The Alpine CDE-W235EBT is Alpines newest Double-Din Head-Unit in its CDE Range and like all the Alpine units of the past I can’t stop but think of of the Alpine Lamborghini posters of my childhood when I see an Alpine Head-Units. There is just something about these units that scream sleek super-car but that could be nostalgia playing its part here, ok back to the review…
Alpines way of designing the look/layout of their Head-Unit’s have always been the same since I can remember, nice and simple but very functional to the point the you only need to glance towards an Alpine unit and instantly know what it is.
After having the Alpine CDE-W235EBT in our SOUNDS ALIVE comparator board for about a month now I’ve had a good chance to test and listen to a good range of music through it (in fact about 8 hours a day). Even with the speakers running straight off the CDE-W235EBT it has a nice crisp sound to it and still manages quite a lot of volume out of the speakers.
Features
- 50W x 4 High Power Amp
- Built-in Parrot Bluetooth Module
- Advanced Bluetooth Functions (BT Plus)
- BT Audio Streaming
- CD-R/RW/MP3/WMA Playback
- Front USB port
- Made for iPod and iPhone
- Direct iPod/iPhone Control
- Works with Nokia (requires KCU-230NK)
- Front AUX Input (3.5mm mini jack)
- 3-Band Parametric EQ
- Preset EQ (10 modes)
- High Pass / Low Pass Filter
- Steering Wheel Remote Control Ready
- Remote Control Ready
- KTP-445 Power Pack Ready
- 1 PreOut (Subwoofer Output Selectable)
- 2-Line Large LCD Display
- Clock
- Hands-free Microphone Included
Specifications
FM TUNER SECTION
- Tuning Range: 87.5~108.0 MHz
- Mono Usable Sensitivity: 9 dBf (0.8 μV/75 ohms)
- Alternate Channel Selectivity: 80 dB
- Signal-to-Noise Ratio: 65 dB
- Stereo Separation: 35 dB
- Capture Ratio: 2.0 dB
AM TUNER SECTION
- Tuning Range: 531~1,602 kHz
- Sensitivity (IEC Standard): 22.5 μV/27 dB
CD PLAYER SECTION
- Frequency Response: 5~20,000 Hz (±1 dB)
- Wow & Flutter (% WRMS): Below measurable limits
- Total Harmonic Distortion: 0.008% (at 1 kHz)
- Dynamic Range: 95 dB (at 1 kHz)
- Signal-to-Noise Ratio: 105 dB
- Channel Separation: 85 dB (at 1 kHz)
PICKUP
- Wave Length: 795 nm
- Laser Power: CLASS I
USB SECTION
- USB requirements: USB 1.1/2.0
- Max. Power Consumption: 1,000 mA
- USB Class: Mass Storage
- File System: FAT 12/16/32
- MP3 Decoding: MPEG AUDIO Layer-3
- WMA Decoding: Windows Media™ Audio
- Number of Channels: 2-Channel (Stereo)
BLUETOOTH SECTION
- BLUETOOTH Specification: BLUETOOTH V 30.0
- Output Power: +4 dBm Max. (Power class 2)
- Profile:
- HFP (Hands-free Profile)
- HSP (Head set Profile)
- A2DP (Advanced Audio Distribution Profile)
- AVRCP (Audio/Video Remote Control Profile)
GENERAL
- Power Requirement: 14.4 V DC (11~16 V allowable)
- Maximum Power Output: 50W x 4
- Maximum Pre-Output Voltage: 2 V/10 k ohms
- Bass: ±14 dB at 100 Hz
- Treble: ±14 dB at 10 kHz
- Loudness: 10 dB at 100 Hz
- Weight: 1.618 kg (3 lbs. 9 oz)
CHASSIS SIZE
- Width: 178mm (7″)
- Height: 100 mm (3-15/16″)
- Depth: 160 mm (6-1/4″)
I have to admit when I first seen a picture of the Alpine CDE-W235EBT I didn’t really like the look of it but that was before I had un-boxed it, the pictures found in catalogues and the internet really don’t do it justice!
The way the faceplate sectioned with the display half of it being smooth, could even say glossy and the control half having a machine brushed look really breaks it up, this gives it the feeling of class and can not really be noticed on a picture to its full potential.
Even though the CDE-W235BT has only one set of Pre-Outs, that doesn’t bother me as the sort of people that would buy alpine would also buy the extra processing units/EQ’s to run 3 sets of Pre-Outs or would simply run the speakers off of the head-unit.
Overall this is a beautiful Double-Din Head-Unit with amazing sound that is to be expected of Alpine, is very easy to use. Has full Bluetooth capability and can control iPhone/iPod’s without the need of a speciality Alpine Cable. And to top it off is very cheaply priced making it a very good alternative for the Double-Din competition!