Customer Reviews

Clarion NX500 6.5" In-Dash Motorized Touchscreen DVD/CD/MP3/USB Receiver, Built-in Navigation and Bluetooth

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Since the 1st reviewer really captured a lot of my feelings on this unit, I'll try to concentrate on or add some additional thoughts...

When researching the higher end offerings from Kenwood and Pioneer, I finally decided on Clarion's NX500 after I saw all of the features that were included for a price tag that was *at least* half the cost of anything comparable. For reference, I picked mine up for $579 from another online retailer.

Installation was a breeze in my Mercedes Benz ML320 using a Metra harness. I was especially pleased with the modular wiring setup in the back of the headunit. As the other reviewer mentioned, you only plug in the connections you plan to use. This all means less clutter and mess behind the dash. At the time of installation, I also installed the Sirius Direct Connect adapter and a rear view camera. Connections were very straightforward.

The navi system seems to be a hybrid between a Garmin and Honda/Acura unit. You have the ability to view the mapping aerially, or slightly angled (quasi 1st person). The system is adequate for getting you to your destination, although I would've liked to have seen an option that lists turn-by-turn directions on the right side of the split screen for better clarification similar to the software found in my Acura TSX. Guidance voice options include 2 sets of male and female voices. One set utilizes text to speech (TTS) and phonetically pronounces street names and highways. These voices are robotic sounding, and will literally pronounce names as they are spelled. For example, U.S. Highway 9 would sound like "us nine" vs "u-s nine". The other set of more human sounding voices merely give generic turn by turn directions such as "Turn left at next intersection" vs "Turn left at Broadway". A neat feature of the split screen option is that the time and distance to the next turn/checkpoint is displayed on the left side while the total remaining distance and estimated time of arrival are displayed on the right side. I did not have any issues w/ the unit keeping extremely accurate time as the other reviewer. I believe setting the time to sync via the GPS will solve his problem. The POI database in the nav software was fairly extensive and very helpful when in an unfamiliar area looking for a place to eat, a place to get gas, etc. Entering addresses to get routing guidance was fairly easy; however, destinations on main streets sometimes became sources of frustration. When trying to enter an address on Rt 46, I finally realized that the road was also known as "Main St". Having a HD based system allows quick re-routing when you deviate from the directions. While my Acura TSX and MDX would take a few seconds to "recalculate" a new route, the NX500 does it almost instantaneously. Nav reception via the GPS antenna is very strong. I mounted mine under the dash, and have had no issues whatsoever with getting located as soon as I turn on the vehicle. The reception is so strong that viewing the speedometer screen yielded identical results to the actual speedometer in my instrument cluster.

Sound quality was very good considering I am not running an aftermarket amp. If you're an audiophile, the limited EQ adjustments will feel limiting. For the average person, there are "preset" EQ settings for various types of audio such as "Rock", "Urban", or "Techno".

Sirius radio reception sounded CD clear in my vehicle. I did not get any hissing or "white" noise on any channel like the other reviewer did, nor has my sat radio ever locked up.

I also purchased a bypass module on e bay. Unlike Pioneers and other aftermarket headunits, you cannot simply ground the parking brake wire to the chassis. It requires a pulsing signal to mimick the release and re-engagement of the parking brake in order to operate any stereo function that includes video. I do not condone, nor recommend watching any video while operating the vehicle. For my purposes, I wanted the ability to adjust my nav destination w/o pulling the car over.

Ipod integration is ok --- all pertinent menus/data are available such as playlists, artists, songs, albums, etc. Unfortunately, however, you do not have the ability to quickly scroll through entries. I have over 5,000 songs on my 5G 30GB Video. Trying to select an artist beginning with a 'G' requires the continuous pressing of the down arrow. You cannot hold the button to accelerate the process.

The DVD function works well. The picture is very good, although it seems a tad washed out. Of course, this is a minor point as I rarely watch movies in the vehicle. Playing a CD is standard fare, but I was VERY disappointed in what appears to be a poor oversight in basic design. I used to be a vinyl DJ, and have a large collection of "continuous" mix CDs that I have not yet been able to transfer to my iPod. When playing a mix, the player will insert a 2-3 second gap between tracks, regardless if the CD was recorded without them. This can get rather annoying during a DJ set or live band performance.

