Sony MEXBT3700U CD Receiver Bluetooth Hands-Free with Integrated Microphone (Black) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I got this head unit because I got an iphone 3GS (previous iphone models do not have Bluetooth audio streaming (A2DP)) and wanted something that would give me as many options of integrating it with the car stereo as possible without spending a ton of money. I also didn't want to have to pay extra for the bluetooth attachments that you have to add on to the bluetooth ready head units.
-BLUETOOTH AUDIO STREAMING
The audio bluetooth streaming is great sound quality is very good (I am not a picky audiophile so can't say if sensitive ears would notice anything wrong with the quality), I actually listen to local radio stations through their internet streams through the iphone then bluetoothed to the car stereo because its better sound quality then what I get out of the tuner (any tuner not just this one, I live in a bad radio reception area between 2 markets). The stereo usually picks up my phone (for both phone and audio) within 30 seconds of turning on the car. I have had to reset the bluetooth (takes about 20 seconds, push one button twice) every few weeks because it will start to get skippy but it is a pretty minor inconvenience. Listening to Pandora through the Iphone to the car stereo is awesome, and has greatly improved my commute.

-Bluetooth Phone connection
Connects within 30 seconds of starting the car. Sound quality is good. And the microphone that is built in actually works well, this shocked me I was sure I would have to either yell or buy an external mic but the one that comes in the head unit picks up my voice fine I have not had a complaint about people on the other end of the call not being able to hear me. Another good thing about the mic being built in is that it saved me $60 on the installation that they would have charged me to install an external mic. The transition between phone call and what was playing before the call is automatic and fluid.
-USB input
I have not gotten a chance to use this because the bluetooth has worked well. It would be nice if it had a USB on the back of the unit in addition to the one on the front so that you could run a wire hidden behind the console plastic and have it connect where ever you wanted it to without it cluttering up the car (that is the main reason I gave it 4 instead of 5 stars).Overall I love this unit because it was fairly cheap and it does exactly what I wanted it to do in respect to integrating with my Iphone.

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The Sony MEX-BT3700U head unit with Bluetooth wireless technology features a front USB connection, a front aux-in and three preouts. The CD/MP3/WMA/AAC receiver is also compatible with the latest in Sony's audio features and technologies, including ZAPPIN, Quick-BrowZer, Jump Mode, Passenger Control and DM+ Advanced. Sony offers an optional microphone, model XA-MC10, designed to complement the MEX-BT3700U.

Detachable Faceplate The MEX-BT3700U features a detachable faceplate with black 13-segment LCD display. Switchable blue or green key illumination makes control in the dark a snap, and lets you pick your style.

USB 1-Wire With the addition of USB 1-wire functionality on select Sony CD receivers, you can easily expand your digital music player's options in your system. USB 1-wire receivers allow you to connect, charge, and control many digital music players including iPod, iPhone, Walkman music player, and even USB thumb drives directly from the head units, all from one wire.
iPod Direct By connecting an iPod to the USB port, you can listen to all your favorite iPod tunes on your car speakers. Once connected, the iPod will turn on, and it'll resume where you last left off. Enjoy full control of the iPod from the CDX-GT530UI, and while the car is on, your iPod will get a charge, so it'll be ready to go when you're back on foot.

USB Support Insert a USB thumb drive in the front panel USB port and enjoy your favorite digital audio files.
The CDX-GT530UI gives you the freedom to choose your format. Whether it's burnt to disc or on your USB drive, you'll enjoy playback of MP3, WMA, and AAC formats.
You also get ID3 tag support--title, artist and album info will be scrolled across the LCD.

Get Zapped with ZAPPIN While enjoying your iPod, or USB tunes, you can give ZAPPIN a try. Sony's unique ZAPPIN technology operates similarly to most car stereos' scan buttons. It continues to play a series of short music clips from your own music library until you can find your favorite song to match your mood.

Ready for SAT and HD Radio Using separate Sony adapters you can add an HD radio tuner, or add Satellite Radio for a wealth of channels of music, news, talk shows, sports and traffic information with CD quality sound.
AM/FM Radio Always have your favorite stations at hand with 18 FM and 12 AM presets.
Best Tuning Memory Setting your radio presets can be a real pain while you're driving--especially if you're in an unfamiliar area. So, let the tuner do the work for you by activating the Best Tuning Memory (BTM) function. The tuner will seek out up to 18 of the strongest stations in the area and set them into the tuner presets.
What's in the Box Sony MEX-BT3700U CD Receiver, manual

