Nakamichi vs. Alpine
 

I have a nice Alpine cd changer I put in about 1 year ago, and it sounds great, but I hate the "graphics" and garish colors. It doesn't look good in the car. I've been thinking about putting a Nakamichi, mostly for the looks. The Nakamichi store of course told me the sound was far superior to Alpine. Has anyone compared the two, and does anyone have any recommendations for a good looking cd changer that's not too expensive?

The higher end Nakamichis *do* sound better....

But unfortunately, they're expensive...

I've got the same dilema over my 89 300E. So much of what's out now looks like a pinball machine. Fine for those who want that, but I don't think it fits the understated character of MB. Having a hard time finding someone who carries Nak here in Cincinnati. Plenty on ebay. Anyway, one shop's phone book ad showed Nak, said they stopped carrying them due to cd skipping problems. They then tried to sell me on Clarion (black faceplate). Anyone have any feedback on the Nakamichi CD-40z or CD-45z, especially re skipping? I'm also considering a Blaupunkt Tokyo, or even Toronto if I can find one. Other thought is to go with a unit out of a later Mercedes, again a couple of units out of C320's on ebay. But then have to add an external cd changer. Oh well, its only money...

I haven't heard very good things about the Nakamichi decks. I heard they are flimsy and the quality is lacking. This is a quote from a dealer I used to buy from that had Nakamichi and others including Clarion, Denon and Alpine. He said "The Nakamichi car audio division was supposedly sold off or has changed management and this has caused a major quality problem" I don't know how true this is but I remember seeing a deck in person and thinking its not worth the money. It had a cheap feel to it IMO.

The Blaupunkt should look right at home in an MB Dash, they don't have the Christmas Tree Light gimicks. I don't know how the sound compares to the Alpine but it probably depends on the model. If Denon is still around they used to make a good looking deck which was simple and had great sound.

The Naks used to have some problems for a while. Lately though, they seem to be okay. Especially the higher end ones. TP1200 and CD 700. Can't go wrong with those if you have money to burn. The only one that is comparable is the McIntosh deck. This is from experience...

rainmaker,

whats your oppinnion of the Macintosh Decks. I am curious about these since I have never had the opportunity to see or listen to one in person. Would you recommend this deck based on your experience or would you consider others to be better...really curious about this.

By the way how do they look in the dash of a Mercedes.....do you have one installed now? Would love to see a picture if you do.

Mcintosh decks? I love the MX406. It has a very retro Mcintosh look to it. Whether it blends with the rest of the MB dash is a matter of personal opinion but it sure beats the Times Square look of most of the current decks out there.

Here's a pic of the deck:

http://www.teamrocs.com/images/revie...its/mx406b.gif

Here's a diagram of my install:

http://www.itsaboutthemusicstupid.co...es/diagram.jpg

Here's a link to my car audio page:

www.itsaboutthemusicstupid.com

Here's a link to a review I made of the deck:

http://www.teamrocs.com/reviews/headunits/mx406.htm

An Alpine can look good in a benz!!!

BEFORE
http://www.a-p-group.com/ashman/Radio_Console.jpg

AFTER
http://www.a-p-group.com/ashman/radio_new.jpg

hehe I also took out the green covers from all the buttons, but the LCD is still green.

Looks much better now.

Alon

McIntosh audio equipment is of excellent quality. I've never bought a car unit before, but I've owned a stereo preamp and receiver which were phenomenal! If their car audio is on par, then I'd definitely recommend one.

My $0.02 - I'd take Alpine over Nakamichi for car audio. Alpine has a long history of making solid car audio, I've heard some shaky stories about Nakamichi, but perhaps their latest offerings are better...

Hey

I have a Nakamichi 45z deck in my car. I love it. I have it hooked up to some MB Quarts and the quality is amazing. I am not even running an amp yet and it sounds pretty damn good. I definately recommend Nakamichi over Alpine. I have an Alpine in my parents 190 and the quality is just not the same. It is hooked up to some Boston Acoustics Pro Series component system, Rockford Fosgate amp, and it sounds nice. The thing that annoys me the most is the lcd screen is unreadable in sunlight. I would suggest buying from http://www.smilephotovideo.com/ I have bought a blaupunkt cd deck from them, which is a company I would never buy from again after(poor quality) and also my Nakamichi and I got a deal and a half. The deck retails for $450 and I got it for $300. Hope that helps.

