Alpine CDA-9827 Car CD / MP3 Player

I was thinking of upgrading to a 12 disc changer, then i saw this unit at a store and thought if i got this i could still use my old changer (you only get around 110 songs on 6 cds compared to 170 mp3s on just 1 cd), plus i get a new head unit and I save some money too. I knew this was going to be better looking than my old unit but sound quality was the reason why i got this and looks was the last thing on my mind. When I had it installed I was shocked...its beautiful! The black blue and white display was a pleasant surprise (the one on display wasnt working and the pictures i saw on the net clearly did not do justice). And the sound was noticeably more solid, more crisp..heck even the side mirrors were shaking. The dealer told me it was a real fast seller because it had high end features at a low end price. What amazed me even more was how easy it was to navigate thru the mp3s. It worked just like my changer. You do have to arrange your mp3s by folder though but thats easy and even if you dont theres a quick search function. I have used it for some time now and it NEVER skipped...even with my cars lousy suspension and the potholes in my country every few meters. I also like that theres no face that swings open (less moving parts, more reliability). Oh and the individual audio settings for each audio source (tuner, cd, mp3, xm) is good too.

There are some things I dont like though..the cd info doesnt scroll at first (I later found out it can be changed). You cant just turn it off with one press you have to hold it for a few seconds. The remote doesnt work very well from the side (also a problem on my old unit). And the dimmer only dims the 4 buttons on the left and not the display. Oh and the display only has 8 characters and is not even dot matrix. These are only minor though.

Overall I would say this unit is worth every penny. It was much better than I expected. You get a unit thats solidly built and performs exceptionally well. And it has a very professional, well thought out feel to it.

If you've got questions email me @ jpatricks1@yahoo.com

tip: if you have an amp, youll probably be better off with the mx turned off