# Good Bye Eclipse we will miss you!



## Mtgrooves (Dec 14, 2009)

I got a press release today from our Eclipse rep and it reads that Fujitsu Ten will no longer be selling the brand Eclipse and is going to focus on the OEM market. This is a sad day for the SQ market as well as our shop that has been a dealer for 15 years strong and we will miss them very much. We were hoping for a strong showing at CES this year but I guess were just holding our breath. Good bye old friend! You will be missed!


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## hornedfrog2000 (Aug 31, 2006)

Their working for Toyota now.


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## kizz (Jun 22, 2009)

WHAT???!!! Why?


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## AAAAAAA (Oct 5, 2007)

The only thing they did worth a look at were H\U's.. and none of them were end all and be all, just another above average face in the crowd to me.


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## XllentAudio (Jun 29, 2009)

this is sad news


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## benny (Apr 7, 2008)

hornedfrog2000 said:


> Their working for Toyota now.


Fujitsu Ten has worked with Toyota since at least 1986.


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## thehatedguy (May 4, 2007)

They haven't had a good deck since the ECD line in the mid 90s.


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## Oliver (Jun 25, 2007)

The other shoe has dropped for audio


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## thehatedguy (May 4, 2007)

Well, having worked at an Eclipse dealer years a go the writing has been on the wall for a while.


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## bassfromspace (Jun 28, 2016)

thehatedguy said:


> They haven't had a good deck since the ECD line in the mid 90s.


The 2003 8-series are highly respected.


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## 12vTools (Jan 15, 2009)

thehatedguy said:


> They haven't had a good deck since the ECD line in the mid 90s.


the cd 5030 was turing things around I thought


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## ca90ss (Jul 2, 2005)

bassfromspace said:


> The 2003 8-series are highly respected.


They were good..........when they worked.


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## 89grand (Nov 23, 2006)

I haven't seen an Eclipse deck I liked the looks of in a LONG time. It's still too bad they are going away I suppose.


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## WRX/Z28 (Feb 21, 2008)

Damn. That sucks. They were a brand that made solid everything... 

Granted, nothing was spectacular this year, but the 5030 and 7200 were still great products, as was the AVN726e. Once TC folded, I figured it was a matter of time. 

Eclipse probably sold more of their subs that anyone else...


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## strong*I*bumpin (Oct 3, 2005)

2 words...''bad economy''


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## JAX (Jun 2, 2006)

wow....I am glad I picked up that new in box 8132 dvd flip out then.....it may be the very last cd player I ever buy...when I change it I guess I got to go with a media center or some crap...

Alpine is the last hope


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## crux131 (Feb 27, 2007)

I always liked their basic and mid line head units.

They offered decent aesthetics and intuitive menu layout...something I felt Alpine had gotten away from( plus most Alpine and Clarion units in these price ranges looked cluttered and were not as simple to navigate ). Never tried one of Eclipses high end models though.


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## jainbaby (Nov 6, 2007)

I absolutely loved my ECD416 and I had another one that came after the ECD series. Can't remember the model...What were the models that came after the ECD series?


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## tr0y_audi0 (Feb 13, 2007)

For the record I love my cd7200mkii
I do have an extra one sitting aside un open just a note
I'm sad about this, for a retail shop it's a bad blow
I sold tons of eclipse i did about $120k this year
most of it was decks but a good part was entry level speakers
that I made good money on...
You can't find a more solid line that has decks, speakers, subs & amps
that you make enough to stay open on..
Internet sales were very well controled ;-)
over all massive hit for retailers


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

No big loss. We just picked them up last year, and I wasn't impressed at all. The 7200 is UGLY, and too hard to use for the average consumer (or someone who thinks they can figure it out, in most cases). The 5030 was OK. I don't care for the interface on the 726e. The radios don't actually fit into the cages they come with. The only down side is that now we'll have to find something to fill all those holes on our board.

Jay


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## jimboman (Jun 24, 2008)

Wow!! When I was talking to my dealer almost 2 years ago, they thought it was wierd that the only offered 3 standars size units, where in the past model line-ups they offered several.

Any bets if they carry over the same models at CES?


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## alachua (Jun 30, 2008)

tr0y_audi0 said:


> For the record I love my cd7200mkii
> I do have an extra one sitting aside un open just a note
> I'm sad about this, for a retail shop it's a bad blow
> I sold tons of eclipse i did about $120k this year
> ...


I wonder if the well controlled internet sales hurt them more than it helped. I won't deny that when I was in retail, dealing with grey market sites was a pain, but the bottom line for a manufacturer is to move units. From a manufacturers point of view, if you can move a mass of units, especially with no end user support costs, its tough not to. Though I will agree protecting your retailers is an admirable trait, only if it doesn't put you out of the market.

On the upside, at least they weren't bought out by DEI


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

Actually, I just googled "Fujitsu Ten Eclipse Press Release," and the President's 2010 New Year Press Release doesn't say anything about it. Where did you see this information? Or is this like the Alpine rep starting rumors too...

Jay


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## OldSkool_08 (Jun 6, 2008)

That sucks!


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## jimboman (Jun 24, 2008)

alachua said:


> On the upside, at least they weren't bought out by DEI




Yet.


I can see people asking about Eclipse in the future and the responses will be "pre or post buyout?"


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## Pillow (Nov 14, 2009)

My older Eclipse HU was the most reliable deck I ever had, over ten years old and worked like new. Just sold it with vehicle last month pumping signal to an Orion 500.4 XTR, which was a nice setup for 10 years ago. 

Sad.


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## ChrisB (Jul 3, 2008)

jimboman said:


> Yet.
> 
> 
> I can see people asking about Eclipse in the future and the responses will be "pre or post buyout?"


I am getting out of car audio and buying a boat if DEI is allowed to run another name into the ground.


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## alachua (Jun 30, 2008)

06BLMUSTANGGT said:


> I am getting out of car audio and buying a boat if DEI is allowed to run another name into the ground.


Well, buying a boat may be the only more effective way to lose money than having DEI buy out a brand :laugh:


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## Lanson (Jan 9, 2007)

How are the new Eclipse amps? Thinking about a pair of EA4200's and ZA1200.

For the record, I LOVE my Eclipse SW8000. But that's a TC Sounds product. Eclipse had the balls to commission them to be built though.


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## ryan s (Dec 19, 2006)

fourthmeal said:


> How are the new Eclipse amps? Thinking about a pair of EA4200's and ZA1200.
> 
> For the record, I LOVE my Eclipse SW8000. But that's a TC Sounds product. Eclipse had the balls to commission them to be built though.


I've had my EA2000 in the car for like 3.5 years...no complaints. The styling is over the top for me with the fake CF look and light up logo, but overall, it's good for the money. Hard to beat Made in Japan class A/B power for the $, especially compared to the current crop of stuff we have on the market...


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## Catman (Mar 18, 2008)

They won't be missed ...nothing more than upper end 'mid-fi' at best. FAR from 'high end' / "SQ".

