A good car radio is the key to high-quality sound in a car. It doesn't matter how high quality the speakers are. If the "head" is not at that level, then there is no hope for high-quality reproduction. In the domestic space, the most popular radio from Sony and Pioneer. Anyone who wants to save even more - buys Chinese "bells" of unknown companies. And only a few are the lucky owners of quality devices from Alpine. This brand is widely known in the West. However, his products are not very popular with us. Affects the high price. Nevertheless, it makes sense to consider the "budget" option - the Alpine CDE-9880R car radio. It has a reasonable price (compared to other models).
A little bit about the company
Alpine Electronics is a Japanese company that has been producing audio devices for cars since 1967. During this time there was not a single criticism in terms of quality for the products of this manufacturer. The main industry is head units (car radios). Players from the Japanese - it's just a storehouse of new technologies and nice "chips" for car enthusiasts. At one time, it was this company that developed the first remote control radio for mounting on the steering wheel. Alpine CDE-9880R continues the tradition of the legendary Japanese manufacturer and boasts quality and advanced technology.
The only trouble is that the products of this company have not gained immense popularity in Russia and the CIS countries. Affects the high cost of the final product. But high quality is worth it. In Russia there is only one official distributor of Alpin equipment. And this is not very good, because, in addition to car radios, the company produces acoustic systems, LCD screens, amplifiers, receivers, DVD players (for cars), navigators and much more. Alpine is recognized worldwide as a leader in the production of car audio devices. And the Alpine CDE-9880R radio tape recorder is a vivid confirmation of this.
Appearance and design
Designers from Alpin approached the design of the car radio with Japanese solidity. The device looks impressive. It is slightly larger than standard "heads" from other manufacturers. Car receiver Alpine CDE9880R is made of metal-styled plastic. This gives the image even more impressive. On the left side is the volume control and a set of buttons for switching radio stations recorded in the device’s memory. There are also buttons for turning on, selecting a playback source and other necessary elements. Below the display are buttons for setting the playback order. On the right side is the sound settings button. All elements have color highlighting.
Alpine CDE-9880R is equipped with a high-quality LCD screen with white LED backlight. It displays all the necessary information (including Cyrillic song tags). The screen is covered with glossy glass with anti-reflective coating. Therefore, reading tags is convenient even in direct sunlight. When using the radio at night, a dimmer is turned on, which darkens the screen to a comfortable brightness. For this, a light sensor is used. But it does not always work correctly. This is the trouble of all sensors. There is nothing extraordinary about this. Now let's move on to the boring numbers and consider the technical characteristics of the device.
Specifications
Alpine CDE-9880R has the following specifications. The frequency range is from 5 to 20,000 Hertz. This is a very decent result for the car radio. Rated power - 50 watts. That is, the radio tape recorder can be completely used without an amplifier. The number of channels - 4. The amplifier mode is stereo. There are separate inputs for connecting the receiver, subwoofer and DVD player. Auto Connectors - Standard DIN. This makes it compatible. But due to the dimensions of the device, it will be necessary to expand the port for the radio on some cars (especially domestic). The signal-to-noise ratio is 105 decibels. This is a good result.
CD player specifications are standard for such devices. He can read audio formats MP3, WMA, AAC. Readable Disc Standards - CD-R, CD-RW. Nothing supernatural. For the money, you could already add the ability to read DVDs. But this is just the Alpine CDE-9880R. Separate tuning of each channel also takes place. And this is good, because the channels do not always have the same signal. As for the other characteristics, here "Alpin" is very similar to similar products from "Pioneer". Although it costs an order of magnitude more expensive.
Scheme
Sometimes you need a car radio circuit in order to deal with some kind of malfunction, or just connect the radio correctly. And if we take into account the unwillingness of our citizens in the event of a breakdown, contact service centers, you just need the Alpine CDE-9880R circuit. Unfortunately, there is nothing of the kind in the package. Therefore, you will have to search for this information yourself. A picture of her can also be found in the article.
But picking oneself in the insides of this car radio is not recommended. Not only that, in this case, the official guarantee is lost, so you can still do such things that the radio tape recorder completely refuses to work. This is the Japanese. They have everything calculated to a millimeter and assembled using high-precision equipment. Alpine CDE-9880R is a very moody product. So it’s better to turn to professionals.
Instruction manual
For an unprepared user, an instruction manual plays an important role. You need to know how to properly install the car radio and connect it. No exception and Alpine CDE-9880R. An instruction manual is included in the scope of delivery. It is written entirely in Russian. The text is clear and simple. The necessary illustrations are present. Since Alpin is a very serious company, it would be foolish to assume that it would leave potential buyers without a quality operating manual.
Among other things, the instructions also contain recommendations for the safe use of a product such as the Alpine CDE-9880R. The instruction also informs the client about the risks associated with attempts to unauthorized repair of the product. But it also has very useful information about the correct connection of external devices (players, smartphones, etc.). This is very useful for an unprepared motorist.
Positive feedback from owners
Oddly enough, there are approximately equal numbers of positive and negative reviews about this radio. People are happy with everything, they note an unrealistic level of quality after using Chinese "panels". Also, many admire the unsurpassed sound quality (especially with good speakers). A very thoughtful and convenient arrangement of controls is noted. Support was also considered an advantage of the multimedia buttons of the steering wheel and the ability to connect a separate remote control with the ability to mount on the same steering wheel. In general, the owners described many advantages. All and not to list.
Negative reviews
However, there are those who did not like this product at all. The main drawback, in their opinion, is the high price, taking into account such meager functions. There is no format support without loss of FLAC quality, the radio tuner does not catch well, you can’t connect your smartphone to Android via Bluetooth (only Apple products). These are the most common complaints. Yes, the functionality for such a price is poor. But for some reason no one takes into account the sound quality and overall performance of the car radio. And it is also worth a lot. Nevertheless, most need rich functionality. They are even ready to sacrifice sound quality. Then they don’t need Alpine products. Here are more suitable "head" from the "Pioneer". However, Alpin products are somehow more credible. Although both are produced in Japan.
Finally
So to summarize. Car radio Alpine CDE-9880R belongs to the budget devices of the company (although it costs like a premium gadget) and boasts all the functions that a modern motorist needs. But the main thing is that the “head” provides the highest sound quality (in tandem with good speakers). Those who value quality are not afraid of the price.