The Alpine INE-S920HD just arrived to our shop yesterday. We got it hooked up last night and honestly I haven’t had a ton of time to play around with it. I tried pairing my phone up to it and it took a good 10 minutes to pair. I think that might be because the Alpine stereo was seeing so many other bluetooth devices in our store (there’s got to be at least 20 other bluetooth stereo’s on), but I was finally able to get it paired up.
I don’t have any speakers hooked up to it yet, so I have not had a chance to listen to it. But I did see all the usual Alpine EQ features like time correction and a nine band EQ. So far it seems easy to use.
It appears to have good screen quality and I do like the graphics on the navigation, they seem similar to Garmin or Tom Tom. Favorites button is nice, but you only get 6 favorites (that I can figure out anyways).
We’ve been crazy busy at the shop, so I apologize for the lack of info in this post, but I was so excited to share that it was finally here. Hopefully the 928 will be here soon.
When I have more time to play around with it, I promise I will do a more in depth review/video. Check back soon for more info!
16 Comments
Does the Alpine INE-S920HD have any anti-theft (security) features? If so, what are they?
detachable panel.
I see it the INE-S920HD has an Aux out for video. Do you know if it does dual zone where you can have a DVD/video in the back and nav/radio in the front? Alpine’s site doesn’t really go into detail about the Aux-out. Thanks!
Hi Adam,
Doubt it, went through the owner’s manual and couldn’t find anything about it. From recollection, Alpine never usually has anything for dual zone operation. The higher end Kenwood’s always seem to as do most Pioneer navigation systems.
Annie
Thanks for the reply. Sadly, I own an iStreamer and agree the SQ is just excellent– problem is that my iStreamer seems to only make it about 3 months before it gives out on me. First time it was the cable that stopped working. This time… I haven’t done the troubleshooting to see what’s going on, but I suspect the cable again. Starting to wonder if the electrical system in my car just isn’t playing nice with it. Glad to know I’m on the right track, though! Only thing I’m really missing is that Bit One…
Hi Sloanie,
I’m glad you’re on the right track! I haven’t had any issues with my iStreamer…do you think it’s possible the cable may be pinched somewhere? Or possibly you need a better ground for the unit?
Annie
I’m thinking about a new deck. I bought a Kenwood DDX616 a couple years ago and navigating music on an iPod / iPhone is so sluggish. Also, I’m interested in somethin that doesn’t rely on the iPhone’s built in DAC like the Kenwood does… How are these Alpines in that regard?
Hi Sloanie,
I don’t have a good reply as I haven’t really sold this with a nice audio system yet. What I can tell you, is for the absolute best sound quality for ANY aftermarket stereo (or integration set up like Cleansweep or Bit One), you’re better off using the iStreamer through an auxiliary on your source unit. Doing that with an Audison Bit One in an F-150 pickup (factory head unit) was the best sound reproduction and detail I’ve ever heard in any system when listening to an iPod/iPhone. The downside is you’re controlling your music from the device, but you will hear details and nuances in your recordings you never heard before 🙂
I have sold 3 now at our store and everyone that gets it absolutely loves it. The sound is amazing just like any other Alpine Unit and the ease of use is right on Par with all of the other alpine units.
I have been sitting on the fence with three choices, namely Kenwood DNX7190HD, Kenwood DNX9990HD, and Alpine INE-S920HD. I like the fact that Kenwood has Garmin navigation. I am turned off by their menu system being tedious to find things in, which is why I like simple but effective interface the Alpine appears to have. The favorites feature seems like a good idea, but the Kenwood has something similar by dragging and dropping from the small circles at the bottom to the large circles at the top. Still, for something that is supposed to be operated in a vehicle, to me the interface needs to be efficient and as clean as possible, which is why I am anxiously awaiting your review. I currently have an Alpine IDA-X001 installed in my 2007 Jeep Wrangler. I put my this Alpine deck in shortly after buying the Jeep in July 2007, and have been itching for navigation and a backup camera lately.
Can you believe I haven’t sold one yet???? I’m ready to put them on Amazon. I even have it in a nice spot, highlighted area, near our Pioneer app radio and for $999 it seems like an awesome value. I do like the simplistic menu, the audio menu has an easy tune setup for consumers that don’t want to deal with a parametric EQ or time alignment. You basically enter your vehicle information like cabin size, number of speakers, speaker size and it does the basic time correction set up for you. It should sound good. The nav has a cool feature I just learned about the other day that will alert you to speed camera/red light camera locations regardless of whether or not you’re navigating somewhere (can be turned on or off). SO, I have yet to hear it…..it’s also the first navigation I show to everyone that is shopping for one. Maybe people just aren’t buying navigation in July. Who knows.
SQ-aside, have you had a chance to look at features and interface of the INE-S920HD? What’s your impression vs Pioneer AVIC-Z140BH? Thanks!
Hi Dave,
The menu and graphics are very nice on the Alpine. I think it’s pretty easy to use as well. I do like the AVIC-Z140BH, but it’s not really all that different from the 120 and the 130 I used to own so I have not been terribly impressed with it, but it’s still a great navigation/stereo nonetheless. I always enjoyed the nav traffic interface and lane assist in the Pioneer navigation before it became a standard feature in Kenwood.
Really looking forward to you selling one so you can get your hands dirty with this unit! I’m planning on upgrading my double din soon, want to know your opinions on this vs. Kenwood’s DNX9990HD!
Really looking forward to your follow up post on this particular unit. I just got a new car, and am ready to swap out to a nice aftermarket head unit already. I’ve read a couple reviews from CES on this one, but I’ll be anxious to hear some more thoughts once you have a chance to play with it some more. Thanks!
I agree, I haven’t sold one yet surprisingly. I am anxious to hear what it sounds like. Unfortunately the location we have it on in our showroom does not have speakers hooked up to it so I have to wait till we actually install one, Keep your fingers crossed that I sell one soon!