I'm thinking of replacing a Head Unit in a 2001 Honda CRV.

So far I was thinking of

Alpine CDM-7874EB
Alpine CDM-7871R
Eclipse 3421

Should I add others to this list or is one of the above the best option.

I'm not interested in flashing lights unless they improve the sound.

At this stage I intend leaving the stock speakers
but would appreciate any comments on good relatively low cost replacements

I don't intend buying a sub woofer or amp at the moment

Price limit is approx $500 for the HU

eclipse 3421

welcome to CAA!

for your needs (ie: no outboard amps, etc), you can go as far as choose something based on cosmetics, security, reliability, and basic features.

such things as preouts, preout voltage, sublevel control, etc, are not relevant. although you can always take these into consideration for any future upgrades.

i personally would also choose the eclipse from the point of view of classy cosmetics, build quality, and sound quality (SQ). however, it lacks detachable face, and instead relies on 'ESN' (eclipse security network) which is like a PIN code (using a CD music track). as such, the HU remains on view, which IMO is not great (regardless of whether it's usable if stolen).

in terms of SQ, it's also not a big deal when not utilising external amps. most decent HUs, regardless of brand, will provide adequate SQ when running speakers directly off them.

alpine HUs are also excellent value. if the silver look of the 7874 suits you, good. it also has detachable face, and 2 (pairs) preouts like the eclipse; 'so what' for you.

power outputs are not significantly different. all specs will be in 'peak' watts, rather than the more-indicative 'RMS' power. anything upwards of 40W per channel (peak) is fine.

there's obviously heaps of other brands. pioneer, kenwood, jvc, etc all offer decent HUs. jvc will feature MP3 playback in this price bracket, which may appeal. however, compare the build quality with alpine/eclipse, and i think you'll find alpine/eclipse to be superior.

good luck

[ January 12, 2003, 14:50: Message edited by: shiny_car ]

an alternative point of view - keep the factory HU, and spend the $500 on a nice set of new speakers that impress you on the dealers board - it will yield more sound quality improvement for you than just replacing the headunit

Thanks for the feedback - I was contemplating just replacing the speakers - but I'm sick of the wow and flutter from the tapedeck. So CD is the main reason for the new head unit.

This is a fantastic forum - the one thing that would make it better is equipment reviews as a separate forum.