need some help with a head unit
 

im getting a new head unit soon and am having trouble deciding on 2 that i have picked out. the first one is a jvc kd-g830 and the second is a panasonic cq-c8305. overall i think the panasonics the better choice but thats why i need some help as i do not have much experience.


here are the links to the units:


http://www.crutchfield.com/S-KiuQwJb...=300&s=0&cc=01

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-KiuQwJb...=300&s=0&cc=01

those links are to the home page, but I checked the two of them out anyway. For the money, the JVC seems like the better deal to me. Unless you want the display and eq features, the rest of the specs are as good or better than the Panasonic. I've had very good luck over the years with JVC products, so I like them. I haven't had a lot of Panasonic, but the products I had were also quite good, except for a few projection tv units that needed repairs( after 10 years mind you). The JVC at nearly half the price and most of the important (to me) features is the better buy IMHO.

JVC KD-G830 CD receiver with MP3/WMA playback at Crutchfield.com

Panasonic CQ-C8305U CD receiver with MP3/WMA/AAC playback at Crutchfield.com

i fixed the links... and that site was only to show the 2... not actually ordering from that site. ive already gone in to futureshop to look at them both and i can get the panasonic for the same price as the jvc since its on sale.

well based on that new info, and given that the PAnasonic has a few more features...I'd probably go that route. Both are good brands, so I wouldn't worry about product quality. Go take a listen and play with both, see if you like the look, feel, and usability of the units and decide which one turns your crank.

from what i remember last time i checked them out... the jvc is a bit easier to use... but the ipod integration on the panasonic is much better because u can use the volume knob as if it were the scroll wheel on the ipod. the jvc also squishes all the track info to the one side and scrolls it which is kind of annoying. and i think id like the 7 band eq better then the 3 band eq on the jvc so i can fine tune the sound more.

I used to be a big fan of Panasonic decks in the 90's and have one in my current car (car was just purchased and came with it). Honestly I really don't like the deck; I find the display really annoying. Who wants a picture of a race car glaring at them... Plus the deck is super bright at nighttime but is hardly readable in the day.

The JVC should have a better EQ even though it is only three band (most people agree a parametric eq is better than a graphic eq and has a more natural sound). Regardless of that though I would get it just for the USB thumb drive capability...

The one spec I am confused about on the JVC is output voltage it says
2.4/4 volts?? I would pick a deck with higher preout voltage and find something with internal crossovers (which neither deck mentions) The best you can do is weigh the options... the front usb is also good in my mind.

I love the older panasonic decks mind you, I find newer decks feel cheap in person, the dial especially, but aside from that, I love my panasonic deck ! works good, and yea its bright at night, but it does have 3 dimmer settings :-) haha

i think the jvc is 2.5v on the front and rear and 4v for the subwoofer. the panasonic knob does look a bit cheaply made but i was looking at some pioneers and the knobs on some of them feel like they are going to break off. no clue which one i should go with now. they both sound good in the store but i wont know until its in my car.

i had JVC kd-g830 for couple of days, bought it in Future Shop, was on sale for 200 bucks, they didn't have any in stock so i ended up getting 'open box' for 159 or something, the deck was brand new not even installed.
anyways i got it to replace my KD-G320... and i personally didnt hear any improvement in sound at all, played around with much more complicated EQ with no luck and decided to keep the money. not really saying that 830 is crap, but there was no noticeable improvement over 320 which was pretty nice and i liked a lot. 830 looks nice you can change display colors, can set up to change the color based on time of day, give names to radio stations. radio worked very good, even AM. and USB part is convenient of course, you can hook up to 10Gb to it.
I would try FutureShop...not sure if it's still on sale - at least you can return it if you don't like.
.... looks like only BestBuy still has them, probably be on sale soon