The built-in bluetooth system makes this unit such a big upgrade over its predecessor because an additional, external modular add-on is not required (less mess behind the dash). Calls come in loud and clear through the vehicle's speakers, and a mic is built directly into the face of the stereo. I also installed the supplementary external mic in the vehicle to give me the option of choosing which mic to use, but callers on the other end have not reported any problem hearing me clearly when using the built-in mic. Music/video will pause and mute when a call is placed or received. My Verizon Blackberry Storm can synch its address book and call log w/o an issue. You can switch off to your handset in a snap with a dedicated button on the bluetooth screen interface. The other GREAT feature of the built-in bluetooth system is the ability to listen to Bluetooth audio. I frequently run Pandora and Slacker in the vehicle now from my Blackberry. I have so many "entertainment" options now, it truly is ridiculous. One gripe about this feature is that you can't view the nav screen at the same time.

As the other reviewer touched on, the biggest problem with this unit has to do with its visibility in bright sunlight. Because the screen is very smooth and gloss like, it reflects a great deal of glare during the day. I will try to remedy this with an anti-glare film and update at a later time. With all that said, after a month and a half of solid use, I would purchase this unit again in a heartbeat. I almost feel like I stole it, and cannot say enough about what a great value it really is. While it is not a supreme standout in any one area, it does everything fairly well. If you are looking for a good "quiver killer", I would highly recommend it.

Pros (to echo some of the 1st reviewer's sentiments):

1 - Ease of installation w/ no mess.
2 - Fast navigation due to HD based software; STRONG GPS reception.
3 - Clean sound, even w/o an amp.
4 - Easy addition of additional AV sources.
5 - POI database is robust.
6 - Built in bluetooth, especially the ability to stream BT audio (Pandora and Slacker in the car!!!)
7 - Tangible, physical buttons for volume control and source selection


Cons (more nitpicking than anything else):

1 - Excessive glare in bright sunlight... hopefully this will be remedied w/ a simple anti-glare film.
2 - Can't use voicedial feature for making calls.
3 - Entering addresses could be a little cumbersome if you don't know the alternative names.
4 - No quick scroll feature for navigating through the iPod.
5 - Mix CDs don't play continuously.
6 - Can't view the nav screen when playing BT audio.

I hope this helps others who are trying to decide on a new DD unit for their vehicle. Thanks to the 1st reviewer for helping me make my own decision.

(I also reviewed this on [...])

I bought the Clarion NZ500 after researching many different in-dash dual-din receivers. I found the lowest price at the time (March 2010) for $574 using [...] - which eventually took me to the seller on Amazon. If searching for the NZ500 directly on Amazon, the seller I bought from wasn't listed and the lowest price I could find was $585. What really sold me on the NX500 is a speedometer feature. I only seen this on one other unit and that too was from Clarion. See my pics above.

Anyhow, I thought the price was very good for a 6.5" screen, DVD player, built in Navigation, HD Radio ready and Sirius Sat ready. What I really liked about the NX500 is that there are no wires/cables coming out the back of the unit. For example, the back of the unit is clean, with no wires/cables hanging out. What you do is PLUG in the necessary wires/cables that you need, like the wiring harness that goes to your car, and the SAT antenna or the Sirius connector. I didn't need to connect the wires for an external amp, so I didn't need to plug those wires into the back of the unit. Unlike other head units, you don't have a choice. The back of the unit is cluttered with wires that may not be needed. Not with the NZ500. Other units I have seen (Dual, Eclipse, etc) all have the wire connectors in the back of the unit whether you need them or not. This makes for a mess during install.

I installed the NX500 in my 2007 Kia Sorento. The hardest part of the install was removing the plastic panels on the dash. As for the actual NX500...well, I just bought a wiring harness and then matched the colored wires together and used shrink tubing to bind them together. Took no more than 10 minutes to do.

I also purchased the Sirius SC-C1 satellite receiver add-on. I also got this from Amazon using [...] and got it for less than $40. With the NX500 all you need to do is buy the SC-C1 and plug them in together. You DO NOT need any addition add on to get this working, unlike other in-dash units. However, you will need to subscribe to Sirius for service.

I am so very pleased that this installation went without any problems. I had it installed and working in less than 30 minutes. The sound of the NX500 is incredible with my stock system, however, I did notice there was no EQ control for my mid-range speaker, only Tweets and Woofer. There is a LOUD control and this thing really boosts the sound loud; So loud that I probably won't be using it as it distorts the bass TOO HEAVY. I guess I could adjust the bass, but so far, I didn't. I did a custom install of the Sat antennaes of both the Navi and Sirius. I installed them with double-sided tape on the dash board above the radio and it works great (while I had the dash opened, I also installed/hardwired my radar detector wire, too), the reception is fantastic. See pics above.

