Hi gys i have been pulling my hair out trying to think what deck to go for my magna im looking at

1) PIONEER DEH5850 mp3
OR
2) SONY CDXGT550


i just would like to know if any people had any problem with sony or pioneer these decks both have the same features

any input would be great help thanks

DAN

Go the pioneer!

10/10 for user freindly

If you made this a poll, i was be fairly confident the Pioneer would get at least 80% of the vote.

And for a reason :)

Definately the Pioneer.

Even better if you could find a JVC equivalent.

yeah tried to make a poll but some how it did not work i just wanted some feed back as i spoken to a few people and the sony range has come up alot , And i have been told the new pioneer range have had few glitches

eclipse or alpine IMHO. Pioneer is fairly mediocre in comparison. And alpine HU's are fairly cheap these days.

And no no no no no to sony

eclipse or alpine IMHO. Pioneer is fairly mediocre in comparison. And alpine HU's are fairly cheap these days.

And no no no no no to sony

totally agree. alpine is far superior to sony and a fair crack above pioneer. the sony will have bugger all whizz bangs and whistles compared to the other units. i had an alpine deck for years and it was awesome. kenwood aren't too shabby now days either.

Pioneer vs Sony, i would say pioneer any day! they look much better IMO aswell :D

I was getting a 5850 but ended up getting a 6850.

Awesome Unit IMO and for what i payed for it i dont think there could be nething better.

I would have to say Pioneer if were to pick but i am a more kenwood fan when comes to head decks.I had too many problems when i had sony.

I had a Pioneer 4650, very nice unit to use.
No experience with Sony.

only the old sony es gear is worth touching, any other sony i wouldn't buy ever. out of those two i'd go pioneer, My pioneer that i have now excellent DEH-P1Y, go for it over the sony!!

i would only go the pioneer out of the two. Sony sound to me just doesnt come out as clear as pioneer.

yeah tried to make a poll but some how it did not work i just wanted some feed back as i spoken to a few people and the sony range has come up alot , And i have been told the new pioneer range have had few glitches

who have u been talking 2? the guys at Red Dot? :P noone recommends sony unless they want to colour match with a red interior :bowrofl:

also, 2 months till xmas...can u hold off for post xmas sales? coz if ur lookin at common brands like pioneer etc, they'll b alot cheaper on december 27

What price range are they? I don't know much about the pioneer and sony range, but a good rule of thumb, is if it's in JB, it's probably **** :P
Check out Alpine or Eclipse models in a similar price range, also check out second hand stuff, that's where you get the real deals ;)

i'd love to know why sony gets a huge flogging, when it comes witha 2 year warranty, pioneer, clarion kenwood 1 year, higher end sony units have 52wx4 competitors have mainly 45-50wx4,

and no sony isn't our biggest seller at work we only carry a two sony's and one being the gigapanel, and trust me pioneer do have there fair share of issues as well as every other brand,

basically as a consumer with car audio your f***ed, as everyone will tell you different things and be careful of places who have sales people who are on comission as they will push you towards certain units. As a consumer have a look at the uints you like investigate them through various sources, also decided with a clear head what features you want, eg bluetooth, usb, aux in, single din, double din, dvd, etc once you have decided go to each place and use the unit in the board and find the unit that appeals to you the most and sounds the best, when listening to the headunit make sure you don't let them put it through $700 splits if you don't have $700 splits,

What price range are they? I don't know much about the pioneer and sony range, but a good rule of thumb, is if it's in JB, it's probably **** :P
Check out Alpine or Eclipse models in a similar price range, also check out second hand stuff, that's where you get the real deals ;)


well alpine is a jb brand so i guess your right coz alpines **** !!!!! :bowrofl:

I would go for Alpine if you have the money to do so.

If you don't, JVC is the best choice. Definitely the best features for the money.

Pioneer is okay, but I have never liked the design or the usability of their products. I think they are overpriced for what you get too.

Sony is the next one down on the list. Some horrible reliability issues but they seem to have improved a bit. I will still stay away.

Kenwood is the lowest of the big name brands. Useless build quality and components until you get into the top 1/3 of the range. Even then only average.

Basically do not be swayed for a 52Wx4 over a 50Wx4 - this is PMPO output, not RMS. The real figure is closer to 10-13W. You are better off buying a quality HU in any case, and most people will only run the 6x9's off the HU anyway. Most will add a sub and run that off an RCA output, and most front stages are amped too.

The best advice is to shop according to the features you need. 4V preouts x 3 sets (front, rear, sub) is the most flexible. If you have an iPod, it should be iPod ready out of the box, or maybe have a USB port on the front (good for USB keys too).

There are some other decent brand out there too, look for: Eclipse with some very clean sounding decks, Clarion have some interesting products too. Dont rule either of them out.

Pioneer Pioneer PIONEER all the way baby

what have you decided on mate?? it'd seem alpine would be a good shot with sony coming in a dead last. i had one issue with my apline where the screen went blank for about 2 months and it was an expensive fix. luckily enough i had it all in memory as to where the settings were. i've had sony kenwood and alpine and liked the alpine best. that'll be my next deck for the new car.

If you have the chance.. check out the JVC Headunits..

My brother has one in his MR2.. There's one in the TF.. Used to have on in the Civic.. Brilliant units for the price you pay for them.. Definitely! If you can get ya hands onto one of them.. take a look and let us know what you think!

SuFz :rant:

i've ran both the sony and pioneer units (sony in mrs car pioneer in my my car till i got a DVD player) and to be 100% honest i pefered the sony just felt nicer to use, more natural. however u wont get world class audio from running these units straight to speakers 90% of the sound quality depends on the rest of the system.

Ps i didn't read the rest of the thread so i apoligise if this has been said before but its 2am and i'm drunk as a skunk

Alpine Headunits u can't beat.
Sony Headunits u can't get to work.
Pioneer don't know never had one.
GET AN ALPINE u won't look back.
I Have had my Alpine for 2yrs nearly 3 actually & never missed a beat, has top quality sound & all the features you can poke a stick at.
I was going to update it for a new model but hell it still looks brand new & works the same so what for.
Do not touch Sony, I have had 2 & both gave dramas they r a waste of space.
So good luck!

if i remember correctly he was asking a choice between pioneer and sony....where on earth did alpine in this discussion come from haha:nuts:
ah its all good i'm begging to lean towards the alpine myself (even thought i have pioneer and i love it haha so many more lil functions...)