Alpine CDA-9856

duffman said:
Anyone have this head unit? I am looking to get it for my 01 dakota QC.



I have the CDA-9833 older model maybe ?

I liked my Alpine. Solid, well built.



It does so many things... The manual is fairly large.

I would try and google search for the manual and review that first before buying.

Should be out there in a PDF format.



If you plan to expand your system, it has a ton of features and capabilities...

If your just looking for a simple upgrade of the Stock Radio, you could probably get by with something cheaper and easier to use.

The menu's were a little cumbersome to get use to.



But if your going for a high end system with flexibility. It should be a good choice.

Enjoy.
 
I like the large screen and clean look. But mainly i want to use it with my ipod, and in time i want to get into HD radio as i live near and work in NYC so i figure soon there will be a ton of HD stations around here
 
duffman said:
I like the large screen and clean look. But mainly i want to use it with my ipod, and in time i want to get into HD radio as i live near and work in NYC so i figure soon there will be a ton of HD stations around here



Agree those large screen's on the Alpines are nice.

The new Crutchfields has some really nice new Head Unit's..



We don't have much for HD stations here in Iowa.

Were lucky we get the basic stuff.



I am always impressed with about any new stereo I get. But it takes me 3 months to decide due to expense and features I want.

weighing all my options before dropping the $$$.



Seems about every 3 years the technology jumps and gets better.

I am still thinking of either adding SAT adapter to my unit or sell mine and purchase something newer.



I think my next unit will have to have USB connections and ipod interface.



You would think SD Card readers would be built in more now a days on the higher end units.



My brother loves his new Blue Tooth enabled Pioneer.

They have some newer stuff out now. You might look at them also.
 
I've got the 9856 in my 99 Ram. I bought it to control my IPOD.



I've always owned Alpine's, and this is a good unit. It does have some negatives though. Tuner is not real real strong (not an issue for me as I'm pretty much ipod only). It takes A WHILE to dial through 500+ artists to get to the one I want to listen to (smart playlists become your friend here). The 9857 has a nice feature where you can skip "percentages" of your collection. Like to get to Mudvayne, you could skip to say somewhere in the L's and then only have a few turns to get to the M's.



Hope that helps. For the money, you can't beat it. The IPOD control is FAST, and the sound is GREAT!
 
Well i had the cda-9856 installed in my 2001 dakota QC yesterday and i am very happy with it. It sounds and looks amazing, I was wondering how hard it would be to use with my ipod after all the reviews i read but i can say its quite simple to operate. all you need to do is read to manual. I will post photos soon



Alpine CDA-9856 - 200$

IPOD Cable - 30$

Install - 65$

+tax

Total Cost - 319$

Very Happy!
 
IMG_5054.JPG
 
Personally the only head unit they have made that I really liked was the 7998. I had one until the beginning of this year and upgraded to the IVA-W200 with the PXA-H701 processor. The past few years none of them have been really good. They lowered the output voltage from 4v to 2v. Just seems like they are going the opposite way.
 
the 9856 is alright, every year alpines line gets worse and worse. it doesnt even have a crossover or EQ. i had the 9857 which the only difference was the 57 had the biolite display and the 4v preouts.
 
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