Looking once again to upgrade my deck, and both of these models have me making a big "hmmm". If I understand correctly:

cda-9887 - All the goodies as far as sound processing (time alignment, para eq etc), imprint ready, but will not read usb sticks for mp3.

cda-9886 - No sound processing built in, imprint ready but will read usb sticks for mp3, as well as being slightly cheaper than the 9887.

My question is this. If you are going to get the pxa-h100 anyways, is it better to get the 9886? My reasoning is that since it has usb connectivity and is going to be cheaper, is this the better route? Am I missing something, or are there more options that make the 9887 better using the imprint tuning. Any advice would be appreciated, since I am going to pull the trigger on one of these babies this week

The 9887 has a Burr Brown DAC. Can you hear the difference?

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My Car Domain page
2006 Nissan Frontier Nismo 4x4
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2008 Results:

Oct 19, 2008 - 2nd Place - SQi Rookie, Team Shadow (IASCA Canadian Western Finals)

Sep 21, 2008 - 2nd Place - SQi Rookie, 604 Autosound (IASCA Event)

Aug 10, 2008 - 3rd Place - SQ Rookie, Andre's Audiotronic Kamloops

July 20, 2008 - 1st Place - SQ Rookie/3rd Place - Best SQ, Andre's Audiotronic Penticton

Jun 15, 2008 - 2nd Place - SQi Rookie, Sounds Good Auto (IASCA Event)

May 18, 2008 - 1st Place - SQ Open Class, Absolute Car Audio

I have a 9887, & frankly I am not impressed with Alpine any more. I also purchased the KTX-100EQ tuning kit, & imprinted the deck, SQ was worse then my limited ability to tune the deck myself. It does have alot of choices for tuning including X-Ovrs, T-Correction, EQ & Media Exp, but after you imprint the deck you no longer have these options available, unless u disable Multi-EQ. Here's another hitch, unless u imprint the hu, you don't have bass & treble control. I also purchased the the bluetooth adaptor (KCE-300BT), & been bataling Apline to repair the unit properly, when I play my iPod on the system, I get a high pitched wyning sound coming from the speakers, Alpine has replaced it 3 times already, but there is a design flaw. There is a great thread on the 9887 & imprint here http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/showthread.php?t=22136

If I had known this I would have reconsidered my choice of Alpine, please don't take this as Alpine bashing, but due to my experience thus far, I am not impressed.

AFAIK, the 9886 only has bass and treble, and that by imprinting the deck, you basically get all the multi eq options that the 9887 has. What I am not sure of is will i be able to access these options once it has been imprinted, or does the unit always have to be in the loop. I don't mind splurging for the imprint box especially since I live 100 miles from the nearest dealer, and once it is installed it will give me all the DSP that the 9887 has, plus the ability to play mp3's off of a USB stick. Another factor is that in about a month I'm getting new front speakers, so if I imprint it from the dealer now, I will have to go back and get it done again.

The PXA-H100 is mounted permanently in your system. This allows you to have the DSP features of the 9887 OR you can choose to imprint. Imprinting disables these DSP features because it is supposed to set everything perfectly for your vehicle setup. I have the 9887 and have tuned everything manually. It sounds great. I was considering trying the imprint option but it seems to be really hit and miss. Some people rave about it and others say it's a waste of time. A good option, if you want imprint the system yourself, is to get the 9887 and then order the KTX-100EQ kit from Crutchfield. With the 9887 it stores the setting in the deck so you don't need the kit after you've imprinted. You can imprint your system and send the unit back within 30 days and get a full refund minus a $50 restocking fee. They encourage this!

__________________
My Car Domain page
2006 Nissan Frontier Nismo 4x4
__________________
2008 Results:

Oct 19, 2008 - 2nd Place - SQi Rookie, Team Shadow (IASCA Canadian Western Finals)

Sep 21, 2008 - 2nd Place - SQi Rookie, 604 Autosound (IASCA Event)

Aug 10, 2008 - 3rd Place - SQ Rookie, Andre's Audiotronic Kamloops

July 20, 2008 - 1st Place - SQ Rookie/3rd Place - Best SQ, Andre's Audiotronic Penticton

Jun 15, 2008 - 2nd Place - SQi Rookie, Sounds Good Auto (IASCA Event)

May 18, 2008 - 1st Place - SQ Open Class, Absolute Car Audio

So without the h100 mounted, I will not be able to access the DSP features. Hmmm. But the fact that the 9887 cannot play files off of a USB stick is kind of a deal breaker for me. You could add the KCA-620M for USB, but that's another 100 bucks or so - for 50 bucks cheaper (9886 vs 9887) + the h100 gives me USB and all of the DSP features. Does the 9887 sound that much better than the 9886, or will the pxa-h100 bridge that gap?

Well, im new to car audio, and i dont consider myself an audiophile. Quite frankly I have no ****ing clue what "Burr Brown DAC" is.
All I know is I chose the 9886 because its cheaper than the 9887, and it plays mp3 off of usb. It's my first aftermarket deck, so I don't have a lot to compare it to, but it seems GREAT for the price to me. I payed $300 for it, with installation. (plus another $80 for tax, and the fit kit and harness).

Then again, i'm probably not getting the most out of it, because I don't understand the frequencies for treble, and bass. Nor do I understand the other options it offers for the treble and bass.....

I was interested in adding the usb module to my deck but sadly all the feedback from other users has been negative.

__________________
My Car Domain page
2006 Nissan Frontier Nismo 4x4
__________________
2008 Results:

Oct 19, 2008 - 2nd Place - SQi Rookie, Team Shadow (IASCA Canadian Western Finals)

Sep 21, 2008 - 2nd Place - SQi Rookie, 604 Autosound (IASCA Event)

Aug 10, 2008 - 3rd Place - SQ Rookie, Andre's Audiotronic Kamloops

July 20, 2008 - 1st Place - SQ Rookie/3rd Place - Best SQ, Andre's Audiotronic Penticton

Jun 15, 2008 - 2nd Place - SQi Rookie, Sounds Good Auto (IASCA Event)

May 18, 2008 - 1st Place - SQ Open Class, Absolute Car Audio

I've heard that on the 9886 that certain i-pods are problematic also, but I couldn't give a crap about that, as long as it plays USB files okay, which seem to be pretty reliable with this unit. Well it seems that the 9886 + pxa-h100 is the way to go for me at least - thanks to everybody who responded

The animated source icon that can't be disabled on the 9886 was the biggest turn off for me. And there is apparently a problem with the 9886 not shutting off a connected ipod when the car is turned off unless you turn off the stereo first. I bought the 9887 and ran the imprint myself the second time (first time by dealer was not satisfactory), and am very happy with it.