# Alpine vs kenwood???



## Helpingfriendly

I need a new HU and I can't decide between the Kenwood dmx 7704s and the Alpine ilx-f309. Both play Flac which I need. But which one has more audio tweaking and processing? I don't have a DSP so I would like to get as much control as possible from the unit. Which one has better sound quality?. I havnt seen many videos on the ilx-309 but I did notice the kenwood displays album art in a small box which i would perfer a bigger album display. How's the album art display with the alpine? I plan to use mostly with hi-res music files through usb. Thanks guys!


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## Sine Swept

Looks like the Kenwood is a double din and the Alpine is a 9 inch in a single din chassis, that apparently hangs out of your dash like a piece of cheese.

Just looked at them both and that was the first thing I noticed.


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## Helpingfriendly

Yea I can fit both in no problem


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## pjhabit

The Alpine has a 9-Band Parametric EQ vs the Kenwoods 13-band graphic.
The Kenwood has more x-over points. And album art display is similar. 

I'm lookin at HU's myself...been considerring the Pioneer NEX series.


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## Hvactech

Out of those 2, the Kenwood gets my vote based off you wanting more tunability...


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## Helpingfriendly

Hvactech said:


> Out of those 2, the Kenwood gets my vote based off you wanting more tunability...


That's what I was originally set on and then I keep reading about people having issues with it. I've also read people saying the Alpine sounds better. This is what brought me to start this thread. I figured I'd ask for some last minute opinions before I pulled the trigger. Would love to hear more if someone can help..


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## unix_usr

Based solely on my prior life as an electronic repair tech (years ago) ... we saw a ton of Kenwood units, by and far the most commonly broken unit. 

Maybe times have changed since then, but I wouldn't sell my worst enemy a Kenwood head unit. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## bassfreak85

Jvc 740 840 or 940.
I had the 730 now I have the SQ kenwood ddx 6904s. The jvc has the network mode.
Alpine is over priced.
I'd do the new jvc 840.


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## bassfreak85

unix_usr said:


> Based solely on my prior life as an electronic repair tech (years ago) ... we saw a ton of Kenwood units, by and far the most commonly broken unit.
> 
> Maybe times have changed since then, but I wouldn't sell my worst enemy a Kenwood head unit.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I owned a badass x991. Still my favorite cd player. Never had problems with mine. Hope I don't 650 for my 6904 wasn't excatly cheap.


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## Theslaking

Kenwood's of the last few years have been pretty good. There is a discussion about the Alpine unit on here. Search it. I vote Kenwood. They definitely had a several year bad run of their mid level units.


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## Iamsecond

I would probably go with the alpine. the Kenwood tuning ability isn't so great. the time alignment isn't that great and the 13 band eq can only go so far. a parametric on the alpine would be better. I have a kenwood ddx393 and im not crazy about it. I had to buy an external dsp to get things right. the kenwoods time alignment settings were to large of jumps for me to get it right. the 9 band parametric would be better but I don't know about the time alignment ability


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## Theslaking

A lot of the reason I picked the Kenwood has nothing to do with usability. To me the Alpine just looks plain awkward. Neither of them have good enough DSP.


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## Helpingfriendly

So just to make sure the Alpine would even fit I went out to my truck to measure and I realized I don't know the height of the display screen. I searched on the web everywhere and all I get is a 9" width. But does anyone know the height of the screen?? The manual dosnt even say. Only says 9". Wtf Alpine??


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## rob feature

Most of the new Pioneers get almost the same DSP features as the 80PRS at a lower price point than either of those. If Pioneer is an option. I was looking at these a while back and Pioneer would be my first choice mostly because it will do an active 3-way and the others won't. But of the 2 you're considering - the Kenwood.


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## 89grand

Pioneer is my favorite head unit brand by far. I used to run a 880PRS (I loved that deck), I have a Pioneer media player in my Jeep, and just bought a Pioneer MVH-2300NEX for my Magnum. ****, I even use a Pioneer home receiver.