>^..^<


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## ACRucrazy (Mar 13, 2007)

strong*I*bumpin said:


> 2 words...''bad economy''


2 words

E Bay


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## Lanson (Jan 9, 2007)

ryan s said:


> I've had my EA2000 in the car for like 3.5 years...no complaints. The styling is over the top for me with the fake CF look and light up logo, but overall, it's good for the money. Hard to beat Made in Japan class A/B power for the $, especially compared to the current crop of stuff we have on the market...



Yes but is the new design made in japan or china? that's the toughie.


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## mSaLL150 (Aug 14, 2008)

fourthmeal said:


> How are the new Eclipse amps? Thinking about a pair of EA4200's and ZA1200.


A good friend of mine had 2 of those newest 4200s and a ZA1200. He was getting a ton of noise from both the EA's outputs, I know he was trying to sell them because of it. The ZA was great though.


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## 00poop6x (Jan 20, 2007)

ACRucrazy said:


> 2 words
> 
> E Bay


You beat me to it 

I know it's tough to eat, people. You have to realize some products are whored out online and it could be blamed for the manufacturer's fault, but also sometimes it gives no options for the manufacturer because the consumer refuses to buy locally or from a legit authorized dealer. Support your dealer, even if there are a-hole scumbags shop near you, call the manufacturer so they can locate you another one.

Arc Audio hand selects their dealers, Hybrid does as well, Image Dynamics, Dynaudio...and many others... if any of their dealers don't satisfy you I'm sure companies like the aforementioned would not hesitate you to another dealer.

If you like a company, SUPPORT THEM. Simple enough.


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## titansfan (Jan 27, 2009)

fourthmeal said:


> How are the new Eclipse amps? Thinking about a pair of EA4200's and ZA1200.
> 
> For the record, I LOVE my Eclipse SW8000. But that's a TC Sounds product. Eclipse had the balls to commission them to be built though.


The ZA1200 is nice...I have one. As far as the EA series, I honestly can't comment on them. I do however run an XA4000 four channel and I love it. Your best bet is to get the XA or ZA series because of ICE Power....very efficient and not taxing on the electrical system. I also wanted to mention that for years I ran Alpine equipment. A few months ago I decided to buy an Eclipse CD8443 head unit...my first Eclipse head unit and one of the best head units I've ever owned. The mid/high end units are great and in my opinion, sound as good if not better than Alpine. If they are indeed "packing their bags," it's a shame.


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## Bruno Sardine (Dec 19, 2009)

I think their decks were pretty good for fairly affordable sq applications. I wasn't really partial to them because of the odd interfaces and I was never too enamored of their looks. I'm still running an AVN7000 but that's mainly because I haven't found anything that entices me into going to the trouble of replacing it. I'm switching cars soon, anyway, so it isn't worth the time to me.

I will say that it's too bad when a company that was a fairly big player in the car audio industry goes out of business. It seemed like Eclipse started to go downhill when they made that deal with Circuit City (whose salespeople couldn't tell the difference between an Eclipse radio and a Jensen radio, other than the "big" name). Looks like they just couldn't recover. Too bad. I just hope this isn't something that discourages manufacturers of other higher quality decks.


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## Catman (Mar 18, 2008)

Bruno Sardine said:


> ...
> 
> .....It seemed like Eclipse started to go downhill when they made that deal with Circuit City (whose salespeople couldn't tell the difference between an Eclipse radio and a Jensen radio, other than the "big" name). Looks like they just couldn't recover. Too bad. I just hope this isn't something that discourages manufacturers of other higher quality decks.


Just like when Nakamichi was selling through Best Buy ...IMO they have not recovered from that 'black eye' yet ...don't know if they will.

>^..^<


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## schmiddr2 (Aug 10, 2009)

It was one of the better products you could get at a lot of CA shops...you know, before everyone had the internet. They were in my first build in 96'. I like the SP6510 2-way for an average versatile shallow-mid component set.


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## Matthew13 (Aug 21, 2009)

It's a sad day, another big name gone. Our shop has carried Eclipse for years, what a shame.


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

thehatedguy said:


> They haven't had a good deck since the ECD line in the mid 90s.


This.


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## eclipse_DYN (Nov 23, 2008)

Damn shame this is. I have always loved Eclipse products, my first ever system was mostly Eclipse. I still have the DA7122 mono, PA4212 amp, PA5422 amp, 88150DVC. I have also owned a CD8053 and CD5000. All great products....... They made some great point source co-axials too


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## Jroo (May 24, 2006)

This sucks. I loved every one of my eclipse decks new and old. I never had issues and were some of the best sounding decks I ever had especially my older ones. I wonder if this will start to drive the used prices up?


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## Lanson (Jan 9, 2007)

mSaLL150 said:


> A good friend of mine had 2 of those newest 4200s and a ZA1200. He was getting a ton of noise from both the EA's outputs, I know he was trying to sell them because of it. The ZA was great though.



Thank You.

Saved me a ton of heartache.


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## BowDown (Sep 24, 2009)

My 5504 was the best HU I have owned. Looking forward to my CD5030.


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## simplicityinsound (Feb 2, 2007)

I am not a big fan of eclipse. when i first started out in sq, all i used was eclipse, went through 6 eclipse units in the span of 2 years. these model numbers may be wrong, but its best i can remember 5440 5441, 5303r 5605? (6 disc in dash), and whatever the commander back then was called, 5508 or something? no idea.

anyway, after the 6th one i pretty much swore them off for good...

every single one had issues with it, and 4 out of 6 were bought new:

mad skipping issues (eskips anyone?)
even the most basic 5440 would give me some error code every few months
cd mechanism jam
face plate motorization malfunctoin
backwards user interface and ergonomics
etc

another thing i remmeber distinctively was helping my old freind Jason Ewing preping his car for IASCA the next day, his shop just got in a shipment of new eclipse, including then the top of the line unit with i think 16 volt balanced line...etc etc. we decided to put it into his VW to replace an old alpine deck he had in there. well, after we were done, right away there was noise and whine, we tried everything to get rid of it, but it was completely with the HU. swapped the alpine back in, all noise gone. regardless of what you say about maybe there is somethin wrong wtih the rest of the system, it doesnt make any sense for this top notch and expensive HU to have this problem when a 3 year old alpine had no troubles...hmmm 

since then, i have installed a ton of eclipse for others, and always comes back the same problem for me, they just arent the most installer friendly units out there ad not the easiest to use...

their nav unit from a few model years ago was the perfect example, instead of having say two or at the most three harnesses for everything coming out of the HU, they would put like 4 or 5 all over the back of the HU, things that could have been designed to go on the same bundle are separated. this means when i am trying to stuff this thing into a tight dash cavity, it was a nightmare. also, i guess this being a lower line model, even though it had a non fading rca out, when i when to look for the adjustment on the headunit, it took me forever to find it, and its buried with in 3 or 4 sub menus, and finally, when it was revealed, it turns out it had an adjustment range of 1 2 3 and 4 wth? going from new HU to new HU, without reading the instruction book, i can always figure most basic functions out with in 10-15 mins, with eclipse, i always need to go through the booklet. and always get customers calling me later asking me how to do things, and i tell them, read the manual 

anyway, enough rambling...i did like their original alunimum subs and their original pointsource components, but honestly, i havent had a reason to even take a look at eclipse for a long time.

but i do think its sad that they are gone, as even though i myself dont like them, they are a viable player in the market and despite their faults, they do have some good technology going for them on the nav front.

and there are many other brands i wish would fold long long before eclipse.

b


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## chad (Jun 30, 2005)

quality_sound said:


> This.


