Alpine CDE-103BT - Radio / CD / MP3 player / USB flash player - Full-DIN - in-dash - 50 Watts x 4

by Alpine

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 2 x 7 x 6.3 inches ; 3.3 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 8 pounds
• ASIN: B001N2NBUA
• Item model number: CDE-103BT
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #13,907 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)

Product Description

CDE-103BT In Dash Car CD Receiver w/ USB - Receiver w/ Wire Harness Only

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Software Bug - DEBUGGED!, August 18, 2010

By 

Ben Dover "Walking Funny" (ATLANTA, Georgia United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Alpine CDE-103BT - Radio / CD / MP3 player / USB flash player - Full-DIN - in-dash - 50 Watts x 4 (Electronics)

UPDATE: Crutchfield had Alpine provide me with another unit with updated firmware (Version 310, I think) and I haven't had a problem since. Crutchfield told me they were having Alpine replace all the units they had in stock with the updated version.

I love the unit and recommend you' get it from Crutchfield so you get the updated firmware.

ORIGINAL: I'm having the same issue as Buyer Beware, the internal amp often shuts off when the ignition is turned off as well as the Bluetooth.

But I like the unit so much I still give it 4 stars.

If Alpine would issue a software update and resolve the issue I would give it 5 stars.

I have documented the bug on youtube, just search for CDE-103BT Software Bug.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great all around entertainment unit with multiple sources, June 21, 2010

By 

RestlessinPhoenix "RiP" (Phoenix,MD) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Alpine CDE-103BT - Radio / CD / MP3 player / USB flash player - Full-DIN - in-dash - 50 Watts x 4 (Electronics)

After deciding not to sell my car and keeping it a bit longer - I felt that I needed to upgrade the original Acura Stereo head unit. It stopped reading burnt CD, couldn't read MP3s and had no USB option.

So this is what I set out to find.
I narrowed down my search to this unit, a Kenwood and a Sony. I have had a JVC unit in the past and it did well, I just couldn't find a decent looking JVC unit.

I was looking for under $200 with Bluetooth, Front USB Aux, Front Aux for MP3 player, nice looking face, detachable face(not a must but i am not sure if they are made that way anymore), ability to read MP3 CDs, front text and a nice easy to use layout.

I took me about a week to settle on this one and find a good price. Although much cheaper than C-Field, C-field gives you the install instructions as well as the install kit...so in actuality it would have cost the same to buy from C-field.

Got it and had to install it myself and reminded me of the old days being a kid and working on my stereo (and no...I don't have a "system")
ran to BB to buy the install kit and harness. Wired up and installed the kit and worked great.
Took some time to figure out the menus but if you actually read the manual they make it clear (imagine that!)

Pros:
Bluetooth works great. However, I can't figure out how to have more than one phone connected at once. I have a Blackberry and a LG. They both connect but can't be connected at the same time (meaning I can't have both able to connect to the head unit in case it rings in).
Can have all speakers, front or other pattern to hear your call. I felt like I was shouting at first and people told me to speak normally. HU shows who is calling and you can upload address books. Audio automatically mutes during call. microphone was included and gives you a great cord length to run it so it is hidden.

Front USB - best feature. Buy a few 4-8 gb thumb drives(fast ones) and you'll be very happy and never need a CD again. Gets hung up occasionally on certain songs or larger sized files. Best to arrange it on the thumb drive yourself with folders and subfolders. I have not used any programs to sync or organize but i am sure things like media monkey or some other program would help. will play file name on the screen

Front aux input - great...haven't used it for my mp3 player...sure it works and i don't have an iPod so i don't have to buy the extra cord. Can't comment and how great this is...guess I will have to try this week.

Display/Layout - Kinda wanted a more LED based display but the Predator looking display works fine (remember when the Predator self destructs on his arm?). Decent to read. I like that I can change the color ...the green looks great and is calm/soothing. But if you have different makes/interiors you can try to match. Colors are Red/Blue, Red/Red, Green/Blue and Amber/Red....i think...look at the manual to be sure. Alpine hasn't changed the layout much. Knob for volume, tuning, menu scrolling,etc. all buttons are easy to press and don't feel flimsy.

CD - Works fine but my old failing Acura HU works a bit better at reading CD then this unit. I haven't tried with MP3 cds yet...not worth it with click and save USB.

Sound- excellent, great fine tuning, bass and treble is great and I can hear much richer undertones and instruments you don't typically hear. should be expected from Alpine though. I have Polk 6x9s in the rear and they sound great...I have other speakers for the front but I never put them in...yet.


Install wasn't bad if you buy the harness and install kit. Depends on the car though.

Cons:
As mentioned before - CD reading is ok/decent. Display could be better but I knew what I was getting when I bought it and the other Alpine unit with the better display got worse reviews overall.

Bluetooth not syncing with multiple devices at once...has 4 slots but won't allow me to have 2 phones at once.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Buyer Beware, June 24, 2010

By 

M. Neiner (Pacific Northwest) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Alpine CDE-103BT - Radio / CD / MP3 player / USB flash player - Full-DIN - in-dash - 50 Watts x 4 (Electronics)

Everything about this radio appeared to be excellent. However, myself and many other owners have been bitten by what is obviously a design problem. Frequently when turning off the car engine, the radio defaults to External Amp and turns bluetooth off. Of course, the problem appears when turning the engine on again - No audio output from internal amp and bluetooth is off. This requires you to go back into setup to change these settings. If you're running an external amp, I guess this problem would only be half as bad. You would still have to deal with the Blue Tooth issue. This problem is well documented in audio forums. A sample can be found at the following links

[...]

and

[...]

I contacted my vendor who informed me they are still waiting for a fix/solution from Alpine. They authorized a return.

Too bad really, as the combination of features and price were perfect for a non-audiophile wanting to upgrade his stock truck radio to something desirable for his teenagers without spending a fortune.

Buyer Beware