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115 of 119 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Receiver is good ONLY if you buy at Amazon's low low price!!!!, December 8, 2009
To put it politely, I have been disappointed by the performance and feature set of this receiver. In fact, I thought it was so bad that this couldn't have been a product developed by Clarion. I think this is a re-badged Clarion which was designed/engineered by a low-tier manufacturer. The fact that the HD Tuner that works with this receiver doesn't work with any other seems to point in that direction too. But this is a review, so I will be specific about it.
Usually, people write the positives and negatives when writing a review. I will do the same. So, here's what I like about it:
1. Looks: It is a handsome looking deck. I am not a fan of the flashing LEDs and rotating colors. This has very minimalistic and simplistic, OEM type design that complements the rest of the dash.
2. Build quality is great. Definitely does not look like a made in China item that you can buy at an auto parts store.
3. Nice, large screen - crisp and clear.
4. Sounds is good, although nothing earth-shattering for a 200W amp.
5. HD Tuner works well, get stations fast and clear.
Now, before I list the things I don't like about it, let me explain something. A lot of people will mention a LACK OF FEATURE as a negative. I kind of find it unfair. I mean, before you buy something, you should know what features it has or doesn't have. For example, this receiver doesn't have Bluetooth. Now, it will be unfair for me to say this is a bad receiver because of that.
On the other hand, things that are wrong with it, or designs that are inconvenient can be fairly mentioned in the list of CONS. So, I will start with it:
1. If you start your car before you attach the faceplate, the receiver will remain turned off. You have to press the power button to turn in on - every time. With most receivers, if you turned off your receiver before you remove your car keys, it will remain off until you turn in on manually. Same way, if you left your receiver turned ON, and turned the car off (remove keys), it will come on automatically next time you turn on ignition and put the faceplate. This doesn't do that. Very inconvenient.
2. The "power"/ON button is not lit when the unit is off. So, coupled with the issue #1, it is a major inconvenience at night. You come in, start the car, put the faceplate back on - and nothing. Now you will have to blindly look for the power button to turn it on.
3. If there is a CD/DVD in the drive, it will always start in the CD/DVD source, regardless of last source you were listening to when it was turned off.
4. USB slot is also not lit, so, inserting a USB drive at night takes a few tries.
5. Most of the buttons have more than one functions. One function is printed right on the button, the other function for the same button is printed right below it. However, ONLY the button is lit, not the print below it. For example, the power button also acts as the mute button. But when the receiver is on, only the power symbol is lit, not "MUTE" which is written right below it. It is true for all buttons with more than one functions.
6. The dreaded DVD-loop issue. If you switched to a different source or turned the unit off while playing a DVD, next time it will only loop in the chapter it was last playing. Definitely a bad programming issue.
7. If you "mute" the unit while playing a CD or songs from USB, the mute will be automatically canceled and sound will come back on after the next song comes on. Really annoying - specially if you are on the phone with someone and suddenly the music comes on. I know this is not meant to be or that it is not a feature because the mute symbol stays on the display, even though the sound is heard. Again, bad programming.
8. The faceplate anchor design is merit-less at best. It has two plastic anchors sticking out from the unit where the faceplate latches on. These are plastic anchors about 1" long and they are just sticking out. If one of the breaks, the whole unit is useless. I will post a pic to show what I mean.
9. Absolutely no display customization. What comes with is what you get - and what comes with it is nothing. You can't change the display color/wallpaper/font/size - nothing.
10. USB operation is ridiculous at best. It shows all the songs in one list and the only way to navigate through them without the remote is to go up and down, which is painfully slow. You can go folder to folder using the remote. With the "UP" and "DOWN" symbols being not lit, it's inconvenient at night.
EDIT: I discovered that you can press and hold the up or down button to navigate from folder to folder. No mention of this in the manual.