Because they were simple, elegant and worked well, you could see the display in daylight, etc......

Then they went and made them look like a fuggin disco.


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## kizz (Jun 22, 2009)

I just got my first eclipse product not long ago. A 8455 hu. I really like it. I wish i wuld have got it a long time ago. I get an error message on cds every now and then but i just deal with it cuz i love everything else about it


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## ryan s (Dec 19, 2006)

fourthmeal said:


> Yes but is the new design made in japan or china? that's the toughie.


Hmm, I didn't know they still "made" the EA line...

I haven't kept up with them...like so many others have said in the thread already...


titansfan said:


> The ZA1200 is nice...I have one. As far as the EA series, I honestly can't comment on them. I do however run an XA4000 four channel and I love it. Your best bet is to get the XA or ZA series because of ICE Power....very efficient and not taxing on the electrical system. I also wanted to mention that for years I ran Alpine equipment. A few months ago I decided to buy an Eclipse CD8443 head unit...my first Eclipse head unit and one of the best head units I've ever owned. The mid/high end units are great and in my opinion, sound as good if not better than Alpine. If they are indeed "packing their bags," it's a shame.


I'm definitely considering an ICEpower amp next...although it will be a Premier and not an Eclipse. They're both "dead" anyway :laugh:


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## W8 a minute (Aug 16, 2007)

ca90ss said:


> They were good..........when they worked.


x2. When I worked at a shop I was intimently familiar with thier return policy. As far as I know Fujitsu Ten was making head units for Toyota in the 80's before they became Eclipse.


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## W8 a minute (Aug 16, 2007)

00poop6x said:


> You beat me to it
> 
> I know it's tough to eat, people. You have to realize some products are whored out online and it could be blamed for the manufacturer's fault, but also sometimes it gives no options for the manufacturer because the consumer refuses to buy locally or from a legit authorized dealer. Support your dealer, even if there are a-hole scumbags shop near you, call the manufacturer so they can locate you another one.
> 
> ...


I have to disagree with this. It's not like these items are stolen out of Fujitsu Ten's storage room. If I buy an Eclipse product it supports Eclipse no matter who I buy it through. Fujitsu Ten gets their money from the distributers not the end users.


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## Aaron Clinton (Oct 17, 2006)

*Now I will never sell my 8053, 55430, or 8810.4's.*


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## XllentAudio (Jun 29, 2009)

Catman said:


> They won't be missed ...nothing more than upper end 'mid-fi' at best. FAR from 'high end' / "SQ".
> 
> >^..^<


You have no idea what your talking about!

Are you by chance a Alpine fan?


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## XllentAudio (Jun 29, 2009)

simplicityinsound said:


> I am not a big fan of eclipse. when i first started out in sq, all i used was eclipse, went through 6 eclipse units in the span of 2 years. these model numbers may be wrong, but its best i can remember 5440 5441, 5303r 5605? (6 disc in dash), and whatever the commander back then was called, 5508 or something? no idea.
> 
> anyway, after the 6th one i pretty much swore them off for good...
> 
> ...


Sounds like you had some bad luck with Eclipse. While I do agree there are some bugs and errors I get or have gotten from time to time, the SQ for it's time in the past and in the present surpasses everything else compared to its market.


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## Lanson (Jan 9, 2007)

You know, Harmon Intl themselves sells on eBay, why can't other manufacturers? I say smart move, because eBay isn't going away. Sure, retail is great. Some people go this path because they have no clue and don't want to deal with B-stock gear or remans. But to me, its not a big deal at all. Remans mean that someone went through the thing by hand. Why not sell b-stock and others online directly? If people know that's what they are getting, then it makes sense.


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## WLDock (Sep 27, 2005)

I think these guys sort of lost their direction and did not follow the feedback of the consumer.


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## Builtlikeatank (Sep 22, 2008)

Sad day, We all know that Eclipse had issues, often ugly (recently), usually tough to use, and the odd glitchy model, but no one who has actually used them can dispute the great sound they produced. Considering Pioneer Premier is now dead (DEHP800PRS), the alpine 9887 is done, 9255 is done, F1 is done, what do we have left? Anything? I am going to go lie in the fetal position now...


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

the 55430 was the last Eclipse unit I really liked.


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## tr0y_audi0 (Feb 13, 2007)

Some DRZ9255's can be had but have been known to have problems on the newer sets, mcIntosh MX406 is still the same..
no frillz on that..


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## simplicityinsound (Feb 2, 2007)

well, wait till the day when ALL the sq headunits disappear and the old used ones die, then everyone will be on an even playing field lol give ie a good 10-15 years 

maybe then we will all have microchips implanted in our heads so we can enjoy music purely by sending signals to our brains and we can have perfect sq even when we sit in a bus lol


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## Lanson (Jan 9, 2007)

simplicityinsound said:


> well, wait till the day when ALL the sq headunits disappear and the old used ones die, then everyone will be on an even playing field lol give ie a good 10-15 years
> 
> maybe then we will all have microchips implanted in our heads so we can enjoy music purely by sending signals to our brains and we can have perfect sq even when we sit in a bus lol



They are called Shure earphones, the upper line.


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## WLDock (Sep 27, 2005)

Builtlikeatank said:


> Considering Pioneer Premier is now dead (DEHP800PRS),


I am a bit shocked by that since it looks like the new DEX-P99RS has an MSRP of $1399. WOW? No cheaper 800PRS type decks for the tweekers...If you wanna play you have to pay!

Nevertheless, I though the CD8053 sounded better than I lot of other decks in the same price range during that time.


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## nsaspook (May 19, 2009)

As a former Fujitsu employe it's sad how they have fallen. When I started in the microelectronics division (1990) they made everything from rice-cookers to supercomputers. The 2000 tech bust, this recession coupled with bad management has just killed the consumer goods divisions.

The Japanese hardware engineers were great but the software side of the house was a joke, the UI on some of our in-house industrial control gear was cartoonish.


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## HCCA (Apr 6, 2007)

> On the upside, at least they weren't bought out by DEI


Yeah, no Sh!t!!!!

Anyone for bringing back the Yamaha stuff!?!!?!!


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## audio+civic (Apr 16, 2009)

alachua said:


> On the upside, at least they weren't bought out by DEI


Or Rockford


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## 6spdcoupe (Jan 12, 2006)

thehatedguy said:


> Well, having worked at an Eclipse dealer years a go the writing has been on the wall for a while.


