Customer Reviews

Dual XHD6425 4X50 Watt Bluetooth-Ready HD Radio and MP3 Player

5 star:		(75)
4 star:		(40)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

Like most other reviewers I have been extremely impressed with what I got for the money. I purchased the XHD6425 and the Bluetooth add-on. They were installed in my 2000 Ford Explorer about a month ago. I didn't want to write a review until I had some time to work with the unit and see its positives and negatives.

The positives are well known, HD radio, inexpensive bluetooth option, available USB port and a 3.5mm aux jack. So lets go over the issues, both good and bad, for each.

HD Radio - Very nice. I won't lie, I didn't know what to expect. I normally get excellent reception here in NYC. So was I knocked out by the sound quality? No, not especially. But it *IS* better. It's also nice to see the second and sometimes third HD feed in the same frequency. I wasn't aware of that when I bought it. Any negatives? Not really. It's a good feature nice feature. I also like that you can set it so that it only scans for HD stations.

Bluetooth - Now I was really looking forward to this for two reasons. One was obvious. I wanted to link my phone up to the head unit (HU) to make and receive calls. As far as this is concerned, it worked great. pairing was a cinch with my VZW Treo 700P. The second reason was that this unit is able to handle A2DP Bluetooth Stereo. It worked great. I was able to stream Bluetooth audio from my phone and also from my bluetooth enabled MP3 player. I can use either the device itself or the HU to control the playback. Very sweet. Any negatives here? Yeah, kind of. The BT features does not allow you to import your phonebook, so you either start the call on your phone or dial the number on the HU. Dialing on the HU is interesting, but not smart. You use the radio preset buttons as well as several other buttons on the HU. They're too small and it's too distracting. This is a minor problem honestly as I have my phone mounted on a ProClip on the AC vent. But others might have an issue here. Also, ending a call requires you to hold down the mute button on the HU for three seconds. This is dumb. You should be able to disconnect by pressing the phone icon on the BT module. But no. The BT receiver button is for accepting a call, not ending one. Again, not a deal breaker, but disappointing.

Available USB port - Genius. I can use this to charge any device that uses a USB charging cable. Including my work Blackberry. I can use a USB flash memory card and it works great. Negatives here? Yes. Navigating through music folders is a chore. Not fun at all. I don't normally use this option as I simply control my MP3 player through either the BT or through the aux port, but again, it's worth mentioning.

Aux port - Again, genius. Simple feature that should be on all radios. Does exactly what it's supposed to. You just purchase a simple 3.5mm cable from Radio Shack or anywhere else and you can plug in any high-tech or low-tech audio feature you want. No negatives. It just works great.

Overall device... Nice. But there are some usability issues. The default sound is kind of weak in my opinion. I don't listen to things too loud, but it was still softer than I preferred. Setting "Loudness" to "ON" in the settings fixed that, but almost too much. Again, it's all about preferences. It's subjective. I also wish the radio presets had better shapes. They can be hard to hit and they toggle from the sides. 1 and 2 share the same button, so you have to hit the edges and not the center. It's annoying. As others have said, you can't dim the display, but this never bothers me.

One last thing is car specific but still an issue. My car has controls on the steering wheel that I use to control volume, switch between radio bands, CD and cassette as well as switch between radio presets (or tracks). I tried to keep as much of this functionality intact by separately purchasing a IR steering wheel control kit from PAC. It worked, but not well. Volume works fine, but the radio doesn't have a remote setting for switching between presets, so you're forced to use the HU (or the remote control). Other than that, you're just scanning between frequencies. That's annoying. Switching bands is just that, radio only. If I want to switch between inputs, I have to use the HU or the remote. Some might think these are minor issue, but I use my steering wheel controls constantly. This became my biggest disappointment by far.

All in all, a very good deal for the dollar. No doubt. The device has issues. They all do, but as long as you go into the purchase knowing the compromises up front, I think you'll be very impressed. I am.

Update after 3 months of use: The BT stopped pairing with any phone. Tried resetting the unit. Started pairing again disconnecting and connecting the car battery. Looks like some kind of software/firmware bug. Pain to disconnect the battery every time this happens.

Near power lines, the HD signal is lost. May not be specific to this unit.