Next up would be Alpine.


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## bassfreak85

89grand said:


> Pioneer is my favorite head unit brand by far. I used to run a 880PRS (I loved that deck), I have a Pioneer media player in my Jeep, and just bought a Pioneer MVH-2300NEX for my Magnum. ****, I even use a Pioneer home receiver.
> 
> Next up would be Alpine.


 this is the second time in 10 years I used Pioneer and went back and said I would never go back the Pioneer just doesn't sound as good as a Kenwood nor the JVC for that matter


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## Hammer1

Helpingfriendly said:


> So just to make sure the Alpine would even fit I went out to my truck to measure and I realized I don't know the height of the display screen. I searched on the web everywhere and all I get is a 9" width. But does anyone know the height of the screen?? The manual dosnt even say. Only says 9". Wtf Alpine??


It is about 5 inch’s tall. If you want a exact measurement I can get it tomorrow


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## Helpingfriendly

Hammer1 said:


> Helpingfriendly said:
> 
> 
> 
> So just to make sure the Alpine would even fit I went out to my truck to measure and I realized I don't know the height of the display screen. I searched on the web everywhere and all I get is a 9" width. But does anyone know the height of the screen?? The manual dosnt even say. Only says 9". Wtf Alpine??
> 
> 
> 
> It is about 5 inch’s tall. If you want a exact measurement I can get it tomorrow
Click to expand...

Yes please. That would be very helpful. Thanks


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## bonesb

Get a Pioneer if you can, if not the Kenwood and then probably the Alpine. But man I love these new Halos, looks like I could get a big screen without a custom install


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## Helpingfriendly

bonesb said:


> Get a Pioneer if you can, if not the Kenwood and then probably the Alpine. But man I love these new Halos, looks like I could get a big screen without a custom install <img src="http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/images/smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0" alt="" title="Big Grin" class="inlineimg" />


Yes I agree the big screen looks dope. 

How do people feel about me waiting till April for the new kenwood 5 series. It's like the excelons now but with 5v pre outs. Would the 5v make for a better sound? I believe the new units will also have better screens with HD. As well as wireless android auto.


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## Helpingfriendly

Im shocked about all the pioneer love


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## bassfreak85

Helpingfriendly said:


> Im shocked about all the pioneer love


lack of experience


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## bassfreak85

Helpingfriendly said:


> bonesb said:
> 
> 
> 
> Get a Pioneer if you can, if not the Kenwood and then probably the Alpine. But man I love these new Halos, looks like I could get a big screen without a custom install <img src="http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/images/smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0" alt="" title="Big Grin" class="inlineimg" />
> 
> 
> 
> Yes I agree the big screen looks dope.
> 
> How do people feel about me waiting till April for the new kenwood 5 series. It's like the excelons now but with 5v pre outs. Would the 5v make for a better sound? I believe the new units will also have better screens with HD. As well as wireless android auto.
Click to expand...

The 6904s has everything the 6905 will with exception of hd screen. Anything that small hd is pointless


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## 89grand

Helpingfriendly said:


> Im shocked about all the pioneer love


You shouldn't be. They make great head units.



bassfreak85 said:


> lack of experience


That is definitely NOT it.


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## court

Alpine or Kenwood are both good products. I have had Kenwood Double dins in the past and 13 band eq is nice . I also used a Audio Control EQS and 6XS to help with signal processing. I currently have a Alpine Double Din unit. I decided to change up a little. As someone previously posted the Alpine has a 9 band parametric eq. You also must go to the App store and buy Alpine Tune It if you plan to add Components, Subs, etc. If you plan to use the 9 band parametric eq. Knowing what i know now. I would go with the Kenwood. I have already invested in my Alpine unit and will be using my AudioControl for all Equalization.