Agreed I saw this coming for awhile. I got out right after CES last year. Many of my dealers were optimistic and wanted to stick it out. After they let Rich and several others go it was pointing downhill, then the cuts 3rd quarter was getting closer. The recent huge blowout sale really sealed the deal as it couldnt be more obvious.



tr0y_audi0 said:


> I sold tons of eclipse i did about $120k this year


Sorry bud, gotta call BS here. I got $500 in Paypal that says otherwise. Think carefully before you take the bet though. 




jimboman said:


> Any bets if they carry over the same models at CES?


Really ? There is no CES for them. They are done.



JayinMI said:


> Actually, I just googled "Fujitsu Ten Eclipse Press Release," and the President's 2010 New Year Press Release doesn't say anything about it. Where did you see this information? Or is this like the Alpine rep starting rumors too...
> 
> Jay



So because the letter that Mike Odle (VP) sent out to all this pertained to and not the general public it makes it untrue ? Really ? C'mon now. It is NOT a rumor. It is 110% true.


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## Booger (Apr 27, 2007)

Very sad day....


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## jimboman (Jun 24, 2008)

6spdcoupe said:


> There is no CES for them. They are done.


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## chad (Jun 30, 2005)

Booger said:


> Very sad day....


Why? Because a maker decided that doing OEM would make them more money? THAT'S THE WAY IT IS MAN! Be happy for them! They cut something that could have been bleeding them out.

Why the hell do you think the JBL/Harman MS8 ain't out yet? Give your best guess? BECAUSE THEY MAKE THEIR MONEY SELLING OEM!

It's not rocket science, you can kick and scream all you want, but the reality is that people are NOT spending money on high end car audio. The heyday is over, the best we can do is support this as best we can here, go on with life and find new ways to satisfy our appetite! 

This IS DIY audio... ****ing DIY! The fundamental of what this forum is based on. These threads are irrelevant for bitching and pouring drinks on the floor, they are an advancement. If anything they make THINKERS go '' hmmm how can I improve things,'' and start another thread.

YOU may be the next advancement!

It's over, they are gone, alpne is done, fryanear may try another.. but from here on out... remember....... you ARE LOOKING AT:

*DIY*mobileaudio.com. DIY as in, don't ask beforehand, do, and tell, learn, research other's ****-ups. Go on with life. discuss.


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## 6spdcoupe (Jan 12, 2006)

for the fella that couldnt find anything in a search ..

Breaking News: Eclipse Exits North American Market | 12 Volt News

A little more reassurance for ya ..


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## thehatedguy (May 4, 2007)

<- taking bids on a mint ECD-510 he has. Maybe a not so mint one converted for AES/3 balanced digital out (will do coax if buyer wants).


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## chad (Jun 30, 2005)

shoulda bought those few cheap ones up a few months ago shouldn't I?

Fekin life goes on 

Ahhh the daze.


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## thehatedguy (May 4, 2007)

For you, I'll let you have them on a deal.


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## chad (Jun 30, 2005)

LOL, make the money, hold on to them


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## ChrisB (Jul 3, 2008)

chad said:


> shoulda bought those few cheap ones up a few months ago shouldn't I?
> 
> Fekin life goes on
> 
> Ahhh the daze.


Dammit, I wanted a disco ball in the middle of my dash...


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## chad (Jun 30, 2005)

OLD ECDs Chris with the VFD display 

Loved them except they did not have a knob.. I hated the non-knob years 

But they fuggin worked... cold, hot, Thru a corn-field, everything.


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## Catman (Mar 18, 2008)

XllentAudio said:


> You have no idea what your talking about!
> 
> Are you by chance a Alpine fan?


What a joke :laugh: ...you gotta grow up and play in the big league. I view Alpine in the same light as Eclipse. FWIW ...I'm a McIntosh / Nak fan.

>^..^<


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## Pillow (Nov 14, 2009)

FWIW I do not think the retailers are aware of this yet... 

I went in to my local car stereo shop today to get some fuses. This shop is an authorized Eclipse dealer and so I started to discuss the issue... He was like WTF are you talking about? DOH!

... So it looks like the small shops are in for a surprise!


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## 00poop6x (Jan 20, 2007)

W8 a minute said:


> I have to disagree with this. It's not like these items are stolen out of Fujitsu Ten's storage room. If I buy an Eclipse product it supports Eclipse no matter who I buy it through. Fujitsu Ten gets their money from the distributers not the end users.


Right, I have heard this one before. And where does it lead to? No control and dropping into the hands of those with no knowledge or appreciation of the product. In turn you have no true representation of the product's firm mission statement or 'quality'. The company finds cheaper means of production, cutting costs in quality control, parts quality, build integrity...the list goes on. Then the brand goes to crap, no one wants it...

Expanding your avenues, as a manufacturer, to have each worthy consumer to have access to the product is one thing. To whore it out and endulge the end-buyer to bargain shop for it results in what I just described to you.

Hand-selecting your dealers who have true knowledge and experience with the product will definitely help distribute the product and maintain its genuine vigor they have become known for much better than a general distributor with no backup or support and very little technical knowledge for that end consumer. It goes far beyond who gets money in the end...


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## MACS (Oct 3, 2007)

chad said:


> shoulda bought those few cheap ones up a few months ago shouldn't I?
> 
> Fekin life goes on
> 
> Ahhh the daze.


I've got an Eclipse deck for you. Dead head, copper chassis, 8/16 volt, balanced outputs, big knob, bright VF display, digital out, no frills all business. Looks better than the 8053 too .


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## W8 a minute (Aug 16, 2007)

00poop6x said:


> Right, I have heard this one before. And where does it lead to? No control and dropping into the hands of those with no knowledge or appreciation of the product. In turn you have no true representation of the product's firm mission statement or 'quality'. The company finds cheaper means of production, cutting costs in quality control, parts quality, build integrity...the list goes on. Then the brand goes to crap, no one wants it...
> 
> Expanding your avenues, as a manufacturer, to have each worthy consumer to have access to the product is one thing. To whore it out and endulge the end-buyer to bargain shop for it results in what I just described to you.
> 
> Hand-selecting your dealers who have true knowledge and experience with the product will definitely help distribute the product and maintain its genuine vigor they have become known for much better than a general distributor with no backup or support and very little technical knowledge for that end consumer. It goes far beyond who gets money in the end...



You sound like a salesman trying to convince me that I need your service. What you are describing is this magical/mystical car audio genie that nobody is capable of capturing except a specialty retailer. Like somehow I would enjoy my head unit more if I paid more for it and had them install it? If that were the case then car audio websites would not exist. This wouldn't be DIYMA it would be "go buy a head unit and have it installed.com"

It's all about the money and nothing else. A product is only worth what people will pay for it. eBay has proven that. The general public has become smart enough not to pay unnecessary mark up to the middle man. And I really do mean unnecessary. Unnecessary because most people buying this product want to install it themselves. It's our hobby. The same way RC enthusiasts want to build their own remote control cars and airplanes. Now add to this the manufacturer voids the warranty when I install the unit myself and you'll see I have no reason to deal with a retailer. If I'm not going to get a warranty then I might as well find the cheapest source I can. In fact I consider ebay to be my warranty because on ebay I can usually buy TWO units for less or equal to what the local specialty shop would charge. If one goes up in smoke I can still afford a replacement. If it doesn't go up in smoke I'm way ahead.

