Well, I got my latest head unit from circuit city. Its an alpine cdm-7874. That one went in the van.
Has bbe processing, high power, dual pre outs, alpine's bass engine eq, and some other stuff. Costs right about 199.00.
As for speakers, I would look for something by Infinity, rockford fosgate, Polk, or boston Acoustics, but those are my preferences.
As I will tell anyone looking to buy an aftermarket head unit.. figure out what you want from your system. Then buy what you need according to a plan. i.e., if you are going to want to add an amp, pre outs are good to have, while if you are getting amps, the deck's power output is not a big deal. The head is the master link in any system. The best speakers will sound like crap if the head unit is junk.