Pros:
- Excellent value. You get HD radio, MP3/WMA CD player, USB input, 3.5mm input, remote control and bluetooth ready for less than what you would spend on a Sony unit.
- Bluetooth adapter works flawlessly. I installed this in a 99'accord which is a noisy car on the freeway and my friends could not tell I am calling from car BT. Infact, my handset picks up a lot more noise.
- BT works with voice dialing feature with my SE w810i.
- Good sound quality.


Cons:
- Hard to read display in bright daylight.
- No option to turn off BT when the ignition switch is off. My phone stays connected as the car is parked less than 50 feet away. A bit annoying.
- Radio is picking up some "alternator whine". This could a grounding issue and nothing wrong with the unit itself.
- The "display" mode that shows song, title, artist info etc doesn't stay in that mode when radio is turned off and on.
- No option to continuously scroll title, artist and station info all together. You can get this info separately by pressing "disp" button repeatedly.
- Cannot store any phone numbers on the unit although it remembers last 5 dialed, received and missed numbers. It would be nice to provide a phone book on the unit itself.
- Buttons are a bit tiny. Call hang-up requires pressing a tiny button for 3 secs. There should be a dedicated button for this.

I had installed a Alpine XM radio in my truck 3 years ago. I had 7 subscriptions for different devices all running XM. I then got angry that XM radio had started to play commercials on some of the channels so I decided to cancel my XM radio service and switch to HD Radio. Yes, I know HD radio has commercials but it is free and the sound quality is great.
I shopped around for new decks that had the features I was looking for.
1. HD Radio
2. Bluetooth
3. CDR support with MP3 play back & support.
4. Mobile media players support (iPod or similar device).

After checking several different vendors I came to find the Dual devices. The reason why I was leaning to the Dual decks was price for the deck and add-ons. I looked at the Alpine, Sony, Pioneer, and other units but was put-off by them because of the price for the add-on modules, (Bluetooth, Ipod Support, etc.) The decks ran anywhere from $100 to $900 dollars, which is fine but the modules, (Bluetooth), added anywhere from $150 to $300 dollars for each one. This brings the price above what I was willing to pay for a radio in my old pickup truck.
I ordered the Dual XHD6425 unit for under $120 and got the BTM-60 Bluetooth module for under $50. When they arrived I was pleasantly surprised with how well the device worked.
Installation was straight forward. I have installed several car stereos over the years. I used the wire harness I bought with the Alpine unit which made it easier. There is one downfall, there is no dedicated sub-woofer output. I ended up plugging the sub woofer into the rear preamp connections.
The Bluetooth module clipped to the visor and ran down the inside of the side molding to the dashboard where I was able to fish it under the dash to the back of the deck. The cord was plenty long. Probably about 10 feet. It easily reached in my full size truck.

The unit it itself works great. Set up is fairly easy, but I did have to read the instruction on some items operation. HD radio sound is great and power is beyond what I need in my truck. I have never turned it all the way up yet and I usually listen to music pretty loud.
The Bluetooth works with out a hitch and it also supports the streaming of music from my Blackberry. It does not display the music info when streaming with bluetooth which sucks but what do you expect.

The USB support I have not had a chance to try yet. I did get a 4gig key but have not taken the time to move music to on to it.

All in all I would suggest this unit for the features included for the price and the add-on module price. I am very happy with the performance over all especially for $180 bucks.

CraZyLeS

I've had this head unit for almost a year now, the first 6 months were really good. The unit has some great features and it's priced well.. I was happy, then one day it wouldn't tune in my favorite FM radio stations. All my presets just wouldn't tune in.. there was nothing but static. I was confused because it just happened.. with no apparent reason and other stations would still come in fine. After playing with the unit and trying to figure it out, a buddy suggested I try to reset the head unit (a small button behind the face plate) and sure enough... that did it, I could receive my favorite channels again.

As a follow up, I've had this unit for a couple years now and I love it.. really a great head unit. A great value!

I purchased the 1st unit a few weeks ago to replace my JVC analog radio/cd player in my boat. I initially needed a unit with remote but when I ran across this unit with HD radio and USB for the price I took the chance on an unfamiliar brand. After installation I was amazed with the quality and performance. The HD radio sounds great and my MP3 player with my whole collection was plug-in-play! The USB even charges the MP3 player when plugged in. I was so impressed I just purchased my 2nd unit for my truck. Almost forgot ... the remote works just fine!