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## Iamsecond

Just a thought, but for the money you would probably be better served to buy a cheaper hu and get a dsp. I know you will not have the "best" hu, but the options for tuning and sound would be greatly enhanced. 
Honestly, your tuning will make more difference than the brand of hu. this may be debated and probably will be but unless your "competing" and want to spend a massive amount of money your not going to "hear" the difference. 
If you get different head units and just play them without any processing or eq you might tell a difference but no one does that.


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## syc0path

Another vote for Kenwood. That's my go-to brand for HUs based on features, sound quality, and build quality for the price. Still, I have to agree that a cheaper HU and DSP is probably going to give u better tuneability, and ultimately, better sound.

As for the size of the screen on the Alpine, pretty much any modern display will have a 16:9 ratio. 16 / 9 = ~1.78. So 9" wide / 1.78 = 5.05" high. Obviously that won't take into account the width of the bezel (it could be thin on the side and thick on the top and bottom), but that should be a pretty good estimate.


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## Iamsecond

the alpine looks cool but if you want tunability and tweakability, for the same money, I would get the Kenwood and a Metra Axxess DSP or Euphoria DSP. Others may suggest helix or other dsp but for the price points, you cannot beat these units. any of these combos will give you endless tuning options that a simple hu can not except a couple of high-end head units and even then, I would rather have an external dsp.


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## Truthunter

Helpingfriendly said:


> So just to make sure the Alpine would even fit I went out to my truck to measure and I realized I don't know the height of the display screen. I searched on the web everywhere and all I get is a 9" width. But does anyone know the height of the screen?? The manual dosnt even say. Only says 9". Wtf Alpine??


235.2mm (9.26") Wide x 152.2mm (5.99") High

Install manual has dimensions on page 18: http://vault.alpine-usa.com/products/documents/IM_iLX-F309_EN_ES_FR.pdf


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## Silvercoat

My vote is Kenwood currently. (Having installed both professionally over 8 years). Older Alpines were the king of quality, now Kenwood is really on their game. Alpine is spending a lot of time and money on restyle options...which are cool but they are falling behind the times a bit. Current Kenwoods have the best features and ease of use (Compared to Pioneer etc) Their tuner is fairly decent for an out of the box solution. Some of them even have an internal DSP bypass for if you ever do get a separate DSP. The Alpine Halo is neat... the lack of wireless Android Auto for THIS year is what kills it for me.


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## What?

court said:


> ...the Alpine has a 9 band parametric eq. You also must go to the App store and buy Alpine Tune It if you plan to add Components, Subs, etc. If you plan to use the 9 band parametric eq. Knowing what i know now. I would go with the Kenwood. I have already invested in my Alpine unit and will be using my AudioControl for all Equalization.


Tuneit app is free and all EQ, X-Over, TC functions are accessible in the iLX-F309 headunit without downloading Tuneit. The iLX-107 wireless carplay unit requires Tuneit to use the more elaborate tuning functions.

The lowest bass frequency on Kenwood's 13 band EQ is 62.5Hz.


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## Iamsecond

And that is why we suggested the kenwood and add a dsp for the same cost of the alpine.


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## What?

Just correcting and adding information.


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## (s)AINT

Pioneer is a no brainer to me IMO. They are the only double din radio with Carplay AND 3 way active crossover / tuning features found on the 80PRS. I'm very happy with my 2330 NEX for that reason.


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## bassfreak85

(s)AINT said:


> Pioneer is a no brainer to me IMO. They are the only double din radio with Carplay AND 3 way active crossover / tuning features found on the 80PRS. I'm very happy with my 2330 NEX for that reason.


wrong. They also sound the worse


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## 89grand

bassfreak85 said:


> wrong. They also sound the worse


I just installed a Pioneer MHV-2300NEX, and it sounds excellent, and it's even running the factory amp and speakers right now. I haven't even tuned it except for some mild initial eq.

Except for some total no name ****, JVC would be, and always has been at the bottom of my list. I didn't even know they were still around.


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## bassfreak85

89grand said:


> I just installed a Pioneer MHV-2300NEX, and it sounds excellent, and it's even running the factory amp and speakers right now. I haven't even tuned it except for some mild initial eq.


