Alpine PXA-H701 165-Band Car Equalizer

I really have enjoyed owning and using this unit!

The PXA-H700/701 is a full digital processor with parametric/graphic equalizers, full DTS/Dolby Digital/Dolby Pro Logic II surround sound decoder, with AI-Net connections.

It allows ANY head unit to take advantage of its many features and listen to your DVDs in high-fidelity surround sound! *Note: for best use, an Alpine AI-Net compatible head unit should be used.

After much searching, reading .pdf owners manuals, phone calls, and purchases, I have realized few (if any) manufacturers provide an equally convenient and great-sounding in-car 5.1 processor, certainly few or none with this type of equalization capability. Additionally, I was previously a Clarion fan for years but realized that their proprietary fiber optical connections are a huge waste of money (in cables) and prevent use with any other external processors. So I made the switch to Alpine!

I bought the PXA-H701 and controller RUX-C701 as a set on eBay for roughly $700, although I was gouged on shipping (big surprise there, huh?) which is well below what you'd pay in retail. I used it directly with my Alpine DVA-7996 in-dash DVD/MP3/CD/XM tuner.

The PXA-H701 is great! I have NO RCA connections between the unit and my head unit, only one standard fiber optic cable and one AI-Net cable. That's all! However, if you don't have an Alpine head unit, you can substitute the RCA input jacks that are provided for this purpose. You'll still be able to use the digital inputs, however. In this case, you'll be able to adjust the volume using the rotary knob on the remote control unit, which is also mountable like a standard stereo or using a flush-mount. Accessories are included to assist with this.

It has a nice dot-matrix display and rotating nob, with blue illumination (very bright!). The display unit allows you to adjust the equalizer settings, time correction (delay) settings, digital surround sound functions, user presets, and much more. You can also adjust listening levels independently for various audio sources. This is helpful if your DVD levels are lower than the CD audio levels, for example.

The PXA-H701/H700 allows one independent 31-band equalizer per channel, and that takes some time to adjust due to the amount of control you have. The time correction (TCR) feature works well, but I discovered that the auto-time correction feature (AUTO-TCR) does not show me what the results are! There were no values stored in the TCR settings, so I had to clear it back to default settings and do it by hand. Oh, well...

The crossover functions are great, and again, each setting is for each channel independently; within each setting, you can also adjust the output sound level independently. The center channel control allows you to use the center channel with a "phantom" mode (simulated center output) or with a real center channel speaker even with standard stereo audio sources.

The sound quality you ask? Well, let me tell you that its pretty much FANTASTIC. Other than noticing slight 'pops' occasionally from the digital volume control when I adjust the volume from my head unit, the sound is VERY clear, with excellent fidelity and clarity. I previously owned a flagship Clarion DRX-9255 and the sound of the Alpine (with fiber optic inputs being used) pretty much rivals the same. Volume levels of the Alpine can easily produce high levels without clipping.

I'm really pleased with this unit. Video or music DVDs sound excellent especially in Dolby Digital in my car, CDs sound VERY clear with the digital inputs, and XM Radio sounds very good (as well as MP3s), but remember that this is a high fidelity unit, therefore if audio sources (XM, CDs, MP3s) are poor, you can hear every bit of it! The clarity is great, I tell you. The signal-to-noise ratio is excellent. Noise is pretty much non-existent in my multi-amp system thanks to the Alpine.


Thankfully the Alpine uses a standard TOSLINK connection for the optical cable, therefore you can use cheap cables with it-after all they're digital. Also, the control cable (uses DIN connectors on each end) for connection to the control unit is very long and worked quite well in my car. The unit includes a small plug-in microphone for the Auto-TCR function as well.

EXTRA FEATURES:
-Provides amp remote signals out...no need to add them
-Can turn off illumination by holding [DISP] display button for 2 seconds..interesting! Not in manual...
-TCR microphone included
-High-quality DAC chips (Burr Brown I believe)

LIKES:
-Excellent signal-to-noise ratio
-Slender and compact chassis. Probably will fit under most seats
-Good manual (well, for the most part...)
-Optional center output during stereo mode
-Rotary volume used for EQ/band adjustment
-Presets save EQ, TCR, and all of your settings
-Non-volatile memory (doesn't "lose" settings after losing power connection) unlike the PXA-H510
-Lightweight and easy to install
-Standard TOSLINK jacks
-Operates smoothly, with no apparent software bugs or firmware lock-ups--at least not that I could find!
-TCR controls allow independent adjustment and can compensate (help) for non-identical speaker distances..up to many milliseconds in delay.


DISLIKES:
-The 13 pin DIN controller cord to the controller is very big and more difficult for installtions. Also the connector is within 6" of the controller faceplate.
-No auto-EQ function...can take HOURS to set 6 31-band EQs!
-No ability to upload settings to a PC for safe storage
-Rear channels play at regular volume when in stereo mode, unlike 5.1 mode..will have to use Dolby ProLogic mode or similar to avoid this (note: company rep said PXA-H900 can avoid this)

IRRITATING WEAKNESSES:
Well, only one: When in standard stereo (LPCM) mode, the rear speakers are active and pull the stereo image to the rear speakers unless I use the Pro Logic II mode or fade to the front. I don't like that.

According to an Alpine rep., the PXA-H900 allows a different setting for this.

SUMMARY:
Overall, an awesome unit! Surround sound is AWESOME with this unit. This is a well-engineered and well programmed unit. As a design professional, I am impressed with the quality and performance.

You will not be dissapointed with this unit. It pretty much makes a laughing stock of the Clarion and other units (of course except for the flagship F1 series Alpine PXA-H900).

Thanks for reading my review..hope it helps.