Alpine CDE-172BT CD Receiver

My wife had an older Alpine stereo but it didn't have Bluetooth capability. This unit used the same connector so I slid her old one out and slid the new one in. Easy pleasy. Then all I had to do was run the microphone wire behind the dash and up the pillar to attach to her visor. I was done in half an hour. Sound quality is great. Now granted, this is not going to make the windows vibrate on the car next to you but if you like you music a little loud the quality is still good. With an android phone you can use the stereo to skip forward and back using Spotify on the phone over Bluetooth. I like that the USB port can be used as a charging port. We don't use Sirius or Pandora so I cannot speak for those features. Nice to get the song titles and artist information on the radio. The interface takes some getting used to but that gets easy over time. The phone interface works great. Call clarity is pretty good but will depend on what kind of road noise your car makes and how fast you are traveling. I noticed that if the microphone was too close to the window I got some swishing noises on my end but I moved the mic over a little and pointed it inwards and that helped a lot. My only complaint is that the clip for the mic is limited on how thick of a visor it can clip to. I broke ours trying to put it on a thicker part of the visor. I didn't like putting the mic on the steering column but that may be better from a road noise perspective. For the money a great stereo.

No complaints. It works just like it's supposed to. Very impressed with the sound quality over my older Alpine CDA-105 I replaced. Coupled with good Infinity Speakers, a KTP-445A Alpine booster, and a Rockvile slim sub in a S10. Thing sounds amazing.Not understanding the poor reviews most of them are because the instructions weren't read and comprehended. Lighting settings work fine. Problem with the contrast? Change the display color with 3 clicks and a turn of the knob. Can't see the manual sound settings? Press once quick on the settings button. There they are! Rotate to make your setting, tap the knob to go to the next setting. Just like pretty much all Alpines. Manual EQ settings in the EQ section are in the 3-Band setting there, if you need that. I'm happy with no EQ setting and tweaking it like I want it. Stereo doesn't sound good or very low? Usually that's really poor speakers or the wires are hooked up backwards.Most of the BT issues are because people don't realize they are still connected to some other BT device in their house when they get in their car. You need to disconnect from your other BT source to get the stereo to pick up the signal easily. Couple times I forgot and wondered why no sound til I got down the road a bit. That's why. Bluetooth setup is a snap too. If you have both slots filled, just reconnect as a new device and select 1 or 2, it will work fine and overwrite the previous BT device. You do NOT have to reset the entire box to make that happen.I'm very impressed with the sound quality. Just get it, it's an awesome unit.

I made the mistake of buying a Boss 616UAB to replace the POS am/fm cassette player in my camper because it came with a remote control and could be used with a bluetooth device. I spend 4 days a week in that camper - it's parked by my work - so I wanted something functional. I spent 2 hours removing the old stereo and putting in that Boss stereo, and it lasted a day and quit working. Evidently that's why it was only $40. This unit is about 4 times the money, and the remote was about $30, but hory clap - it works fantastic! I'm getting pretty hard of hearing, but I enjoy listening to podcasts in my off time. I need something loud and clear. I had replaced the cheap ass factory speakers a couple of years ago with some Infinity Reference speakers and they actually helped that old radio until it conked out. But with this Alpine, they really are clear. When I turn on a newscast, it sounds like someone sitting there talking - very realistic. I can turn it up load enough to hear in the bathroom and it doesn't distort. When the audio program ends, there is no hiss - no hum, nothing but silence. I have Alpines in other equipment, and they have always held up well. I have one in a work truck with Boston Acoustic speakers - it must be about a decade old, and it still works fantastic even in freezing weather or blazing sunshine. The only rub I have with this unit is the instruction manual is almost 50 pages. I guess a kid would want to change his display or God knows what else this thing will do, but for a cranky middle aged man, I just want to turn the damned thing on and hear my program without having to study a NASA moon launch protocol manual.This has been a real learning experience - I'll never go cheap and try to save a couple of bucks on a radio again. From now on, I'll buy Alpine.

I would’ve gave it 5 stars but it’s kind of hard to get it to connect to Bluetooth but over all this is a great buy got my old school sounding really nice has it slapping and sounds nice too thanks alpine y’all one of the best I ever had I’ve always rocked with alpine can’t go wrong I recommend it to anybody

Quality head unit and easy to use. I installed it on my 1966 Ford Mustang which was an easy install. The sound is crisp and clear. Good bass options and the face color options are great for looks.FUY, this model does not come with a remote, i purchase one separately.