Second-Generation Alpine Blackbird Portable Navigation Device

Alpine Electronics of America, Inc., the industry-leading manufacturer of automotive mobile media solutions, is now shipping its second-generation Alpine Blackbird™ (Alpine PMD-B200), the company’s new portable navigation device (PND). The new Blackbird is loaded with upgraded features that improve the driving experience including a built-in Bluetooth® module, a built-in traffic tuner and the flexibility to use the unit as either a portable or fixed unit with one of Alpine’s AV head units.

“Consumer demand for car navigation is expected to triple by 2012, and the market continues to get more competitive,”

said Stephen Witt, vice president, Marketing, Alpine Electronics.

“The PMD-B200 has new features, such as Bluetooth compatibility, which consumers are beginning to expect in a PND.”

The Alpine PMD-B200 runs on the Microsoft Windows CE platform and comes with a built-in flash hard drive for preloaded NAVTEQ® map data of the United States and Canada and 6 million NAVTEQ Points of Interest (POIs). The maps can be viewed four different ways including 3D mapping, 2D full map, split map and turn-by-turn arrow view. These maps are accompanied by full turn-by-turn voice-delivered instructions, which are available in English, French and Spanish.



The Alpine PMD-B200 has a built-in FM radio data system (RDS) traffic tuner that, when used with the NAVTEQ Traffic RDS™ service subscription, will keep drivers updated with changes in traffic flow and incident information such as construction, accidents and congestion levels. A new Traffic Events List sorts traffic incidents by distance, name or location along the current route. This traffic service is available in 50 major U.S. markets plus Toronto, Canada.

The Blackbird lets users take their favorite tunes on the road through an SD card slot that is capable of playback of up to 4GB of stored WMA/MP3 music files. When Blackbird is used in the supplied windshield cradle, music and driving directions can be transferred to the car’s stereo through the built-in FM modulator. New to this second-generation Blackbird is a built-in Bluetooth module. When connected to a Bluetooth enabled mobile device, users can answer phone calls through a one-touch “Call” button. “Phone book,” “Dialed calls,” “Missed calls” and “Received calls” are all displayed on the Alpine PMD-B200. An on-screen 12-key pad can be used to dial out, or users can scroll through the Blackbird’s address book or POI list to find the desired phone number.

Full Story: ecoustics.com

Alpine 15" Dual Car Subwoofer SWR-1521D

Alpine's SWR-1521D 15" dual 2-ohm voice coil Type-R sub is ready to throw loads of power back at you - up to 1,500 watts peak - while still reproducing your car music with remarkable accuracy.

Key features:

• Kevlar®-infused pulp cone
• Dual 2-ohm voic coils
• 1-1/4" Santoprene rubber surround
• Frequency response 22-1,000 Hz
• Peak power handling 1,500 watts
• Power range 200-500 watts RMS
• Sealed box volume: 1.3-2.5 cubic feet
• Ported box volume: 1.5-3.0 cubic feet
• Sensitivity 89 dB

The motor structure and double-stacked magnets focus magnetic energy within the vented pole piece. The pulp cone has been reinforced with Kevlar® for extra rigidity, so it will stand up to hard play. A 1-1/4" Santoprene rubber surround helps to maximize cone travel for deep bass and resists decay that can mar speaker output. An extended spider landing area provides extra excursion for fuller sound.

The dual 2-ohm, 2-1/2" voice coils handle all that power and let you wire your system for high output or efficiency. An aluminum diecast frame provides a secure, non-resonant housing. The tinsel leads won't split apart - they're woven into the dual progressive Nomex spiders. The tinsel lead design also helps you get nearly 3" of cone excursion for maximum output.

Note: If you are wiring this Alpine's DVC sub for lower impedance, make sure that your amp is compatible. Most car amplifiers are stable down to 2 ohms in standard mode, or 4 ohms in bridged operation.

Alpine CDA-7998R FantomFace XL

Alpine CDA-7998R cd-receiver compatible with virtually every media format - including MP3, WMA and your custom-burned CD-Rs - and features advanced Bass Engine Pro digital signal processing, for getting the best sound possible out of your car.

With Alpine Data-Download you can do it yourself with an Internet connection and just a few mouse clicks. The Data Download website automatically calculates the proper settings so that your head unit’s performance matches the characteristics of car. Settings include Digital Time Correction, Digital Parametric EQ, Digital Crossover and even the Alpine power-on welcome screen. Once you’ve made the custom settings, download them, burn a copy to a CD-R disc, and use that disc to automatically upload the settings to the head unit.

Alpine CDA-7998R specifications:

• Optical Digital Output
• Disc Title Memory
• CD TEXT Display and Scroll
• Regulated 1 Bit DAC
• Music Scan
• Track/Folder Search Menu
• MP3 Decoder/Playback
• Play List (MP3)
• Digital Servo
• Music Sensor Up/Down
• Forward/Backward
• Disc Play/Pause
• M.I.X. One/All (Random Play One or All)
• Repeat
• CD-R/-RW Compatible
• Bass Engine Pro
• Subwoofer Level Control
• Subwoofer Phase Selector
• 6-Position HP/LP Digital Crossover
• 3-Way or 2-Way Digital Channel Divider
• 6ch Adjustable Digital Time Correction
• 5-Band Parametric Equalizer
• Bass Focus

The unique motorised mechanism Alpine FantomFace XL automatically puts the head unit behind a full-size inconspicuous face plate when you leave your car. To restore the unit, simply press a specific spot on the panel.

