KCE-422i Alpine iPod adapter..anyone have it?

Coldfire · 07-24-2006, 12:31 PM

So I'm buying a deck in the next week or so, I'm leaning towards either the CDA-9856 or CDA-9857 by Alpine and my biggest concern is how to hook up my iPod in the best way...

the "latest and greatest" seems to be the KCE-422i cable which replaces the KCE-420i that had that crappy hideaway box...the 420i also had alot of bugs with being slow to search and I'm wondering if they've been fixed with the new one.

Any info is appreciated
~Coldfire

violentrapture · 07-24-2006, 03:46 PM

Pioneer DEH-P880PRS with the CD-IB100

I run those with the Sirius adapter and it's the best combo I've found - navigating through the iPod using the HU is almost identical to using the iPod itself.

The deck is also boner-worthy. Tuning capabilities out the butt and the aesthetics are gorgeous.

.02

~vR

sofa · 07-24-2006, 07:37 PM

yeah my Kenwood with ipod works great 0 loading time. Couldnt speak for the alpine still tho. Search for a review of the cable on google thats what i did for mine b4 i bought. Ebay probably has the best deals on the cables to. Well at least for us Canadians, they wanted $120 for the Kenwwod at Bestbuy

07-24-2006, 08:46 PM

u mean the full speed wire for the alpines there fast but u need to run a five channel amp to get real good sound alpines new lines have 2 volt preouts

which sucks .i use a clarion eq with 5volts

for pre outs .other wise i use a kenwood

Coldfire · 07-25-2006, 02:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by violentrapture

Pioneer DEH-P880PRS with the CD-IB100

I run those with the Sirius adapter and it's the best combo I've found - navigating through the iPod using the HU is almost identical to using the iPod itself.

~vR

That's what Alpine is advertising for their new system, where using the deck is just like using the iPod.

As far as buying a Pioneer or Kenwood or something else, I'm gonna stick with Alpine, not that they aren't good companies and I would especially trust your vote on Pioneer VR after seeing your car I figure you know what you're talking about, but most of my friends have Alpine's and have had really good luck with them, plus they'll probably be helping me install it since I'm so electronically challenged

I'm pretty sure I'll be picking it up later this afternoon.

violentrapture · 07-25-2006, 02:32 PM

Definitely let me know how it turns out - I've heard a lot of negative regarding the new Alpine lineup, but on paper at least the 9857 seems like a competent deck.

I never thought I'd buy Pioneer honestly (only had Eclipse in the 'ho), but the 880 is amazing. 24 bit Burr Brown DAC, 32 band EQ/Auto EQ (mic), network setting (3 way active capability), 5V preamp out, etc. And it's boo-ti-ful as well.

Coldfire · 07-25-2006, 02:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by violentrapture

Definitely let me know how it turns out - I've heard a lot of negative regarding the new Alpine lineup

From where? I tried to find as many reviews online as I could and they all seemed pretty positive

violentrapture · 07-25-2006, 03:35 PM

caraudioforums, elitecaraudio, sounddomain, carstereos/soundillusion - I trust the people that're kinda like me... swapping stuff in and out every week.

There was quite a bit of talk regarding the "downfall of Alpine" with their newer head units, and quite the uproar about the 880. I did quite a bit of reading before biting the bullet on the Pioneer.

Cheers,
~vR

(I could be persuaded to part with my Eclipse CD8445)

mikegett · 07-25-2006, 05:36 PM

Violent. The pioneer is one great HU. I would highly recommend it to anyone. However, if he isn't able to afford the 880 I would suggest going with any HU that best fits his wallet. I see no problem with going alpine. Ignore the posts you have seen. There are just as many happy fans with the alpines. Most issues have been in features and options opposed to reliability or sound. The main concern seems to be the drop of the five volts. I have stated it before and I will state it again. Voltage means very little in car audio. The only gain from a higher voltage is lower ohms (noise) induced into the signal. The clarion line for 06 is four volts and do NOT list there voltage ohm. Alpines 4 volt line is 10kohms and 20 kohms for the 2 volt. If you want to get technical, then you will have to buy a eclipse to get the industries cleanest 55 ohm signal. Does that mean that the listener will hear the difference. No. Harmond Kardon home stereos have a 20kohm resistance and sound far better than any eclipse HU I've owned. Your cars sound has nothing to do with voltage. A properly set (gain) system at 2 volts will sound just as good as a 8 volt system. Possibly better. Remember that the voltage rating is not linear. That means that at one half volume the HU will not put out half of the rated voltage. In reality, a 5 volt HU will only output over 2 volts past 3/4 volume. Most levels the individual is probably listening to is in the millivolt range.

violentrapture · 07-25-2006, 06:09 PM

I suggested the 880 because it's around the same price as the Alpine he was looking at (~$300 range) and is far superior... unless you count Bluetooth as a deal breaker.

I'm not going to ignore the many posts of people who are unsatisfied with the newer Alpine units... many of the reasons have nothing to do with the preamp voltage drop, and these are people that have used dozens of decks, and know what they're talking about when they say they aren't happy with the new Alpine decks. (I think they're just plain fugly also)

I have no doubt that if he were to buy an Alpine he would enjoy it. That's not the crux of what I'm getting at - in the same price range there are far superior products. I'm sure also that if one were to shop around, there might even be something as good as the 880 in the same price range... I just haven't come across it yet.

