Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)Aside from buying my music on disc, as I like having a hardcopy backup, I will no longer be using CD's thanks to this head unit. First off, it works fantastically with my iPhone 3GS, which I assume almost everyone buying this head unit will also have (or an iPod at minimum). Plug in the iPhone and it recognizes the entire library in about 3 seconds (I believe the older IDA-X305, no S, would sometimes give people problems with recognizing their iPhone/iPod. I've had no such problems so far). This is INCREDIBLY nice, as before I had my music collection on 6-7 mp3 CD's. Searching for what you want to listen to is a breeze and functions similarly to an iPod Classic. As a side note, when you plug in the iPhone, it automatically switches to iPod mode and starts playing where the currently playing song on the iPod left off. Some people may be annoyed by this if you just want to charge your iPhone, but it's more convenient than not, considering it's the mode you'll probably use the most. Maybe Alpine should have made it an optional setting.
I can't comment too much on Pandora. I don't use it often, but it's nice that it's there. It takes a little longer before the music starts compared to the iPod function. Usually about 10 maybe 15 seconds tops, before music from Pandora starts playing.
Stereo presets are a bit weird to set, but it's not overly complicated. That's the price of having so few buttons on the face.
The screen is perfect for navigating selections. A full function LCD is so much nicer than the one or two lines of text on most of other head units. If you're OCD like me and have album artwork for every song on your iPhone, you'll appreciate the beautiful LCD screen even more. Some people may find the screen too bright at night, but it can be turned down I believe with a dimmer setting.
Sound quality is very good in my opinion, especially for just a head unit. I'm not using an external amp. I had an Alpine CDA-9856 head unit before this one and this one sounds noticeably better. Perhaps Alpine used the additional available space and reduced cost of omitting the CD player to put in a better internal amp? Maybe, but my cynicism makes me think otherwise.
So after all of my glorification of this head unit you may be asking, why only four stars? Lack of value in my opinion. Receivers cheaper than this give you many features that Alpine makes you pay extra for, and they aren't cheap either. Buying just the imprint processor (stock EQ's are fairly basic, probably on purpose so you'll buy this addon) and bluetooth phone kit will cost almost as much as the head unit itself. Then there's HD radio and satellite tuners to potentially buy as well. If you're buying Alpine though, you are probably already expecting not to get much bang for your buck.
All in all, if you have an iPhone/iPod and the money, this head unit is for you. You will be hard pressed to find a head unit that gives you better control of it than this.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Alpine iDA-X305S - Radio / digital player - Full-DIN - in-dash - 50 Watts x 4
What if you could listen to a variety of new music personalized to your taste in your car? With the iDA-X305S, conveniently control, listen, and access all your personalized music in your car, via the Pandora Internet Radio App and PandoraLink on your iPhone.
Power Output: Max 50 W x 4 High Power Amplifier
CD Changer: CD Changer Control
Display: 2.2'' High Resolution TFT Color Display
Control Type: Double-Action Encoder
iPersonalize: iPersonalize (Wallpaper Only)
Face Color: Black
Illumination Buttons: Blue / Red Illuminated Buttons
PreOut: 3 PreOuts (2 V )
DAC: 24-Bit Burr-Brown DAC
Auxiliary Input: Versatile-Link Ready (KCA-121B Auxiliary Input)
Steering Wheel Control: Steering Wheel Control Ready
Selectable Power Input: 2 PreIn (Front / Rear)
Bass & Treble: Bass & Treble Controls
Fader & Balance: Fader & Balance Controls
Clock: Built-In Clock
Calendar: Built-In Calendar
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