70 of 71 people found the following review helpful:
Features galore with some minor issues
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.
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
Good features but needs to be factory reset often, unreliable!
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...
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.
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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.
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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. I reset it and all was good for about a month.. and then it happened again.. and again.. and again. I can't go a week now without the unit freezing up and forgetting how to tune stations in. I wish I would have bought a less sophisticated unit and went with something more reliable.
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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
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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!
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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!
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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.
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We've owned a 6425 and a 6420 (same but without USB and Bluetooth) for about a year, and son of a gun, you can't get anything this good for anywhere near the price. Let's be realistic, this isn't a high-end receiver. Power is modest, usability is OK (control layout is a bit weird), but it does what it does very well, which is to receive and play HD-radio stations. We live in a major metropolitan area, so there are a lot of HD stations and they come in fairly well. HD-radio is, honestly, no big deal (quality is not "HD" - it's really only about as good as MP3), but a nice thing is that, for some reason, all of the "upper" HD channels (HD1 is always the same as the analog FM, which the unit automatically switches to when the HD signal isn't good enough) seem to be commercial free. I don't know if this is a requirement or just something broadcasters are trying out, but it's the main reason I like HD-radio.
Aside from that, the aux function, the USB port, and MP3 compatibility on the CD player, and the Bluetooth function (with the optional BTM60 module) are all great features. I especially appreciate the bluetooth, because, unlike many car bluetooth units, it disconnects automatically when you shut off the radio. Visor-mounted units stay on until you're out of range (unless you remember to turn them off), and it's happened to me more than once that my phone rang while I was sitting in the living room and the speaker in the car answered it. And the BTM60 routes the caller's audio through the speakers while muting the radio. This is probably about as convenient as car bluetooth gets. I know that units from other companies can do this, but not at this price. I regret saving a few dollars and getting the 6420 for the other car instead of another 6425 (the 6420 doesn't do bluetooth).
I won't say that these receivers don't have problems that others have reported; I just haven't hit them. So, for the money, you really can beat these.
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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. I would NOT BUY THIS AGAIN, & I had to kill my original review, then resubmit it so I could lower the number of stars.
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I am the owner two low power (Part 15) AM stations. AM performance is important to me. If you intend to do any listening to analog AM stations, forget this radio, I am sorry to say. Yes, on this unit, digital AM sounds better than analog FM. But the audio quality of its analog AM is a relic of Marconi's early experiments. It's that terrible! And, although this is the only HD radio I've tested, I'm pretty sure I can say this applies to all HD radios.
Among AM broadcasters, only the larger corporate stations have converted to HD. For years, the smaller independent stations have resisted it, even to the point of calling the entire AM HD experiment a "turkey." There are many reasons why, but none more graphic than when you test the AM band on this receiver. The absolute horrible sound seems almost designed so that you will never listen to a smaller, independent AM station, only to the big boys who "believe" in this obviously flawed "technology."
More than 90 percent of AM stations remain analog only. It is unlikely that many more are going digital any time soon. Given that fact, the analog AM audio of this set (and probably others) is totally inexcusable. We were far better off with the analog AM Stereo of the 1980's than this.
It's too bad because this Dual car head unit shines in nearly every other way. It is packed with versatility and features. The overall sensitivity of both radio bands is very good. The FM HD performance is stellar and the sub-channels increase your options. And between CD's, mp3's, WMA's, auxiliary input, and USB thumb drives, there's little it can't play. It's just too bad about the AM audio.
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