Opinions on Rockford Fosgate...

[SiR Medic]

Okay, I came to the realization today that... I want an MP3 player for the car...

I had a look at this RF unit in a local shop, and wondering what the more audio-savvy guys have to say about Rockford Fosgate.

http://www.rockfordfosgate.com/ez2/fcsscripts/Images/Rockford/2003/Indash%20Stereo/RFX-9220_F.jpg

It's a Rockford Fosgate RFX-9220.

I like the layout of it, big buttons, seperate clock etc. It also seems to be a good match to the EP's interior.

What's your guy's opinion on this thing?

Specs: (http://www.rockfordfosgate.com/ez2/ModelInfo/ModelInfo.asp?ItemKey=10061246&CategoryDesc=In-Dash%20Stereo)

[EPHatchgirl]

It looks good. I never had experience with a RF head unit, but the two 10's I had by them worked great and lasted a LONG time...:)

[labelhunter]

I own the fosgate 9210. I think the playback is great. Sound is also great. Just the display is a bitch during the day. I mean cant see it at all. At night looks great. No spaces between mp3's just plays them like a cd. Hope this helps

[fsugatorbait]

Not sure about the qualify of the RF unit. Id suggest looking into the Clarion 835. It gives great sound, high quality, and you can adjust the color to match the dash almost perfectly...heres the specs
http://www.clarion.com/sourceunit/srcunitfm.htm

[SiR Medic]

That Clarion is nice, but at $500 US, it is just too rich for my blood.

I'm looking for something unded $300US ($500 Cdn). That won't look terribly out of place on the dash.

Oh... And I hate stereos with tiny buttons!

[mrfixit687]

get an alpine one

[fsugatorbait]

Originally posted by SiR Medic
That Clarion is nice, but at $500 US, it is just too rich for my blood.

I'm looking for something unded $300US ($500 Cdn). That won't look terribly out of place on the dash.

Oh... And I hate stereos with tiny buttons!

You cant actually get one off ebay brand new in a sealed box for pretty cheap. Mine came to around $275 US shipped. HTH

[labelhunter]

You can also check out Electronic4me (http://www.electronic4me.com) They have some good prices. Thats where i bought mine from.

[Steve02Si]

Rockford and Clarion have gone WAY downhill since they started selling through Best Buy. The basically sacrificed quality to meet a lower price point to make money in volume. (Rockford head units are also made by Delco - as in GM)

Alpine, same deal - to a lesser extent - since they went to Circuit City.

Sony has been just plain junk lately.

Pioneer, in my opinion, is about the best mix of looks, features per dollar, and reliability out there. Look for a specialty shop that has the Premier line.

Eclipse is also nice, only sold through specialty shops, no mass merchant BS. Not as many bells and whistles, but nice quality and clean sound.

[BlackNRedSi]

SirMedic,

what you are looking for you WILL get out of the ROCKFORD...Sorry everyone else that doesnt agree with me, but its just the plain truth.

Unless your looking for ultra high performance, there is no need to get something like the Eclipse headunit..it is a very very nice headunit, @ a nice price....

i know what you are looking for SirMedic...just something that will play MP3s well, something that looks nice, and most of all something of good quality...which is what ROCKFORD gives you.

big deal if ROCKFORD and CLARION started selling to BEST BUY, they are getting their name out to the general public...no big e...they are producing more products for people so they can AFFORD them and not having to cut off their lunch money for the week to get a headunit! :)

Alpine has not gone down hill @ all, they have stayed right where they were....dont matter if they are selling to circshitty...once again they are just selling to retail outlets to get more money and exposure for their product... a good amount of alpine stuff is still used for comp work, look @ the headunit i have, it doesnt even have a internal amp, doesnt mean its a bad unit, its just used differently...

pioneer is GREAT love their stuff no 2 ways about it, they have good screen savers, great quality....only downfall about some, and i mean some not all pioneer units is they have too many moving parts, which makes their sht sometimes break down...thats all...

i agree with steve, sony has been making some eljunkola...their amps have been going to the shitter, the units have been going down as well with ghey looking ones @ that too...

all in all you cant go wrong with a Rockford unit! :)

[labelhunter]

This unit is pretty good for the money. i own the dam thing. My only beef is that i cant see the display during the bright times of the day. Im goin to try to tilt it more down but our dash is kinda slanted back causing this glare. Other then that this deck plays mp3's great, no spaces between songs and i believe it has a higher rms wattage rating then most in its price range. I say if you like it. buy it. But just remember during the day no display.

[SiR Medic]

Thanks guys.

I appreciate all of your input.

I don't see how being sold at circuit city affects a brand's quality... Only it's level of prestige.

I am not looking for a head unit for some Uber-System. I want a decent head-unit that plays MP3s (with a filing system). I also want something with easy to use controls. I can do without all the "gee-whiz" features like screensavers etc.

I also might hook up a modest sub down the line, but not right away.

I'm more interested in sinking my money into performance mods, a laptop, and other stuff before I even consider going crazy with my car stereo. (Between age and loud sirens at work, my hearing is going downhill fast enough thanks!)

I'm in no rush for a head unit right now, so I might just wait until a sweet deal comes along.