Ive heard good and bad things about all 3 of these brands as far as head units go. Ive had experience with all three as well. However as far as sound quality goes, the signal to noise ratios for these brands for most of these decks are as follows
Alpine: 105 dB Pioneer: 94 dB Sony: 120 dB
Does sony really have the cleanest sound of the 3 if your looking at 3 models of similar price range say $200.
Are there other factors to look at spec wise that define sound quality?
What would you guys pick of the 3 (Or go another brand such as Eclipse)
don't get sucked into the numbers game. specs don't always mean that much, especially when provided by the mfgr. Generally, they''ll bloat numbers with lower quality brands to look more impressive to people who just compare specs much the way you're doing.
this is the reality of it:
Alpine has fantastic features, good looks, but some people feel anything below the F1status products for head units have a somewhat over-processed sound. you want to go listen to an Alpine to see if you like it's sound. Pioneer is reliable, the premier models are the ones to get, good looks, lots and lots of features, and a pretty neutral output for sound. Sony, most people wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole thanks to lousy reliability and cheap craftsmanship and components. As many will tell you, Sony calls their products "XPLOD" for good reason.
I figured the sony could not be better than the other two brands. However the numbers more or less shape the sound of the HU, dont they? If so it makes it nearly impossible to compare equipment if all these manufactures are fudging their numbers to advertise a better product than what they really are. I live in a small town and the nearest audio shop only carries a few brands. Therefore i cant listen to the products im interested in purchasing. Also, how do you buy stuff of the net/(Ebay) if you havent heard it. I just figured comparing numbers was a good step in weeding out the better brands and then go and listen to the top choices.
complicated game. read reviews from owners and professionals in trade periodicals. Compare what you can with your own ear. Use specs to a point, but don't rely on them, and remember many things like THD can be measured in numerous ways that can mislead someone if they don't specify what method was used (such as EIA or FCC means of measuring THD.) I just have the luck of experience to base a lot of my knowledge on, having worked with most of these companies for years, and understanding some of the intricacies of things liek various commonly used motor topologies for some speakers, like XBL^2 and TC motors for subs, or just basically knowing how to weed through the BS and find what I need to know. I can also say having forums like this are very helpful for asking peoples' opinions on products as well, since reliability isn't a published spec, but common failures pop up very fast in this realm, so if a product sucks and blows up a lot, you hear it on the net very fast.