I'll never buy Pioneer Mobile Video ever again.
Written: Apr 02 '01
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Pros: Bright, high resolution screen, feature complete, 4volt outputs.
Cons: Pricey, but still in line with offerings from other companies.
The Bottom Line: The center of a phenomenal mobile entertainment system should be this head unit. If you can afford its steep pricetag, this product will offer unprecedented performance.
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| kweckstrom's Full Review: Alpine IVAC 800 Car CD Player |
FINAL RATING: 4.5 stars. Well, I broke down and spent some SERIOUS money. After owning the Pioneer Audio/Video setup for my 2001 Camry and futzing with what seemed to be a million wires, I decided to go with the Alpine because it had the 4 volt pre-outs and a better available DVD-based navigation system (more on that in a forthcoming epinion).
I can honestly say that this unit represents the highest in quality in mobile video today.
Installation:
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First off, the head unit. Upon opening everything up and taking everything out of the box, you'll realize you have a lot of work to do. The IVA-C800 LCD unit is a single-DIN sized unit with a flip out LCD screen and a CD Player. Included are a sleeve, wiring harnesses (there's several), manuals, the brain of the unit (a hideaway box), and the remote.
Installing the headunit itself is painfully simple, you only need to wire constant 12v, an illumination lead (a lead that gets 12V when you turn the lights on), a ground, and the monitor cable. The Monitor cable is a bit short for my tastes. It's roughly 3 meters in length, but with some serious interior work it was able to reach from the center console to the trunk for the brain installation under the rear speaker deck.
Installing the brain is a bit trickier. The brain itself is around 6 inches by 8 inches, by around 1.5 inches thick. There are 2 wiring harnesses that need to be installed:
1. The power/speaker lead harness, which is a BOATLOAD of wires - since all my amplification is done via actual amplifiers, I didn't have to use the bulk of these (I actually removed them from the harness with a small screwdriver). Of interest is the Power Brake lead, the first of 2 leads used to enable the "Video Safety Feature" that disables some functions (like Video Games, and some menu features).
2. The Footbrake/Remote Control harness. The only thing I had to use here was the Footbrake wire, which requires 12 volts to sense the foot brake is on.
Installing these wires is a lesson in patience. My best piece of advice to any installer is to run all the required leads to the back of the car beforehand. I did this and it made my life much easier. It also made it easy to hide all those ugly wires under factory carpeting.
The brain also has the Monitor output going to the head unit, and all 3 sets of RCA cables (4v) for Front/Rear/Subwoofer. There is also an auxiliary Video output for another external LCD unit, as well as 2 video inputs (which are disabled when driving).
Features
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This unit has just about everything. Controls are easy to reach, featuring the standard green alpine buttons, utilizing the 1-6 Preset buttons for some functions on the LCD.
One notable thing is the excellent reception of the AM/FM tuner. Out in the middle of Nowhere, PA, I was able to receive a TON of signals I was not able to with my former Pioneer AVM-P8000R. Radio features aside from great reception are standard fare; presets, DX/Local, Best Station memory. I'm not too much of a radio listener, as I listen to a grand total of 3 stations, so the advanced tuner options don't concern me greatly.
The CD player is excellent. It features CD Text, and the usual random/repeat features, plus everything you expect from a high-end in-dash CD player, only this happens to have a 7" LCD on it. Sound quality is absolutely amazing compared to my Pioneer 12 disc changer. Everything about the CD that's known is shown on the display, including the song listing with CD-TEXT enabled CD's.
Sound Tailoring is also done on screen, though there isn't a real equalizer to speak of. While this was built into the Pioneer 8000 unit I was using beforehand, it was cumbersome to operate, ESPECIALLY while driving. Alpine's method is rather simple, pushing the volume knob allows you to move through the Vol/Bal/Fad/Bass/Tre/Sub level adjustments, where a simple twist of the ole knob lets you dial in what you want. Considering the phenomenal sound quality of this head unit, I honestly don't miss the clunky parametric-like EQ on the Pioneer units i've owned.