Another reason aftermarket is dying is because factory systems have become so nice. When I got into this business my car came equipped with a crappy head unit, 3.5" speakers in the dash, and 4x10" speakers in the rear deck. It sounded like crap and thus an upgrade was easy. But even back then the percentage of the population who upgraded was small. Now cars come equipped with Nav, hard drives, touch screens, separate mids, tweets and a sub. You really have to be hardcore to want to upgrade that system. That brings you back to the hobbyist and an even smaller percentage of the population.

Heck, Fujitsu Ten makes some of these factory systems so they helped kill the Eclipse brand themselves.


----------



## WRX/Z28 (Feb 21, 2008)

W8 a minute said:


> You sound like a salesman trying to convince me that I need your service. What you are describing is this magical/mystical car audio genie that nobody is capable of capturing except a specialty retailer. Like somehow I would enjoy my head unit more if I paid more for it and had them install it? If that were the case then car audio websites would not exist. This wouldn't be DIYMA it would be "go buy a head unit and have it installed.com"
> 
> It's all about the money and nothing else. A product is only worth what people will pay for it. eBay has proven that. The general public has become smart enough not to pay unnecessary mark up to the middle man. And I really do mean unnecessary. Unnecessary because most people buying this product want to install it themselves. It's our hobby. The same way RC enthusiasts want to build their own remote control cars and airplanes. Now add to this the manufacturer voids the warranty when I install the unit myself and you'll see I have no reason to deal with a retailer. If I'm not going to get a warranty then I might as well find the cheapest source I can. In fact I consider ebay to be my warranty because on ebay I can usually buy TWO units for less or equal to what the local specialty shop would charge. If one goes up in smoke I can still afford a replacement. If it doesn't go up in smoke I'm way ahead.
> 
> ...


I think you missed the point. You may not need a dealers service, heck most of the people on the forums may not need it. The part you are missing is that people like you represent less than 5% of the market. The other 95% does need the service of their dealer most times. 

Your perception of the market is a bit skewed. Most people buying this stuff DO NOT install it themselves. You are a victim of the perception that DIYMA is the standard market. Unfortunately it is not. 

The one point you touched on that I agree with is that manufacturers are making passable sound systems now. 

I wouldn't say they are "so nice", more like "Less terrible". 

It's making it so that people aren't upgrading their sound because they can live with what they have. It's a shame, because most people here know that factory systems have some serious limitations, and that it's generally very easy to improve upon them. 

Eclipse went away because the two large retailers that carried their product went away. Ala Circuit city and Tweeter. 

They needed to move volume. 

Best buy is the only true mass volume store out there. 

The market is slimming down. It's a shame...


----------



## WRX/Z28 (Feb 21, 2008)

00poop6x said:


> Right, I have heard this one before. And where does it lead to? No control and dropping into the hands of those with no knowledge or appreciation of the product. In turn you have no true representation of the product's firm mission statement or 'quality'. The company finds cheaper means of production, cutting costs in quality control, parts quality, build integrity...the list goes on. Then the brand goes to crap, no one wants it...
> 
> Expanding your avenues, as a manufacturer, to have each worthy consumer to have access to the product is one thing. To whore it out and endulge the end-buyer to bargain shop for it results in what I just described to you.
> 
> Hand-selecting your dealers who have true knowledge and experience with the product will definitely help distribute the product and maintain its genuine vigor they have become known for much better than a general distributor with no backup or support and very little technical knowledge for that end consumer. It goes far beyond who gets money in the end...



+1 for most of what you said. 

Even if consumers don't think they need dealers, Manufacturers realize that they do. Otherwise, most companies would just be factory direct, and promote their products for themselves.


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## audiogodz1 (Jan 5, 2010)

benny said:


> Fujitsu Ten has worked with Toyota since at least 1986.


That's exactly what I was going to say. I have a 1992 Lexus SC400 with an Eclipse setup, that's "branded" Nackamichi and a 2001 Lexus IS300 that is full Fujitsu so I can date back that far.


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## W8 a minute (Aug 16, 2007)

WRX/Z28 said:


> I think you missed the point. You may not need a dealers service, heck most of the people on the forums may not need it. The part you are missing is that people like you represent less than 5% of the market. The other 95% does need the service of their dealer most times.


I don't know how accurate these numbers are. Especially if you removed security and remote start and only included audio. I would like to see some verified numbers. Not saying your wrong because I've been out of the game for over a decade but I seriously doubt that 95% of car audio is sold through brick and mortar retailers. Excluding the junk sold at walmart,sears, etc.



WRX/Z28 said:


> Eclipse went away because the two large retailers that carried their product went away. Ala Circuit city and Tweeter.
> 
> They needed to move volume.


The internet moves plenty of volume. If there was a big enough market for Eclipse on a retail level some other retailer would have picked them up. Even JL went to Crutchfield which is the internet as far as I'm concerned. I've mentioned this before but the internet has secretly been the savior of many manufacturers. It's their dirty little secret. Kicker sells thousands of products through the "grey market." They'll tell you it's best to buy from a retailer but they sure as hell aren't doing anything to stop grey market internet sales. Why? Because they still get paid.


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## thehatedguy (May 4, 2007)

Here I was wondering why my 01 IS300's in dash changer doesn't work...



audiogodz1 said:


> That's exactly what I was going to say. I have a 1992 Lexus SC400 with an Eclipse setup, that's "branded" Nackamichi and a 2001 Lexus IS300 that is full Fujitsu so I can date back that far.


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## thehatedguy (May 4, 2007)

55090



MACS said:


> I've got an Eclipse deck for you. Dead head, copper chassis, 8/16 volt, balanced outputs, big knob, bright VF display, digital out, no frills all business. Looks better than the 8053 too .


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## Amadeuz1 (May 20, 2009)

The cuestion now is, who are the next one?


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## thehatedguy (May 4, 2007)

Alpine and Pioneer do OEM work. Kenwood and Sony AFAIK do not. Pioneer is in Walmart. Pioneer, Kenwood, and Sony have a HT market too (Kenwood did, I don't keep up with HT much).

I'd lean towards Alpine.


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## RyanM923 (May 12, 2007)

IMO you can't find a better, easier to navigate, easier to tweak ta/eq/xovers HU than the 8053 in the $150-200 used price range(sometimes cheaper).


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## Bruno Sardine (Dec 19, 2009)

I worked in a big box retailer for several years and I didn't see very many customers that would want a deck like an Eclipse or an Alpine for any of the applications that they're really useful for. The slice of the market that those stores cater to generally wants a new cd player because they had a factory tape deck or their factory radio broke, or they want satellite radio, or they want the big booming bass.

