Gapless MP3 and other conversation...

[lazytiger]

I've got some questions about car audio, but every forum I find on the 'net seems to be filled with beef-heads just talking about how loud they can make their subwoofers. I have a random assortment of things to discuss, and I figured I'd try them out at the trusty ol' genvibe audio forum. First, I have a question about MP3s. I got an Alpine CDA-9827 for Christmas, and I've started playing MP3s with it. But, there's a major annoyance with that: the player puts a huge gap in between each song. I'm not talking about the tiny gap caused because MP3 isn't a "gapless" audio format; I'm talking about a huge gap caused by the player spinning up the disc between each song (just like you'd hear with a regular CD in shuffle mode). This seems totally unnecessary. I don't understand why the player can't cue up the next song before the last one ends. So my question is, does anyone know of brand(s) of car CD/MP3 players that DON'T do that? I'll probably have to make a trip to Circuit City with a MP3 disc in hand and try it out myself.Second, my whole system is Alpine, including the speakers. Unfortunately, I haven't been all that impressed with the sound in my Vibe since I installed all the aftermarket stuff. I know Alpine is not as highly-regarded for their speakers as for their head units (amps?). But I'm wondering if these speakers (Type-S) would sound totally different with a high-power external amp. In another twist, I happen to have two pairs of Infinity 6002i in my possession because my parents bought them for their car, and then ended up selling that car shortly thereafter and taking the speakers out. I'm seriously considering putting one in just to compare to the Alpines. But I'm curious - on this forum, how strongly do people favor Infinity over Alpine?Third, Alpine came out with a bunch of new models right after I got mine. It seems like Alpine is cheaping out... the new models, even the ones in the same price range as my 9827, don't have 4-volt pre-outs, and have gone back to using BBE sound processing instead of MediaXpander. Obviously they're cheaping out on the pre-outs, but what about the BBE? Does anyone really know what the difference is between it and MX? Alpine's higher-end units (which don't seem to be redesigned as often as the cheaper models) still have MX. I'm just trying to decide whether I'm glad I have an older model!

[Jahntassa]

I have to say, and don't take this wrong, that Alpine as of late is nothing but high-priced garbage. When I worked at Circuit City (yes, I was recently let go), everyone else in the department was all about Alpine, customers were about Alpine. And y'know what, back in the 80's and early 90's, Alpine was it.Now? No. Now it's just overpriced, overcomplicated, and very simpleton in looks. Sure, it still sounds decent, but the competition has caught up.There isn't a single day that I wouldn't reccomend looking at Pioneer headunits before Alpines. Polk and Infinity speakers before Alpines. MTX and Audiobahn amplifiers before Alpines. The only halfway decent thing they had were the Type-R subs, and even those were nearly phased out by the weaker Type-S subs.MX is an Alpine brand, while BBE is liscenced from the people who created it. It's simply a sound processor. There might be minor differences, but to be honest, I'm not sure how much you'd notice. And, as i'm reading over your post, I would highly reccomend the 6002i's over the Type-S speakers. The tweeters are much softer, and the overall sound much rounder because the cones are actually designed to produce good sound. I have no idea who thought that brushed metal would sound good on 6.5" speakers.

[lazytiger]

