New older toy

1996blackmax

Picked up this HU a couple of weeks ago. Ease of use is the reason I am trying it out. I am driving myself nuts with all of these changes......:mad:

MacLeod

Cool! Cant go wrong with Alpine!

swerve

I always liked the 9835s

exalted512

new stuff is always fun:D
-Cody

audiobliss

Why in the world would you put that thing in in place of an Eclipse unit?! :eek:

1996blackmax

Ease of use, ease of use....


It is still one of the best SQ head units I have ever owned. The only thing better was my old Alpine combo from the late 90's. There are two things that to some are small things, heck maybe I'm too picky, the way to change tracks, and the subwoofer volume control.

The way in which you change tracks is through the use of the scroll wheel on the right side of the CD8455. I found myself passing up the songs I wanted alot of the time, maybe I am just not refined enough . My older CD8454 had a wheel that required more effort to move so that was not as issue with that unit, just wished they would have done the same with the CD8455. The other thing was that with the unit used in Pro-Mode I lost the ability to adjust the subwoofer volume through the volume knob. I had to go into the time alignment menu and drop some db's that way. I got around this by having preset TA values with some db's dropped off with one setting and some more with another. Like I said not a huge thing. The CD8455 is top notch, just wanted to give something that was a little easier to use a shot. I love the ability to change tracks by just pushing buttons on my Alpine.

exalted512

thank god it doesnt have the glide touch...
-Cody

audiobliss

Does your Eclipse CD8455 not have a remote?

Are you interested in selling your ol' Eclipse cheap?

1996blackmax

Yes it does, I just did not find it very ergonomic (if that word can be used here). It is for sale.......... with everything that it originally came with .

audiobliss

*goes to check 'Garage Sale' forum...*

1996blackmax

PM sent.....

MacLeod

1996blackmax wrote:

I had to go into the time alignment menu and drop some db's that way. I got around this by having preset TA values with some db's dropped off with one setting and some more with another.

Huh? TA doesnt work by db's. It delays the signal by miliseconds.

1996blackmax

That is the beauty of the TA feature that Eclipse has. It not only allows you to delay the time of each speaker, but it also allows you to adjust the level of each channel/speaker individually as well. I told you this Eclipse HU was top notch .


You can do this on the Alpine HU via the crossover, but it's only for a pair of speakers, not for individual channels.

unrealii

I know what you mean about the knobs. I never use them, I've got a steering wheel control hooked up. That's my lifeline

1996blackmax

You bassttad ...j/k.

I had it for 6 months and finally threw in the towel to ease of use. While I liked the SQ more from the Eclipse, my Alpine sounds nice and is very easy to use .

Greg Peters

This 9835 isn't currently on eBay, is it? The pics look kinda familiar...

I would have jumped on it if it made the Polk Garage Sale forum. I've been surfing patiently for a good used one. I'd go rabid if I found one N.I.B.

unrealii

Look at his sig. I think he's changed units .... again...?

1996blackmax

Greg Peters wrote:

This 9835 isn't currently on eBay, is it? The pics look kinda familiar...

Yes it is .

Greg Peters

1996blackmax wrote:

Yes it is .

That's too bad (for me, anyway). I've been keeping an eye open for one with a low "buy it now" price.

I don't doubt that you'll get good money for yours. Good luck.

1996blackmax

Thanks.


I have been getting alot of questions regarding this unit. I guess it is still pretty popular .

Greg Peters

I installed a 9855 I had picked up in December in a friend's car Friday. While it's a pretty big adjustment from the 9813 I'm used to, it seems to have a couple of advanced features that are a plus. Biolite is nice too.

I broke down and bought a new CDA 9855 for myself today. And paid too much. I would have rather had a 9835 (without glide touch), but some of them on eBay have been used pretty hard and it shows. Yours looks very well kept, though. Someone will be very lucky. I'm not the biggest fan of buying electronics on eBay, though.

