Why don't you guys like....

[shack]

Sony HUs? Seems like Sony get's bashed pretty regularly here and elsewhere. I've owned Pioneer and Clarion in the past and have always liked the Alpine units I've heard (seen). Nothing from the current Pioneer line impresses me and a couple of Alpines I like, but there are also a couple of Sony HUs that I really like the feature set and ergonomics of the units. They sound pretty decent and seem like good HUs. Not planning on any amps, just the HU. Why no love for Sony?

[disneyjoe7]

Have an old Sony HU really old has 3 preamp output no amps. Still own it but its in a box and not in a car :( Have an Alpine HU which I don't like it, it wasn't too cheap around $320 its in a box and not in a car ;)

Ok that's my $.02

[exalted512]

They just stopped making quality radios, period. Seems like they took all their R&D money and put it into marketing and aesthetics.

Pioneer, Clarion, Kenwood, Alpine, JVC all make quality units. Really, from there, its personal preference. I'm partial to Pioneer, Aaron runs Alpine, John has Kenwood in his truck, I wouldn't hesitate to run any radios from any of those manufacturers. I run Pioneer because I like the way they look and I'm used to their menus.
-Cody

[Kinetic]

sony used to do decent things, but they lower the quality with the xplod lineup

[bigaudiofanatic]

One word to describe sony car audio in general is CRAP. They just don't make quality stuff as a matter of fact i would rather buy a best buy brand head unit instead of buying a sony.

[only126db]

Sony ES head units were very high quality units, then Sony did away with the ES line and their reliability and sound quality fell into the gutter. They at one time were ahead of the curve but something obviously happened inside the company and now they are just an average company at best, with a less than average reputation. Pioneer and Alpine have pretty much stayed pretty level over the years, Kenwood has been a little up and down, but with a little help they could come back very strong, they have the ability to be at the top, whether they want to or not is the question. Sony may never fully recover, they will have to come out with some outstanding products to get back on the top.

I think in all around product line up for the top 6 it goes :

Alpine
Pioneer(only because of their decks)
Kenwood
Clarion
Panasonic
Sony

[disneyjoe7]

I agree with that Sony was it, now its not. :)

That is their HU / CD players not their amps or their speakers.

[Greg Peters]

The quality falling off has contributed to the "no love for Sony," at least in the 12V world.

Sony once made high quality car audio gear that was coveted and frequently found in SQ competition, but it seems they realized there is a bigger market (and therefore more money to be made) selling semi-disposable, entry-level gear to the uninitiated noob section of the market than concentrating on the smaller audiophile portion. The profit margin is larger selling thousands of crappy head units, amps, subs and quadraxial speakers compared to only moving a fraction's worth of high-end units that cost more to manufacture. This quality shift coincided with "Xplod" being launched on the market- our loss and Sony's gain :(.

I bought (and love) a Sony Bravia XBR TV, but it would be a cold day in hell before I'd give them any more car audio monies ;). Take the amount you would have spent on those Sony units and put it towards a better brand as suggested earlier- you'll have a better chance of being satisfied and the odds of your unit surviving the warranty period will go up dramatically...

[concealer404]

I have a Sony head unit (yes, and XPlod) and i actually love it.

I have the CDX-7710, few years old, "specialty" unit.

Now, i don't have near the setup you guys probably have, just had it powering some stock location Polk db series, 4" in front, 6.5" in back, and an older 12" Sony Xplod "specialty" aluminum cone sub with one of their two-channel amps bridged.

Took some tweaking, but i liked the way it sounded, and i've now moved this head unit through 4 cars, and i've never had a single problem with it.

Will i win competitions? No. Is it THE BEST? No. But it was fairly priced, i like that it doesn't look like there's an alien growing out of my console, and it and the CDX-5710 in my other car have been dead nuts reliable.

[killerb]

i had a sony cdx-u8000 back in the day and it was a great deck. one of the first out with 4v output, it was considered a comp deck.

[ben62670]

I have a buddy who does car audio installs. Sony has just dropped in SQ over the last few years while Pioneer has been kicking it up a notch. Alpine seems to be making lamer entry level units. Clarion, Kenwood, and JVC have been staying consistent. Am I a car audio guy? No, but I had to listen to my buddy the other day on the topic of HU's for an hour...

[F1nut]

One word to describe sony car audio in general is CRAP. They just don't make quality stuff as a matter of fact i would rather buy a best buy brand head unit instead of buying a sony.

You owe somebody money or CD's. You decide.

[MacLeod]

Sony HUs? Seems like Sony get's bashed pretty regularly here and elsewhere. I've owned Pioneer and Clarion in the past and have always liked the Alpine units I've heard (seen). Nothing from the current Pioneer line impresses me and a couple of Alpines I like, but there are also a couple of Sony HUs that I really like the feature set and ergonomics of the units. They sound pretty decent and seem like good HUs. Not planning on any amps, just the HU. Why no love for Sony?

Sony head units are fine. Theyre as good as any other piece in their price range. What ruined it for Sony was the Xplod line. First off, just naming the line "Xplod" was 2 strikes right there but their speakers were very cheap and sounded ok at best. Their amps were also decent but thats about it. So you have a stupid name like Xplod and make sub par gear and your reputation goes in the toilet.

Audiobahn did the same thing. Made fancy, flashy, chrome speakers and amps that sounded like shit. Theyre history now because nobody ever took them seriously because not only did their products not perform but they had a big bad flashy look.

[bigaudiofanatic]

I stay and always will stay with Alpine I had a pioneer and it stoped ejecting disks after a year and another one had so much alternator noise that i got a alpine and WHILA no more noise. Been with them ever seance

[MacLeod]

I stay and always will stay with Alpine

Right there with ya brother. Been a fan of Alpine as far back as the late 80's when I first got into car audio. Only the "cool" people ran Alpine and I couldnt wait til I could afford to buy one. :D