Good car cd player/brands?

[duragezic]

I FINALLY got a car, maybe some of you've seen my thread. Since it was much cheaper than even my parents were gonna pay, I didn't have to pay for any of it so I'll be able to get a cd player right away. Any specific models or even just good brands? I want one with cd text, doesn't skip (my bros sony 5000-something or other is nice except it skips sometimes over railroad tracks, mostly when its cold though), and a clean layout with easy to read text. Hopefully in the $150-$200 range. Is it worth it to buy online? Because there is no BB or CC or anything where there would be a real good selection. It's just pretty much department stores and then some audio places but they're all obsessed with system in those places.

 

[mztykal]

You might not get cd-text for that price range. I like Panasonic. The players are very easy to use and they sound pretty good.

Either that or if you want to spend more, a nice Nakamichi/Eclipse.

 

[duragezic]

My brother's Sony was $199 at Best Buy and his has cd text so I'm hoping that over a year later and that the economy is doing bad that I'll be able to find a decent one with cd text for less than $200. Man some of the other electronics are cheap lately!

I've never heard of Nakamichi/Eclipse. Sounds expensive.

Any other recommendations?

 

[glen]

Alpine 7878

 

[yellowperil]

Pioneer is good

 

[Drew1082]

the best mid range price cd player on the market is anything current from pioneer

they have very good cd players

i have heard bad things about sonys (but who knows if they are true)

if you have lots of cash to spend on it though, id check out the eclipses or alpines

 

[Viperoni]

If you want the best MP3 deck, JVC uses 20 (or is it 24?) bit, Burr Brown, DAC's (Digital -> Analog Convertors, the chips that change the CD's light pulses to analog audio waveforms), so they're very likely to sound a good bit better than the other MP3 decks out there....

Otherwise you can't go wrong with Pioneer, JVC, Nakamichi, Carver, Eclipse, Alpine.....

 

[CraigRT]

I'd buy Clarion or Alpine.. whatever is less flashy.. there is nothing more i hate than RETARDED decks that play movies and take 60 years to do whatever you want to because it's all graphical.. how dumb is that.. why can't they make the high end car decks look like high end home audio -> nice polished aluminum, very simple, functional yet low-key. I would buy a deck like that, in a second. best for this currently is probably Clarion i'd imagine. or JVC.

 

[duragezic]

Ok so it looks like all the brands I see around are good except for Sony and Aiwa? I'll look for a Pioneer or Alpine one first since they seem to have gotten the most recommendations here.


<< Alpine 7878 >>


Eh it's a good $600 over my budget.

edit: Oh, I should mention that I don't need a MP3 cd player. Just one that plays regular cds and cd-rs.

 

[glen]

Yeah, well, you are right.
I had the low end Kenwood that played mp3's burned to CD-Rs as well as regular CDs.
Get that one.

 

[Xenon14]

Sony XPlod. I got one for $150 w/ free installation at staples. Looked/Sounds better than the panasonic/kenwood/toshiba models sold there, and cost 1/2 the price. Don't now how it is now, I bought it around a year ago. Very satisfied customer.

 

[dionx]

a sony headunit should be good for $200. i have a $400 sony headunit but in terms of quality, they are about the same for the $200 headunits. differenences are features and looks.

eclipse and nakamichi are so high quality that you cant just buy the headunit without buying a external amp since they dont have a built-in one. but they are the best in car audio headunits.

 

[Hubris]

I bought an Alpine (Don't remember the model number off the top of my head, and it's too damn cold to run out and check ) and I'm VERY satisfied with it. It cost me about $350 a year ago, installed at Tweeter (yeah, yeah, but I didn't know anything about installing car stereoes then; I've since installed my own speaker system and amp). It's a damn good CD player, with nary a skip, unless I go over some BAD potholes (not hard to find in RI). It does everything I could want it to do, and it isn't one of those damn ones that take twenty years to work because of all their "features".

You haven't said anything about speakers/subs/amps. Those, IMO, make a MUCH bigger difference than your head unit. Goa little lower end on the head, then spend a good amount on a decent pair of speakers. The difference is friggin incredible.

 

[erub]

i have a Panasonic HU, the DFX501U. It cost me $250 over the summer at Tweeters (and yeah, I still don't know how to install anything ), which is the same price Crutchfield was charging (good support), so I just let them do it. It looks really cool - has a color, glow in the dark blue-light around the edges, and has enough features for me. I would like one that plays mp3z, but this suffices. They have lesser price Panasonic's that are basically the same but don't look as cool. Check out crutchfield.com, those are pretty much MSRP - the same prices you will find at most stores.

 

[OneOfTheseDays]

go for the pioneer 6300 or 7300 hu's. They are very nice and should be in your pricerange. I luckily picked up the 6300 for only $199 at Fry's. Scope out the newspapers and look for good deals. My hu was selling at circuit city for $320!! so keep ur eyes peeled. i suggest you go over to sounddomain.com and checkout their forums.

 

[kepnachhouse]

I have a panasonic that glows too, I don't know the model but I've had it for about a year and its still as good as when I got it.

 

[iamshady]

Vote for Sony Xplod, great sounding deck

 

[Slickone]

Damn that Alpine 7878 is nice! Seems it's around $580 from the Middle Eastern stores in NY/NJ. I've personally never used a player w/ built in xover. Are they worth using, not being continously variable?

I want a new player that'll do MP3's. I've got an Alpine in my other car that's a few years old, never a problem, never a skip (even in a stiff 1" lowered 300ZX). But really can't spend that kind of money for another Alpine right now. I like the Pioneer's because of the rotary dial, but none play MP3's that I know of. Are they coming? Had a Kenwood in my old truck. Great sound. Skipped every now and then. They don't have rotary dials (that I know of). Don't like the looks of the new Panasonics, they've always sounded good. I really never buy/like Sony products (plus they don't sound good to me).

BTW, why have the looks of car stereos and sneakers (yes shoes, not speakers) gone to s**t in the last 5 years?

 

[SyahM]

Buy an Alpine .. any Alpine should do, you dont need 7878 to enjoy music in your car unless you're having a whole complete setup with $300+ a piece speaker and amplifier etc. In case you are looking for cd changer, get a pioneer, the one that can play CD-R and CD-RW. FYI, Alpine cd player doesnt play CD-R that well, i guess most car cd player has the same problem.