Car audio in Canada usually goes for a stupid amount more $$ retail than you pay in the US. I have crossed the border to go shopping for car audio a bunch of times because of this over the last 15-20 years. I do try to support my local businesses in the industry, but it's a real balancing act- pay up to twice US retail locally, or drive for an hour and get almost 50% off (sometimes more). On biggest ticket stuff it's usually worth the drive. Sometimes I can find prices equivalent to those typical in the US, but usually only on clearance audio gear.

I would have loved the Alpine DVA-9965, but it goes for $1700.00 Canadian locally. I've seen it for $1195 US- still a good chunk of change. Come on clearance sale .

1996blackmax

The guy who bought it came by yesterday. He was actually surprised at the great condition it was in. He said he did not expect it to be in that good of condition. I always try to give the best/true description of the items I sell. I have gotten things before that were clearly not as described, and I would not want anyone who I sold something to to feel that way.


The Biolite is way cool. While my Eclipse CD7000 has a very nice display, I still feel that Alpine's Biolite display is the best on the market right now.
Anyway, have fun with the new toy there Greg. That thing has alot of sound tuning options that can make a drive alot more enjoyable .

MacLeod

I love my 9855! Its been a lifesaver!

Since I cant afford a snazzy EQ/processor Ive been using its EQ's and such and while theyre not as fancy or comprehensive as an external unit, they are still outstanding.

The TA is the best on the market as is the crossover. 3 channel, 1/3 octave crossovers arent that plentiful in HU's.

The EQ is ok at 5 band parametric but there are some out there with better.

As long as the Glide Touch holds up for a long time, this will be the best HU Ive ever owned.

Greg Peters

MacLeod wrote:

The EQ is ok at 5 band parametric but there are some out there with better.

As long as the Glide Touch holds up for a long time, this will be the best HU Ive ever owned.

With the 9855 I installed the other night in a friend's VW, I tried out the 7 band graphic EQ (with a bunch of different built-in settings) with OK results, but then ended up using the 5 band parametric (with the exact settings I run in my 9813) with great results.

I had also installed a Momo 2124 DVC (sealed box) at the same time, powered by my old Alpine V12 monoblock. It sounded great right out of the box- powered up for the first time. Bravo Momo . Tight bass, good impact and output off 404 rms. Could be really nice if it improves even more with break-in.

As far as the glide touch holding up, I'm tempted to order a brand new one for "just in case"...while they still have them available.

http://www.pacparts.com/electronics/...TOKEN=55630282
Consumer Electronics - Pacific Coast Parts Distributors, Inc.

The price actually isn't too bad- may be cheap insurance. My 9813 face held up pretty good for 3 1/2 years. Minimal wear (with daily multiple face on/off use) and a couple of "owies" for when I dropped it once . It'll still be OK for a glove box install in an old car I've had forever- when I get the time and money to fix her up.

I haven't installed my 9855 yet. Will do later this week. All the tweaking I did the other night on my friend's 9855 took a while. With i-Personalize, I was able to download the exact same crossover/EQ settings I prefer, and can drop them on a CDRW and dial mine in in no time (I hope).

1996blackmax

I have ordered quite a few things from those guys for some of the Alpine gear I've had over the years.

MacLeod

Greg Peters wrote:

With the 9855 I installed the other night in a friend's VW, I tried out the 7 band graphic EQ (with a bunch of different built-in settings) with OK results, but then ended up using the 5 band parametric (with the exact settings I run in my 9813) with great results.

The graphic EQ is usefull but the parametric is the only way to go for optimal tuning especially with the variable center.

Still, for the casual listener, the graphic will be a whole lot easier to work with.

The thing I think is stupid is they dont list the frequency centers for the graphic.

I called Alpine and got them from an engineer (pretty good customer service there).

If youre interested, they are 60 / 160 / 400 / 1K / 2.5K / 6.3K / 10K.

1996blackmax

I have been using parametric EQ's for many years and have not looked back. My current HU being the one with the most extensive one so far. The mode that I am currently using has a 7 band PEQ. The other mode, the 3-way active, has 5 bands for the highs, 5 for the mids, and one for the lows. I may explore that function a little later.