11. If your mp3 folders have a pic such as an album art, this unit will get stuck at that, and it will ask you to put the parking brake on to view it - instead of just not showing the pic and moving on to the next song. If you have a lot of albums, you will need to manually remove all the album arts from the USB drive.
12. In the USB mode, it "eats" about 1 sec from the beginning of a song when it moves starts the next track. It's not as noticeable with the songs that start slow, but clearly annoying when a song starts out loud or with a beat, for example, Michael Jackson's Billie Jean. Don't know if this applies to CD tracks too.
13. It will recognize only 512 songs total in your USB drive. Now-a-days people have their whole music collection on a single chip. 512 songs limitation sets you back to 1999.
14. A lot of the DVD operations can only be performed using the remote. There are buttons on the faceplate that are inactive during DVD play which they could have easily put some functions on.
15. It is not compatible with all USB drives. I don't know which ones are okay but I have a USB drive that works fine everywhere but this gives me an error saying "UBS Bad".
16. No dedicated button for "search", meaning fast forward or reverse. So, if you want to FF a song or DVD chapter, you will have to press and hold ">>|" for about 5 secs and then it will do it only at 2x speed. Do the same again (another 5 secs) to go 4x. If you let go before that, it will just skip to the next song or chapter - and you will have to do it again.
17. The internal clock loses time like crazy!! It would be half to a minute behind in just a week.
18. No permanent brightness setting for the screen. All you have is Normal -> Dim -> Off, using the Dim button. You can't set the brightness to your liking. To make matter worse, the setting using "Dim" button is temporary. Once the unit is re-started (turn off/turn on), it goes to full brightness.
19. Finally, THIS UNIT IS SLOW!!! Navigating through songs or tuning stations, skipping songs, switching sources - much slower than even the cheapest receivers out there.
Now, some of things that I would have love to see and I could expect in a $400 receiver:
1. This unit should have been AT LEAST bluetooth ready.
2. It has this huge, rotary volume knob which is also used for Bass/Treble settings by pushing it. I think this would have been more useful is this was programmed to be used as "Enter" button, and putting the "Bass/Treble" settings in the settings menu. Now, the "AS" button acts as enter which is not even lit.
3. When the ignition is on and the faceplate is not on, there is a little triangle blue LED that flashes to show where to enter CD/DVD. I wish this LED would blink all the time so it would act as a theft deterrent.
4. When you enter the "Settings" menu where you can change equalizer/loudness etc, the music stops. So, you have no way to instantly compare the effect of different EQ or loudness settings. Wish the music didn't stop.
5. The faceplate carry-case/box is CHEAP!!! They should have included a little better case.
Like the title says, the only thing that makes things even is the ultra-low pricing of Amazon, which sometimes even include a free HD tuner. Otherwise, for more price I would suggest getting something else.
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19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Most bang for your buck!, December 2, 2009
Screen/customization: Bright, vivid, and sharp but Clarion decided to keep customization to a complete minimum. For instance, when in aux mode you are stuck with a gray screen with the time and "AVin" displayed in the corner. I just turn off the screen completely to avoid it. Such a waste of a big beautiful screen.
DVD player: Quick start up, strong motor, good quality, and plays where you left off. Sometimes it will run in a chapter loop after turning the car off and then on again. This happens periodically (1 out of 10 times) where there will be a chapter loop causing you to stop the movie and start it again. Edit: I have heard from others that it happens every time you turn the car on and off but this hasn't exactly been the case for me, definitely has problems though.
HD radio: Locks into signals quickly and stays there, sounds fantastic. Info is scrolled on the bottom, again, waste of screen space.
Sound Quality: Excellent sound through deck power and 2V outputs. I have power hungry component speakers so I use an external amplifier but the deck's power will work fine for most setups. I used to run a pioneer deck with 4V preamp outputs so I was a little concerned about how the Clarion's 2V outs (4v for subs) would compare but I was pleasantly surprised at the strength and quality of the signal. Just as loud and clean as ever, if not more so. Sound is mostly flat with a slight emphasis on bass (remedied easily.)
