So I've pretty much narrowed my choices to either an Alpine INE-W927HD or JVC KW-NT810HDT. Does anyone have an input or experience with either of these units? I'm leaning more toward Alpine because after doing some research, it seems to have higher ratings. I also plan on getting a new amp and speaker set up in the future if that makes a difference.

I'm pretty much clueless when it comes to audio gear - I've never really cared for it since I never had money, so any info would be appreciated!

 

I vote for neither. Paying an extra $300+ for navigation built into the headunit is a waste. Just use navigation on your phone. If you have a Galaxy S3 or another MirrorLink compatible phone, you can mirror the display and such easily. If you're running iOS pick up one like the Pioneer units with advanced app mode to mirror the display.

 

Thanks for your input! By the way, your guides are absolutely life-saving; thank you for those.

I thought about skipping the built-in nav because it is a lot more money, however I really wanted a unit that had a navigation functionality. I currently run the crappy FM transmitter thing that my phone clips into. I really, really dislike cables danging around because sometimes they get in the way of shifting and they just look kind of ugly and sloppy. After thinking a lot about it and seeing it (my roommate has a MirrorLink capable H/U in his truck), I decided to pass because I didn't want the cord in the way or in the center armrest compartment because I have some important equipment stored in there.

I'm not really taking price into consideration as much when it comes to paying for extra features so the extra few hundred doesn't matter to me; however, I don't necessarily want to pay more for unit A if unit B has the same features and functionality. So, knowing this, would you recommend one over the other or are they pretty much identical, separated only by personal preference?

 

I'd go with the JVC. Lately, they've been producing probably the most responsive interface in any headunit out there. Pioneer and others seem to have been stuck with the same interface and processor running for YEARS now, but JVC actually seems to be putting some effort into it.