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Alpine iDA-X001 Digital Media Receiver

I recently had my Pioneer AVIC-N2 Nav Unit in my car die on me. The LCD ribbon cable broke, this was however a recall item so Pioneer will fix it for free. Only problem with that is that I have to send the unit. So I have taken his opportunity to upgrade the unit since I wasn't a hundred percent happy with the pioneer.

Anyway, on to this new unit. I have been using an iPod as my music source in the car for years, it's just easier than carrying around a bunch of cds and I can't stand the radio. I was first attracted to this unit because it basically looks like an iPod in your dash. The unit displays all the info you need on the 2.2" high res TFT display. The unit displays all relevant song info as well as album art. The unit comes with a cable that you can run to pretty much anywhere, and you can plug in an iPod or a simple USB thumb drive. How about some Pros and Cons:

PROS

  • Fully iPod compatible
  • 24 Bit DAC
  • Bluetooth phone connection
  • HD Radio Ready
  • XM and Sirius Satellite Ready
  • MP3 / AAC / WMA support
  • Great sound quality

CONS

  • No in dash CD player; Can connect an external CD changer
  • Center button isn't "select" it's "search" (not a huge deal, just something to get used to)
  • Would like to see more things included vs. being expensive add on accessory. (bluetooth, Sat radio)
  • Can only change buttons to 2 different colors

Even though my pioneer had an in dash CD player, the unit had to have the NAV dvd in all the time so it was worthless anyway, Overall I really like the unit. If you are looking for a good iPod integration unit for your car, check this unit out.