ALPINE CD PLAYER MP3 CDW AAC WMA USB - CDA117 Review

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(More customer reviews)Anyone who has owned an aftermarket Head Unit(HU) can tell you that there is a definitive amount of quality between lower price and upper price HU's.
Being an audiophile, i have heard and owned many, many HU's. My last HU was a Pioneer DEH-P8600MP. Pioneer's top quality HU next to the 9600 at the time it came out. After purchasing this Alpine CDA-117, i had very high expectations with which i was going to compare this HU to. First of all they both use 24bit Burr-Brown Digital-to-Analong Converters (24bit DACs) so you get the most information from the CD player, or ipod to the speakers as possible.
Secondly, a feature i wish my Pioneer HU had, is the ability to defeat, or cancel, the CDA-117's internal MOSFET Amplifiers, and send the signal directly from the CD or ipod to the external amplifier (if your using one) and then to the speakers. This allows you to crank the volume considerably with less signal distortion on the beaten path(from the source to the speakers).
This HU also has a very intuitive User-interface(menu system) and the scroll wheel is second to none in terms of usability and control. The HU has a very bright display, and it is also recessed(sunk in under the plastic casing) so that when the sunlight hits the display, you can still see the words very clear. I have no complaints for this HU except that the tuning options are a little less than my previous model HU, but Pioneer decks can be a little overkill with tuning options, and sometimes they are better left alone if you aren't familiar with what they achieve. All in all, this is an audiophile-quality deck, with more than enough features for the most experienced tuners. I believe this unit is the successor to the Alpine CDA-9886, and that unit is revered in the audio community. If nothing else, go to your local best buy and see if they have one of these on display, you will not be unimpressed!
Thanks for your time.
Josh

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