What double din head unit should I buy?
 

I’m in the market for a new double din head unit. I looked at Alpine’s flagship, the IVA-W505/P1 and Kenwood’s Excelon DNX9960 but they only have 3 pre-outs. I want 6 pre-outs with at least 4V. I also want Pandora, HD radio, voice activated controls for navigation, iPod and iPhone. Does anyone have any suggestions? I know Pioneer has a double head unit that has Pandora, but I have read opinions in this 370Z forum that Pioneer head units are unreliable. Is this true? I have a couple of months to make a decision. Any suggestions?

Have you considered JVC..??

Awesome quality in products and great pricing... Check the JVC KW-AVX820..

JVC KW-AVX820

I've had two Pioneer DVD video system in 2 vehicles with no complaints. It's just a matter of opinion and personal experience. I plan on putting in their new AVIC-110BT; should I decide to get one this year; which I'm in no hurry to replace the head unit for now.

Thanks, I’ll check it out! I’m also looking at the Eclipse AVN726E. I have 2 months to decide, so I’m really not rushed and have time to do my research. Thanks for any and all advice.

Thanks. I though Pioneer offered plenty of good features for a decent price, but when I read on this forum it had reliability problems, it sort of made me rethink on what to buy! Like I said before, I have 2 months to do some research before I make a decision. I really appreciate all the recommendations.

What in the world will you be doing with 6 preamp outs? I can't imagine finding room for 6 amplifiers in a Z. :)

OP just to let you know 3 SETS of outputs so they do have 6 outputs. I would recommend the kenwood or the alpine. But keep in mind unless you are running rear speakers their is no reason for 3 sets of outputs. OR if you can wait kenwood and alpine will be releasing new models soon

Thanks, that’s good to know. Does the new Kenwood or the Alpine units have voice activated controls for navigation, iPod and iPhone? Do you know the model number(s)? I did look at the Alpine double din head units earlier and was kind of turned off by having to dock a nav modular unit and it only had 2v outputs on the pre-outs. Has this changed at all for the new units? I’m looking for something that looks natural and integrated as if it came with the car! Not a single din with a silly storage shelf if you know what I mean! Having Pandora integrated into the head unit is a must, since I use it now more than Sirius.

"Which" lol :stirthepot:

A friend of mine is looking at the JVC and I did some research. They actually look pretty nice :tup: Just make sure you get one with hi-volt pre-amp outputs.

I don't meanto beat a dead horse, But Realy if you can afford it gowith the DNX9960 get in the pre-order and you can always cancel it if you change your mind. You might get some free stuff for your car in the mean time.

DNX9960 will do Voice commands like the 9160 used to.
As Bigaudiofanat pointed out, It has 3X5Vpreouts meaning 3 Pairs of Outsputs.
This unit has a very advanced i-Pod control with the Album art search option.
That to me alone is worth the difference.
Not to mention GARMIN Nav is unbeatable. Specialy with the lane change assist and junction info. Navteq traffic is alos now built in to the DNX9960. You also get exclusive 3D mapping for major cities.

i've had my pioneer avic D3 for almost 2 years now and it's worked flawlessly and i consider it the best HU i've ever had (granted that's not a bunch). i highly recommend their products. www.avic411.com is also a great source of info about their products and how to hook them up if you decide to do it yourself (took me about an hour following an install guide i found on clubfrontier.org to do mine, first time ever doing a dvd/nav system)

I agree, OP the lower or higher pre outs only means your going to have to adjust your gain up or down on the amp itself. To some people they prefer the higher pre outs I am happy with 3 or above. The alpine yes I agree it is a bit of a turn off for the docking of the gps. That is why I prefer the kenwoods of the alpines. But I have not heard from alpine on what they are coming out for double dins this year. I will keep you posted on that. Also I am not sure about the voice controls that would be something to look into.

wow, that JVC has 5V line outs too. :p that remote has to go though, reminds me of old VHS remotes. hahaha. :D

i run a 3100 dvd player from pioneer. i think im going to get th 4100 next for my G. :)

actually pioneer released their new line up at CES.... 4200, 3200, etc. might do the 3200 instead on the G. it can now take SD cards which is very convenient.

yup i just saw that posted today, should make life super easy, especially if you organize everything into folders. that's how i have my cd's broken down on a dvd disc of mp3's