Eclipse CD5423 Head Unit - CD5423 Eclipse - 12Volt Tuning

Treble and bass controls have about 12dB of cut and boost in 2dB steps, with adjustable center frequencies. The bass control has centers at 63Hz or 100Hz, while the treble control can be set to 8kHz or 10kHz. There is also a volume-dependent loudness function to add a gradually increasing "smile curve" (boosted lows and highs) as the volume is reduced. This compensates for the natural sensitivity of the human ear, and for the background noise level in the car. A high-pass filter on the front/rear outputs cuts off the lowest frequencies to the powered and line-level outputs. When used in conjunction with the complementary low-pass filter on the non-fader output, the need for an external crossover is eliminated.

The included wiring harness for speaker and power lines connects to the deck with a single high-density connector so you can make all of these connections before final installation. Lines for front and rear speakers, cell phone mute, power antenna, turn-on (power amps and other external accessories), and illumination (dim with headlight switch) are provided. "Pigtails" from the deck provide line level outputs for front/rear and non-fader signals, and there is a clever little switch that allows you to use these same connectors to send signal to an external analog device and bring it back in to feed the internal power amps. Another pigtail has a 1/8-in phone plug for accepting signal from your portable MP3/MD player or other device. Other connectors allow connection of the E-COM system, CD changers, and DSP units. The deck does not include a remote, but several are available.

With high voltage preamp outputs and plenty of flexibility for adding external devices, this deck would make a good choice for a reasonably priced, high sound quality system. I like the interface and feature set; everything you need is here and easy to find. By adding optional pieces, you can truly have it all. With an MSRP of $289.99, it's definitely worth a closer look.