# Review: 9887 VS 880 VS 7100



## nismos14 (Jun 22, 2007)

Time to throw a 3rd card into the mix - CDA-9887


1) Independant speaker level control - 880 has it, cd7100 does also. 9887 Also has this feature.

2) Independant phase control for each speaker - 880 has, cd7100 doesn't. *I don't believe the 9887 has this feature as I tried to find it in the manual and do not see it.*

3) Full subwoofer control - Level, phase, mono or stereo output - Pio has all CD7100 only has Phase and Mono vs. stereo setting. *The 9887 does have all of these controls.*

4) 15band eq on 880 was very nice, the 11 band PEQ seems to be more customizable and a great feature, I definately prefer the PEQ over the 15-Band with the customizability. *9887 gives the option of a 5 band peq or a 7 band geq, this is a great feature, you can adjust if you have peaks at certain frequences, or just use the factory geq to adjust fixed frequencies. The best of both worlds you might say. One downfall though is that the peq can only be modded > 4 steps of each frequency.... kind of a crappy deal there.*

5) 880 only had the 15band, CD7100 has Bass, Mid, Treble controls as well as the PEQ. This is a nice touch. *9887 read #4.*

6) 880 has one built in aux but no built in USB, CD7100 has both but the interface is kind of blah on the USB and I have not yet tried out the AUX though. *9887 requires external adapters to use both functions, somewhat pricey, ipod connection wire is fairly inexpensive.*

7) In active mode: 880 full subwoofer control - CD7100 Non fade with level control when in 3-way mode/ stereo mono selection as well as phase reversal. *9887 retains the same subwoofer controls in either mode, with phase, level etc. There is also a 2nd subwoofer system setup which allows the user to get more volume from the subwoofer system, as well as the MX media expander function which affects the sub and soem of the higher notes (based on the manual).*

8)Area shot feature - this is a pretty neat feature to throw into the mix that Eclipse has. I got it to work the other day and am very impressed with it. It's a good backup feature but along with it I would always keep a couple of backup maps etc. Works well though.

9) 880 comes with a Mic, CD7100 does not, not THAT big of a deal however it is nice to know that you don't have to purchase anything additional in order to run the auto TA's etc. *9887 has no auto ta, unless using the IMPRINT.*

10) cd7100 lets you adjust TA in steps by millis second, pio only does this by distance in either centimeters or inches. *9887 adjusts by calculated values, requiring some leg work by the user, though they do provide a nice guide within the manual for conversion.*

11)E-iSERV data can be uploaded from either the unit to the pc or the pc to the unit and you're able to fine tune right from your pc. You can setup a flat FR by adjusting the PEQ on-line and saving to USB then uploading that data to the HU, you are then unable to adjust any of the TA settings on the UNIT itself, which is fine, just a quirk. Similarly alpine has the imprint, however this cannot be utilized for free of of a website, instead requires purchase/rental (crutchfield) of outboard mic and software.

880's intereface is straight forward and very easy to use. The CD7100 is a bit more complicated and I feel as though I have yet to tap into the full number of features that it has or am just not sure how to use them yet.
*9887's interface is very nice. I thought it would be a pita to navigate as many have stated however I was used to it within 5 minutes. It's logical and setup quite well.*

Fit and finish: 880 was alright... nothing to scream home about, issues with the face being loose, and on mine I noticed the screen would go out once in a while for maybe 1 second or so. cd7100, I was not impressed with the fit and finish of such a pricey unit. It had similar feel of its motorized face, required a strange mounting style in order to allow the face to open properly and to remove and play discs. VERY big pain in the a$$. *9887 No motorized face, doesn't feel loose or sloppy, super tight solid feel to it, excellent feel.*

Here's the most important part - SQ -

I think there's no question that the CD7100 has better SQ. There are just things I noticed right off the bat without any tuning that give the CD7100 the edge in that regard. 880prs had a much more... warm/soft sound vs the CD7100 which was an in your face type of sound. the 9887 couples both of those, its warm, yet rich and powerful, it's not as in your face as the cd7100, and not as laid back as the 880prs, I'd call it a happy medium.

I also find that the Audiocontrol Matrix that I originally purchased to increase the level of the 880's outputs is no longer necessary. The Eclipse has much stronger outputs with no know noise issues like the 880 has. 9887 - Although rated at only 4 volt at high impedence I must say the 9887's outputs are VERY strong. They are similar in sound to the ear to the CD7100 which claims 8v.