Quote, originally posted by Jahntassa »I have to say, and don't take this wrong, that Alpine as of late is nothing but high-priced garbage.No offense taken. I'm starting to question my allegiance to Alpine. Basically, it comes down to the fact that I like the way their head units look, but not necessarily how they operate. I had a 7874 before I got this new one, and honestly, I prefer the operability of the 7874. The only reason I wanted a new one was to get MP3. But I think their products are headed downhill, especially looking at the newest models.Quote, originally posted by Jahntassa »When I worked at Circuit City (yes, I was recently let go), everyone else in the department was all about Alpine, customers were about Alpine. And y'know what, back in the 80's and early 90's, Alpine was it.Sorry to hear about your job. I know when I bought all my stuff at CC (the first round, a few years ago with my Civic) everyone there was pretty stoked with my choice of all-Alpine. This second time, they (different CC - the other one closed) didn't seem to give a damn one way or the other about Alpine. I don't really care for the guys that are working there now, either.Quote, originally posted by Jahntassa »Now? No. Now it's just overpriced, overcomplicated, and very simpleton in looks. Sure, it still sounds decent, but the competition has caught up.Well, I have to admit that I still prefer the way the Alpines look. Design is, of course, a personal preference. But if a different brand plays MP3s better, I'd certainly be willing to consider it. (How about Pioneer?)Quote, originally posted by Jahntassa »There isn't a single day that I wouldn't reccomend looking at Pioneer headunits before Alpines. Polk and Infinity speakers before Alpines. MTX and Audiobahn amplifiers before Alpines. The only halfway decent thing they had were the Type-R subs, and even those were nearly phased out by the weaker Type-S subs.That's a pretty good vote of no confidence. Quote, originally posted by Jahntassa »MX is an Alpine brand, while BBE is liscenced from the people who created it. It's simply a sound processor. There might be minor differences, but to be honest, I'm not sure how much you'd notice.I always thought my old one sounded pretty good with BBE. I concur that I probably wouldn't know the difference from MX, though.Quote, originally posted by Jahntassa »And, as i'm reading over your post, I would highly reccomend the 6002i's over the Type-S speakers. The tweeters are much softer, and the overall sound much rounder because the cones are actually designed to produce good sound. I have no idea who thought that brushed metal would sound good on 6.5" speakers.I'd be willing to bet that it was the marketing department's idea. I have 2-ways in the rear and components in the front. The 2-ways sound like crap, for sure. The components sound decent, though. Of note is that the components DON'T have brushed metal cones. But I'm always left wondering how they would sound with more juice.

[lazytiger]

From Pioneer's website (DEH-P7700MP):Quote »Our Digital Speedread2 mechanism speeds up track-to-track access, cutting down on the wait time. It can actually access an MP3 file faster than most receivers access a CD-Audio file.Sounds good so far!

[Jahntassa]

Like I said, i'm more against the newer products than the older. I do, actually, have an ERA-G320 14-band EQ in my Vibe, and it is an Alpine, and it does great. It's also kinda old-school, and thus hasn't been subjected to the new product dumbing from Alpine.I know the look of Alpine is sometimes preferred. I'm not all for it, but it's a preference, so i'm not gonna say you're wrong! You aren't! If you went as far as the Pioneer MP-80, it has a built-in 60 watt amplifier in the headunit, which will do wonders for your components... Sorry, I'm just kinda skipping around the post. And as for CC, I think the shop I worked at had the most knowledge of any around here. And that's pretty much just the installers (which I was). Once the other two guys find other jobs, the whole roadshop is going to go down the tubes.

[lazytiger]

I'm warming up quickly to the Pioneer DEH-P7700MP. However, I have a question for you. What the heck is the deal with Pioneer and Premier? For the same MSRP of $300, the DEH-P7700MP appears to be exactly the same as the Premier DEH-P770MP, except that the Premier has 4-volt pre-outs, a rotary knob on the remote, and a 2-year warranty. Why are they the same price? Maybe they're not on the street. Still, what is the deal with Pioneer and Premier? Why does Pioneer bother with having both?

[Jahntassa]

I still haven't figured that out...they're practically the same thing. Now, the 4volt pre-outs are important if you're doing external amplifier add-ons..just because the stronger the output of the pre-outs on the radio, the better the signal overall. 2 Year warranties are good, too.. As far as I know...other than the logo, and the differences you listed, maybe one or two cosmetic differences...they're about the same thing..

[lazytiger]

I went to CC on the way home and tried out the Pioneer DEH-P7700MP. It's pretty nice. It still puts a gap between songs, albeit shorter than the gaps from my Alpine. I couldn't tell in the store (too noisy) if the disc was spinning up between songs, but the gap was so short that it probably couldn't have. At that point, it might just be the inherent problem of MP3s not being "gapless" and no player will do better. Anyway, the Pioneer's functionality was pretty darn nice, and the OEL screen kicks my Alpine's (removed).Will have to consider hawking my Alpine on eBay and switching.

[lazytiger]

I put one of the Infinity 6002i speakers in my Vibe and A/B'd it with the Alpine Type-S 2-way. The 6002i does sound a little better I think, but I wasn't blown away by the difference. They both sound pretty thick compared to the Type-S components I have in the front. I'm tempted to just get rid of the rears altogether and juice the front speakers, but I'm a little hesitant to go with only two speakers. Sigh... I think I need to bite the bullet and buy a 4-channel amp and re-evaluate the Type-S before I switch to the Infinitys.