The Navigation works great and the signal was picked up as soon as I turned on the NX500. I'm not too thrilled with the color scheme but perhaps it looked the way it did because it was dusk? I know Navi's colors will change with the time of day, so perhaps the color scheme emulated that it was getting dark. However, that didn't detract away from the performance of the Navi. No need for a DVD or memory card, just turn the unit on and it's all good. I really like that.

The stock radio channels come in nice and clear and I get far more stations than my old stock radio. Not sure why, but I'm not complaining. I didn't opt for the HD Radio add-on as I have HD Radio built in my other car and it's not all that and for whatever reasons, most of the stations in my area quit broadcasting the 2nd HD signal. But I digress, the NX500's stock radio signals are very clear and sound great with my stock 12 speaker set up. The NX500 has built in controls for the Sirius SC-C1, too. Once I subscribed to the service (online, had to use my computer first), the signal was received and I was listening to SAT radio. Quite honesty, I thougt it would be more clear than this, plus there is a loud hissing noise that isn't very mutable by lowering the high's (tweeter) control through the EQ. I was a little disappointed in this, but still happy that I got this system installed and everything was working from get go, unlike other times I've done Do It Yourself and had nothing but problems.

I didn't install the hand brake wire for the DVD. I'm not sure where the wire would go anyhow, so I purchased a bypass kit off Ebay and it should arrive in a few days. I will need this in order to get the DVD to work because even in park, the movie would not show; I could hear it, but there was a warning message on the screen. For now, I had the parking brake wire grounded, but this did not work (like my Jensen head unit, just ground the parking brake wire and you're good to go). Anyhow, once I install the bypass, I'll also install the license plate camera I bought last week. I didn't install it tonight as it was getting dark and I didn't want to tinker with the install all night.

Overall, I am very very pleased with the NX500. For the price and ease of install, I'm not sure if I could have done better with another brand. I did have my heart set on a comparable JVC, but when that got sold out, I found the Clarion. Installed in my Kia Sorento, it looks so clean and professional that it looks factory. :)

Pros:

1) Easy to install.
2) Connectors on the back of the unit to "plug" in wire connections. No messy unused wires like other units.
3) Built in Navigation. Once unit is installed and antenna is plugged in, that is all you need to receive Navigation. No DVD's or memory cards needed.
4) Receive more clearer radio stations that my old stock radio
5) Clear, crisp sound. Perfect for my stock speakers
6) Easy to use interface
7) Added Sirius SC-C1 for added Sat-Radio. Easy plug and play (plus subscription though)
8) SPEEDOMETER
9) Bluetooth - but I couldn't get my Motorola to sync with it (or any other device. It's my phone that's the problem)

Cons:

1) High hissing sound from Sat Radio. Can be adjusted slightly by using the EQ settings.
2) EQ only had High and Low settings. No midrange. Perfect for my other car, but my Sorento has 3 speakers per door, not two, so I would liked to have had midrange control.
3) Need to connect the brake wire in order to view DVD. Wiring to ground will not make this work at all.
4) Not many cons. This is an awesome receiver!


Updated: 03/25/10

Had to reduce the stars from 5 to 4. Reason:

1) Can't really see the display during the day; Too much reflection on the screen. It's especially dimmer when the headlights are on, as the NX500 has an auto-dimmer when you turn on the headlights. Can't really get around this when it's raining and you have to turn on your headlights! My only solution is that I bought (hasn't yet arrived in the mail) an anti-glare film to place over the screen. I hope this helps, as it was pretty expensive (close to $20)

2) I've had to power off/on the unit because the Sirius would lock up. I've had to do this a few times over the past couple days (and I'm not in the car but momentarily when I'm driving to and from work). What happens is that the categories for channels will lock up and I can't select any stations/channels. I can hear the Sirius radio and use the other functions on the touch screen, but not the category buttons (like presets, etc). My solution was to power off and on the unit to "reboot" they system. It works, but come on, this has happened too many times now. Very annoying.

After about 2 weeks of browsing and looking for the right head unit for my 2009 Ford Escape, I decided the Clarion NX500 would be perfect. As compared to other units in its class, the Clarion NX500 has many more features. Including navigation, Satellite radio, HD radio, full iPhone/iPod interface and compatibility, Bluetooth calling/audio/video support, rear view camera support, as well as DVD and auxiliary in. The unit also supports addons and is just all around VERY adaptable to your lifestyle.

