Viper31

I am trying to find a decent CD head unit. At the risk of sounding like an Old F@ck, the last car system I installed was at least 15 years ago. The only unit I can find that seems like it has basic controls and has decent specs is the Nakamichi CD700, but that is some pretty good coin. Are pre-amp only units made anymore? Are there any head units out there without an EQ or what appears to be a light show going on in the dash? Any help is greatly appreciated.

BY U BOY

ALPINE HAS SOME PRE AMP UNITS THAT ARE VERY GOOD ALSO LOOK AT ECLIPSE.
http://www.alpine-usa.com/en/product...category=AV_HU

rainmn

The Nakamichi Cd-400 is less, and although it has an internal amp, you can disable it, making it essentially a pre-amp only unit. I have it in my car and like it so far.
I bought the Nak against my better judgement, so we will see how it holds up. I was an audio installer back about 10-15 years ago, and worked for a Nak dealer. We eventually had to drop the line due to the lack of quality control they had. The product was awesome when it worked, but you had about a 50/50 shot at it being dead right out of the box. Nak was sold since then, and I've heard mixed stories about the dependability of the new stuff.
I haven't bought a head unit in quite a while myself, and like you, hated about 99% of what was available last year when I bought the Nak. At the time, it was the only thing that wasn't silver, and didn't have a light show.
It looks like the higher end Alpines are no longer silver, so if I had to do it again, I would probably go that route. The model with the bio-lite display is nice, and the built in iPod control has gotten a lot better since their original.

Viper31

Thanks for the responses ByUBoy and rainmn. It looks like the 8000 series Eclipse's were decent units but they are no longer listed on their website, still researching. I am still trying to figure out the Alpine line as they appear to be going in the DVD direction. Nakamichi has a CD500 that looks decent as well but it appears that they have no dealer support in the US. What about the Pioneer Premier head units? Anyone have experience with those? Again thanks for the help.

Andy Buzz

We used to carry Nakamichi in my store and found the defective rate to be so bad that we had to drop the line. Some radios failed so many times that after pressure, Nakamichi replaced with new ones that also failed.

If you need a quality radio, stick with Alpine, Eclipse or Pioneer. Feel free to call me at 813-882-8477 and I will get you a deal on the radio that best suits your needs.

Andy Buzz
Maximum Audio

rainmn

So Andy, sounds like not too much has changed with Nakamichi over the years.

Chris Sunkin

I just put a Pioneer in my son's Tahoe. Big buttons, no flash BS, sounds great. Plus, they make the 1.5DIN size so it fit right in