Subwoofer settings are enabled via the setup menus, and allow you to select the crossover frequency from 40-100hz if memory serves, in 10hz increments. Full range goes to the speakers, so if you're using external amplification, you might want to make sure your external amps have high-pass filters (or use Bass Blockers).
Video settings are also customizable, you can select one of 6 different backgrounds like wood, marble, sky, etc. You can also set it to a solid color if you like. You can edit brightness settings, auto dimming (on or off), auto-open (when set to ON, the unit opens when the car is started, and closes when the car is turned off), etc.
There's also a largely useless "Spectrum analyzer" setting that flashes pretty lights and graphics based on the noise you're making. This feature to me is largely useless, but there's 3 settings, one for vocal music, one for bassy music, and one for what seems to be everything else. Again, this is largely useless to me, since I care more about how sound SOUNDS, not how it LOOKS.
Quality
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The display is incredibly bright and vibrant, MUCH higher resolution than the Pioneer AVX-P7000 I had before. This display sets the standard for sharpness and clarity without a doubt.
Sound quality is unbelievable. I have to say that Pioneer has a lot to learn, and they could use a few lessons from these guys. Highs are bright and vibrant and not overly harsh (compared to the 8000 head unit using the same speakers - Diamond M5's in my car), Bass is tight and completely devoid of mud. Midranges seem a BIT understated, but unfortunately there's no adjustment for mids. Either way, it sounds leaps and bounds better than anything i've heard from Pioneer to date.
The remote is excellent. If you buy the IVA-C800, the remote included will also control the Navigation systems alpine offers. I purchased the NVE-N815A DVD-based Navigation system (epinion coming soon) with the IVA-C800, and they work flawlessly together. Switching between the two is a matter of flipping a single button on the side of the remote included with the IVA (all NAV functions are marked in blue). There's also a flip-open cover to access a keypad to punch in radio stations or whatever else.
The Video Safety feature of the IVA-C800 requires that you do the following to watch video sources and access certain menu items on the unit:
1. Wire everything according to the manual
2. Apply the footbrake and hold
3. Apply the parking brake and hold
4. You can now release the footbrake.
For as long as you leave the parking brake on, you'll be able to watch video. I myself bypassed this feature with a couple of radio shack switches (a momentary switch for the footbrake line wired to 12 volts and an on/off toggle for the Parking brake line wired to ground). This allows me to emulate the same signals the IVA-C800 is expecting, allowing the passenger in my car to watch a DVD or play a playstation 2 game mounted under my passenger side seat. While I have done this modification to my system, I urge you to not do it to yours. I will take no responsibility for whatever happens to you if you bypass this video protection feature. It's against the law in all 50 states to have a video source visible to the driver of any motor vehicle.
So that's everything I like. What do I *DISLIKE*? Very little:
1. The LCD monitor lead going to the brain is too short. Needs to be 2 feet longer for trunk installs. While mine made it back there, it JUST made it. Extension cables are available for the low, low price of $109. I'll pass.
2. The menu system should be a bit more streamlined/simplified. Over time though, this means less and less as you learn the features of the system.
3. An equalizer function. While the unit sounds GREAT, an EQ should be included of some sort, or at LEAST add a midrange level adjustment. I don't want to buy an external equalizer.
4. Lower the price. $1450 is pretty expensive for this unit, although it's a VERY nice unit and have no reservations about recommending it.
That's about it. There's very little to dislike about this unit. It's everything i'm looking for. Given the expandability offered with Alpine's AI-net, you can add cd changers and external equipment, and control it all from one place. The display is unbelievably sharp, and sound quality is absolutely astounding.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 1450
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Epinions.com ID:
kweckstrom
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Member: Karl Weckstrom
Location: Little Ferry, NJ
Reviews written: 100
Trusted by: 99 members
About Me:
Voted "Most Likely to be Photographed as a Bigfoot Sighting" by his senior class.
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