the same problems. In the past, the stereos came with the 1,2,4.. etc buttons to access the preset stations and now these buttons are gone on most units.


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## Danometal (Nov 16, 2009)

I'm very pleased with my CDA-117. It sounds most excellent, and the T/A is great!


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## tyroneshoes (Mar 21, 2006)

Just use an audiocontrol eqx and a headunit with TA (kenwood, alpine, sony, clarion, even my pioneer has it) and you can get any deck you need and be good on the eq/xover part. How often you plan on changing crossover points?

Having a updated deck and external crossover or eq/xover in my case solves your problems. I would not go back to a deck that isnt a modern deck. Thats what you interface with all the time. You can get a good deal on audiocontrol units and theyre noise free quality

Or get a zapco dc. I can sell ya one


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## rton20s (Feb 14, 2011)

The more I look into this, the more I think I'm just going to skip time alignment all together for now and just choose a head unit with the features I want. If I'm not happy with the way it sounds I'll just invest in an external unit like an MS-8 or a Bit.Ten down the road to help deal with tuning, crossover and time alignment issues.


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## Bayboy (Dec 29, 2010)

If you came late to that aspect in the hobby, then I agree as I missed that same boat. The head units present today don't offer much when compared to the 9887. Even if you find a decent one that can do active 3-way, it's eq is very limited without using added gear. We're not including the hu's in the $1000 range (whole different ballgame). The A/C DQS is about the only unit that can be used that still allow the hu's t/a function to still operate.

By that time I'd rather just get a decent bare bones head unit and install a MS-8. Will cost about the same but with the latter having more options compared to having limited manual manipulation in the hu.


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## ozone (Nov 27, 2011)

ZAKOH said:


> I don't think that the screen glare is a big problem. On my unit (x994, which is basically the same), I simply flip/reverse the foreground and background colors. As for station presets, you can cycle through them without going into the menu system, if you configure the "seek mode" for that. However, then you lose the ability to actually "seek" a station without going into the menus. IMO, other units should have the same problems. In the past, the stereos came with the 1,2,4.. etc buttons to access the preset stations and now these buttons are gone on most units.


Wow! Thanks for that response. I don't think hitting the seek button is not as good as just jumping to the preset of your choice, but I can handle that. I don't use seek anyway. Around town the stations don't change and if I'm traveling I don't tune in radio stations much anyway because they will change as I drive, just maybe a little at my destination, but in that case, I can just manually tune. I think I will take a second look at the 995.


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## goodstuff (Jan 9, 2008)

alpine cda-9830

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Alpine-CDA-...r_Audio_In_Dash_Receivers&hash=item4160c3ceb0

32 bucks. Buy a faceplate 39 bucks. Send it to Alpine for $99.00 they will go through and fix everything wrong with it. 
Under 200 with shipping.


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## hatemi (Dec 23, 2011)

I had the Kenwood KDC61BT for a while. Its logic wasn't that good to be honest. It worked but you had to kinda guess what you were doing since there was two different places in the menu that somehow affected the end result. Now I switched to Alpine IVA-800D and PXA-H700 and now I know what I'm doing...


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