Ever since I bought my first Alpine in 1995, I've found nothing better. I strayed from Alpine one time and bought an Eclipse deck, but I traded it back to the store I bought it from and got a PPI Art Series A600 amp. It just didn't sound as good as the Alpine. So except for that Eclipse, Alpine is all I've ever owned for 10 years.
btw, except for the ES line, Sony decks are absolute crap (sorry Speedin). I installed the damn things regularly when I did installs for a living, so I know from experience. They're constantly breaking down. Get a Clarion, Pioneer or Kenwood before a Sony. But get an Alpine above all.