17 May 2008 - ICE Shopping (2)

The brands that I looked at were:

i. Sony XAV-W1
- 7" screen with 5.1 channel output
- 4v preouts
- wired remote

ii. Kenwood DDX 5032, DDX 7039, DDX 7032 (more info below)

iii. Panasonic CQ-VD6505W
- 6.5" screen with 5.1 channel Dolby Digital/DTS decoders with Dolby Pro Logic
- Nice EQ setup
- 5v preouts
- DivX NOT supported
- NOT nice design (looks OLD)

iv. JVC (can't recall the model)
- But the picture quality (resolution) sucks... so, didn't consider

v. Alpine
- too expensive... forget it.

---------------------------------------

Summary:

1. For video display, it looks like the Sony wins (sharpest), followed by Kenwood and then Panasonic. JVC is horrible.

2. For audio, alpine takes the first place, but the rest are not much of a difference.

3. For pricing, Kenwood and JVC. But Kenwood has more value for money.

4. For usability and features, I only went through the Kenwood and Panasonic extensively, and the panasonic seems to have more features. However the Kenwood seems "smarter". But the kenwood has an irritating 'target' on the screen, everytime you touch on the screen. Yucks.

5. Design (looks) wise, the Sony is most simple & sleek. Panasonic too old school. Kenwood and JVC are OK.

By the looks of it, I should go for the sony, but I hate sony (due to past bad experiences with the brand). My conclusion is that I'll probably get a Kenwood player, one of the following models:-

(a) DDX 5032



- 6.1" screen :( with volume dial :)
- Wired remote :(
- 2 preouts only :(
- Cheapest of the lot (sub RM 2k)

(b) DDX 7039



- If I'm not wrong, this is a 2007 model, where the buttons are straightforward.
- 7" (or is it 6.95") display with 3 preouts (2v)

(c) DDX 7032



- This 2008 model replaces the above 7039.
- Didn't get to try it out, but it looks the best designed player so far.
- Too bad its almost RM 3k.

The Kenwood website (M'sia) has a smart feature called 'Compare'. You can click on the models that interest you, and click 'Compare', and they list it out systematically. So clever:

http://my.kenwood.com/Compare/?Models=DDX7032,DDX7039,DDX5032




Anyway after an adventurous and eventful weekend, it doesn't matter. I'm not going to buy any, due to:

- M'sia crime rate. You'll never know when it will go missing, and you need to get a new window (not to mention 'v-kool elite' tinting again). Maybe this is a sign to move to the states... read on...

- its so much cheaper on US ebay. I feel ripped off. Just compare the Kenwood prices, and u'll see. Somemore Kenwood HUs are MADE-IN-MALAYSIA~!

- wiring and warranty issues with the new car. Its always a risk to mess around with a new car's wiring. Wise words I've heard recently, from someones dad... "if u wanna do/play, make sure you do properly... go all the way and get the BEST!... and bufferize your boot!" (hahaha... off topic...) What i'm trying to say is,

- ICE is a never ending journey. I don't want to regret spending thousands on my car ICE... AGAIN. I've spent a total of more than 8k in my last ride (ofcoz I sold off some stuff and got back about 3k+)

- the wife will fry my beans for breakfast, if I spend another (unnecessary) cent on my car. But i will debate the meaning of 'necessary'...

:-)