Replacing Alpine CDA-9856

I bought a CDA-9856 a few years ago and have been very pleased with it so far. I primarily wanted something I could integrate with my iPod easily and relatively cheaply, and it's been great for that. My 4th gen Nano won't charge when connected to the cable, but that's another issue.

A few months ago the HU got a little banged up during a panic stop. The faceplate has a nice crack (still works, though), and the CD player skips on every little bump and doesn't want to play some discs.

Is this unit worth sending out for repair? I would guess the cost would be about the same as a similar replacement, so any recommendations for a comparable replacement HU? I've tracked down a few CDA-9856's and -9857's on the used market, but people seem to want about what I paid new for a used one. Is there a newer Alpine HU with similar features at a similar price? I'd like to stay with Alpine primarily so I can keep the iPod functionality that I've enjoyed so far. I may be interested in adding an HD Tuner in the future as well.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Craig

 

Well, I did figure out one problem today. My old 1st Gen iPod nano always worked great hooked up to the Alpine cable (mounted in the center console - sweet!). I've been trying for about a year to figure out why my new 4th Gen iPod nano wouldn't charge when hooked up in the car.

I learned that about 18 months ago, Apple changed how their iPods charged. They used to use the Firewire pins to draw current to charge, and now use the USB pins in the connection for that purpose. I believe the newer Alpine cables may solve this by using the USB pins, but there's also a converter available in the Apple store (for $20) that resolves the issue.

I feel a little relieved of all the frustration I've had over this for several months, but still frustrated by the lack of communication from either Apple or Alpine over the 2 years that this has been a known issue. I'm leaning more now towards buying a newer HU that comes with the iPod cable included.

Anyone else run across this? Do the newer HU's (from 2009 and newer) work OK with your 4th Gen iPod / iPhone 3G / etc? - Never mind, I see the newer iPod products still need an adapter to charge with Alpine's cables (converts 12v to 5v and switches charging pins).

Craig

 

Z - I ran across the golf cart build thread around here. That is an sweet build - I can't wait for my brother to see it, as he'll probably want to do something similar in his cart.

I've got a Sony clock radio / iPod dock that is the only thing I've found so far that charges both my iPods without problems. I'm guessing there's a voltage regulator in there to switch between 12v and 5v, depending on the unit type plugged in. The whole situation just makes me want to sell my iPods and use a USB drive and my Sony phone for mobile tunes.

The more I ponder this, I'm thinking I'll re-install the factory stereo in my truck, sell it, and start over with something new. Not because of the HU issues, but I sense transmission problems coming :rifle: