Alpine CDA-9827 Car CD / MP3 Player

I purchased the CDA-9827 for one reason: it's ability to interface with the Alpine iPod Interface (KCA-420i). While this review will focus on using the head unit to control an iPod, most of the complaints will still apply if you're using the CD or an attached changer, as the iPod is essentially treated as a "changer".

Any of the various Alpine head units equipped with an Ai-NET port would work with the iPod Interface, and the CDA-9827 is the second least expensive. The main advantage of the 9827 over the 9825 is the ability to play MP3 and WMA files from a CD. Although my main use of this head unit would be to control my 40GB iPod, I like the flexibility of playing MP3's or WMA'a from a CD from time to time.

The ability of the 9827 to control an iPod is both a blessing and a curse. I have the iPod Interface installed with the connector run inside the glove compartment. My iPod, therefore, stays safely tucked (and locked) out of sight in the glove compartment. From the head unit, I can change tracks, pause, rewind, stop, etc. The head unit turns the iPod on/off along with the head unit itself, and the iPod is charged while connected. I can see all the available track information, depending on what display mode I'm in: Artist, Track Name, Album Name, and all the various time displays. This is where my first gripe comes in:

Problem 1: There's no display mode that scrolls through artist, track, and album. You must pick one and stick with it. Plus, the multitude of other display modes that are NOT available when in Changer mode (the mode the iPod Interface uses) are still in the list, so you have to cycle through a bunch of "Not Available" items to get to one that you want. Note to Alpine: please give us a display mode that will cycle through artist, track, and album. Display each for a period of time (3 seconds or so default, but configurable by the user), then scroll up to the next one.

Another "plus" to conrolling the iPod with the head unit is the ability to select any playlist, artist, track, album, or genre, just as if you were using the iPod directly. This is good in theory, but doesn't work so well in practice. A bit of history: I was previously using a TransPod FM Transmitter to use my iPod in the car. Selecting or changing tracks was dangerous while driving, because I had to look down and to my right, then fumble with the small controls of the iPod...all while trying to keep my eye on the road. I was hoping being able to use the head unit directly would solve this problem. It doesn't:

Problem 2: Unlike the variable speed click wheel in the iPod, the Alpine's rotary knob only has one speed, regardless of how fast you turn it. I have over 3,000 songs on my iPod, and hundreds of artists and albums. The rotary knob cycles through about 2-3 items per turn, no matter how fast you go. If, for example, I want to get to "The Shins", it takes forever and a day to get to the "S" section of my artists folder. I have to literally spin, and spin, and spin, and spin, and spin, and spin, and spin...all while trying to drive. It sometimes takes several minutes to get where I want to go. This has forced me to use the iPod almost exclusively in "mix" mode (shuffle). Just let it pick a song at random, and if I'm not in the mood, I just hit skip (>>|) and it's on to the next random track. Which brings up another gripe:

Problem 3: The CDA-9827 remembers every setting you pick, except Mix mode. For whatever reason, you must turn Mix mode on every time the head unit is turned on. I like to have it mix all tracks on the iPod, which is the second mix setting. So, every time I enter the car, I have to do the following: 1) Press the "F/SETUP" button. 2) Press the "5" button to select MIX (random) mode. This first mode will randomly play all tracks in the current album or playlist. 3) Press the "5" button again to get to the All Mix mode, which is what I actually want. This mode randomly plays from among all tracks on the iPod. Now, while every other setting on this head unit is remembered when powered off, the Mix settings are not. This makes no sense.

Another problem I have with this head unit, is the complexity of using any of the settings. No matter what you want to do (adjust the bass/treble/balance/fader, browse a folder by artist, playlist, album, etc...), Alpine has made everything exceedingly complex and difficult to remember. Multiple buttons in a particular sequence, in some combination with both turning and pushing the rotary knob, are required no matter what you want to do. I've now owned this unit for almost 3 months, and I still don't really know how to use it. I keep the manual handy at all times. That's not good...

Speaking of making adjustments, the sound adjustments are overly complex, and the manual is no help. I have absolutely no idea how to dial this thing in to make it sound right. At times it sounds terrific, other times it's horrible. Problem is, I can't make the necessary adjustments. For example, to adjust the bass, here's what you have to do (according to the manual):

1) Press the "CENTER f" button to select BASS (bass center frequency) control mode.

2-1) Setting the Bass Center Frequency: press the (rewind or forward) button to select the desired bass center frequency.

This will cycle through: 60Hz -> 80Hz -> 100Hz -> 200Hz ->

2-2) Setting the Bass Band width (Q-Factor): Press the (BAND/TEL) button to select the desired bass Band Width.

This will cycle through: B.Width1 (Narrow) -> B.Width2 -> B.Width3 -> B.Width4 (Wide)

Changes the bass boost band width to wide or narrow. A wide setting will boost a wide range of frequencies above and below the center frequency. A narrower setting will boost only frequencies near the center frequency.

2-3) Setting the Bass Level: Turn the rotary encoder to select the desired bass level (-7 - 7). you can emphasise or weaken the bass frequency.

* Note: Selecting any of the "Setting the Bass Types" (TYPE 1 through TYPE 3), temporarily replaces the custom setting you have made above.

---

I won't go into how to sest the Bass Type, but it allows one of 3 settings. Setting 1 is said to be best if using a subwoofer, while types 2 and 3 are for "small diameter speakers." There's no other information listed in the manual.

So, are you as confused as I am? Keep in mind, with the combination of center frequency, band (Q-Factor), and level, there are hundres (if not thousands) of combinations. (My Statistics 101 is failing me at the moment, so I'm not going to do the calculation of the exact number of combinations.) Sitting in the car and trying to dial this in is an exercise in futility. Give me a good old fashioned EQ any day and leave this other mumbo jumbo out of the picture.

So, is there anything good about his head unit? Sure, it has a nice list of features, including the ability to play MP3 and WMA discs. This means you can load up a hundred or more songs on a single CD and pop it in for a road trip.

And, while I think the difficult (and slow) controls makes this unit dangerous to use while controlling an iPod, there currently isn't anything better. There are 3rd party adapters that work with most decks, but the most they do is allow you to forward a track, stop, and pause. None of the other solutions allow you to browse the iPod and also display the track information. I think this is a good first step, but it's obvious the controls were designed for a disc changer (which wouldn't need as much scrolling due to the much fewer number of songs available).