When you have 1200 regulated watts of good ab circuitry and excellent drivers installed correctly you can hear the difference


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## rob feature




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## RRizz

:inout: Lol


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## 89grand

bassfreak85 said:


> When you have 1200 regulated watts of good ab circuitry and excellent drivers installed correctly you can hear the difference


I had 1000 watts of power, and good drivers back when I used my excellent 880PRS. My current car, with the MVH-2300NEX, will have even better drivers and more power when I'm finished with it, and I'm confident the head unit will not be a weak link.


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## oleve

subscribed, this seems like a very interesting thread


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## bassfreak85

89grand said:


> bassfreak85 said:
> 
> 
> 
> When you have 1200 regulated watts of good ab circuitry and excellent drivers installed correctly you can hear the difference
> 
> 
> 
> I had 1000 watts of power, and good drivers back when I used my excellent 880PRS. My current car, with the MVH-2300NEX, will have even better drivers and more power when I'm finished with it, and I'm confident the head unit will not be a weak link.
Click to expand...

I went from the 4800 to the jvc 730 to the kenwood ddx 6904. There is a reason I recommend the jvc. It's a steal for the money.


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## riceandpho

isn't jvc part of kenwood?

out of the alpine vs kenwood, i would choose kenwood.
fivestarcarstereo has alot of videos with kenwood products.

but im also a pioneer guy, been using that since the old man had the keh-p7400 cassette deck with the 12 disc changer.


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## bassfreak85

riceandpho said:


> isn't jvc part of kenwood?
> 
> out of the alpine vs kenwood, i would choose kenwood.
> fivestarcarstereo has alot of videos with kenwood products.
> 
> but im also a pioneer guy, been using that since the old man had the keh-p7400 cassette deck with the 12 disc changer.


 Does Rosie O'Donnell hate Donald Trump? Lol


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## gijoe

bassfreak85 said:


> Does Rosie O'Donnell hate Donald Trump? Lol


Do you ever add anything useful? We know you hate Pioneer because they sound bad 

Oddly, the P99RS is among the best sound head units made, the 80PRS has incredible tuning features on a budget, and the 800 and 880's were a very stylish version of the 80PRS. 

I will say that if I wasn't buying Pioneer's top tier pieces, I wouldn't bother, but saying they sound bad, how can you support that claim? 

Your opinion is not only useless because it lacks any factual justification, but also because echoic memory isn't good enough to let a person make this decision without directly comparing multiple head units withing 5 seconds of one another (so unless you've done this with multiple Pioneer head units, and multiple Kenwood, and Alpine head units, all of which must have been previously optimized, your perspective is completely flawed and unreliable.) Have you done double blind A/B comparisons with optimized head units (judging a product like this as it is out of the box is silly, you have to know that) frequently enough that you've seen a clear pattern that Pioneer head units scored worse? I didn't think so. 

You're certainly welcome you brand loyalty, but your claims that Pioneer head units sound worse than others are so terribly flawed that you can't possible believe that people will take you seriously. Dislike Pioneer all you want, but at least have a real reason. Your flawed memories from your childhood aren't good enough.


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## bassfreak85

gijoe said:


> bassfreak85 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Does Rosie O'Donnell hate Donald Trump? Lol
> 
> 
> 
> Do you ever add anything useful? We know you hate Pioneer because they sound bad <img src="http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/images/smilies/rolleyes.gif" border="0" alt="" title="Roll Eyes (Sarcastic)" class="inlineimg" />
> 
> Oddly, the P99RS is among the best sound head units made, the 80PRS has incredible tuning features on a budget, and the 800 and 880's were a very stylish version of the 80PRS.
> 
> I will say that if I wasn't buying Pioneer's top tier pieces, I wouldn't bother, but saying they sound bad, how can you support that claim?
> 
> Your opinion is not only useless because it lacks any factual justification, but also because echoic memory isn't good enough to let a person make this decision without directly comparing multiple head units withing 5 seconds of one another (so unless you've done this with multiple Pioneer head units, and multiple Kenwood, and Alpine head units, all of which must have been previously optimized, your perspective is completely flawed and unreliable.) Have you done double blind A/B comparisons with optimized head units (judging a product like this as it is out of the box is silly, you have to know that) frequently enough that you've seen a clear pattern that Pioneer head units scored worse? I didn't think so.
> 
> You're certainly welcome you brand loyalty, but your claims that Pioneer head units sound worse than others are so terribly flawed that you can't possible believe that people will take you seriously. Dislike Pioneer all you want, but at least have a real reason. Your flawed memories from your childhood aren't good enough.
Click to expand...