Giancarlo

Nakamichi vs. Alpine vs. Eclipse
 

The good news: There are lots of good choices out there.

The bad news: There are lots of good choices out there.

I looked long and hard for a HU and CD changer for my 420SEL. I finally chose the Alpine CDA 7876 with a 12 disc changer.

I had considered comparable Blaunkpunt (sp?), Nakamichi, Eclipse and even Sony. What eventually sold me on the Alpine was: (1)Benz now uses Alpine, (2)the overall specs, (3)12 disc changer, (4)XM ready and (5)dealer recommendation (I trust this dealer).

I was initially put off by Alpine's looks, but their newer models (like mine) are less gaudy. Take a look at this year's units, they look even less glitzy.

Nakamichi has some nice units. I am considering an Eclipse H/U for my daughter's 300TE. This particular model takes 6 CD's through the faceplate, so I don't have to get a separate CD changer. (I haven't been able to figure out a good location for
a changer in a 300TE that doesn't involve major mods to either the spare tire compartment or the power antenna compartment--If any of you have any practical solutions, I'd like to hear about it...thanks) :)

IN the long run you have to decide how much you can afford to pay for your system and what features are important to you.

Good luck--happy listening :cool:

I usually don't like to knock car audio manufactures but I can't help myself I have been seeing this nak discussion too long! I was a nak dealer for @ 8 years until I finally realized what kind of quality I was dealing with and it has gone down hill. The Quality name does not match up to their reputation. I believe that they put all of their attention into designing the audio system for the lexus and bmw and forgot about about the aftermarket. They also have new influence as the company was purchased by a larger company. I think that it all comes down to the dollar and they weren't willing to spend the money to do it right. I have lots of calls about Nak and I flat out tell my customers that I wouldn't put it in their car even if they paid me to. I would reccomend alpine sony eclipse clarion pioneer kenwood and even blaupunkt before I would nakamichi.

Scott

Some random musings...
 

Rockford, Eclipse and Nak are part of the Fujitsu-10 company.

Don't spend the extra money for the Nak, buy the Eclipse. We sold Eclipse/Nak, and prefered the Eclipse for it's better value, broader product line, and better dealer support.

Blaupunkt head units took a tumble when Bosch bought them, don't know if they've come back.

Alpine makes some good stuff, but you've got to pick and choose carefully, as they make buckets of stuff to "Wal-Mart Quality" to be sold in chain stores. Yuck.

Kenwood is good entry-level consumer stuff, reliable for people on a small budget.

McIntosh is tough to beat. We didn't sell much due to it's price point, but it is truly audiophile quality.

I haven't seen many CD changers that are as reliable as single play units. The transports have too many moving parts. We found Nak head units pretty reliable, but their changers required frequent service.

If you're building a system, buy a head unit with lots of high-voltage pre-outs, maybe some sub-bass fading, and an intuitive control system. If you have microscopic finger tips and binocular vision, most modern decks will suit you just fine. If not, save your pennies for the McIntosh.

Agree with John for the most part but would have to highlight that this applies to Nak's run of the mill stuff. Its higher end products (CD700, TP1200 etc.) are still some of the best out there. True, the changers have exhibited some problems in the past. And although I've been hearing good things about them lately, I've still pretty much stayed away from their current changers. What I have now was produced by Nakamichi over 5 years ago, but is still regarded as one of the best if not the best CD changer out there... the 1000MB. Built like a bank vault, with it's own suspension system...and its DAC will still give even the most current DACs a run for the money...

Here's what it looks like:

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/...1/fde72a9a.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/...6/fde72a94.jpg

Becker Mexico? Looks good in the dash (nice and Germanic) and has a good wireless receiver.

And I think they build MB's sets.

Or what about a Mercedes-Benz Audio 30?