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Very annoying to use.
Pros
Decent sound. Large volume knob. Good specs.
Cons
Very slow user response. Poor button and menu design.
Recommended it?
No
The Bottom Line:
Ugh -- wait for a more modern unit.
Do you get annoyed by programs on your computer that pop up annoying windows forcing you to wait, and click "Ok" for really no reason at all? Then this radio will annoy the hell out of you.
I own the CDA-9883, installed professionally by Car Toys, along with the iPod cable and HD Radio unit. The actual sound and build quality of the units are good -- so I'm not quite motivated to get a new Head Unit yet, but I will as soon as something with entirely new programming comes out from Alpine.
I noticed that the previous reviews didn't really focus on the issues I'm about to raise. They seemed to mostly give it glowing reviews because of the unit's specs. I think that misses an important point, though. Sure, the unit has a long laundry list of things it'll do. And when sound plays, it sounds good, but how well does the unit get you to that point?
For me, not well at all. Here are the problems I have with it:
1) The unit is simply slow. It seems like the CPU (the computer inside) is underpowered. For example, changing to a different preset radio station takes far too long. And, while it's in the process of responding to one button hit, other button hits are ignored. This creates its own problem described in #2 below.
Anyhow, when I was at the store, I tried out lots of models, and this one seemed to work pretty reasonably. But when you're in a car it's a different thing. I find that I often just have a little bit of time where I don't have to worry about traffic and can mess with the radio. For example, at a red light. And I'm constantly annoyed by how the unit slows me down.
2) The unit often makes *you* wait for, or cater to it. For example, switching from FM to AM is difficult, and not something you can do without thinking while driving. Here's what you have to do:
a) (First find the small Band button) Press Band
b) Now WAIT 1 to 2 seconds. Any buttons you press will be ignored.
c) Press Band again.
d) WAIT 1 to 2 seconds, and then verify if you got to AM like you should.
e) Now go back and choose a station.
There are many ways the unit makes you cater to it. Here's another: Many of the "delays" built into the system are way too long. For example, when you adjust the volume, the volume number stays on the screen a very long time -- noticeably long if you're driving, wanting to turn down the volume quickly, and then jump to another station. In the store, checking the unit out, I didn't notice this at all. But in the car, the 3 second (at least) delay while it shows you a completely useless number like "4", is maddening.
Here's ANOTHER annoying way that you have to cater to the unit (instead of the unit catering to you): Several common operations require that a button be *held down*, for what feels like 3 long seconds. For example, turning the unit off. Very annoying. The also constantly comes up when in iPod mode as well.
There are several more annoyances with respect to the programming and interface design, but I'll leave it here. You get the idea.
I own the CDA-9883, installed professionally by Car Toys, along with the iPod cable and HD Radio unit. The actual sound and build quality of the units are good -- so I'm not quite motivated to get a new Head Unit yet, but I will as soon as something with entirely new programming comes out from Alpine.
I noticed that the previous reviews didn't really focus on the issues I'm about to raise. They seemed to mostly give it glowing reviews because of the unit's specs. I think that misses an important point, though. Sure, the unit has a long laundry list of things it'll do. And when sound plays, it sounds good, but how well does the unit get you to that point?
For me, not well at all. Here are the problems I have with it:
1) The unit is simply slow. It seems like the CPU (the computer inside) is underpowered. For example, changing to a different preset radio station takes far too long. And, while it's in the process of responding to one button hit, other button hits are ignored. This creates its own problem described in #2 below.
Anyhow, when I was at the store, I tried out lots of models, and this one seemed to work pretty reasonably. But when you're in a car it's a different thing. I find that I often just have a little bit of time where I don't have to worry about traffic and can mess with the radio. For example, at a red light. And I'm constantly annoyed by how the unit slows me down.
2) The unit often makes *you* wait for, or cater to it. For example, switching from FM to AM is difficult, and not something you can do without thinking while driving. Here's what you have to do:
a) (First find the small Band button) Press Band
b) Now WAIT 1 to 2 seconds. Any buttons you press will be ignored.
c) Press Band again.
d) WAIT 1 to 2 seconds, and then verify if you got to AM like you should.
e) Now go back and choose a station.
There are many ways the unit makes you cater to it. Here's another: Many of the "delays" built into the system are way too long. For example, when you adjust the volume, the volume number stays on the screen a very long time -- noticeably long if you're driving, wanting to turn down the volume quickly, and then jump to another station. In the store, checking the unit out, I didn't notice this at all. But in the car, the 3 second (at least) delay while it shows you a completely useless number like "4", is maddening.
Here's ANOTHER annoying way that you have to cater to the unit (instead of the unit catering to you): Several common operations require that a button be *held down*, for what feels like 3 long seconds. For example, turning the unit off. Very annoying. The also constantly comes up when in iPod mode as well.
There are several more annoyances with respect to the programming and interface design, but I'll leave it here. You get the idea.
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