Please Advise: Alpine CDA 117 vs Kenwood X8016BT

[ishlesh]

Hi!!!

The current ICE set-up in my Safari 2.2 consists of:

HU: Pioneer 6950
Amp: JBL GT5 604 (4-Channel)
F Components: JBL GT5 650C
Rear Ovals: Infinity Ref 9633i
Subwoofer: Infinity Ref 1260W

The Comps & sub are powered by the Amp, while the rear Ovals are directly powered by HU.

Am planning to upgrade my HU - pure SQ reasons. The options shortlisted as per my study till date are

* Alpine CDA 117
* Kenwood X8016BT

The music I listen is mostly Sufi/ Soft Rock/ Unplugged, and 95+% is through CDs - avoid MP3s/ compressed formats

Please advise:

1. Will the upgrade in HU make perceptible change in SQ?
2. Which HU out of two stated above to opt for?

Also am planning to add a Mono Amp in near future - to power the Sub, and consequently Ovals shall be powered by GT5 604.

 

[ishlesh]

Waiting for suggestions/ advise pls...

 

[Kittu]

I'd say alpine and eclipse are any day better over a kenwood or pioneer. I have used 8046BT for a short while and found it to be very buggy. HU contains the main DAC portion of audio , it will sure give you certain improvement in quality, but howmuch ? you have to audition it with your existing speakers and findout.

 

[hydra]

...

* Alpine CDA 117
* Kenwood X8016BT

The music I listen is mostly Sufi/ Soft Rock/ Unplugged, and 95+% is through CDs - avoid MP3s/ compressed formats

Please advise:

1. Will the upgrade in HU make perceptible change in SQ?
2. Which HU out of two stated above to opt for?

...

1) Yes, it definitely will. The better resolving your amp and speakers, the more difference it will make. It will also make a perceptible change in the character of the music.

2) It depends mostly on how you like your music to sound.

The Alpine 117 sounds a bit forward and bright, with a slight midbass bloom. Pairing this HU with a JBL amp and JBL speakers might cause the overall presentation to be quite bright with a lot of emphasis on the highs. Personally, I've found that Alpine quality has taken a nose-dive since the mid 2000s. I say this, even though I use an Alpine HU (Perhaps the last of the somewhat better ones from Alpine). I had heard that some of these HUs (the 117s) have a problem with a buzzing display (once the display gets a bit heated up). So if you do get one, play it for about 30 minutes and then listen to see if there is a slight buzz coming from the display.

The Kenwood X8016 has a very neutral and smooth sound. It does not tend towards any particular extreme. It has a nice midrange presentation which does not get at all uh, honky (unlike the Alpine which overly emphasizes the upper midrange). The Kenwood will most likely tone down the forward nature of your amp and speakers.

I have listened to both HUs, but with different amps and speakers. My personal preference is the Kenwood. If you are able to, you should try and listen to both in your car (I know it is hard to find a cooperative shop/installer these days, but you should try).

 

[ishlesh]

1) Yes, it definitely will. The better resolving your amp and speakers, the more difference it will make. It will also make a perceptible change in the character of the music.

2) It depends mostly on how you like your music to sound.

The Alpine 117 sounds a bit forward and bright, with a slight midbass bloom. Pairing this HU with a JBL amp and JBL speakers might cause the overall presentation to be quite bright with a lot of emphasis on the highs. Personally, I've found that Alpine quality has taken a nose-dive since the mid 2000s. I say this, even though I use an Alpine HU (Perhaps the last of the somewhat better ones from Alpine). I had heard that some of these HUs (the 117s) have a problem with a buzzing display (once the display gets a bit heated up). So if you do get one, play it for about 30 minutes and then listen to see if there is a slight buzz coming from the display.

The Kenwood X8016 has a very neutral and smooth sound. It does not tend towards any particular extreme. It has a nice midrange presentation which does not get at all uh, honky (unlike the Alpine which overly emphasizes the upper midrange). The Kenwood will most likely tone down the forward nature of your amp and speakers.

I have listened to both HUs, but with different amps and speakers. My personal preference is the Kenwood. If you are able to, you should try and listen to both in your car (I know it is hard to find a cooperative shop/installer these days, but you should try).

Thanks!!!
Thats very helpful.
Over last few days have been contemplating the following, stepwise:
Immediate (within a week- 10 Days)

• Plan to upgrade the Components: Probably finalising on Rainbow Titans 6.5"
• Upgrade HU: Kenwood 8016/ 7016 (7016 because BT is not of much use to me)

Over next 6 Months

• Upgrade the Amp - with new 4 Channel + Monoblock/ 6 Channel (Audio System Xion Series).

Please advise if this route seems good...

 

[hydra]

...
Immediate (within a week- 10 Days)

• Plan to upgrade the Components: Probably finalising on Rainbow Titans 6.5"
• Upgrade HU: Kenwood 8016/ 7016 (7016 because BT is not of much use to me)

Over next 6 Months

• Upgrade the Amp - with new 4 Channel + Monoblock/ 6 Channel (Audio System Xion Series).

Please advise if this route seems good...

The upgrade plan looks good!

About the HU, the Kenny 7016 will be as good as the 8016 if you don't want all the unnecessary bells and whistles (esp. the BT) of the 8016. I too prefer a HU which focuses on the music, rather than other stuff (as long as it has sub-level control, good XO options and TA, I'm good!).

I have listened to the 7016 quite a bit -- a friend has it installed in a Figo, paired with Morel Tempo comps (with a Focal Solid 4 amp, and a Ground Zero sub, if I remember right). It is a very nice HU. It sounds great (if you like your music to sound pretty laid-back), and is easy to tune and navigate.

The Rainbow Titan will pair well with the Kennys. It has a nice strong midbass kick (without being too in-your-face), and it does not tend towards the bright side.

I haven't listened to any of the Audio Control kit yet. I had heard that BBW, N. Delhi were bringing Audio Control to India, but I didn't know the stuff was here already! I'll get to listen to Audio Control equipment soon enough, heh heh -- My installer is the distributor for Kerala for all the stuff that BBW brings to India