Alpine - Never Again
Written: Mar 14 '04
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Pros: Good sound at first...looks cool in dash
Cons: Self destructs, poor quality, not worth the money.
The Bottom Line: Easy to find a better value anywhere.
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| kebodz_42's Full Review: Alpine CDA-7861 Car CD Player |
I bought this Alpine deck solely on the word of the salesman and the fact that they're supposedly installed in Lambourginis, those super fine exotic cars. Not only are they supposed to be extremely reliable and well made they are said to have the best sound anywhere....or so I was told. Live and learn.
My first disappointment came the first day the sun was shining and I tried to see what station or track or time was displayed on the deck. Impossible. Even cupping my hand over the deck face didn't help. This is an extremely dangerous oversight for someone who might be a station surfer while they drive and like to be able to glance at the deck to confirm their station choice.
Although I have to admit the sound was amazing during the first six months of my owning this deck. Then came the track forward button breaking off inside the deck, so I now have to reverse through the tracks of the entire CD to get to the next track forward. I could live with that.
Then the sound started to become distorted and the radio reception began to fade to the point where if I really want clear sound from the radio the best bet is to hold on the car antenna while driving (a problem on rainy days). The CD's play up to about track 6 then nothing beyond that, a mystery to this day.
Then the kicker...the volume control (which is also the bass, treble, fade and balance control). This little gem has decided to take on a mind of its own whereby you can turn the volume in the up direction and the volume goes down or visa versa. You can often get better results with the volume if you press, ever so slightly, on the knob itself but watch out. If you press beyond a certain point you are now adjusting the bass or treble and must then re-adjust those and wait till the display returns to volume so you can try again.
The faceplate will release when it feels the time is right and if not (50% of the time) you must use a key or knife to pry off the faceplate for theft prevention. (I've often thought how ironic it is for me to be taking steps in theft prevention when, if the deck were to be stolen it would serve two purposes....to get rid of this deck and get revenge on a thief).
Please don't make the same mistake I did. Shop around. There are so many brands out there that have the same or better features for less money. My next deck will be a Panasonic....same features....half price...more reliable.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 300
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Epinions.com ID:
kebodz_42
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Member: Ken
Location: Vancouver, BC , Canada
Reviews written: 45
Trusted by: 1 member
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