Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Audio Best HU for Under $250?

Finally dumping the POS factory HU. VERY limited budget as you can see.

No plans for amp's or subs. Just using the HU to drive the 4 speakers in the doors (already upgraded).

Any and all suggestions welcomed and appreciated.

Thanks Guys (and Gals)!

I have an Alpine 7840. It's last year's model, you can probably pick it up for under $200. 40Wx4, MDAC (noticeable difference over regulated 1-bit), changer control, BBE sound processing, remote, rotary knob control. An all around good headunit. The display isn't as pretty as the new headunits, but it's very functional.

You can get a nice Kenwood, Pioneer, Clarion, or Alpine deck for $250 or less. Just find the one that has the features you're looking for that fits your budget. JVC and Blau are okay too but are a bit quirky for my personal tastes.

I don't recommend Sony. Unless you buy top shelf stuff, it's substandard (not saying that people haven't been completely satisfied with their entry-level stuff). BTW, AIWA is a Sony subsidiary.

You might also try used. For instance, I'll probably sell my KW eXcelon deck for $150 or so when someone finally makes a decent AND affordable in-dash CD/mp3 player.

I agree, stick with Kenwood, Alpine or Pioneer. JVC does have alot of feaures, but the quality is not as high although they are producing much better stuff now. I have sold JVC, Pioneer and Alpine for the last 4 years and the quality is definetly not the same.

I have a kenwood eXcelon X-617 which I got for 275 from crutchfield using a coupon (refer a friend). You can try the same thing with last years model (if they still sell it.) It is model X-615 and should go for 225 w/the coupon. Actually you could use my name as a refer a friend and we both get $25. I love kenwood's hus because of their looks, functionality, features and price. Mine has great sound too! I liked the alpine too, but unfortunately it didn't play cdr's nearly as well as my kenwood. Email-me at vtite@hotmail.com if you want a referral coupon code for $25.

yes, crutchfield still sells that model (i just checked). You just have to call them or email them to get the price. When I asked they said last years X-615 was 249. Subtract 25 from that w/the coupon. Again, i recommend crutchfield and kenwood. However, if you want alpine, crutchfield does not carry their head units. Good luck!

Got my Nakamichi CD40z for $240. They put the engineering/money into sound quality, not a Vegas light show.

-Wes
98 SE Sport

The first HU I bought for my last car was a Pioneer that costs around $275. After only 2 years, the CD player stopped accepting CD's. Since then I've never spent more than $140 on a HU. Heck, my last one was only $100. That plus $250 for speakers and I bet no one has a cheaper system that sounds as good as mine.