The only real "sound quality" they're concerned with is that it sounds "better" than their factory stuff. I'm not saying it's bad to try something new, but I just don't think it helps the higher end manufacturers to expand in those directions, because it really doesn't do much to further the reputation for their brands. To that segment of customers, a good reputation means the stuff doesn't break.


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## MACS (Oct 3, 2007)

thehatedguy said:


> 55090


I've got a couple of those BNIB too. Sweet decks if you want a basic dead head. Those have the optical out and DVD read capability too .

The one I mentioned in the previous post is a CD8061. The CD8061, CD8062, and CD8053 were the three balanced out decks. My favs are the 61 and 62 since they are no frills.


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## slomofo (Mar 30, 2009)

I'm glad I have my 8443. love that deck like a child. 8v and speaker level outs. i guess i need to pick up an ipod interface for it now.


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## thehatedguy (May 4, 2007)

I had a 5605 and a 55040, but my favs were the ECDs.


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## barrys (Dec 29, 2009)

I have a 5506 and currently using an 8061 and was trying to sell it. Heck maybe I should hang on to it for a while!!!!!!


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## chad (Jun 30, 2005)

I cannot remember the one that had the simple display and was one of the first nob units... I wanted one bad, classic styling.


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## FSUnoles (Apr 29, 2007)

i guess this is a bad time to say i have a brand new CD7000 in my closet that im willing to sell


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## titansfan (Jan 27, 2009)

slomofo said:


> I'm glad I have my 8443. love that deck like a child. 8v and speaker level outs. i guess i need to pick up an ipod interface for it now.


x2...I running one in my car and it's one of the most flexible units I have ever used.


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## MACS (Oct 3, 2007)

chad said:


> I cannot remember the one that had the simple display and was one of the first nob units... I wanted one bad, classic styling.


5303 and 5303r were the first NOB decks. I think I still have one or two nice ones floating around my shop .


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## chad (Jun 30, 2005)

MACS said:


> 5303 and 5303r were the first NOB decks. I think I still have one or two nice ones floating around my shop .


yep and IIRC the display was simpler.


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## ReloadedSS (Aug 26, 2008)

I shall remember the brand fondly. Just a few months ago, I got one of my "dream" decks, a CD8062 with the balanced output adaptor. I guess I have a collector's item in many ways now.


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## subwoofery (Nov 9, 2008)

Heard somewhere that the New ECD models are just entry models in the HighEnd HU market in Japan... Can anyone confirm this? 

Kelvin


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## 00poop6x (Jan 20, 2007)

W8 a minute said:


> You sound like a salesman trying to convince me that I need your service. What you are describing is this magical/mystical car audio genie that nobody is capable of capturing except a specialty retailer. Like somehow I would enjoy my head unit more if I paid more for it and had them install it? If that were the case then car audio websites would not exist. This wouldn't be DIYMA it would be "go buy a head unit and have it installed.com"
> 
> It's all about the money and nothing else. A product is only worth what people will pay for it. eBay has proven that. The general public has become smart enough not to pay unnecessary mark up to the middle man. And I really do mean unnecessary. Unnecessary because most people buying this product want to install it themselves. It's our hobby. The same way RC enthusiasts want to build their own remote control cars and airplanes. Now add to this the manufacturer voids the warranty when I install the unit myself and you'll see I have no reason to deal with a retailer. If I'm not going to get a warranty then I might as well find the cheapest source I can. In fact I consider ebay to be my warranty because on ebay I can usually buy TWO units for less or equal to what the local specialty shop would charge. If one goes up in smoke I can still afford a replacement. If it doesn't go up in smoke I'm way ahead.
> 
> ...



I think you misunderstood what I was trying to tell you, until the end where you answered some of it yourself. The manufacturer can pretty much ruins it for itself, but it goes beyond that. DIYMA and those similar in the whole world make up a very very small part of car audio, believe it or not. It's hardly enough for any manufacturer to thrive on. You think the P99RS is enough to keep Pioneer in business? What about a single IDMAX to keep ID in business? Surely not. 

Regardless of what I sound like, the truth is tough to eat, and I hate to repeat things but it will never change...the consumer does have a large part on steering the manufacturer, and with on restrictions and whoring product...you will see a degrade in product quality and then poof, gone.

I would love to see Dynaudio and Morel (some good examples) skip the middle man and make an eBay store with 15 point margins that DIY people wish for, then lets see what happens to them...


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## 00poop6x (Jan 20, 2007)

W8 a minute said:


> I don't know how accurate these numbers are. Especially if you removed security and remote start and only included audio. I would like to see some verified numbers. Not saying your wrong because I've been out of the game for over a decade but I seriously doubt that 95% of car audio is sold through brick and mortar retailers. Excluding the junk sold at walmart,sears, etc.
> 
> 
> 
> The internet moves plenty of volume. If there was a big enough market for Eclipse on a retail level some other retailer would have picked them up. Even JL went to Crutchfield which is the internet as far as I'm concerned. I've mentioned this before but the internet has secretly been the savior of many manufacturers. It's their dirty little secret. Kicker sells thousands of products through the "grey market." They'll tell you it's best to buy from a retailer but they sure as hell aren't doing anything to stop grey market internet sales. Why? Because they still get paid.


I would reconsider that logic... when manufacturers need to go online...is it really because they are thriving? 


They would have jumped onto the boat a very long time ago.


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## stockman2010 (Jan 11, 2010)

i just picked up the cd5030 and am not impress with the sound quality. hopefully i just need to upgrade my speakers but my setup with the alpine 9886 sounded great.


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## WRX/Z28 (Feb 21, 2008)

stockman2010 said:


> i just picked up the cd5030 and am not impress with the sound quality. hopefully i just need to upgrade my speakers but my setup with the alpine 9886 sounded great.


That's a pretty vague statement. What were you expecting to change from one deck to another through stock speakers?

Also, is circle surround turned on or off? Loudness on or off? What settings changed from the Alpine to the Eclipse? This is where I would look to fix your dissatisfaction.


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## stockman2010 (Jan 11, 2010)

WRX/Z28 said:


> That's a pretty vague statement. What were you expecting to change from one deck to another through stock speakers?
> 
> Also, is circle surround turned on or off? Loudness on or off? What settings changed from the Alpine to the Eclipse? This is where I would look to fix your dissatisfaction.


Actually my alpine 9886 was stolen and i was thinking about buying another one used/new, but i thought since i'm in the market for a new h/u i might as well do some shopping to see if there's anything newer/better than the 9886. 
That's when i went to crutchfield to start my search and found the cd5030. I did some search on it and it led me here where it was favorable. 

i have jbl 6x9s 3 way in the back and pioneer 3 ways in the front. Loudness on/off doesn't make much of a difference. Can't find surround so if it came from the factory on then i'll have to turn it off. I have everything on the eclipse turn to flat as was the settings on the alpine 9886. 

on the cd5030, all the pop/rap radio stations have an electronic sound, almost like they are on a lower bit rate/quality. Country, oldies, classic rock stations sound great. Original cds sound great.

