| Head Unit Issue.... |
Subject: Head Unit Issue.... by bogus on 2012/7/27 22:04:30 My much loved Alpine 7998 head unit has an issue. The back light on the display panel has died... and Alpine no longer services said head unit. I found a replacement display (on eBay, in the UK!) for $190.00!!!! That's the price of a cheap head unit, for crying out loud! My problem is that the system is now 9 years old... and I think it's only the beginning of the end. Once one part fails, another will not be far behind. In the last few years, Alpine quality has gone to crap. What used to be #1 is no longer there... Eclipse has left the US market, Kenwood isn't bad, but still not great, Clarion was going up, but now they are stagnate at best. Nakamichi isn't in the US, either... don't know what McIntosh is upto. That leaves one head unit that fits my requirements. The Pioneer DEX-P99RS. This is a serious piece of kit... But it sells for $1200 on Crutchfield.com... ouch... none on ebay yet. Haven't checked craigslist. Considering the age of my system, I am going to redo it, now I know I am going to redo it. Before, I was going to keep the Alpine, but not now. I also want iPhone connectivity. Oh, and another thing, the techs at Alpine customer service are some of the snippiest little peckers... my Lord... They are real quick to jump on minor verbal mistakes, or if you question them to gain more clarity, they get real snarky. I find the undercurrent very unprofessional. Any thoughts? |