Remote Control: Works well but don't lose it! You'll be crippled without it if you ever watch DVDs since most functions are controlled through the remote only.
USB: Sucks, simple as that, they shouldn't have even included it if they couldn't do it right (only shows one list of songs, difficult navigation.) Edit: Someone has brought it to my attention that you can in fact switch folders using the remote. I stand by my opinion that it's still poorly implemented and will never be used by me.
Rear Camera: Never tested, I'll definitely update this review once installed.
Overall: This is a fantastic unit at Amazon's rock bottom prices. I cannot think of any other deck that even comes close to this feature set and quality for less than $200. At $129 with free HD radio, it's a no-brainer. It's simply the best deck that you can get for that price and feature-set. I thought the DVD player would just be a toy for me but I actually find myself using it quite often when waiting around (parked of course) and the screen and sound quality are a pleasure. My major complaint has to do with the lack of customization. You really can't control what plays on the screen at all, no backgrounds, no color changes, nothing. For less than $200 I really can't complain much but at Clarion's retail price of $400 before tax you would think they'd allow for a little more adjust ability. Another thing is the lack of a rear A/V input. Pretty lame when you have that screen just begging to be used!
Pros:
- Price (IF you get in on amazons $129.99 deal w/hd tuner)
- Sound Quality
- Picture Quality
- (Good) DVD player
- Price
- Feature set
- HD radio
Cons:
- A bit slow when switching sources (roughly 3-5 seconds.)
- Lack of screen customization.
- Lack of A/V input in the rear (there's video but no audio, very lame)
- Cost of accessories (XM is pretty pricey) and rear camera is not included. People really shouldn't expect a rear camera to be included but I'm sure someone out there is going to be shocked when they find it "missing"...
One more thing worth mentioning is that although the DVD function has a lockout so that you can only view media while the parking brake is up (lead from unit connecting to parking brake wire) it is ridiculously easy to bypass. Anyone can google it and figure it out for themselves, not the safest thing for "invincible" teenagers trying to watch The Fast and the Furious while driving...
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22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Very solid deck for a minimal price!, December 28, 2009
First off I self installed this and love it, replaced a alpine deck and runs to 2 amps to power all of my after market speakers. Im 22 and have been into car audio for about 6 years now, self learned and installed everything I've put in it. One of the best feature is the HD radio, honestly if you know about car audio you know that FM radio is useless to someone with multiple amps and after market speakers and subs. Finally im about to play radio without all the garbage that is broadcast over normal fm. The sound quality is great and the deck looks beautiful not to mention the ridiculous price here on amazon.
I find these complaints a tad off and wanted to give you my input on them.
1. If you start your car before you attach the faceplate, the receiver will remain turned off. You have to press the power button to turn in on - every time. Very inconvenient.
~ Honestly this is a horrible complaint, I've owned a few alpines and other random decks this seems like a common thing to me, my solution put faceplace on before starting car or press one button?
2. The "power"/ON button is not lit when the unit is off. So, coupled with the issue #1, it is a major inconvenience at night. You come in, start the car, put the faceplate back on - and nothing. Now you will have to blindly look for the power button to turn it on.
~ Again horrible complaint seriously your vehicle doesn't have a dome light, why dont you attach the faceplate before starting your car?
3. If there is a CD/DVD in the drive, it will always start in the CD/DVD source, regardless of last source you were listening to when it was turned off.
~ Incorrect, mine doesn't do this, I leave CD in, USB in, AUX in and it will play what ever I left off with.
4. USB slot is also not lit, so, inserting a USB drive at night takes a few tries.
~ Seriously ... ?
5. Most of the buttons have more than one functions. One function is printed right on the button, the other function for the same button is printed right below it. However, ONLY the button is lit, not the print below it. For example, the power button also acts as the mute button. But when the receiver is on, only the power symbol is lit, not "MUTE" which is written right below it. It is true for all buttons with more than one functions.
