Initial impressions of the PXA-H900
Thread Starter
1000 Watt CAFz'r
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 1,783
Keith, have you talked to Jason yet?
Kilowatt, thanks for the compliments.
Yes I'm using time alignment. But it in no way covers up for some of my install flaws. I really enjoy the results, at least in my hands, it always makes an improvement to the sound stage.
Dereck you are right, although sometimes experienced users can do some insteresting things. Right Tom?
"Where did my F'n presets go?!?!?!?!"
Using the PC software, you have the ability to save millions of presets to your hard drive. The 6 you load into the H900 for use are only the tip of the iceberg. That...and if you mess them up, you can reload them from the PC.
defro,
congrats on aquiring the best "Toy" in car audio. You know exactly what you've got, and I'm very happy for ya. Thanks for helping me out when I was making the same choice.
Kilowatt, thanks for the compliments.
Yes I'm using time alignment. But it in no way covers up for some of my install flaws. I really enjoy the results, at least in my hands, it always makes an improvement to the sound stage.
Dereck you are right, although sometimes experienced users can do some insteresting things. Right Tom?
"Where did my F'n presets go?!?!?!?!"
Using the PC software, you have the ability to save millions of presets to your hard drive. The 6 you load into the H900 for use are only the tip of the iceberg. That...and if you mess them up, you can reload them from the PC.
defro,
congrats on aquiring the best "Toy" in car audio. You know exactly what you've got, and I'm very happy for ya. Thanks for helping me out when I was making the same choice.
Originally posted by dawgsbreakfast:
I'll agree with all the positives being put out here on the unit. On the flip side, I've listened to a few cars with the Alpine F1 setup that just were comopletely life-less and sounded no better then stuff at a fraction of the cost. Ok, that being said, buying this piece requires commitment to the highest levels of sound reproduction and installation. The unit is NOT a magical box. It can be setup to sound like a$$. But in the hands of skilled and knowledgable people, pure MAGIC !!!!
Anyone here listen to the Alpine S class benz at CES 2004 ?!?!? IT had this system in it and I believe was a Japanese originating vehicle. Maybe it was me, but it sounded weird (especially staging and some tonality issues). It was I think the 3rd vehicle that I've sat in with an F1 system that I thought was off.
I'll agree with all the positives being put out here on the unit. On the flip side, I've listened to a few cars with the Alpine F1 setup that just were comopletely life-less and sounded no better then stuff at a fraction of the cost. Ok, that being said, buying this piece requires commitment to the highest levels of sound reproduction and installation. The unit is NOT a magical box. It can be setup to sound like a$$. But in the hands of skilled and knowledgable people, pure MAGIC !!!!
Anyone here listen to the Alpine S class benz at CES 2004 ?!?!? IT had this system in it and I believe was a Japanese originating vehicle. Maybe it was me, but it sounded weird (especially staging and some tonality issues). It was I think the 3rd vehicle that I've sat in with an F1 system that I thought was off.
Originally posted by defro13:
to say i wasnt impressed with the benz would be an understatement. powerful tools and gear in the hands of people incapable of installing and using them well can result in a very expensive and embarassing disaster, your last comment is so true , i was at the usac regionals in calgary, won by over 30 points and the judge told me that i should take out my alpine speakers and put in focals, thing is, my speakers are avi's, i kinda felt bad for the guy so i didnt say anything, funny thing is that the 2nd and 3rd place cars were both full of focal speakers, and this particular judge has done the iasca finals 6 times. i wont even get into the rest of the stuff the guys told me to do, in case he reads this, lets just say it invloves a kleenex box wrapped in duct tape and a 5" focal woofer, IM NOT KIDDING!
to say i wasnt impressed with the benz would be an understatement. powerful tools and gear in the hands of people incapable of installing and using them well can result in a very expensive and embarassing disaster, your last comment is so true , i was at the usac regionals in calgary, won by over 30 points and the judge told me that i should take out my alpine speakers and put in focals, thing is, my speakers are avi's, i kinda felt bad for the guy so i didnt say anything, funny thing is that the 2nd and 3rd place cars were both full of focal speakers, and this particular judge has done the iasca finals 6 times. i wont even get into the rest of the stuff the guys told me to do, in case he reads this, lets just say it invloves a kleenex box wrapped in duct tape and a 5" focal woofer, IM NOT KIDDING!
. Congrats Dave -- nice to see a good sounding car won -- not a "well branded" one.
1000 Watt CAFz'r
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 1,649
Anyways, I have total respect for those people pushing the limits and spending more money then my house is worth on their car............ but I'll defer back to what Adam's old man and what he sort of said. Car audio is like installing home audio in a bathroom.
So, bring up that again leads me to this............ how far do you go before it really doesn't become seriously worth it anymore!?!??!
For something REALLY high end in a car to truly benefit from all the detail, the car should be stationary and sitting in a pretty quiet environment, as no car I've ever been in has been able to put the noise floor in the gutter while the car is being operated. Some have come close though. So, from a different perspective, is the Alpine unit a realistic piece of equipment for use in a vehicle WHILE IT'S BEING OPERATED, or is the environment too much to overcome that basically defaults you to be able to use lesser equipment and achieve similar results........... for a huge fraction of the price????
Once again, total respect for those trying to achieve high end in the car and spenting the bucks to achieve it. That's not my point as I understand that the automotive environment presents itself to some as "thee" challenge, not the decision to go into car or home with your spending.
So, bring up that again leads me to this............ how far do you go before it really doesn't become seriously worth it anymore!?!??!