frequency response graphs tell you nothing without overlapping the Analog input signal to the Analog output signal in a properly dead environment.

I've owned the pioneer 4800 the jvc 730 and now the kenwood 6904. I don't care for the cheap out dated dacs pioneer uses.
I'm not even wasting my time on this. I made myself clear. The jvc and kenwood simply put on the higher resolution recordings just sounded more realistic. It's that simple.


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## DarmoZ

I'm from the UK and i am currently deciding between the below two headunits to replace my Alpine 178-bt. 

1) Kenwood DMX-7017DABS (US Model Number DMX7704S)
2) Pioneer SPH-DA230DAB (US Model number MVH-2300NEX)

(Note: In the UK, DAB stands for Digital audio broadcasting aka HD Radio.)

I am aware of the Alpine models mentioned, but they are out the equation for being overpriced.

So, from my Research everything is pointing towards the Kenwood, this is why... 

1) Won awards, EISA best product 2017 and 2018, Autoexpress 2017 best product
2) Has more reviews and more consistent positive reviews: Common things i am hearing is that the kenwood sounds more warmer and overall better. The Alpines are very detailed and also high quality but more on the bright side, the pioneers gets good reviews too, but people just say 'good sound' whereas the kenwood reviews people are much more enthusiastic like 'Awesome sound!' on crutchfield a guy claims to be into car audio for around 25 years and says the Kenwood model is the best sounding unit he has ever had, which has totally changed my perception of car audio brands, seems as though they have stepped up their game in recent couple years.
3) CarSteroChicks blog even recommends the kenwood above other brands when it comes to sound quality in 2018. (although i think she is kinda biased towards kenwoods)
4) Fivestarcaraudio youtube channel raves more about kenwoods 2018 line up than pioneers and Alpine (except for the Halo 9 inch)

Iv'e never had any experience with HU's other then Alpine before, so this will be a first tine jumping ship for me.


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## rlee777

DarmoZ said:


> I'm from the UK and i am currently deciding between the below two headunits to replace my Alpine 178-bt.
> 
> 1) Kenwood DMX-7017DABS (US Model Number DMX7704S)
> 2) Pioneer SPH-DA230DAB (US Model number MVH-2300NEX)
> 
> (Note: In the UK, DAB stands for Digital audio broadcasting aka HD Radio.)
> 
> I am aware of the Alpine models mentioned, but they are out the equation for being overpriced.
> 
> So, from my Research everything is pointing towards the Kenwood, this is why...
> 
> 1) Won awards, EISA best product 2017 and 2018, Autoexpress 2017 best product
> 2) Has more reviews and more consistent positive reviews: Common things i am hearing is that the kenwood sounds more warmer and overall better. The Alpines are very detailed and also high quality but more on the bright side, the pioneers gets good reviews too, but people just say 'good sound' whereas the kenwood reviews people are much more enthusiastic like 'Awesome sound!' on crutchfield a guy claims to be into car audio for around 25 years and says the Kenwood model is the best sounding unit he has ever had, which has totally changed my perception of car audio brands, seems as though they have stepped up their game in recent couple years.
> 3) CarSteroChicks blog even recommends the kenwood above other brands when it comes to sound quality in 2018. (although i think she is kinda biased towards kenwoods)
> 4) Fivestarcaraudio youtube channel raves more about kenwoods 2018 line up than pioneers and Alpine (except for the Halo 9 inch)
> 
> Iv'e never had any experience with HU's other then Alpine before, so this will be a first tine jumping ship for me.


