Officially announced by Alpine is their new IVA-W505 7" double-din headunit. MSRP of $1100. This info is taken from the Alpine PDF:

-18W RMS / 50W MAX x 4
-7” WVGA Touch Screen Display
-DVD-R/-RW/MP3/AAC/WMA/DivX Playback
-USB connection for iPod (iPod classic 5G/6G, iPod nano 1G-3G), selected MP3 players using MTP protocol and USB memory sticks
-iPod video content playback and album artwork display
-Full Speed Connection for iPod touch and previous iPod models with dock connector
-Built-in PMD-B200 Blackbird internal dock
-IMPRINT Ready
-24-Bit DAC
-Bluetooth Ready with Audio Streaming
-Visual enhancement system
-Full Speed AUX Input
-Quick Search
-Ai-NET
-HD Radio Ready (with iTunes Tagging)
-SAT Radio Ready
-Steering Wheel Remote Control Ready
-3 PreOuts
-Dual Input capable
-Remote Control Included
-1 AUX input/ 1 rear camera input / 1 AUX output

This unit looks like it will be really nice. The iPod display is especially nice, and the 7" WVGA(should be around 1.1 million pixels) display should look really really good. No built-in navigation though, but I guess the Blackbird internal dock will work although it requires you to buy the Blackbird in addition to the W505 instead of having it all together like the Pioneer Z2 has. Oh well. This will definatly be my replacement to my W200.

The URL for the PDF is here: http://www.alpine-usa.com/images/pro...Cat_010308.pdf This is the full-line 2008 catalogue.

 

wow. nice. i want.

whats the price range on this?

 

MSRP pricing has been set on this unit at $1100 and it will only be $100 more than the current MSRP of $1000 for the IVA-W205 as the W205 is still going to be carried on unchanged for the 2008 year. I don't know what their strategy is with their pricing only being $100 more than the W205 being that the 505 offers so much more for so little more? I suspect that the W505 is going to be delayed from the April availability to some time in the late summer or early fall. Alpine is notorious for releasing their best and most sought-after new products months down the road from when the availability of the products have been stated. But lets hope that this W505 will meet the availability time frame.

There is also the single-din IVA-D106(MSRP of $1000 also) too that really only changes much over the D105 in that it now has a 7"QVGA screen, and iPod video capability. The D105/106 does have the built-in 5.1 surround processing going for it, but who really wants a single-din flip-up model when the double-din space is afforded to us in the G anyway.

 

Not much else to report on what other companies have come up with this year at CES 2008, as far as double-din head units are concerned. Nothing that is that spectacular though. Pioneer doesn't have any new double-din dvd units...only double-din non-dvd units. They also have a new portable navigation system that is dockable on or in dash that displays iPod album artwork, but really isn't a headunit at all....just a glorified portable nav unit. No Avic-D4 or Avic-Z3 announced like everyone was hoping....I guess the D3 is still too new. So it looks like the Alpine IVA-W505 is the shinning star this year when it comes to double-din AV headunits. I'll be trading my W200 for one of these for sure when they become available.

 

when is this unit expected to be released?hopefully sometime early this year?

 

its nice but no navi!

 

Navi will be an add-on like it always is with them.

This is making me want to go back to alpine!

 

but then how much more would it be to add the navi?

 

I'm sold. Definitely one of the top choice for me.

 

When will this be released?

 

My rep told me April. Usually Alpine lags for releases, but this year, everything has released on time.

 

As posted in the 3rd post of this thread, an April release date is expected. However, another person on another forum suggested that it may be released in March already as per information from his Alpine rep. And the rep also stated that the retail price will now be $999. I'm sure hoping for a March release date, but given Alpine's history of their new, most anticipated, or sought-after products in their line, they often get delayed for months and months well beyond the "window of oportunity" in the car audio world(spring and early summer months). The BlackBird B200 comes to mind with this situation. This unit also does not appear on Alpine's website as of yet as this is also a practice they do with alot of their hottest products, whether intentional or not....they only release the details only when the product is able to be purchased. But anyway, I can't wait to get mine.

 

Im sold on Alpine HUs. I was gonna buy the W205 but now im think imma wait.
http://www.alpine-usa.com/US-en/prod...model=IVA-W205

 

Im sold this thing looks great and since I just installed a Garmin nuvi I dont need the blackbird. Hopefully this thing comes out soon.

 

Definitely copping this!! Bye Bye W205....... Can't wait til it releases.