Alpine CDA-D853: Practically Perfect
Written: Aug 04 '01
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Pros: Great sound quality and it will not skip!!
Cons: Very nice-looking deck attracts unwanted attention...
The Bottom Line: If you've got a car with a 1.5 DIN dash space and want to upgrade your sound system, you will not find a better head unit for 3X more!!
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| ttone-ii's Full Review: Alpine Car Stereo CDA-D853 Camcorder |
This is an incredible head unit! It's got plenty of options without overwhelming the user. Two pre-outs, front and rear, can be used for expanding your audio system, and the front channel comes complete with a switchable non-fading option for use when driving subs through an external amp. This unit is Ai-Net compatible, so adding a 6- or 12-disc changer along with other Ai-Net devices is a snap. As for the biggest compatibility option...This device is steering-wheel remote ready! Just buy an adapter and your factory steering wheel controls will actually be useful again! My factory unit was REALLY great, and there was no way I was gonna give it up if I couldn't get the steering controls to work on the new unit! I do miss the built-in equalizer of the factory unit, and thus wish this one had built-in EQ, but I must confess I've never found an aftermarket head unit with this option. It does have bass (+-15db) and treble (+-10db) controls and a great looking 3-color EQ display, however, with 7 different display modes for everyone's different tastes. The 1.5 DIN size of the unit fits PERFECTLY in my car and the larger display looks GREAT! There are also two illumination modes--green and a red-orange color that is called "amber" (though it's not amber in color...). Because I have a Firebird, all of my dash controls and meters glow in a very similar red-orange color, so this option looks SOO cool. Speaking of having a Firebird, I've taken the thing off-road and have yet to hear the CDA-D853 skip a note!! My suspension is VERY tight, so this player's ability to not-skip is simple phenomenal! You will not find a more durable head unit around! The radio reception and options are top-notch; This thing can pick up stations clearly that I've never even heard before! You can store the typical 6 presets in each tuner (AM, FM1, FM2), plus there's an additional Direct Access Presets (DAP) bank which you can use for 6 stations of both AM and FM! You can also name these presets up to 8 characters. More useful however is the ability to name CDs, ESPECIALLY if you have a changer. You can even search for the CD by name! VERY useful if you've got a changer of 12 discs or so! This is truly a wonderful head unit!
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 309.00
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Epinions.com ID:
ttone-ii
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Reviews written: 2
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