I would agree that the new Kenwoods (now own the DDX-9704S) have strong SQ across all sources. Before I had the Pioneer 80PRS, Alpine 164BT in another car and Alpine W265BT, Sony XAV-AX200, and now the Kenwood in my Camry. Using MiniDSPs in both cars, so I basically left all HUs at flat. Both Alpines are detailed with rich sound, but bright in the lower treble. The current Kenwood is the best -- precise detail, superb midrange, transparent. Both the Pioneer and the Sony were a step down in SQ; sounding compressed and lacking clarity, even with HQ sources. Especially disappointed with the Sony -- I have had previous Sony ES HUs that were excellent.

After a month with my current DDX9704S, the only thing that I would want is a brighter screen for daytime visibility....looks like this was addressed with the 9905S.


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## Hillbilly SQ

Since this thread got revived I'm going to give my impressions on Pioneer vs Kenwood. 

880prs added a signature to the sound I couldn't get rid of. 80prs didn't seem to add anything extra to the sound which is a good thing.

Bottom of the line Pioneer 1700 double din vs $400ish Kenwood double din? In a direct swap the Kenwood just seemed to have a little more depth to the sound than the Pioneer. Hard to explain but the difference seemed to be there. I put the Pioneer back in because I liked the user interface better and the underside of my dash amplified the fan sound in the Kenwood like a horn body. Sold the Kenwood to my buddy and he still loves it after 2-3 years. Makes the factory speakers in his 2011 Sierra sound surprisingly good, but would have had the same results with any other aftermarket headunit.


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## OneGun

I've just gone through quite a costly HU audition. 

I have two vehicles, an 05 Silverado and an 08 CRV. I did similar builds in both.


Both are connected to the same Infinity Reference 4555a 5 Channel, giving 45 x 4 RMS. 

In the CRV, I started with a JVC Arsenal KW-VW20BT. 

I had it installed for about 2 months, tweaking and tuning basically non-stop for weeks. I'd get it sounding decent for a few tracks, but then some sounded like garbage. 

Finally, I replaced it with the Pioneer 80prs. Once that was installed, a quick tweak of the EQ and X-Overs had my system sounding _much_ better. I was so pleased with it, I ordered a second to keep on hand. I still need to do some more advanced tuning with this system via RTA/REW, but even now without doing either, I'm very impressed with the SQ and it's clear that this unit is built to sound good. 


In the Silverado, I started with a Sony XAV-AX100. 

I trusted Sony because many years ago, I bought a budget single DIN CD player they made and it sounded amazing. My experience with the XAV-AX100 was abysmal at best. Very limited tuning ability and it sounded cheap and empty, no matter what I did. 

So in that case, too, I replaced the HU. This time, thinking I wanted/needed Car-Play, I opened my wallet a bit more and opted for an Alpine iLX-207. 

This has more tuning ability, but seems to color the sound in a way where it just doesn't sound clear. Hard to explain. 

Anyway, I'm in the process of installing a Dayton DSP-408 in the Silverado to see if it gets me to where I want to be. If not, the Alpine will go on Craigslist or eBay and the 80prs will be replacing it. 

I'm hoping the DSP does the trick, but I have the tried and true 80prs BNIB ready to go if **** goes south.


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## Hillbilly SQ

I had a JVC Arsenal single din installed for about two 2 weeks. Glad I'm not the only one that had a bad sonic experience with an Arsenal! And the USB port sounded really grainy.