For something REALLY high end in a car to truly benefit from all the detail, the car should be stationary and sitting in a pretty quiet environment, as no car I've ever been in has been able to put the noise floor in the gutter while the car is being operated. Some have come close though. So, from a different perspective, is the Alpine unit a realistic piece of equipment for use in a vehicle WHILE IT'S BEING OPERATED, or is the environment too much to overcome that basically defaults you to be able to use lesser equipment and achieve similar results........... for a huge fraction of the price????Once again, total respect for those trying to achieve high end in the car and spenting the bucks to achieve it. That's not my point as I understand that the automotive environment presents itself to some as "thee" challenge, not the decision to go into car or home with your spending.
50 Watt CAFz'r
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 73
Originally posted by dawgsbreakfast:
So, from a different perspective, is the Alpine unit a realistic piece of equipment for use in a vehicle WHILE IT'S BEING OPERATED, or is the environment too much to overcome that basically defaults you to be able to use lesser equipment and achieve similar results........... for a huge fraction of the price????
So, from a different perspective, is the Alpine unit a realistic piece of equipment for use in a vehicle WHILE IT'S BEING OPERATED, or is the environment too much to overcome that basically defaults you to be able to use lesser equipment and achieve similar results........... for a huge fraction of the price????
If anyone has heard a Miata (or other convertible) that sounds great at freeway speeds, I would love to know about it.
[ September 15, 2004, 01:19 PM: Message edited by: sac ]
Thread Starter
1000 Watt CAFz'r
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 1,783
Audibly details?
Who cares!!!!
I buy this stuff to look cool, and have the most toys. So weather it's in motion, or at a stand still, I've got the best system because it costs the most.
I couldn't care less how it images.
(I'm being very sarcastic...but I'm allowed to once in a while [img]tongue.gif[/img] )
Adam
Who cares!!!!
I buy this stuff to look cool, and have the most toys. So weather it's in motion, or at a stand still, I've got the best system because it costs the most.
I couldn't care less how it images.
(I'm being very sarcastic...but I'm allowed to once in a while [img]tongue.gif[/img] )
Adam
Guest
Posts: n/a
Of course I agree with Tom - that is how I always see it. I don't know how people justify spending gigabux on gear.
And the whole "you need ultimate gear for ultimate sound" and "if it makes the smallest improvement it is worth the price, regardless of what the price is" philosophy makes me wanna barf.
If I can get 95% of the way there for 50% of the cost then I'm more than happy. [img]graemlins/thumb.gif[/img]
And the whole "you need ultimate gear for ultimate sound" and "if it makes the smallest improvement it is worth the price, regardless of what the price is" philosophy makes me wanna barf.
If I can get 95% of the way there for 50% of the cost then I'm more than happy. [img]graemlins/thumb.gif[/img]
1000 Watt CAFz'r
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 1,120
Dukk before you expell, swallow and regurgitate this:
Some people are more interested in what lies within that last 5 % rather than just achieving it...it's kinda like exploration, the new frontier.
Otherwise man would probably not have made nearly as many advances in ANYTHING so this type of work is pretty important for everyone in the long run.
Just look at racing or space exploration and all the good that has come from it regardless of how much the cost has been.
Some of us bear the cost so the quality of "95% of the way there" keeps improving and stays affordable for all, which makes Dukk happy too
.
So "Charge" I say!
Some people are more interested in what lies within that last 5 % rather than just achieving it...it's kinda like exploration, the new frontier.
Otherwise man would probably not have made nearly as many advances in ANYTHING so this type of work is pretty important for everyone in the long run.
Just look at racing or space exploration and all the good that has come from it regardless of how much the cost has been.
Some of us bear the cost so the quality of "95% of the way there" keeps improving and stays affordable for all, which makes Dukk happy too
.So "Charge" I say!
Thread Starter
1000 Watt CAFz'r
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 1,783
As a guy that has lived the ultimate home audio dream, I find car stuff much more exciting.
For those that think top end car peices are expensive, this stuff qualifies as "mid-fi" gear in the home audio domain.
I guess at the end of the day, it's all relative to what you know as normal.
Some people do this hobby to show off, and stoke their ego. For those, high end gear holds a certain cachet and exclusivity that says "look at me". And to those people, it's worth the price due to this.
Other people do this hobby as a source of personal escape from the day to day grind. To a degree, I fall into this catagory. I build my car system to push my creative limits, learn new technical insights, and in the end, enjoy good music. To this end...it is a very good escape for me.
I can count the number of people that I've "demoed" my car to on one hand.(mostly family members) So the fact that some of the gear in my car is expensive, is usually not an impressive detail, but more of a "why the hell did you buy that?" kind of deal.
I have only one person to justify the difference between 95% and %100 to....and that's me.
For the rest of you that work you tails off to reach 95% percent at 50% the cost: Congradulations. You illustrate once again how install is more important than the gear.
Back on track:
The H900 is absolutey awesome!!!
Adam
For those that think top end car peices are expensive, this stuff qualifies as "mid-fi" gear in the home audio domain.
I guess at the end of the day, it's all relative to what you know as normal.
Some people do this hobby to show off, and stoke their ego. For those, high end gear holds a certain cachet and exclusivity that says "look at me". And to those people, it's worth the price due to this.
Other people do this hobby as a source of personal escape from the day to day grind. To a degree, I fall into this catagory. I build my car system to push my creative limits, learn new technical insights, and in the end, enjoy good music. To this end...it is a very good escape for me.
I can count the number of people that I've "demoed" my car to on one hand.(mostly family members) So the fact that some of the gear in my car is expensive, is usually not an impressive detail, but more of a "why the hell did you buy that?" kind of deal.
I have only one person to justify the difference between 95% and %100 to....and that's me.
For the rest of you that work you tails off to reach 95% percent at 50% the cost: Congradulations. You illustrate once again how install is more important than the gear.
Back on track:
The H900 is absolutey awesome!!!
Adam
