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Hello AudiogoNers,

I know this isn't a topic often addressed here, but I would like some recommendations about a head unit for my car. Shopping at the usual suspects I find that not one of them talks about the sound quality of their gear but rather whether there's an I-Pod jack and if it's Bluetooth compatible. I've had a Nakamichi for a couple of years, but the transport is getting weak and I'm looking to replace it. Are there any choices besides Nakamichi and McIntosh for those who want good sound in their cars?
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Sarcher30,

Thanks for the information. The DEX-P9 is available, but way outside my budget. I'm hopeful the DEH 80PRS will be good enough.
I was able to install the Pioneer DEH 80PRS this weekend, but haven't been able to dial in the sound yet (time alignment and EQ adjustments). My kids think it looks cool, so that's something. Even without dialing it in, the sound is pretty good, though. I have hope...
I used a Radio Shack SPL meter and Stereophile test disc to manually set the internal equalizer and have been tweaking for a week or so. The sound is pretty good. The combination of DEH-80PRS, JL Audio 6" drivers and my car don't produce the utmost in bass articulation as evidenced by the loss of detail in "It's For You" from Pat Metheny Group's "As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls". The highs have sparkle and shimmer, so cymbals sound good. Of course all kinds of low level detail is lost to road and wind noise, so I won't comment on that.

I like the various DSP modes that create different soundstages. I find "Front" to be the least fatiguing. I tried "Front Left" but it made me feel like most of the sound was hitting my right ear and fatigued me quickly. The listening controls are simple: one button cycles through the available sources sequentially, volume is controlled by a rotary knob, and a "lever" cycles through CD tracks or radio presets sequentially. I haven't tried bluetooth yet, but will. I also haven't connected a phone or I-Pod yet, but my kids will.

I don't like the display. The track information is too small for me to read, so it's useless.