I agree hesitantly with you regarding preamp voltage. The number in and of itself isn't enough to go on in determining whether or not it will help or not.
A lot of good amps can reach output with a low input voltage - assuming proper gain setting and no noise problems.
However, a lot of people don't use quality amps and just go with either whatever they have lying around, or what's cheap.
Higher preamp voltages decrease the signal-to-noise ratio... the better the signal quality going to the amp, the less it "sees", and therefore the less noise it amplifies.

It is also rather disingenuous to compare car audio to home audio. If it were not, I could happily toss a HK receiver/speakers into my car and call it a day.

This is a rather hurried post, I'm about to leave work - but if I remember, when I get home I'll look up some of the posts from Clark and Buwalda that deal with these subjects... very enlightening.

Cheers,
~vR

rodney · 07-25-2006, 06:25 PM

i have the alpine 9857 with the new ipod interface. i was pissed about the preout voltage to start with, but the ipod cable is great. i had previously used kenwoods interface, and seen the old alpine interface too, and even tested the harmon/kardon drive+play.

the new ipod cable is just as fast as the ipod, far better than the other interfaces. it is a shame that they sacrificed the features from the older 9855 just to allow for the new ipod cable though. the 9855's sound shaping and preouts + the 9857's ipod capabilities would have yielded a perfect HU in my opinion. the 9857 is indeed a good HU though, and it fits my needs very well. the biolite is a great feature too.

i have this HU heading up a decent system, and am pleased with it so far. unless you are an extreme audiophile, i think the alpine would be great for you. definately the best ipod interface though.

mikegett · 07-25-2006, 08:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by violentrapture

I suggested the 880 because it's around the same price as the Alpine he was looking at (~$300 range) and is far superior... unless you count Bluetooth as a deal breaker.

I'm not going to ignore the many posts of people who are unsatisfied with the newer Alpine units... many of the reasons have nothing to do with the preamp voltage drop, and these are people that have used dozens of decks, and know what they're talking about when they say they aren't happy with the new Alpine decks. (I think they're just plain fugly also)

I have no doubt that if he were to buy an Alpine he would enjoy it. That's not the crux of what I'm getting at - in the same price range there are far superior products. I'm sure also that if one were to shop around, there might even be something as good as the 880 in the same price range... I just haven't come across it yet.

I agree hesitantly with you regarding preamp voltage. The number in and of itself isn't enough to go on in determining whether or not it will help or not.
A lot of good amps can reach output with a low input voltage - assuming proper gain setting and no noise problems.
However, a lot of people don't use quality amps and just go with either whatever they have lying around, or what's cheap.
Higher preamp voltages decrease the signal-to-noise ratio... the better the signal quality going to the amp, the less it "sees", and therefore the less noise it amplifies.

It is also rather disingenuous to compare car audio to home audio. If it were not, I could happily toss a HK receiver/speakers into my car and call it a day.

This is a rather hurried post, I'm about to leave work - but if I remember, when I get home I'll look up some of the posts from Clark and Buwalda that deal with these subjects... very enlightening.

Cheers,
~vR

I am sorry Violent, but I have to dissagree on most of your post. The voltage has a very small portion of your signal to noise ratio. You are correct that the higher the Signal to noise, the better your dynamic range and overalll sound quality. Eclipse top of the line 8 volts have had a signal to noise ratio of 100 since 97. They were making high end 5 and 1.9 volt HU's that were as high as 110 prior to that. Denon has produced HU's with a SNR of 110 and 115 off of four volt units. For a real trip. The navigation unit in the camry's have a SNR of 100 from a OEM unit. They utilize the same deck seen in the cd7000 and the same process engine as the eclipse navs. A major factor in this is the quality of the cd deck used. Have you ever wandered why dvd drives have such a poor SNR? How about a fm tuner. 78 is pretty much standard. As for home and car audio, car audio is way behind in technology. 24 bit burr browns have been used for years in top decks. Car audio has the advantage of poor speakers, loud conditions, and bad speaker placement. Hense, a poor quality HU will not be as noticable as a home audio. But yet 2 volts is pretty much standard even with high end home audio. Heck, I still have Marantz reciever with a SNR of 108 and only displaces 168 millivolts. We can go on and on, but voltage has very little bearing on sound quality. I won't argue that the pioneer is a very nice deck. Persoanaly, I would take it as well. But I won't agree to most of the comments I have seen regarding the alpines. I have seen few legitimate posts concerning the quality of the decks. I have worked on my alpines and my pioneers in the past. Hands down, alpine used much better parts and a superior quality control. This is just my experience.

Coldfire · 07-26-2006, 03:30 AM

Hey all, I appreciate all of the input and I did end up buying the 9857 tonight, I bought it online in order to save over $100 from your average Best Buy/Circuit City etc. so won't have it for a few days, then I'll get it wired up and let you know how it's working for me!

Thanks again
-Coldfire

Six Shooter · 07-26-2006, 09:21 AM

Just thought I'd throw in that I have installed several of the 422i adaptors and have not heard any complaints about it or the HUs themselves.

mikegett · 07-26-2006, 10:58 PM

Post a description and opinion on the iopod functionality with that unit. I have tried out one of the lower units, but it had a different lay out. Enjoy the music and your ipod when it gets hooked up.