I received my DVA-9861 yesterday. I plan to install it today. Right away I noticed the build quality was superior to the Premier 780MP I had previously. The Faceplate is very well put together and the buttons are more logical. When Pioneer tried to reduce the amount of buttons I wasn't happy. I don't like a 7 way rotary commander when you are trying to adjust a function and end up skipping to the next song. I have a few questions I was hoping someone could clear up. 1. Does the 9861 have 2 button illumination colors? Green/blue. I've seen places that says it does and other places that say it does not. Also, I am assuming defeat means you can turn off the internal amp for improved sound quality, which I plan on doing since I have an external amp. 2. So is that the function of defeat? 3. Does it really improve sound quality? 5 volt pre amp output on Premier 780 vs. 4 volt on Alpine. I was hoping that Pioneer is overrating their pre amp output voltage. 4.How would 5 volt Pioneer compare to the 4 volt Alpine. Finally there is a blackout feature on the Alpine that turns off all button illumination as well as the display. They claim this improves sound quality. 5. Do you think that is true? Thanks for any help you can provide
I guess nobody wants to talk to you. How rude. I am not familiar with Alpine, but I can tell you the ones that I've heard sound really good. I am familiar with Pioneer, and I can tell you that they can be interesting to navigate through all the features. As far as the pre out voltage, I dont consider a 1 volt difference to be that big a deal. Because what is most important is that you choose an HU based on what you are most comfortable with. I cannot imagine how turning off the display can improve sound quality, but turning off the internal amp might. You see, the internal amp produces some heat wether it is driving speakers or not. So if you have the ability to turn it off then turn it off. As far as dual illumination, I dont know. Sorry
welcome! Pioneer makes nice decks, i have the 7700mp, it has every function pretty well at your fingertips, and outputs/inputs for connectivity! 4volt out and IP BUS which is very cool for ipods or whatever.