Alpine 40W Car Amplifier MRP-F240

Alpine MRP-F240 is designed to work in a variety of applications: With 40 watts RMS per channel in 4-channel mode, you can easily drive two pairs of full-range or component speakers. Or, bridge the amp to 2-channel mode for 100 watts RMS x 2. That power makes your music sound tighter and more detailed at all volume levels.

Selectable high-pass/low-pass crossovers at 80 Hz let you adjust the frequency output depending on whether you're powering full-range speakers or a sub. If you're driving a subwoofer and using the low-pass crossover, a subsonic filter automatically engages on channels 3 and 4; this eliminates very low bass notes (those that are too low to hear) for cleaner performance.

Key features:

• 40 watts RMS x 4 at 4 ohms
• 50 watts RMS x 4 at 2 ohms
• 100 watts RMS x 2 bridged output at 4 ohms
• 2-, 3-, or 4-channel output
• Requires 10-gauge power and ground leads - wiring and hardware not included with amp
• Subsonic filter at 15 Hz for channels 3 & 4
• MOSFET power supply
• Speaker- and preamp-level inputs
• Gold-plated screw terminals
  

Alpine iPod control interface KCA-420i

Alpine KCA-420i package includes a compact adapter module and two cables. Mount the adapter module in a hidden location in your vehicle, then connect one cable from the module to your Alpine receiver, and the second cable from the module to your iPod - you can control virtually all iPod playback functions from your compatible Alpine receiver, including search, track preview, and shuffle play.

Alpine KCA-420i key features:

• Access iPod with Alpine receiver's controls
• Includes adapter module and two 78" connecting cables
• Charges iPod battery while driving

Alpine's Quick Search keys offer quick and easy navigation through your iPod's music menu, and you can set your receiver's Bass Engine controls to maximize the sound quality of your iPod tunes. Alpine KCA-420i module also automatically charges your iPod's internal battery.

The KCA-420i is compatible with the following 2004 Alpine recievers: CDA-9820XM, CDA-9825, CDA-9826, CDA-9827, CDA-9833, CDA-9835, IVA-D300, IVA-D901, CVA-1004

Alpine IVA-D300R/RB Mobile Car Receiver

Alpine IVA-D300RB Screen
There are three different illumination colours for Alpine IVA-D300 main controls. The unit featured here is the blue-buttoned D300RB although there’s also a dual illumination version, which has green or red buttons to suit the dash of the vehicle it’s being installed in.

We’ve become used to the idea that you can have a motorised screen in the dash that’ll flip up when you want to see visual navigation information or even watch a DVD, but this new Alpine has taken the flip-up screen concept and run with it. Not only have they crafted a full DVD-video drive into the front panel but this new 7 inch TFT screen also has touch control. This allows the designers to come up with menu systems, lists of tracks or stations to select from without the need to keep referring back to an instruction manual.
All of the controls for the D300RB are touch screen so there’s no need to hunt out the remote control, even if you want to alter settings for the DSP or play a DVD. The picture quality and back illumination of the screen is very good for both navigation graphics and movies alike. The brightness seems to be a good dynamic range and images are sharp and stable.

Alpine have developed what they call the “PulseTouch Display” and included it on Alpine IVA-D300. This system eliminates any confusion as to whether the touch screen has registered your commands. The use of vibration and pressure gives a tactile feel to the screen itself and it really makes a difference in everyday use. You get a totally different feel if you tap a virtual button compared to when you hold it down, which is quite amazing.

The touch screen control software has also been designed so you can access DVD menus from the touch screen itself, again negating the need for the remote control. As well as DVD-videos the Alpine can cope with both DVD-R and DVD-RW discs that, when combined with the system’s built-in MP3/WMA decoder, gives you access to no less than 80 albums of MP3 on a single disc. Of course, the DVD-RW capability also means that via a DVD-based VCR or even a TV-tuner card in a PC with a DVD-burner, you could have access to off-air recordings of TV programs in the car.

If you want to incorporate additional monitors for rear passengers there are an additional set of outputs of both video and audio for this purpose. You can then select to display navigation or tuner functions on the front screen while the built-in DVD is displayed on the rear screens. If you want to incorporate a games console or other source the control box has an additional aux (video and audio input) connection and a dedicated feed for a reversing camera.

The DVD drive will playback just about any form of CD and when recorded with MP3 or MWA files allows the selection of either albums or individual tracks from a touch screen list. This is dead easy to get used to, although we would have liked it if it had retained the full folder structure in the way it was recorded on the disc.

Sonically the performance of the Alpine on CD was really nice. The level of detail retrieved is very impressive which is apparent by the way the spaciousness of known recordings is represented. The soundstage has good depth and an overall transparency, which only comes from classy players.
The tuner in the D300R is also a true high-end performer. It finds stations when seeking that others ignore and can produce excellent, quiet FM performance in even difficult signal conditions. The RDS performance when following national broadcasts was very impressive with the tuner happily changing frequencies to maintain a good sonic performance without the hint of a glitch in the audio.

Alpine IVA-D300RB Navigation
Moving on to the navigation package it contains both the DVD-ROM drive/computer and the latest version of Alpine’s DVD-based software ‘Smart Map Pro’. This software contains all of the mapping data for Europe on the one disc, including just about every road, as well as an enormous list of points of interest such as petrol stations, tourist attractions and restaurants. You can even select a type of restaurant to look for, such as French or Chinese.

Key features:

• IVA-D300RB SCREEN
• Touch screen 7 inch TFT display
• Built-in DVD/CD drive with MP3/WMA playback
• AM/FM tuner
• Four-channel internal amplifier
• DAB compatible
• Parametric EQ
• Changer controls
• Remote control