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## DarmoZ

rlee777 said:


> I would agree that the new Kenwoods (now own the DDX-9704S) have strong SQ across all sources. Before I had the Pioneer 80PRS, Alpine 164BT in another car and Alpine W265BT, Sony XAV-AX200, and now the Kenwood in my Camry. Using MiniDSPs in both cars, so I basically left all HUs at flat. Both Alpines are detailed with rich sound, but bright in the lower treble. The current Kenwood is the best -- precise detail, superb midrange, transparent. Both the Pioneer and the Sony were a step down in SQ; sounding compressed and lacking clarity, even with HQ sources. Especially disappointed with the Sony -- I have had previous Sony ES HUs that were excellent.
> 
> After a month with my current DDX9704S, the only thing that I would want is a brighter screen for daytime visibility....looks like this was addressed with the 9905S.


Thanks for the feedback, this is really helpful, interesting about the Alpine, I also find my alpine 178-bt (a SQ head unit designed to compete with the 80prs when they were both launched) to also be very bright/harsh in the lower treble from 2.6kkz to 5khz, also no matter how much i tuned it could never get it right, i have spent hours and hours, changed speakers and amps, only thing i haven't changed all this time is the HU, looking forward to putting the kenwood in.


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## vinx1127

Hi Everyone, 

I'm on the same boat in choosing between Alpine ilx-702d and Kenwood DDX4018BT or DMX7018BT

I want to upgrade my rubbish RCD310 unit and have those latest features such as Bluetooth, Carplay, USB ports and most importantly have a better sound quality.

I'm also planning to upgrade my stock speakers when I replace my HU.

now, my friend is recommending me to get an Alpine unit because it provides great sound quality but it's just bloody expensive!

Upon reading some comments here, it is really better to have Kenwood HU +DSP? is that value for money and will greatly improve the SQ rather than having Alpine HU unit alone?

How about Kenwood HU with an AMP? why it does it needs to be DSP?

Sorry newbie question


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## DarmoZ

vinx1127 said:


> Hi Everyone,
> 
> I'm on the same boat in choosing between Alpine ilx-702d and Kenwood DDX4018BT or DMX7018BT
> 
> I want to upgrade my rubbish RCD310 unit and have those latest features such as Bluetooth, Carplay, USB ports and most importantly have a better sound quality.
> 
> I'm also planning to upgrade my stock speakers when I replace my HU.
> 
> now, my friend is recommending me to get an Alpine unit because it provides great sound quality but it's just bloody expensive!
> 
> Upon reading some comments here, it is really better to have Kenwood HU +DSP? is that value for money and will greatly improve the SQ rather than having Alpine HU unit alone?
> 
> How about Kenwood HU with an AMP? why it does it needs to be DSP?
> 
> Sorry newbie question


Hi, out of those two i would go with the Kenwood, the DSP won't be necessary, the 2018 kenwoods with car play already have a decent DAC in them and sound great. I have personally heard the DMX7018 in a car audio shop sound board and it sounded great. I have had nothing but Alpin'es in the past and found them all to sound rather Bright. The kenwood sounded warmer and more natural to me. 

I would save money and get the new Kenwood, that particular model has only launched a couple month go, it's the same one i am getting too.


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## vinx1127

DarmoZ said:


> Hi, out of those two i would go with the Kenwood, the DSP won't be necessary, the 2018 kenwoods with car play already have a decent DAC in them and sound great. I have personally heard the DMX7018 in a car audio shop sound board and it sounded great. I have had nothing but Alpin'es in the past and found them all to sound rather Bright. The kenwood sounded warmer and more natural to me.
> 
> I would save money and get the new Kenwood, that particular model has only launched a couple month go, it's the same one i am getting too.


Thanks mate, what you reckon between Kenwood DDX4018BT and DMX7018? Also, do I get an AMP as well?


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## DarmoZ

vinx1127 said:


> Thanks mate, what you reckon between Kenwood DDX4018BT and DMX7018? Also, do I get an AMP as well?


The DD4018BT is more of an entry level product, i would go with the DMX7018 it's a top unit, i believe it has more sound tuning features, also it has a capacitive touchscreen like our smartphones so will be more user friendly.

