Originally Posted by butdamnbrian

on this topic.. for anyone who plans to do bypass work to the headunits in question..

alpine is by far the toughest
pioneer requires moving a pin in the harness
kenwood is the simplest.. requiring simple grounding work

i've been shopping for a head unit for awhile now, and as much as it annoys me to do so, i'm going to have to agree with BIG on this subject.

all the research, personal test time, and installer discussions i've had confirm the pioneer units are just not as high quality as they were in the past. it shows in the price, the gps quality, and the unit longevity.

alpine head units with motorized face plates tend to break, as well. faceplate motor failure is a consistent issue.

kenwood is the way to go, based on the research i've done.