~ The deck doesn't have many buttons and memorizing them takes about 5 minutes, after a few car rides I don't find this a valid complaint either.
6. The dreaded DVD-loop issue. If you switched to a different source or turned the unit off while playing a DVD, next time it will only loop in the chapter it was last playing. Definitely a bad programming issue.
~ Valid complaint, I don't use mine primary for DVDs so it hasn't bothered me much.
7. If you "mute" the unit while playing a CD or songs from USB, the mute will be automatically canceled and sound will come back on after the next song comes on.
~ Incorrect, mine doesn't do this
8. The faceplate anchor design is merit-less at best. It has two plastic anchors sticking out from the unit where the faceplate latches on. These are plastic anchors about 1" long and they are just sticking out.
~ Semi valid, they seem strong enough but I do try to be gently while putting the faceplate on doesn't bother me.
9. Absolutely no display customization. What comes with is what you get - and what comes with it is nothing. You can't change the display color/wallpaper/font/size - nothing.
~ True but I wouldn't complain about it, most decks are like this and I think it has a very good looking GUI
10. USB operation is ridiculous at best. It shows all the songs in one list and the only way to navigate through them without the remote is to go up and down, which is painfully slow. You can go folder to folder using the remote. With the "UP" and "DOWN" symbols being not lit, it's inconvenient at night.
~ If u want to play specific song after specific song USB is a bad choice. I usually put a bunch of CDs in there own folders and select the folder I want before I even start driving and stick with that CD or I put it on shuffle
11. If your mp3 folders have a pic such as an album art, this unit will get stuck at that, and it will ask you to put the parking brake on to view it - instead of just not showing the pic and moving on to the next song. If you have a lot of albums, you will need to manually remove all the album arts from the USB drive.
~ Valid, solution delete pictures from USB, took me about 3 minutes but i can see how its annoying.
12. In the USB mode, it "eats" about 1 sec from the beginning of a song when it moves starts the next track.
~ Valid, annoying indeed
13. It will recognize only 512 songs total in your USB drive. Now-a-days people have their whole music collection on a single chip. 512 songs limitation sets you back to 1999.
~ I haven't tested this yet but it is a weak limitation that was an advertised feature you knew before hand.
14. A lot of the DVD operations can only be performed using the remote. There are buttons on the faceplate that are inactive during DVD play which they could have easily put some functions on.
~ I primarily use the remote so not a valid complaint to me.
15. It is not compatible with all USB drives.
~ I've tried a trascend, sandisk and off brand all worked but I'm sure theres some that don't work.
16. No dedicated button for "search", meaning fast forward or reverse. So, if you want to FF a song or DVD chapter, you will have to press and hold ">>|" for about 5 secs and then it will do it only at 2x speed. Do the same again (another 5 secs) to go 4x. If you let go before that, it will just skip to the next song or chapter - and you will have to do it again.
~ I've never found the need to fast forward a song while driving before?
17. The internal clock loses time like crazy!! It would be half to a minute behind in just a week.
~ Not valid had mine installed for over 2 weeks clock is still right on. I believe your install may be bad which caused your Cd playing on start up.
18. No permanent brightness setting for the screen. All you have is Normal -> Dim -> Off, using the Dim button.
~ Valid but minimal, even at night I haven't found the unit to be overly bright my car has the deck set pretty low so that may be why.
19. Finally, THIS UNIT IS SLOW!!! Navigating through songs or tuning stations, skipping songs, switching sources - much slower than even the cheapest receivers out there.
~ Not true I've had a few off brand feature loaded decks that where slower and how often do you swith sources maybe once at most during a car ride which the switch takes about 3.2 seconds (i timed mine) and switching stations or songs is very quick less then a second on my unit.
These are just my opinions take them as you will. Thanks.
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