The 880 prs had very consistent sound, I never felt that I had to have the volume up extremely high just to get output... the CD7100 at times required me to turn the volume up to 65-70 out of 80 or so just for it to be loud and consistent... 9887, I've never had to go higher than 15/20 to get good output.

So far my rank of these 3 HU's would be 9887 followed by the 880prs followed by the CD7100. All three are very good units, however it's clear that some of the attention to details is superior in the 9887 vs the CD7100 as well as the 880prs.

Those are my impressions so far, maybe more to come if I find more features etc.


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## nismos14 (Jun 22, 2007)

Crap can this be moved to reviews, I put it in tutorials by mistake.

I'm such noobx.


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## The Drake (Apr 3, 2007)

Great write up! Althought the 880 does have a built in AUX port at the bottom of the face. Its what I use to hook up to my PDA when I need it.


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## nismos14 (Jun 22, 2007)

Thanks . Ah ok, I always assumed that was for AUTO EQ/TA mic only. I never did try to use it when I had the HU.


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## DearS (May 14, 2005)

great write up, Its what I was looking for. Awesome!


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## nismos14 (Jun 22, 2007)

No problem! Glad it could be of service


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## Babs (Jul 6, 2007)

I get the impression a guy could pretty much flip a coin between the 880 and 9887 and probably do no harm... But given the choice, the 9887 has just the slightest upper-hand, making it just a weeeee bit more value.. depending on what you like about either.


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## nismos14 (Jun 22, 2007)

Babs said:


> I get the impression a guy could pretty much flip a coin between the 880 and 9887 and probably do no harm... But given the choice, the 9887 has just the slightest upper-hand, making it just a weeeee bit more value.. depending on what you like about either.



Ya maybe so, the biggest downfall of the 880 is the weak pre-outs, 5 volt? Yea right!! And the lack of fixing the Pico fuse issues.


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## Babs (Jul 6, 2007)

nismos14 said:


> Ya maybe so, the biggest downfall of the 880 is the weak pre-outs, 5 volt? Yea right!! And the lack of fixing the Pico fuse issues.


Indeed... $20 bet says that Pioneer has a replacement with the looks of their later head units in mind to replace the 880.. Good player but has an issue or two. I do like the P9 style display though.. Whatever replaces it, I hope they keep it relatively old-school in looks.. forget the fluff.. just SQ. I'd also hope they go to better connections for rca's also instead of the pig-tail.. Probably controversial, but I'd run away from any decent home preamp that had such a thing.. Very cheap.

How about a 2-din changer with SD card, USB, digi-iPod input, 9887 SQ features, gorgeous sure-enough metal faceplate, and 9255 build quality and rotary attenuator, 3 L/R preouts & 2 sub outs, oh to dream.  Krell needs to build car head units!


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## nismos14 (Jun 22, 2007)

Babs said:


> How about a 2-din changer with SD card, USB, digi-iPod input, 9887 SQ features, gorgeous sure-enough metal faceplate, and 9255 build quality and rotary attenuator, 3 L/R preouts & 2 sub outs, oh to dream.  Krell needs to build car head units!


You have no idea how much I agree with you!


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## Babs (Jul 6, 2007)

We need to petition someone like B&K or Parasound or Anthem or one of those guys to come out with a limited production of something like that. All hi-end preamp and dac components and make two models, one with and without an actual CD player. Eh, the market wouldn't support it.


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## nismos14 (Jun 22, 2007)

Yep thats the main problem.


I would love to have something that looked as classy as the old FH-P8800 from Pioneer, with active capabilities and all the goodies without the nav/screen etc. I just don't need that stuff.


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## Babs (Jul 6, 2007)

The 9255 or P9 or F1 Status is pretty much it... Unless you want no processing... Then it's an MX406 which is a nice deck.. But then you have to de-digitize into some kind of processor like an H650. Sorry I'm way off topic. I digress. TGIF!


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## krakatau (Mar 8, 2008)

Bro, what you mention 880 is P80 right? 880 is for the term in US and P80 is for in SG isit?