When I bought this deck in May 08, I gave it 4 stars. Then I found the deck is NOT Bluetooth equipped, only Ready(Amazon has subsequently changed the title to say Bluetooth-Ready. Wankers), and once I bought the BTM-60 Module, I found the module is not compatible with certain LG phone models. I'm a radio junkie, & was excited to get HD radio. That is, until I found HD radio works about as well as an automotive shortwave, unless you're not more than about 10 miles from the source, with good line-of-sight, and parked with your engine off. Unfortunately, where I live, unless I go to the top of a 200 ft knoll overlooking my town, the only HD station I can get is a Conservative "Christian" station. I recently drove from to Central Oregon & back, & I found KUOW-3 only worked 40-25 miles south of Seattle, and 10-20 miles north. Even when I could see the source, the reception sucked.
I really like plugging my MP3 player into this & using the remote to control it, but why isn't the remote backlit(the customer service people at Dual are like "Backlit?? Hey, why didn't we think of that?" You can't see the remote in the dark.
After reading reviews of this unit, why didn't I pick up that this requires addition of a Bluetooth receiver? Bonehead! As Otto(Kevin Kline) said in "A Fish Called Wanda", "DISAPPOINTED!!" But hey, the CD section works flawlessly. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for the tuner section of the receiver, which I'd hoped would be an upgrade from the POS stock unit in my Volvo 240. However, the AM section is weak, even after the addition of a new, slightly longer antenna mast. The only AM I listen to is ESPN, and for some reason, the signals of the ESPN affiliates in the Puget Sound area are terrible, so I listen to KNBR out of San Francisco. (I just got off the phone with Dual's tech line, & they advised me to send them the unit, that they haven't gotten complaints about the AM reception- which means how long without a radio?). The FM reception is adequate.
The bottom line, this is an adequate value: I was overjoyed I scored this unit for $99.95 on Amazon, figuring what a deal, eh? I called Crutchfield, & bought their Installation guide for the Volvo 240, I bought wire & splices. I spent hours pulling panels & my POS stock head unit. I got 75% done, & due to the fact that adding aftermarket audio to the Volvo 240 requires the stock amp in the be bypassed, I hit a place where I was stuck, and did what I should have done in the first place: I went to a PROFESSIONAL audio installer & paid $110 for their expertise in finishing what I'd started. If I'd gone there(CTs)in the first place, this unit would have cost me $149 including installation, and would have saved me time, money, and aggravation plus frustration. As it stands, I'm out about $220 plus gas & time there & back(not to mention the fact I had to kill 90 minutes in Lynnwood, Wa., which is never a pleasant idea). If you have a vehicle where you can simply release the catches and slide your old unit out & the new unit in, by all means snap this up. If installation in your vehicle requires panel removals, and grunting & sweating & wiring, pay the extra base cost, & buy this at and have it installed by your local professional. You'll be much happier.
In addition, make sure your phone & Cell service provider have Dual listed on their compatibility chart. I figured, "Bluetooth? Same-o-same-o, no prob, but LG told me to check Verizon's chart: very few aftermarket stereos are listed, & Dual is not among them. Bollocks!!
After 5 months living with this, I'm ready to Ebay it. I really want HD radio, but since I can get it much less than 0.1% of the time I'm listening to the radio, why have it?
Bottom line: CD player: flawless; "Built-in" Bluetooth: liars; Aux/MP3: flawless; Tuner: totally unacceptable. Terrible. If also found that when I'm in an area where the HD signals aren't strong, the HD kicks in & out, causing the receiver to go back & forth from HD to non-HD signal, so sometimes I'll hear the same thing over & over, and there's no way to turn it off. I would NOT BUY THIS AGAIN, & I had to kill my original review, then resubmit it so I could lower the number of stars.

Product update: after 2 years & 3 months, one channel has blown on this. 92% of the time it was using the radio, and very seldom was the volume above 35. I've never had a piece of car audio equipment go bad this quickly. I'd probably buy another one, just because I'm used to it & my car's wired for it, but I wouldn't pay more than $25.
I replaced it with a JVC Car KDHDR30 In-Dash CD Receiver with HD Radio Tuner, which is just great. HD reception has improved immensely for most stations, and although the controls aren't as user friendly as on the Dual, it kick's the Dual's butt.