When the car is turned off and on, the receiver will not play from where it left from of burnt mp3s on cd. For instance, you are listening to your favorite song and you know exactly where it left off before you turned the car off. You leave and come back and turn the car on, and you notice that it's playing a couple of chorus from where it left off. Kind of like it re winded itself a couple of minutes back.

Haven't tried the BT or USB or IPOD yet.

The 9886 had some issues too, but not to this extent and severity. 

I wanted to read more on SQ systems, but this message board requires you to sign up and post after a certain number of posts that you have visited. I made a quick post just to continue my search.


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## Luke352 (Jul 24, 2006)

Well it's been confirmed that Eclipse are only pulling out of Europe and the US markets. Europe doesn't surprise me I don't think they ever did well there but the US does since it's probably there biggest market.

But for now they will be continueing in the Asia Pacific region etc... so if you see something you like in there future lines and you know it's available in Australia I'm happy to ship it over.


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## ReloadedSS (Aug 26, 2008)

Don't know if everyone has seen it yet, but it looks like the closeout sales are beginning, at least at Crutchfield: http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/hot-deals/73241-eclipse-xa4200-249-99-less-shipped.html


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## darinof (Feb 6, 2009)

I used the Eclipse 55090 for 3 years and still is one of the best SQ head unit I ever had (not the best) very very clear 8V signal.


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## slomofo (Mar 30, 2009)

*Eclipse Owns YOU*



stockman2010 said:


> i just picked up the cd5030 and am not impress with the sound quality. hopefully i just need to upgrade my speakers but my setup with the alpine 9886 sounded great.


The 5030 is by far not a top quality Eclipse deck. Not even close. 
I wish we could've got the Sound Monitor stuff here from Eclipse. pretty neat stuff fo sho. as far as SQ goes, please don't ever even try to put the higher end stuff (8053,8443, etc) in the same class as an Alpine. sorry, but when the outputs clip on volume 23 on an Alpine, I lose faith. as far as Catman comparing them to a Nak or Mac, sorry bud but a renamed Clarion is not getting my vote for top SQ deck and neither is a Nak. I used to sell the Nak and it ALWAYS broke. CD45Z broke all the time. junk junk junk. That's why I sold Eclipse. The other cool thing is that I could do everything a 9887 sans an Imprint could do 5 years before they came out with it.


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## ReloadedSS (Aug 26, 2008)

x2 on the Sound Monitor. They pop up on eBay every so often. Look like great items, appear to be high quality.


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## Mazdale (Oct 24, 2009)

Hey guys I am a new guy to this forum just wanted to let you guys know this news from Eclipse is true from the inside.


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## chad (Jun 30, 2005)

Holy **** batman! after 5 pages and 4 threads we finally have a definitive answer, troy and others were right. the sky shall fall.


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## Exit9 (May 12, 2009)

Go to Amazon, look up everything "Eclipse" and go shoppiing. I got an XA-1200 600W sub amp for $129 and a 4-way 6X9 pair for about $40. This is a good deal for Eclipse-quality goods.


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## evo9 (Jul 6, 2005)

Good Bye Eclipse we will miss you...................... *NOT!!!!*

Second time now they have left the US market, and they still have not learnt from the first time. If you have sight and lack vision. You are better off blind!
Making half ass products then trying to sell them alone on SQ equals poor sales. Dont let the door hit you on the way out.........


Lets compare the eclipse avx5000 against the Pioneer AVH-P7800DVD on being half ass. They both came out around the same time. 

HD Radio ready; avx5000 yes but no multicasting. Avh-p7800dvd no but, with the add on tuner in external mode. It will receive HD radio AND multicast. 

iPod option; both have the option to use the add on box. But only the avh-p7800dvd allows you to keep your CD & DVD changers.

Bluetooth option; avx5000 NO. Avh-p7800dvd YES.

See, this is where company like Pioneer excells. They took the time to engineer some kind of forward thinking into their products. And that is one of the many things that keeps consumer comming back.

This type of half ass design is not just an AVX5000 problem. It is all across their product line. The very last unit they put out "AVN726E" was no exception. I have red where a lot of folks bought this unit, only to find out it cant dual zone. The folks at Alpine, Clarion, Kenwood & Pioneer thought dual zone is important.

_Now if you want the avx5000 to be as capable as the Pioneer avh-p7800dvd there is a solution. You would need to get either the Kenwood KOS-A300 or the KOS-V500. With those Kenwood pieces you can get bluetooth, HD radio, iPod & other funtions added to the eclipse. Then you call it an ECLIPWOOD. _ 





.


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## JAX (Jun 2, 2006)

yeah..Pioneer is great till the pico fuse pops...that was brilliant engineering right there.


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## evo9 (Jul 6, 2005)

JAX said:


> yeah..Pioneer is great till the pico fuse pops...that was brilliant engineering right there.


It only fails when the USER FAILS to follow instructions!




.


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## chad (Jun 30, 2005)

evo9 said:


> It only fails when the USER FAILS to follow instructions!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Negative ghostrider, it has been known to fail while driving down the road... please depict said instruction that prevents it from blowing... and think it out before you post it... because the damn battery has NOTHING to do with it... NOTHING..... and think that out before you argue the battery thing.


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## ReloadedSS (Aug 26, 2008)

evo9 said:


> Good Bye Eclipse we will miss you...................... *NOT!!!!*
> 
> Second time now they have left the US market, and they still have not learnt from the first time. If you have sight and lack vision. You are better off blind!
> Making half ass products then trying to sell them alone on SQ equals poor sales. Dont let the door hit you on the way out.........
> ...


This is only somewhat funny to me because I am contemplating either a Kenwood KOS series add-on unit or a Pioneer single DIN foldout to compliment my Eclipse CD8062 so I can run my iPhone and possibly navigation as well.

To be honest, I've been debating the purchase of an 800PRS and a stand alone navigation unit, and leaving the Eclipse on the shelf.


----------



## ReloadedSS (Aug 26, 2008)

evo9 said:


> Good Bye Eclipse we will miss you...................... *NOT!!!!*
> 
> Second time now they have left the US market, and they still have not learnt from the first time. If you have sight and lack vision. You are better off blind!
> Making half ass products then trying to sell them alone on SQ equals poor sales. Dont let the door hit you on the way out.........
> ...


This is only somewhat funny to me because I am contemplating either a Kenwood KOS series add-on unit or a Pioneer single DIN foldout to compliment my Eclipse CD8062 so I can run my iPhone and possibly navigation as well.

To be honest, I've been debating the purchase of an 800PRS and a stand alone navigation unit, and leaving the Eclipse on the shelf.


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## evo9 (Jul 6, 2005)

chad said:


> Negative ghostrider, it has been known to fail while driving down the road... please depict said instruction that prevents it from blowing... and think it out before you post it... because the damn battery has NOTHING to do with it... NOTHING..... and think that out before you argue the battery thing.


Maybe one needs to look at the quality of ones installation! Grasshopper :loser1:





.


