Key Features
Compatible with 5th generation
iPods and 1st generation Nanos
Displays iPod album art
45w x 4 peak, three RCA outputs
Convenient USB hookup in rear of unit instead of break-out box
Super fast click through of iPod menus and song selection
Slow song title display
Plays MP3, AAC and WMA files
Will read tags from songs stored on any USB-based digital media, like thumb Drives
Big, cool-looking date/time display
Remote optional
XM, Sirius and HD Radio ready
Bluetooth with KCE-300BT adapter
Cloth bag for faceplate storage instead of hard plastic
It's pretty safe to say that memory-based audio devices are the way of the future in car audio. Long gone is the lackluster sound quality of cassette tapes and the nuisance of managing a large CD collection in your car. And any worry about scratched CDs are forever washed away by iPod-mania. Now it's mandatory for a new head unit to support new forms of digital media, like iPods or thumb drives. But do away with a CD slot altogether? Alpine says yes. Given their plan and how they have covered all the bases in making the iDA-X001, in retrospect it must have seemed an easy decision.
Alpine has upped the ante. First they made using an iPod through one of their standard head units via their "Full-speed" connection as easy as using the device itself. The next step had to be creating the perfect complementary companion for Apple's music player. The iDA-X001 is a big improvement over iPod-compatible source units in a few key ways. For instance, during installation you'll find no break-out box necessary to wire the new unit. You simply plug-in the harness and the USB (or "Full-speed iPod") cable and you're ready to rock.
There's a quick setup guide included, while the full instruction manual can be found on an included CD-ROM. We used the quick setup to install our unit, like most do-it yourselfers would. But when the deck failed to produce any sound, the quick setup guide lacked a key step that could only be found in the instruction manual - press the reset button before use. This isn't the first time we've had this problem, either (see www.caraudiomag.com/testreports/0510cae_alpine_dvi9990_pxih990_head_unit/).
Get the unit set up correctly, though, and the little 2.2-inch high resolution LCD screen really impresses; it's incredibly bright and doesn't wash out in direct sunlight. The screen even shows album art in addition to the song info. There's no longer any lag when searching through your iPod, as you might have experienced on other units, and track selection is instantaneous - it's like working the iPod itself, or with the ability to see album art, like searching for files on your computer, on iTunes. When selecting a song, the text "types" onto the screen, whether you have "Text Scroll" on or off, which makes clicking through tracks a painfully long ordeal. It would be easier if the track name just popped up. It's easier to simply use the back button and choose the song from the drop-down list that appears.
Unsurprisingly, the iDA-X001 excels when it comes to compressed digital audio playback. The unit will play MP3, AAC, WMA and Lossless files, and is compatible with most iPods, either directly connected or via USB. You can use the USB port to attach a thumb drive, which the unit will recognize and even display file tag information if it exists. If not, the iDA-X001 will detail the directory and file title.