This product is my "first" digital car stereo and I am impressed how crystal clear the audio sound quantity is. If I knew about it sooner, I would of been the first one on my block to own this particular brand. I was skeptical because, I have never heard or associated with the "DUAL"
brand before, but hearing is believing. It is an amazing product for the price and installation couldn't be easier. I will never go back to analog!

I wont bore you with a recap of the other reviews. I have just installed the unit, and am quite happy so far. The HD radio is great, as you hear it lock into the HD channels, it is easy to hear the difference. MP3s play well, and really I have no complaints other than there are a million functions, and the unit is not intuitive in its use. For instance, it is easy to forget how to change settings--push and hold the volume control, then push to move from one setting to the next, and toggle by turning the volume up and down. I forgot and took a long time parked one day to remember. (Keep the manual in your car.)

There is one glitch to know about. I thought my unit had failed one day after installing it. The faceplate controls would not work, but the remote worked fine. I was very unhappy. Then I pulled the bluetooth unit out of the pocket it was stored in, and discovered the problem. If the button on the optional bluetooth unit is depressed, none of the faceplate controls will work. So if you store it in a pocket like I do, be sure the button is not depressed.

Overall it is nice unit. There are probably better units, and certainly easier to use headunits, but since I paid only $30 at Best Buy for the unit, and another $24 for the Bluetooth unit, I am very satisfied with it. The bluetooth, which I never would have paid full price for, is awesome, sounding better than any of my bluetooth headsets. Supposedly you can also stream music by bluetooth, but I don't have any devices that do that, so I couldn't test it.

For full price, I'd give this four stars, but for the price I paid, an enthusiastic five stars.

I don't want to go over what everybody else has already told you. Here are the pros and cons of this radio as I experienced it.
The radio installed easily with installation parts from www.installer.com. I put it in my Ford F150 using the Ford speakers. The sound was good, yet not as much power as my original Ford equipment, so I increased the power by buying one of the Dual 300 watt power amplifiers. This was just what it needed, the sound got much, much better. I would call it perfect now.
The Blue Tooth attachment worked wonderfully with my Blackberry 7100i. So far, not with my Sony Ericson 580i. The calls I make using the blue tooth are excellent. I have placed 10 or 12 calls and all reported very good audio, and most did not know I was using a hands free device. I still had wondered how my opinion would compare, so I left myself a voicemail at home and listened to it last night. It was perfect. There was no detectable difference from any other call. Yes, you do have to end the call by hitting a button on the phone, but I never take the phone from my hip to do that. The phone connects automatically. As soon as I turn the radio on, they link-up and work perfectly. The glowing blue phone button can be used to answer the call or dial the last number again. As soon as a call is placed the music goes into a paused mode and you hear only the phone call. As soon as you disconnect the music returns. The same is with received calls, as a call comes in the music stops and the speakers ring. You tap the blue phone button, either on the blue tooth adapter, or on the radio, or on the remote control, and the call is answered.
The USB port can hold very big thumb drives. I have a mini 4 GB drive in it. How many songs the memory holds is common knowledge, but the specifications say the radio will work with up to 48000 songs, and play them in random order. It also has a search by name function, a search by track number. The Cd plays CDRW, or CDR. It will play MP3, or WMA, and support very high sample rates.
The tone controls are the bass, and treble, plus 6 , to minus 6 in range, plus a preset EQ. The EQ has many settings, and they have pretty good range. I managed to get awesome sound.
I used a two channel 300 watt Dual amplifier on the two front channels. I could have used a 4 channel amp, but I did not see a need for it. My primary speakers are front mounted. The amplifier has a terminal to be controlled by the radio, so when the radio is off so is the amplifier.
The radio has two RCA outputs, one for front channel audio, and one set for rear. I would give this a rating of 4.5 stars; only because I feel that there is a little room for improvement. One would be the way calls are ended, and other would be that the radio would remember what kind of display I want. As it is, if I want to see Track information in the display, I have to set it that way every time I turn the radio on. Not such a big deal, but I wish it were different.
One more plus, the radio can store tone controls for each mode separately.

Great except that since day one, it will not play a CD. It takes the CD and ejects it after about 5 seconds. Would have been a really nice unit. I have tried several different types of CDs and all would not play. Their web site offers practically no support. No dealers located within 50 miles of my zip. Check out playing CDs immediately and return it if it is bad. I cannot find any firmware updates or a way to fix it. The rest of it works well. Lack of support was especially disappointing.