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JVC KD-R800 30K Color-Illumination Single-DIN CD Receiver with Dual USB 2.0 for iPod/iPhone and Bluetooth Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Pros:
Lots of sound input options
Reads MP3 tags
Cons:
Display only has 1 line of text for song tags
Display is a tad too small
Poor blue tooth microphone implementation
Comments:
I can't live without an MP3 stereo anymore. I first owned a cheap Chinese player back in 2002 and then I upgraded to a JVC-G820 in 2005. The G820 was awesome compared to most players at the time. I just upgraded to the KD-R800. It's basically just like the G820 except with bluetooth and a harder to read screen. 99% of the time I use the USB interface with a mini 4GB usb flash drive. This deck is great for that.
Blue Tooth audio: This deck supports 2 blue tooth functions, input as a music device and input/output as a phone device. It works fine with my iPhone 3G for both of these functions. The blue tooth music functionality is basically a wireless line-in.
Blue Tooth Phone: This is my first blue-tooth deck. The phone functionality seems to work ok but it comes with a cheap microphone that only works when connected to the rear mic-in plug. I had to find a way to run the microphone cable from inside the dashboard to the outside of the dashboard. This was tricky to install and the micro-phone is a kludge on the dashboard. I think I'm not going to use the phone functionality on the deck because of this. They should have built a microphone onto the faceplate. I was amazed at the phone options on this deck: It was able to reads lots of information from my iphone 3G like recent call history, the address book, and caller ID for incoming calls.
Colors: JVC highly touts the "30k" colors as a feature. It's neat at first but I don't really care. The system comes with 30 preset colors and a USER option with sliders to configure Red, Green and Blue for a custom color.
USB: I really like the usb feature. I use a FAT formatted 4GB flash drive with lots of sub-folders and songs. My favorite part of this deck is that it displays proper ID3 tags. I read somewhere that a USB HDD will work too but I have yet to confirm. I will update this review after I get an HDD. The iPhone/iPod should also interface on the USB port but I have yet to try that either.
Sound quality: Good enough. I don't have good speakers or a sub.
Digital Radio: Does not work out of the box, requires extra equipment.
Satellite Radio: Does not work out of the box, requires extra equipment.
Aux Line-in: Haven't tried it.
Buttons: The track forward/back and folder up/down buttons are on a single square button that pivots and works better than I expected. The volume knob is near the center of the deck and looks and feels great. It turns like a softly notched mouse wheel and also acts as a button. The phone button is used as a shortcut to the phone options menu and can also pickup and end calls.
Overall: I like this stereo but it only gets 4 out of 5 stars because the blue-tooth microphone is a kludge and the screen is on the small side. Otherwise a fantastic deck that works as advertised and will support all your digital music needs.

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The KD-R800 CD Receiver features Dual USB ports, an included USB Bluetooth adapter, front auxiliary input, detachable faceplate, and Full Dot LCD Display. The unit is also HD Radio Ready, Satellite Radio Ready, and MP3/WMA compatible. The KD-R800 also includes a 3-Band Parametric iEQ, wireless remote, MOS-FET 50W x 4, variable-color illumination and front, rear, and subwoofer preamp outputs with Subwoofer Control.

Variable-Color Illumination Variable-Color Illumination lets you get just the look you want, or match your vehicle's interior lighting, offering 30 preset color choices--or customize your own from over 30,000 variations.
CD and MP3/WMA Playback Enjoy your favorite CDs or burnt CD-R/RWs, or get more bang for your buck with MP3/WMA discs--burn hours of music to one disc and get ID3-TAG support for display of artist and song info. You can also enjoy MP3/WMA files from USB devices.
AM/FM Radio with HS-IVi Tuner Sometimes you just want to listen to the radio. The KD-R800's AM/FM radio features automatic presetting of strongest signals and 6 presets for each band.
The HS-IVi tuner features higher sensitivity, thanks to three IF bandwidths (wide, middle and narrow). It also includes AM Noise Canceller plus upgraded IF filters that help avoid the distortion caused by interference from adjacent stations.
To get even more from the airwaves, add JVC optional hardware for HD Radio or SAT Radio reception.
Dual USB Ports The JVC KD-R800 features not only an integrated front USB port connection, but also an external rear cable/port for connecting an additional USB device. This flexibility enables you to customize how you use your stereo's connections to work best with portable devices--eliminating the need to constantly switch libraries while driving. JVC's Dual USB stereos allow two of these devices to connect simultaneously: iPhone/iPod, Portable Hard Drive, USB Memory Devices, Bluetooth (using included USB-Bluetooth Adapter), Digital Audio Players.
iPod Connectivity You can also operate your iPod via the USB port. Control your iPod/iPhone from either the player itself or from the receiver's controls, while allowing song and artist information display, play, pause, skip, or back commands from either device.
USB Plug and Charge Full Battery charging of USB devices such as iPod/iPhone, Digital Audio Players, and other USB-based devices such as Digital cameras and cell phones (USB-based charging adapter required for some devices).
Built-in Bluetooth Wireless Technology The KD-R900 and KD-R800 include a USB Bluetooth adapter "Dongle" that can be plugged into either USB port to enable full Bluetooth wireless technology features such as:
Hands Free Calling
Voice Dialing
Wireless Audio Streaming
Text Message Notifi cation
Phonebook Transfer

High quality external microphone also included.
Dial in Your Sound Perfect your sound with a three-band parametric equalizer and Loudness control for low level listening.
Input and Output Three pairs of preamp outputs (front, rear, and subwoofer) are provided for adding a little extra power to the KD-R800's onboard 50W x 4 amplifier.
A 3.5mm front panel auxiliary input is also included for use with MP3 players or other external audio devices.
Bluetooth Ready Bluetooth Wireless Technology is available with an optional adapter. A maximum of five compatible mobile phones can be registered for hands-free calling. With voice-recognition mobile phones, you can dial by just saying the name in your phone book. The wireless functions work even if your mobile phone is tucked away in your bag or pocket. You can also stream music from a compatible digital audio player, for listening on your car stereo.
Wireless Remote A full-featured wireless remote is include for controlling receiver functions.
What's in the Box JVC KD-R800 Receiver, trim ring, sleeve, remote control, microphone, wiring harness, installation hardware, installation manual, instructions

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