polyman's Full Review: Alpine CDA-9813 Car CD/ MP3 Player
Going from a stock head unit in my 1997 Acura TL, just about any HU would be better. After reading reviews and playing with head units at car audio shops, I ended up buying the Alpine 9813. In the end, it came down to the Alpine 9813 and the Pioneer 8600 (which was a new model for Pioneer). People who owned the 8600 said it had a "warmer" sound to it, whereas the 9813 had a "bright" or "accurate" sound to it. The 8600 has a display that is a little too "busy" for me, whereas the 9813 has a clean, less busy display. Seeing that I never owned an Alpine or a Pioneer deck, I went with the Alpine (told myself I could get the 8600 on close-out some other day). I was more curious to try the 9813 than anything, and will admit I was very close to getting the 8600 several times.
When I purchased the 9813, it was a close-out model and was being replaced by the 9833. For all intents and purposes, the 9813 and the 9833 have the same audio features - the main differences were how the two units looked. Although just my opinion, the 9813 felt like it was built more "solid" than the 9833. The 9813's buttons felt better than the 9833, for instance. I have really enjoyed this deck in the 3 or so months I have owned it. I can't say I love it because there are some small things that I would rather do without. But for the $300 I paid, I am very happy with it.
The first thing I really like is the clarity of the sound the 9813 produces. I have my front stage and sub amped, so I don't use the 9813's internal amplifier (more on that). But the 9813 sends out clean signals through its three sets of RCAs. The only downfall is that the RMS voltage is weaker than advertised, because I had to set my amps' gains much higher than I thought I would. I later learned this is a pretty common with Alpine decks, but that's what amps' gain knobs are for, right?
I later was forced to use the 9813's internal amp while one of my amps was being serviced. To my surprise, the sound produced by the 9813's internal amp was not a huge dropoff from my Phoenix Gold ZX400ti. Although not as clear and loud as my PG amp, the 9813's internal amplifier was able to power my 2-way front comps more than sufficiently as a temporary fill-in.
Another thing I like about the 9813 is the EQ. The 9813 has a 5-band parametric EQ, which gives me more than enough tweekability. It also has more than enough crossover points for the sub, front and rear outputs. The added subwoofer level control is a nice feature as well. I also like the pre-set EQ levels provided on the 9813. You can tweek these pre-set EQ settings or use them as-is or make your own EQ curves. One problem some might have is navigating through the different EQ and crossover features on the 9813. I will admit that the Pioneer 8600 is easier to navigate between features. But like anything, you learn and get used to the 9813's setup.
Another pro I'd like to mention is the 9813's remote control. I have a Pioneer cd changer and I was able to compare the Pioneer and Alpine remotes. I like the feel of the 9813 remote much better. The Pioneer remote is about the size of a credit card, whereas the 9813 remote is more like a traditional remote (long, narrow). The 9813 remote's buttons are easy to deal with.
Some minor problems with the 9813 include the reflective nature of the display. One thing I really considered with the Pioneer 8600 was how it's display was much easier to read than the 9813. This problem occurs only when there is light shining directly off the 9813 display. Another little problem is how short the main volume knob is - it makes using the remote that much better. But the main knob is used when tweeking the EQ and crossover, so you have to use it sometimes.
Overall, I really enjoy my Alpine. The clean look and clean sound are the biggest pros, which are the most important things to me when it comes to my head unit.
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