Alpine CDA-9887 User Manual
Page 2
everything together. This results in the smearing
of transients, ringing and comb filtering. In other
words, it muddies up the sound.
MultEQ filters are specifically designed to
address these time domain problems and con-
centrate most of the signal energy in the direct
sound. Reflections thereby can be dramatically
reduced, allowing more pure sound from the
speaker to arrive at each seat. This dramatically
improves the soundstage because matched fre-
quency response is one of the cues our ears rely
on for imaging.
Here’s what’s interesting. Whereas typical
time correction can only be applied to one chan-
nel of an amplifier, MultEQ time corrects based
on frequency. This allows for time correction
between multiple drivers on the same channel,
not just the channel itself.
CDa-9887
Alpine’s CDA-9887 ($450) offers an impres-
sive array of features. As the company’s top CD
player, the single-DIN head unit uses a 24-bit
Burr-Brown D/A converter and other leading
technologies. It’s also the company’s first head
unit equipped with the IMPRINT system.
The CDA-9887 supports MP3, WMA and AAC
playback and is also Satrad, Bluetooth and iPod
ready. Its detachable faceplate features a Biolite
display and that familiar Alpine look. Volume is
controlled through a rotary knob while buttons
flanking it and the display handle the remain-
ing functions. Users can also use the supplied
remote to access basic functions.
The built-in DSP also allows a huge amount
of control. If you like to tweak your sound, you’ll
like this unit. It gives you six channels of time
correction, 3-way or 2-way crossover, seven-
band graphic EQ or five-band parametric EQ and
MediaXpander.
Power is specified as 50 watts by 4, but if you
are looking for a full-feature unit like this, you’ll
probably be more interested in its three 4-volt
preamp outputs.
PrEParaTions
To access IMPRINT in the CDA-9887, either
become buddies with your Alpine retailer or
expect to shell out another $250. The extra
deuce-fifty will buy you the optional KTX-100EQ
IMPRINT Sound Manager. This includes both
the hardware go-between, a CD-ROM with
tuning software for a PC and the Measurement
Microphone.
Once the software has been loaded, it’s
go time. Drop the faceplate, shift it to the left
and remove—here users will find the IMPRINT
access port on the head unit. A cable connects
this port and the interface box, while a USB
cable connects the interface box to the PC. Plug
in the microphone and position it according to
the area selection—All, Front Left, Front Right,
Front or Rear. With the microphone in position,
click “Measure.” A series of “whoop” sounds will
burst from each speaker individually—a process
that takes about 4 to 5 minutes per area—for
all positions, expect to spend 40 minutes total.
That’s all the time it takes for the MultEQ func-
tion of IMPRINT to fully analyze the acoustics of
the vehicle. Once finished, click the “Result” but-
ton to view the Frequency and Time Response
graphs. You can then select from three target
curves for MultEQ to adjust its filter. Now the cor-
rections can be saved to the CDA-9887.
I ran through these steps twice with different
mic positions. This provided two User Settings
to select between and compare to the default
settings.
PErfECTing sounD
Once satisfied with the MultEQ setting, I sat
down for a detailed listen. Straight away I noted
a big improvement over the unadulterated signal.
Easily notable was how much more linear the
frequency response was over the entire range.
Gone were the mild resonances of the low mid-
range and the highs were quelled to a tolerable
level. But beyond the easily detectable items, the
system was markedly more precise. Snares were
sharper and cymbals crisper. The soundstage
was fuller with less clumping of the instruments—
a very welcome improvement.
While I was totally jazzed with what I was
hearing, I did find some things I didn’t like about
MultEQ. Even though I tried different mic posi-
tions, the soundstage was always
the same—slightly pulled back and
a little low. On the positive, it was
somewhat correctable by fading to
the front. What bothered me more
was what I found while switching the
MultEQ between on and off; a small
amount of hiss was introduced into
the system while the feature was
engaged. It was also interesting that
MultEQ seemed to tailor the bass
somewhat with volume, much like
a loudness function would do—the
last quarter volume the bass tended
to come on a little strong.
Usability was also a bit disap-
pointing. With the MultEQ on, you
cannot fine-tune the system. The
only options you are provided are to
adjust bass and treble, and balance
and fader—no crossovers, equaliza-
tion or time alignment. There is also
the matter of only having three pre-
determined target curves to select
from, each of which tapers toward
the high frequencies.
After listening with MultEQ, I tried
my hand at tuning the system myself
using the vast DSP of the CDA-9887.
This meant measuring the speaker
distances relative to my seat posi-
tion and setting the time alignment
as noted in the manual. From there
I fine-tuned the crossovers—select-
ing the frequency, slope and output
level. I also opted to use the five-
band parametric equalizer (over the
seven-band graphic EQ), which has
selectable (predetermined) frequen-
cies, level and “Q” controls.
I compared my user-selected set-
tings against the MultEQ filters. Even
though I spent a good part of two
hours playing with the adjustments, the 40 min-
utes I spent learning and applying the MultEQ did
a far better job in respects to the tonal balance
of the system—with its 500 control points. It also
seemed to exhibit slightly better transients and
definition. On the other hand, I was able to tailor
the sound of the system more to my liking using
the user controls. I was able to improve certain
aspects of the soundscape over the MultEQ set-
ting—whatever music I listened to came through
with greater depth and height and better right
channel information. I was impressed that I was
able to get the system to sound as good as it did
with only DSP in the head unit. But then again, I
had something respectable to compare it to.
EnD rEsulT
The CDA-9887 is rather remarkable. For $450,
it’s a nicely equipped head unit fit for both the
audiophile and everyday user. The DSP allows
for lots of tweaking and the IMPRINT technology
with MultEQ certainly makes tuning a vehicle
easy. The results are, to say the least, pretty
impressive. If you want to hear music close to
the way the artist intended, check out this Alpine
unit. It won’t disappoint.
Above:
This graph is part of the GUI for the IMPRINT Sound Manager. It shows
the measured frequency and time response of the system before and after the
correction filters were applied.
Below:
This screen shot shows the three
target curves users can select from.
Posted with permission from the April 2008 issue of Car Audio and Electronics ®
. Copyright 2008, Source Interlink, Inc. All rights reserved.
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