The navigation is perfect! I don't have a single negative thing to say about it, although on the plus side, it will calculate any local route in under a second (2 seconds tops). I even calculated a route from mid-Michigan to Hollywood blvd and put it side by side with a Garmin 765T, NX500 - 26 seconds, Garmin 765T - 1.5 minutes. The speed of calculation is due to a very large navigation processor within the NX500.

I was able to sync my iPhone to this unit very quickly. Playing Bluetooth audio was a breeze.

The video lockout is easily bypassed by connecting a PAC TR7 Universal. Trigger Module [...] contains a nice guide to how its done.

Video comes out clear, personally, I don't see any problems with glare, although I do have a slight tint on my rear windows.

All and all, this is a great unit and I would suggest it to anyone!

For the price it seems like a good deal. However, there are a few serious problems with the NX500. I ended up getting a different brand in dash Bluetooth audio GPS system, which I am very happy with.

NX500 Problems:
1. Screen glare when it is sunny outside.
2. GPS maps require that you enter a city name first. For addresses near city borders you may have to try a couple city names before you find the one NX500 uses for that address. Very time consuming and annoying.
3. It was missing some addresses. The GPS maps need an update. Unfortunately Clarion did not have an update available.
4. You cannot use the GPS system and Bluetooth audio at the same time. I listen to internet radio via Bluetooth from my cell so I could not use the GPS system. These are both nice features but the fact you cannot use them at the same time makes the system useless.

I do not recommend this system. Maybe one day Clarion will catch up but the NX500 does not do what you would expect. Great features but usability wise it leaves a lot to be desired.

I had high hopes for this unit! It had all the features we wanted at a great $$... I have not had it a year and it has already been in the shop 2 times... The Clarion customer service is NON-EXISTANT! You will spend days on the phone trying to get around their loopy system only to finally get your typical "guy in India" who has no idea what your saying and has the same response every time. It can't be the unit must be the car?? Take it to a local service center (Because we bought it on Amazon) they don't really exist - usually just some random electronics shop. Have them send it to us. Basically it's the same issue over and over... it starts with the presets constantly cutting out so you have to re-program almost every few days. Then one by one the features shut down until you are left with only FM radio and then it sticks on the highest volume! The first time it happened we finally got customer service after 17 attempts of calling random numbers off the website. After 3 "out of country" guys said there was nothing they could do to help us we finally got a guy in the US and he said they have a problem with the chip failing - "send it in thru a 'local service center" (bought on Amazon) - ARUGH! Sent it in - 3 months later it came back. We re-installed it for another $300 then 2 months later it started all over again... sent back in - Needless to say - it is not in the truck anymore! Skip this one!

I was very happy upon ordering this head unit, even happier that I paid almost half what the competition is asking for their double din navigation / bluetooth units. For the first six months the unit was great. Ok, the navigation was a little quirky (sometimes it would jump 100's of miles while navigating, other times it can't find a well known bank, even though it's been there for two years)After six months the problems started. The touch screen would randomly freeze leaving me no way to control anything. Sometimes the screen would not even turn on. I tried everything to get it working, even reinstalling it. After reading lots of the same stories online yet no solutions, I called Clarion. They are funny people, who seem to know their products don't work yet simply do not care. Instead of trying to troubleshoot the problem, they kept repeating to go to the vendor, as the problem is theirs. So I called Amazon who after checking everything actually gave me a refund on the unit, which was nice since I didn't really want another one of these pieces of junk. Lesson learned, I'll pay the extra money and get Kenwood or Alpine.

I am totally pleased with this product. I wish the I-POD and USB connections were in the front but no big deal. After installation set-up was easy. The only displeasure was finding out how many other things I had to purchase to use all of the features. A mic for the bluetooth, the sirius adapter. However I saved money purchasing them through Amazon rather than buying them from a retailer. Overall I am quite pleased.

Good job Clarion. Easy to install and set up. I have never had a unit like this and I find it very user friendly. Wont own a vehicle without one from now on.

This touchscreen Navigation Receiver clarion NX500 is the BEST one i had, i had other in-Dash GPS in my cars before,but this is the one to get, it's very easy to use, and looks very nice in my 2002 Hyundia santa fe, and love it when i watch DVD movies in my car, it sound so good! CLARION NX500 the BEST!!!! A+++++++++++ ( Don't think, just buy it!) have fun with it!

I bought an XN509 3 months ago. All features worked very well after installation. Auto power antenna, backup camera, gps, dvd, ipod all worked well, the installation was very straight forward. The only issue is that the map data is quite outdated (2008 map) and Clarion does not provide map update so GPS and POI features will become less and less useful as time goes by. Also the GPS does not tell if the destination is on the left or right.