Alpine iPod KCA-420i - Installed - Pics and mini-review
10-05-2004, 04:56 PM
#1
AudiWorld Super User
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2002
Posts: 8,985
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Alpine iPod KCA-420i - Installed - Pics and mini-review
Just got my 420i off eBay. I'm running it with an Alpine CDA-9835 connected to a 20gb 4G iPod. Speakers are MBQuart in the factory locations with a JL 8" sub all driven by a 5 channel Kenwood (don't laugh it was free and sounds fine).
Pics of the 9835, 420i and iPod.
<img src="http://slacktide.org:88/brad/4000/stereo/slides/IMG_0650.JPG">
<img src="http://slacktide.org:88/brad/4000/stereo/slides/IMG_0645.JPG">
<img src="http://slacktide.org:88/brad/4000/stereo/slides/IMG_0647.JPG">
<img src="http://slacktide.org:88/brad/4000/stereo/slides/IMG_0649.JPG">
Mini review: This setup sounds about 20x better than my circa 1999 Sony head unit. This is mostly because the SQ on the Alpine is much better. I've got the sub on it's own output, which the Sony didn't have. The Alpine also has a vast amount of controls for time alignment, internal crossovers, and very adjustable EQ. All very cool.
The iPod interface works just about as advertised. It's got a few quirks. It will only display up to 512 artists or albums - not that big of a deal for most people unless you've got a lot of complilation albums. I ripped all my CD's at either 192 or 256k - around 120 artists, 200 albums total. I've got about 7gB left on the iPod so I do not see that 512 limit being a problem. Maybe if someones mp3s were all low bitrate and on a full 40gB iPod that could be a problem. The navigation of the unit is pretty straightforward after looking at the manual for a minute or two. It DOES NOT navigate the iPod exactly like you think it will however. This is because it sort of sees the iPod as a big CD changer - it makes sense after a few minutes. The biggest problem with navigating the iPod is this. As most other reviewers have already said - the scrolling of artists/albums/songs is not fast. On a regular iPod, the faster you turn your finger around the data wheel the faster the list moves. With the Alpine interface it goes a little over 1 per second. Don't get me wrong, it's not painfully slow, but slow enough to be annoying if you are trying to find an artist at the middle of the list. I timed it and it took me about little over a minute to scroll through my collection from A-Z. I could see it getting REALLY annoying if I had 512 Artists. To avoid this Alpine suggests making playlists. As for the SQ, it's phenomenal. No complaints on that end.
Finally - it does in fact keep the iPod charged! it even displays ///Alpine on the display. The only thing is that the iPod does not seem to go to sleep. I've not left it in there for more than a minute waiting on it, so it may just take some time. Also the other problem could be that with my setup, I've got the head unit wired in such a fashion that I can turn the deck on regardless of the ignition being turned on. In any case it doesn't matter to me because I'll always take the iPod out of there at the end of the day.
Pics of the 9835, 420i and iPod.
<img src="http://slacktide.org:88/brad/4000/stereo/slides/IMG_0650.JPG">
<img src="http://slacktide.org:88/brad/4000/stereo/slides/IMG_0645.JPG">
<img src="http://slacktide.org:88/brad/4000/stereo/slides/IMG_0647.JPG">
<img src="http://slacktide.org:88/brad/4000/stereo/slides/IMG_0649.JPG">
Mini review: This setup sounds about 20x better than my circa 1999 Sony head unit. This is mostly because the SQ on the Alpine is much better. I've got the sub on it's own output, which the Sony didn't have. The Alpine also has a vast amount of controls for time alignment, internal crossovers, and very adjustable EQ. All very cool.
The iPod interface works just about as advertised. It's got a few quirks. It will only display up to 512 artists or albums - not that big of a deal for most people unless you've got a lot of complilation albums. I ripped all my CD's at either 192 or 256k - around 120 artists, 200 albums total. I've got about 7gB left on the iPod so I do not see that 512 limit being a problem. Maybe if someones mp3s were all low bitrate and on a full 40gB iPod that could be a problem. The navigation of the unit is pretty straightforward after looking at the manual for a minute or two. It DOES NOT navigate the iPod exactly like you think it will however. This is because it sort of sees the iPod as a big CD changer - it makes sense after a few minutes. The biggest problem with navigating the iPod is this. As most other reviewers have already said - the scrolling of artists/albums/songs is not fast. On a regular iPod, the faster you turn your finger around the data wheel the faster the list moves. With the Alpine interface it goes a little over 1 per second. Don't get me wrong, it's not painfully slow, but slow enough to be annoying if you are trying to find an artist at the middle of the list. I timed it and it took me about little over a minute to scroll through my collection from A-Z. I could see it getting REALLY annoying if I had 512 Artists. To avoid this Alpine suggests making playlists. As for the SQ, it's phenomenal. No complaints on that end.
Finally - it does in fact keep the iPod charged! it even displays ///Alpine on the display. The only thing is that the iPod does not seem to go to sleep. I've not left it in there for more than a minute waiting on it, so it may just take some time. Also the other problem could be that with my setup, I've got the head unit wired in such a fashion that I can turn the deck on regardless of the ignition being turned on. In any case it doesn't matter to me because I'll always take the iPod out of there at the end of the day.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
sohcrates
A4 (B6 Platform) Discussion
8
01-31-2003 08:21 AM
Ulmer
Audio, Video and Security Discussion
3
12-18-2001 10:34 PM