There is one unit Pioneer DEH-P980BT which is slightly more expensive than both P80PRS and P80PRSII. What do you think of this model?

http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Products/CarAudioVideo/Source/CD-Players/DEH-P980BT?tab=A


Also, what is your personal opinion of the new model Eclipse CD7200MKII compared to the rest that you've mentioned?

http://www.eclipse-web.com/cd/cd7200overviews.html


Thanks


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## sqshoestring (Jun 19, 2007)

Great review! I've been leaning toward an 880 and had one stupid question about these HU, I want to run midbass in the future likely 50-300Hz or in that area. What are the options with these HU for that? Extra cost/etc? Can they do it, or do it with passive mid/tweeters? Can't seem to find on a search.


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## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

This was a very good review. Thank you for taking the time to do this. It answered a lot of questions that I had.

Zach


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## nismos14 (Jun 22, 2007)

sqshoestring said:


> Great review! I've been leaning toward an 880 and had one stupid question about these HU, I want to run midbass in the future likely 50-300Hz or in that area. What are the options with these HU for that? Extra cost/etc? Can they do it, or do it with passive mid/tweeters? Can't seem to find on a search.


Unfortunately the 880 would require an additional external crossover to run a 3 way setup.



Boostedrex said:


> This was a very good review. Thank you for taking the time to do this. It answered a lot of questions that I had.
> 
> Zach


No problem, glad it helped!


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## Luke352 (Jul 24, 2006)

nismos14 said:


> Time to throw a 3rd card into the mix - CDA-9887
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I use my TA level control for sub level, since in TA the Eclipse has a level set for each one of the 6 outputs from 0 through to -30db and mute, I use these settings extensively, and do all my my sub level adjustments through this, for example my comp setting is -11 my daily setting is -7 and when I feel like flexing the windscreen I put it up to -1/0.


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## sqshoestring (Jun 19, 2007)

nismos14 said:


> Unfortunately the 880 would require an additional external crossover to run a 3 way setup.


Thank you, I thought it might be a point of interest since I see lots of talk about midbass drivers and I want to add them when I can. External would not bother me except I prefer to have access to things from the driver seat if possible.


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## nismos14 (Jun 22, 2007)

sqshoestring said:


> Thank you, I thought it might be a point of interest since I see lots of talk about midbass drivers and I want to add them when I can. External would not bother me except I prefer to have access to things from the driver seat if possible.


I hear you. If you are willing to forgo the subwoofer, you can run a 3-way active set with a dxz775usb.


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## mikey7182 (Jan 16, 2008)

Or if you've got more than a single DIN opening in your dash, you can always do a 3 way active 1/2 DIN unit... I think Arc Audio makes a pretty nice one. There are a lot of options available. Then you can keep sub control from the HU and do 3 way active front from the 1/2 DIN unit, maintaining full control from the dash.


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## acousticguitar (Jul 15, 2005)

I just want to chime in. I don't think I need to write up a new review, so here are my thoughts after a few days with the 9887 against my old deck, which was a cd5444 eclipse.

system: 
CDA 9887 HU
Alpine MRV-302 amp, drives Rainbow SLC265 comps and JBL GTO rear mids (because I have passenger)
Soon-to-be-installed Alpine PDX-1.600 driving pair of Rockford HE2 8"s sealed

So as you can tell, this is WITHOUT sub...

I had a 9830 before, just didnt like the Alpine sound. Not enough detail, sharpness, clarity.

The CD5444 was a lot more sharp. The high ends were focused, and while the mids/lows were sort of mechanical, I didn't mind. (My favorite monitoring cans are MDR-v7506 Sony's, so I like sharp, clear sound)

The CDA9887 at first was a dud. I couldn't stand it because it had warmth and the highs were muddy. It really bothered me. I played with the TA and EQ, and I didn't like it much... until recently when I noticed that there were things I were hearing in my car that I hadn't before. I don't know if its the DAC, but there is *more* detail in the 9887. It's not necessarily sharp, but the sound stage feels more like a real stage. More depth, and more detailed. Scary enough, I think I actually like this HU's sound signature.

I agree completely with the OP on this. Eclipse is much more forward, sharper... (I really dislike Pioneer decks, so I am not going there) The Alpine is a happy medium... I would prefer it slightly sharper/clearer, but the amount of detail paired with warmth is actually quite nice.

Now I can't wait to install a set of Focal Polykev's (with the Mistral tweeter) that have been sitting in my closet!


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## nismos14 (Jun 22, 2007)

^ nice review!  Glad I'm not the only one who noticed the sound signature difference.


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