Alpine CDA-9827 Car CD / MP3 Player

I decided to write this review when I read the OTHER reviews in this site and just thought they didn't make any justice to the head unit. I'll try to cover all the aspects of the head unit.

Sound quality: I replaced a Sony Xplod head unit on my VW for the Alpine HU and the sound quality improved DRAMATICALLY even with the factory speakers. I've had Sony Xplod, Kenwood and this Alpine (all three in the same price range); and comparing all three, this HU has the best sound quality. I wonder what it does with quality aftermarket speakers…

Skip free mechanism: It's very good but not perfect. CDs hardly ever skip on bumpy roads even if your car's got a sports rigid suspension system like mine does. Maybe if you drive a SUV or a big family car you won't ever hear it skip.

Display: Some people have claimed it is unreadable under daylight. I guess that depends in the angle you mount the HU. Mine's readable at day and night, however, when sunlight hits the car from the rear, it tends to "fade". Eventhough the buttons brightness is supposed to decrease when you turn your headlights on, those should get less bright and there's no way dim or turn off those button lights.

Counterintuitive functions: Now again, many people have complained that the controls are not user friendly or intuitive which is completely true. Fortunately, the "unintuitive" controls are the ones you won't have to change every song. Finally, two words of advice to those who complaint: 1. this is not a Nokia phone. 2. Read the user's guide.

The Control Knob: For me, the control knob is just great. You don't need to press a zillion times one button in order to increase or decrease the volume, adjust the balance, fader, search for files or folders, name a CD or a radio station. I just love it.

Remote control: Main functions are in the remote. It's ergonomically designed to fit your hand. I can shift gears and hold the remote comfortably in the same hand while driving without the risk of a fatal highway accident.

MP3/WMA Playback: Sound quality even with MP3 and WMA formats is outstanding. When burning your own music pay special attention to the velocity (8x Maximum), bitrate and sampling frequencies. (Kbps and Hz).

Connectivity: Maybe the most interesting feature this head unit has. The ability to control and iPod, a CD changer, a cell phone and XM radio is great. No other head unit in this price range has this connectivity features.

EQ, and MX: Balance, Fader, Bass and Treble are easy to access and control with the control knob. There are some more advanced EQ features like center frequencies and bandwith but then again, you won't be changing those features every song cause those are set according to your speakers and car's acoustics. MX (Media Xpander) which is supposed to enhance sound quality sometimes makes music sound worse, however I strongly believe that it is not the head unit but my factory speakers which can't handle the bass at mid to hi volumes. You can have individual MX settings for FM/CD/MP3.

AM/FM reception: FM reception is OK, but AM sucks. But then again I think it's my car antenna because the same thing happened to my Sony Xplod.

As a conclusion, it is a great head unit for someone looking for great sound quality, customization and connectivity features. A best value and a highly recommended product.

PS: Sorry for the Loooong review. I just hope you found it useful.

PS2: This review may sound like a defense for Alpine products...I've got nothing to do with Alpine... just another satisfied customer.

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Update Feb.17/05: Yesterday I went to a car audio specialist and he concluded that the poor AM reception was because the antenna was disconnected as I suspected.