As for an AMP, this depends what speakers you want to put in and how much you want out of your system. For a decent set of speakers you are best of powering with an amp to get the most out of them, however in previous cars iv'e had, simply changing the stock speakers to something like pioneers/alpines/hertz/focal/JL entry level stuff and powering it off the head unit was enough to keep me satisfied. If getting something from the mid to high end range, then definitely power them with an Amp. A decent set of speakers powered by an amp will allow you to play cleaner and punchier and louder, without distorting, this is heading in more of the enthusiast area.

My personal advice, if you have the budget and are planning to keep the car for a while, then it's worth getting aftermarket speakers/sub with amps. But just change the headunit first, if you still wanting more from your system after this, then look to change the speakers and add an Amp. Or like i said earlier, a good middle ground, is to change the speakers to something entry level aftermarket and let them be powered of the HU.


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## ccarr4207

I know this is a necro, but I'm adding my opinion. I've played with TONS of headunits over the last few years, and pioneers are trash.

Even the "audiophile grade" ones sound like **** being pushed through a clenched sphincter compared to a decent Kenwood. I really wanted to love the deh-80prs, but after looking at the ****ing waves it was putting out.....I just can't. 

Modern Kenwoods are insanely clean. Just my two cents. Rest in peace, dead thread.


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## Fish Chris 2

pjhabit said:


> The Alpine has a 9-Band Parametric EQ vs the Kenwoods 13-band graphic.
> The Kenwood has more x-over points. And album art display is similar.
> 
> I'm lookin at HU's myself...been considerring the Pioneer NEX series.


LOVE my new Pioneer DHM2600 NEX. My last two units were Kenwoods and they both gave me problems.


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## ribrown

Throughout the mid 90s through 2012, I had owned about 6 different Alpine HUs. I always just assumed they were the premier. The in 2012 I took a chance on a low level Kenwood touchscreen HU and the SQ was like night and day better. Since then I have owned about 4 different Kenwood HUs and have been very happy with all of them.

Now this was 8 years ago and I never tried a high end Alpine Screen type HU as I'm sure the more expensive ones sound better than their lower level single DIN models. But when I try something I like, I tend to be quite biased about it. 

So my vote goes to the Kenwood based on about 8 years of SQ satisfaction with them. However, I am far from a professional having compared dozens of different HUs of different brands.

Just my $0.02


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## Rob_Chapman

pjhabit said:


> The Alpine has a 9-Band Parametric EQ vs the Kenwoods 13-band graphic.
> The Kenwood has more x-over points. And album art display is similar.
> 
> I'm lookin at HU's myself...been considerring the Pioneer NEX series.


I know this is an old discussion but it seems even with the new head units the internal DSP capabilities do not have a fine enough resolution to deal with decent performance level tuning. Parametric eq is a big step up for sure but having 1 enough bands that allow significant enough overlap of frequencies (if you don't know why that matters after you use it you will soon learn why), fine increment adjustment of center frequency, bandwidth and boost/cut is super important. Also time on every output and again fine increments is huge. Yes, we can hear .01 millisecond differences if you know what you are listening for and it massively changes what you will need to do with the EQ section. The thing is no headunit is capable of all of that to any really super usable degree yet. If you want better than basic tuning in half dB steps with 10 or so bands of eq then you really need to look at an external DSP. I found the Helix units to be the best.


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## Fish Chris 2

I haven't used Alpine for so long, I wouldn't know. But my last two HU's were Kenwoods, and both gave me problems. This time, I jumped to Pioneer, and so far, Im loving it  No more Kenwoods for me. Alpine ? Ehhh.... Probably good, but IMPO, Pioneer is at the top right now.


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## Rob_Chapman

The only issue I had with my Pioneer is something I heard is common to pioneers in that it developed a slight ground problem internally. You can faintly hear engine whine when it is quiet. It is mostly just a frustration to me at this point as it is out of warranty but I am loath to buy another because it is said that all of their headunits do that.


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