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## evo9 (Jul 6, 2005)

ReloadedSS said:


> This is only somewhat funny to me because I am contemplating either a Kenwood KOS series add-on unit or a Pioneer single DIN foldout to compliment my Eclipse CD8062 so I can run my iPhone and possibly navigation as well.
> 
> To be honest, I've been debating the purchase of an 800PRS and a stand alone navigation unit, *and leaving the Eclipse on the shelf.*





I feel you pain bro! I have the avx5000 sitting on a closet shelf. If I ever decide to buy a beater that's where its going. Can't see me putting that in my primary vehicle.


.


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## JAX (Jun 2, 2006)

evo9 said:


> It only fails when the USER FAILS to follow instructions!
> 
> 
> 
> ...



wrong.....way to go there with under 100 posts.......

I have been installing stereos for 27yrs...I know how its done....but that is besides the point.



I am more than happy with my old school 55090 eclipse dvd head unit....


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## evo9 (Jul 6, 2005)

JAX said:


> wrong.....way to go there with under 100 posts.......
> 
> I have been installing stereos for 27yrs...I know how its done....but that is besides the point.
> 
> ...





Join date Jul 2005 vs Jun 2006! I am not here to rack up post count. Knowing how its done and doing it correctly are two different thing. 

Bottom line, eclipse fails to make products that enspire consumers. Regardless of what some of you may think of the other brands, there are still here. Clarion was behind a little over the last few years. But has stepped up big time for 2010. If eclipse wants to be apart of the American & European market. They need to look at the Alpine, Clarion, Kenwood & Pioneer. Then come up with a better product.



.


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## ReloadedSS (Aug 26, 2008)

evo9 said:


> I feel you pain bro! I have the avx5000 sitting on a closet shelf. If I ever decide to buy a beater that's where its going. Can't see me putting that in my primary vehicle.
> .


I got the Eclipse for the "magical ess kew" and I'd been hounding one for about three years. In those three years, I became dependent on the iPhone and navigation for work (on the fly directions are great...much faster than reading a map). 



JAX said:


> wrong.....way to go there with under 100 posts.......
> 
> I have been installing stereos for 27yrs...I know how its done....but that is besides the point.
> 
> I am more than happy with my old school 55090 eclipse dvd head unit....


I'm not going to argue with JAX, as his advice and experience are well proven on the board. I'm not saying that post count=experience, but JAX knows his stuff. The Pico fuse is a well documented problem, but it's not enough to make me not buy a Pioneer/Premier. Still love Eclipse equipment either way.

I thought about getting a 55090 from the same place but realized that it would just lead to the same issue I have with the CD8062 (namely compatibility), and the difference would be trading 1-bit DACs, Balanced output and "audiophile grade materials" for 24-bit BB DACs and DVD playback. It's also possible that the 55090 has the same internal high quality materials, but the literature I have pushes the DVD playback and the 5.1 ability with optional processor.

Oh, and sorry for the double post -- internet issues.


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## JAX (Jun 2, 2006)

I am not trying to argue at all. Just that the pico fuse is stupid and should be a non issue. I have had the 880/800 series decks 4 times and had no issue during the time I ran them but that doesn't make the many who have had the problem feel better. While eclipse of the last few models has gone down it still doesn't change the fact that when pioneer was putting dolphins on their decks eclipse was putting out top notch gear


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## chad (Jun 30, 2005)

evo9 said:


> Maybe one needs to look at the quality of ones installation! Grasshopper :loser1:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


You forgot to think. you may as well have mentioned how last night you ate a large red candle.


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## AnklhFester (Feb 24, 2010)

My first Fujitsu Ten encounter was a high school graduation present in 82 (Toyota Celica). I have always enjoyed their top tier HU's. I guess the Eclipse 8053 that I have never used will join the other "closet relics"...Alpine 3545 (used in several sytems over the years and Clarion DRz-9255 (bought but once again never used).

sad day


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## evo9 (Jul 6, 2005)

chad said:


> You forgot to think. you may as well have mentioned how last night you ate a large red candle.





I remember you being a dumb ass over at eca. It is often said with age comes wisdom. But you clearly have gone backwards. 

Just remember..........










You may also find this tutorial very helpful ---------> YouTube - Posting and you









.


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## Lars Ulriched (Oct 31, 2009)

Anything new?


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## Ankit69 (Oct 13, 2009)

just outta curiosity was anyone happy with the latest double din from eclipse the avn726e? i did not get a chance to play with it but heard it was a epic fail. anyone care to comment?


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## RyanM923 (May 12, 2007)

I had noise problems with my 880prs as well...never going to use Pioneer unless it's a P9 or something similar. Their mid-level decks just do nothing for me. I've gone back to an 8053, again, and don't see myself changing any time soon...just too clean and too easy to use/tune.


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## feeshta (Oct 2, 2011)

I only ever owned one Eclipse product, a CD8443, and it was by far the best HU I ever owned. The built in filtering and time alignment options were excellent, it had 8V outs, and it played practically anything you put into it without complaint. That was a very welcome change after my old Alpine 7949and PRA-H400 combo. It replaced two pieces with better filtering functionality, and it would actually play CDs! That Alpine would skip if a bactrium happened to be on the CD. God I hated that player, it skipped on about 60% of my CDs. Alpines seem to have horrible error tracking in my experience, every one I have ever owned, including the factory installed ones in BMWs has been extremely finicky. 

I will miss Eclipse, but now that I own a BWM I am pretty much stuck with factory interface of specific products due to the oddball sizing and shape and the fact that that I despize how any standard aftermarket unit look with an adaptor in the vehicle.


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## josserman (Apr 14, 2011)

Ankit69 said:


> just outta curiosity was anyone happy with the latest double din from eclipse the avn726e? i did not get a chance to play with it but heard it was a epic fail. anyone care to comment?


I love my AVN726E for it's functionality and interface. What I dislike is the audio tuning options. My other car I run an 880PRS and miss the time alignment, cross over options built in, and multi band eq. Basically all you get in the AVN is a 3 band eq, a few woofer settings, and bal/fad. On the other hand, I've upgraded the maps now for the gps a few times, also upgraded the unit which helped provide better BT capability.


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## redbaronace (Sep 27, 2011)

josserman said:


> I love my AVN726E for it's functionality and interface. What I dislike is the audio tuning options. My other car I run an 880PRS and miss the time alignment, cross over options built in, and multi band eq. Basically all you get in the AVN is a 3 band eq, a few woofer settings, and bal/fad. On the other hand, I've upgraded the maps now for the gps a few times, also upgraded the unit which helped provide better BT capability.


Can you share how to upgrade the units Bluetooth capabilities


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## josserman (Apr 14, 2011)

ECLIPSE AVN726E/AVN76D Map updates | Fujitsu Ten

After doing this upgrade my WP7 worked. Prior to this I did an update a yr ago that allowed BT and GPS multitasking. I believe this or the prior update also enhanced the initial GPS SAT connection time.


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## redbaronace (Sep 27, 2011)

Are these updates free?


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## josserman (Apr 14, 2011)

system updates are free...maps are not


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