Customer Reviews

Alpine CDA-9887 CD/MP3/WMA/AAC Receiver (Black)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The cda-9887 is diffidently an audiophile deck; it is one of the best head units I have ever used. the only reasons I have given it a 4 star review are, the I pod control is just ok it will not allow you to return to the play list once you have selected a song without starting over. And the menu requires you to press too many buttons, alpine could have streamlined this. Although once you get the hang of it its no big deal. Also get the imprint it is the reason to buy this deck. If you use a Mac computer you will have to use a pc laptop from a friend (alpine + Mac = no dice) but once you set it up you will be amazed. The improvement is dramatic.

This is a powerful head unit. pure sound and control -time alignment, X-over, Parametric EQ
I 'm happy to have it.

But there are some disadvantages

1-Remote control lacks some important features , especially when dealing with Ipod.
2-Bluetooth car kit is very bad , I don't know how Alpine did it.
3-The unit is Imprint ready but disabled, you have to buy KTX-100EQ which is about 200-250$.
4-MultiEQ disables time alignment and EQ.

First lets talk about sound. The CDA-9887 right out of the box is OK. But dial it in with all the extra features and it sounds incredible. I like to try the Imprint system just to see how it changes the settings. But I have a similar feature on my VSX-1019 AHK. However it allows you to tweak the system after the MCACC (like Imprint) is finished. Not so on the CDA-9887. It's either Multi-EQ ON or OFF. No in between. And I recommend you keep the bass down when you do your Imprint setup. You'll get a better result and you can always turn the bass amp up!

Now for all those who say the setup is too hard! Baloney! If you think it's too hard to set up, get a less sophisticated receiver. I can adjust the EQ while driving, although I recommend you wait for a red light. One item they don't talk about that much is the Media MX feature. Basically, it's a dynamic ranger expander. Takes all the peaks on the sound track and boosts them a few db. You get a better dynamic response making the sound track sound a lot less compressed. I've been using the 7 band Graphic EQ with pretty good results. Haven't tried the 5 band parametric EQ yet. I've never had good luck with Parametric equalization. But I'll check it out just the same. You never know. I'd definitely recommend this to anyone needing a good quality receiver with just about every bell and whistle you can think of. I too wish they would add HD Radio and Bluetooth without needing to nickel and dime us to death. But Alpine isn't alone. Almost all manufacturers are doing the same.

As you can tell I don't have an IPOD but with as good as the MP3's sound on a CD-R, I'm thinking of getting one. I'm tired of swapping out discs and MP3 sound amazing on this unit. You can thank the Media MX feature for that.

this is a very good head unit from Alpine.
The sound is amazing, due to its 24bits DAC and the good reference speakers that were added.
One very cool thing is that the backlight has some 4-5 different lighting colors one can change at any time.
the built-in crossover can do a great job too.

However the navigation is rather difficult and not so much intuitive. i think Alpine could've done a better job on the menu being more user-friendly. very many settings and features.

also i have recently bought the Imprint KTX-100EQ kit that has a mic for adjusting the sound for the best performance. will see where it takes the sound system and will update the post if i get the chance

If sound quality is your number one priortiy, this is the best sounding CD receiver currently available. The Imprint Sound feature is NOT very useful. It's just another EQ that ruins the time domain in an attempt to fix the frequency domain. It's not the Alpine's fault though, EQ does more harm than good. It doesn't matter because you don't have to use the Imprint feature. In fact, Alpine has a "Defeat" feature that shuts off all EQ functions and bypasses the bass/treble circuits. I have found it sounds the best to keep it simple. The iPod control, using the 422i cable, is a bit clunky but it works just fine. It's hard to find a specific song when you have a huge library or large playlist that you are searching within. Not a big problem, but this could stand to be improved. Excellent sounding CD playback, enormous detail. iPod sounds good, as far as compressed audio goes, the tuner is about the same as the all are. I have one in my vehicle, and one in my wife's, this is a fantasic CD receiver.

The Alpine CDA-9887 receiver is a geat unit. I had a Alpine receiver in a Mustang some time back and was very happy with the performance. Having a Pro street F150 truck without an audio system was a good time to use Alpine again. Both the receiver and amp are Alpine and work great together. The signals are strong and I have all the flexability I need. I listen to classical and rock & roll so I need a system that is adjustable. Just swing open the doors and you have the ability to have a concert. The speakers are not Alpine but are very good in taking the great input and putting forth the sound.

Since my first car, all I have ever purchased are Alpine products. The sound from this head unit is phenomenal! The Imprint technology (whatever that is) is incredible. I bought this with the intention of using the iPod connection as to not carry around so many cd's. I am somewhat disappointed in it's iPod use. The alpine will charge the first generation iPod but would only play 2 songs. It will play all the songs from my fourth generation iPod but will not charge it and it doesn't work with my iPhone.
The controls are somewhat confusing but once you learn which buttons to push, it really isn't that difficult. (get used to alot of button pushing) and try doing it while trying to drive! I have yet to try the bluetooth. Trying to remove the face and put it back on is somewhat difficult. I liked the motorized face. BE VERY CAREFUL with the faceplate, it scratches VERY easily. I'm still trying to figure out the panametric and graphic EQ stuff. The power from this unit is sufficient. The ability to change the colors of the buttons is a feature my wife and kids like.
All in all, for the price, It's definitely worth it. I will no doubt continue to buy alpine for my cars...

I bought this to work with my 1st gen iPod touch, and with the KCE-422i cable, it works great AND it charges. I've read a lot of reviews where people are complaining that it doesn't charge, but with the 1st gen touch, it does. However, it does NOT work with my roommate's 2nd gen iPod touch.

Overall, the sound quality is amazing. Best head unit I've ever had.

As I said, it's an Alpine, so it sounds fantastic. Don't need to go into detail there.

What I will comment on is that I do not like what they've done with the face. When you insert or eject a disk, you push the "Open" button and the face comes down manually (no longer motorized), then to eject the disk you have to push another eject button on the inner face. To remove and restore the face to the unit requires an awkward process that makes me feel like I'm eventually going to break something by accident, a difficult procedure in the dark to line the face up properly. With my previous Alpine I could do it one handed with a blindfold, very sturdy with a sturdy operation; this one, I feel like I need two hands to guide it on properly with flimsy feeling pieces. I'm sure they used to get too many warranty claims on the motorized faces (I never had a problem with mine) but I miss the motorization and I miss the tilt face feature which made it easier for me to reach the controls and made for a better viewing angle. A few steps backward on this model unfortunately. Unfortunately I'm one who will buy whatever Alpine throws at me, within reason - lol I wasn't able to swap my old V-Drive unit out of my old car before I sold it, otherwise I'd still be using it. (oh yeah, I miss V-Drive too)

great head unit all the features one could ask for at a great price cant wait to hear it