Which Aftermarket Head Unit to get ?
 

I'm debating to upgrade to one of these built-in Nav unit Pioneer z150bh, Alpine 927hd & Kenwood 990hd. Here is what I think of each unit for further discussion. I will plan to upgrade speakers to alpine or kappa w/ multi-channel alpine amp. So which one is good to get now? These are all very good units. Need to pick one.

A) Best feature & gadget:
1) 990hd ;built in wifi, the power of today and future; map upgradable w/ paid fee.
2) 150bh ; pioneer apps and b/c its match stock brand, map upgradable is questionable.
3) 927hd ; basis but solid), map upgradable is questionable.

B) Best Sound Quality & Graphic
1) 927hd ; Alpine has top notch SQ and nav graphic screen.
2) 990hd
3) 150bh

C) Best Reliable, Less issues.
1) 927hd (the best solid unit )
2) 150bh
3) 990hd ( a lot of bug & issue at early stage)

Do you REALLY need wifi on your head unit? What about the map? It might just be better to use your phone for GPS since it gets updated for free pretty much daily. I'd go for the 927hd. Sound quality, graphics, less issues > wifi and paid map upgrades.

All are good units. Here is my questions to you:

1. Do you have a smart phone which can run GPS navigation apps?

If you do, then don't bother with GPS on the head unit. I'm in Orlando Florida right now having used waze to navigate me here from Columbus Ohio on a Pioneer AVH-X8500BHS. I got redirected around road closures and heavy traffic. The apps all get free navigation updates. There is no reason to get Navigation on a head unit anymore.

2. Do you plan on adding a DSP to your system?

If not, then the Alpine is the way to go as it has time alignment and parametric EQ built in. You will want these to properly tune your system for optimal sound quality and sound imaging. DIYMA forums is a great place for more information on tuning.

If you are adding a DSP, then any of the three are good choices.

I use android phone nav but like to have built in nav when the phone signal is dead all the time in the mountains or slow in certain day. The 927hd is a solid performer in SQ & nav no doubt but it doesn't have many apps and features like the z150 & 990hd except for few simple Pandora and Bluetooth. I have a 10yrs old single din alpine w/ built sound system on other car and it just last. These 3 flagships which are great to get for low $800 to $1k max online

I get the whole nagivation without needing a cell signal, but you can save maps of areas you're going to for offline use on Google Maps. It's quite convenient.

How about the Alpine ICS-X7HD which supports mirror link on android. You could have full access then to every app. It also has time alignment and parametric EQ. It runs $800 MSRP.

The big question is are you going to add a DSP to your stereo at some point. If you are adding one then go with whichever head unit you like the functionality of the best. If you are not adding a DSP then go for the units with time alignment and parametric EQs. Those will sound the best after tuning.

PS: Did I mention the two half mile long tunnels I went through on my drive? Wazes worked flawlessly. It even estimated my location based upon the gyrometer built in to the device. Keep in mind you can set how much it preloads in its settings. You can pull down a 100 mile radius if you want.

How you like your Pioneer AVH-X8500BHS? Im really leaning towards that as my after market HU.

Any cons?

I'm not plan to add DSP. For pure SQ, I really like toward alpine 927HD nav ~ $830 online. The X7hd is their latest non-nav unit which is another excellent unit compare to many other non-nav units out there.

I am running a DSP so it was the features that sold it to me. To be honest, if you do not need the removable face, then go with the X5500BHS instead. Same unit without the removable face. The big selling point for me was that I could have 2 idevices attached at the same time. I am really happy with it so far. There are some minor annoyances with occationally having to allow access to the apps from the head unit on the device. Blue tooth audio is really good on it. I have added a backup camera and it works great. A real solid unit.

Then either one of those would be great buys. I do not think you would be upset with either one. Give them all a non-tuned listen at a store and see what you like better. Keep in mind that the ones with Time Alignment and parametric EQ are no where near as good as they can sound when played in demo.

As I said before, DIYMA forum is a great place to get beginner tuning info from. They also have some really advanced tuning technics that they cover as well. You can get as in to it as you wish there.