CDE-147BT - Alpine CD Receiver with Advanced Bluetooth

This was my first Alpine head unit, I decided on it mainly because of the reviews and the alpine reputation for sound quality and overall quality. This did not disappoint.Overall quality is good, I have had issues in the past with the removeable faceplates that would have an intermittent connection etc.. none of that here. Bluetooth call quality using the included microphone is awesome and works perfectly. I love that I can listen to music without having to worry about hearing the phone ring and also I like that all I have to do is hit one button on the unit to answer and hang up calls. I can clearly hear people and apparently they have no problems hearing me because I never have anyone asking me to repeat myself or saying they can't hear me.The connectivity is also great with a plethora of options. I wish I could hide some of them though so I did not have to scroll through them all when changing inputs. Sound quality seems good and remains undistorted for normal levels. One thing to note is that the unit has a fan which is on all the time and is audible in the passenger compartment. You cant hear it when driving but when just sitting with the engine off and no music playing it is audible.Have not tried the preamp outputs yet but I will be using them in the future. The 9 band EQ is really too technical for the average user. You really need to take frequency response graphs made in the actual car and use them to tweak the EQ properly. Between selecting the EQ center frequency, Q and level it would be nearly impossible to do by ear one band at a time even for the experienced user. Once I do have my subwoofer installed I will be taking FR graphs inside the vehicle so having the power to tweak it is a very nice option. For now I stick to the factory eq settings.One thing I do not like is that often I will adjust the volume using the volume knob and will accidentally push it in which changes the mode from adjusting the volume to for example on the USB input, searching. It would have been nice is there was a longer delay you would have to push the button in before it would change modes.I do also like that it does not have any stupid graphics or flashy crap. A remote control would have been nice though.Overall I am very happy with this purchase. This is a feature packed unit that is far more advanced than any head unit I have had before. For me the bluetooth calling is a real stand out but the rest of its features are certainly no let down. Next time I buy a head unit I will be going with alpine for sure. Previously I bought pioneer's but I wont go back.

I'm giving this a three star but dearly want to give it a four. The discretion being that the Bluetooth pairing is a bit wonky. I really love everything else about this Head Unit. Amazing Alpine Quality sound as expected, The design is functional when driving (some people have complained about the big Source Button but I love not having to look at my head unit when I'm driving), I had an extended usb cable run flush to a panel on the dashboard making usb access quick and simple, iPods connect to this thing seamlessly via USB and the CD player works as advertised. The only reason I am not giving it a 4 and rated it a 3 is because the bluetooth is a bit janky. Even after the firmware update I'm pulling my hair trying to get one of my devices to sync. I have an iPad mini that syncs flawlessly and streams music when I enter the car but I also have an older iPhone 2g (Prehistoric I know) that initially synced with the head unit, updated contacts and even made crystal clear calls but over the course of a few days, from either messing with the settings or something it doesn't even show my contacts anymore, just dashes across the screen to signify no contacts could be found and in essence not being able to call out. The head unit and the iPhone say they are connected to each other but I can't pull up my contacts anymore. Surly I made an unconscious setting change somewhere that has affected this but I can't seem to get a solution as that the manual does not troubleshoot or offer any short of solution. This should be an easier fix rather than having to scroll through forums and contacting Alpine tech support to get an answer. I've heard the complaint in other threads too about the wonky bluetooth so this problem isn't just me. Just a heads up to anyone else thinking about buying it.

Gotta say Magic Sound sucks. They are out to make a quick buck and do not care if your products work or not. I returned this faulty stereo and they said we checked the pre amp out out andnit works. Hahaha u cant fully test a cd player just by checking the pre outs. I had a horrible time out of magic sound. Folks you work hard for your money and your time is valuable. They don't care about either.

Nice unit at first, but volume knob is very sensitive ( does more than volume control ) and one of the preset buttons doesn't work anymore. I like Alpine and always had good luck with them, just think I got a bad unit. I've had it just over a year now.

I purchased this unit for our RV to replace an older AM/FM/Cassette Tape unit. I was looking for the CD and Bluetooth capability as well as higher quality sound and this unit certainly delivers all of that. I found the system for setting up the unit took some getting used to. I believe this process would be simpler if Alpine had provided 1 or 2 more buttons so there was less button multi-tasking. It took several attempts to finally get a device recognized and connected on bluetooth. So far, the receiver has linked to my iPad but refuses to link to my iPod Touch or my cell phone. It also took several attempts to update the receiver firmware but that was finally achieved. The update has not solved the bluetooth device linking problem. I plan to contact Alpine tech support to see if they can resolve this issue. Overall, this is part of a new product line for Alpine and it feels like I'm an early adopter working on the bleeding edge of a new product design.