Kenwood KDC-BT838U - Radio / CD / MP3 player / digital player - Full-DIN - in-dash - 50 Watts x 4 Review

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(More customer reviews)This head unit is well worth the price. I am anti-iPod guy and this unit having an USB connection made it very easy to "digitally" connect a hard drive. I now have a 200 gig hard drive (~$150) in my vehicles, never with out a type of music. This unit allows you to navigate the hard drive from the units screen. With the provided software, you can make playlist or just add music to the hard drive. It also has bluetooth, so you can also stream music that way. The unit also come with hands free, there is a mic with a cord on it long enough to put anywhere. If your state is (or has) mandated hands free devices and you are not one to want to look like a cyborg, this unit will comply with the law. It mutes the music, diplays the caller, push a knob and your connected. Once hooked up, everything is automatic, just get into your car, start it and it connects. It will download your phonebook to the unit so you can dial from the unit. Here is another good thing, ever leave home without your cell phone, well you wont ever again, tells you not connected within a minute of starting your vehicle. I would definitly recommend this to my poorest friend, well worth the investment.

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Planet Audio P9715B 5-Inch Single-Din In-Dash Receiver with Motorized Slide-Down Widescreen Touchscreen Monitor Review

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(More customer reviews)Although the radio appears to have great features like a top of the line radio, there were some defects in the unit. Note: it was professionally installed. The volume control did not work adequately. When shut all of the way off, you still heard music. Turning up the volume, you nearly maxed output through the speakers. The bluetooth functionality did not work well either. There was constant static. In addition, when you tried to stream music, there was a constant hum on low volume. Subsequently, I returned this item and purchased another brand completely (Soundstorm - no issues with this unit with one exception - while using bluetooth, the receiver on the phone hears some static).

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Pioneer DEH-P5000UB In-Dash CD/MP3/WMA/iTunes AAC/WAV Receiver Review

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(More customer reviews)I purchased this to replace the stock radio in my 2006 F150 4x4. I read the reviews here and elsewhere and was a little bit concerned about the interface in regards to it being non-intuitive and the knob flimsy. I disagree on both counts. The interface is very intuitive once you learn it, and the knob is by no means flimsy. Also, there were comments regarding the lack of presets - this is not a problem at all - when the radio is in tuner mode one only needs to push up or down on the knob to advance to the next preset. There was another complaint regarding the clock - all I can say to that is, read the manual!
My stock radio had very good AM reception but poor FM reception. I was afraid I would lose good AM reception with the new radio, but the AM reception is just as good if not better.
I use this radio with my iPod Touch 2nd generation and again, no complaints. I am a mild audiophile and the output sounds very clean to me in all modes.
I do agree that there should be a mute or pause button on the radio itself in case the remote is not handy. Other than that, this is a great product for the price.


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Hear the detail, warmth, and clarity--the way the artist intended it--from all of your highly compressed MP3, WMA, and AAC files stored on USB memory device, iPod, and portable digital players. By restoring data (especially higher frequencies) that tend to get lost in the digital compression process, Pioneer's Advanced Sound Retriever technology enhances audio reproduction nearly all the way up to 20 kHz frequencies. When Advanced Sound Retriever is "ON," the high frequency range is compensated to match the frequency response curve of the original sound.

USB Direct Control for iPod and MorePioneer's DEH-P5000UB is ready to roll with capability for direct connection to your iPod. USB 2.0's speed and capability allow an elevated iPod experience in the car, and nearly limitless expandability for portable media players and USB memory devices.

File search and access are extra quick. The head unit keeps song, artist, time, and album information displays very clear and user-friendly, and control is intuitive through the 7-way Rotary Commander. The system's wired USB connection provides direct digital signal transfer from the iPod for clean, clear sound. In addition, Pioneer has developed the following new features to make using your iPod in the car extremely easy and convenient:
• Link Search-- While listening to a specific artist, hold "List" button to pop up folders containing that specific artist.
• Passenger Control Mode--Allows passenger to use the iPod directly to browse and select music, while connected to the head unit for playback.
• Random (Shuffle) Key--Physical Random Button on faceplate (Shuffle) makes it easy to hear something fresh.
Available Bluetooth Wireless Technology*Use the available CD-BTB200 Bluetooth adapter and Bluetooth-enabled cellular phones for easy, safe, and hands-free operation, including talking via the head unit's microphone and your vehicle's speaker system. The system automatically mutes any other audio during incoming or outgoing calls.
*Optional CD-BTB200 adapter required
Full Featured and High PerformanceThe DEH-P5000UB is smartly designed to expand your system, customize your experience, and provide superior sound quality and easy operation. Features include:
• 3 RCA Hi-Volt pre-outs for adding external amps and speakers simplify system expansion.
• Two-way Crossover with separate High and Low Pass settings.
• Built-in MOSFET 50 W x 4 amplifier for excellent sound quality, minimal distortion and efficient power handling.
• Supertuner IIID advanced analog and digital processing assure superior imaging, less distortion and noise, and stronger, smoother broadcast signal reception.

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Jensen VM8023HD Double Din Indash DVD Receiver Review

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(More customer reviews)Pros:
I have worked in stereo installation for about 15 years now. The Jensen VM8023HD is one of the more versatile head units I have dealt with in terms of peripheral connectivity. It has a connector for just about everything (2 RCA outs, 1 sub out, iPod, Satellite radio, 2 video outs, camera in). All of these connectors, though, do make it a bit bulky for install if you are short on room around the double-din unit.
The sound is fantastic and very customizable. It is a very clean-looking unit that will certainly spruce up any console. It has a small DVD screen (only 4x3) but the picture clarity is great and I don't have any desire to watch DVDs in my car, so I doubt that functionality will ever be used.
Cons:
Once installed, the challenge sets in. Almost every button on the face has a different function based on source (tuner, sat radio, etc) and WITHIN each source, most are at least dual-purpose based on how many times you hit the button or for how long. I have had mine installed for 3 days now (I know, not a long period of time), but I am still at nearly the same loss for how to navigate it as I was when I first turned it on.
Overall:
Rating is a 3 of 5 stars due to the convoluted interface. It performs as hoped, but getting there can be a battle!

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Clarion DUZ385SAT 2-DIN CD/MP3/WMA/AAC Receiver with Rear USB Port, XM Mini-Tuner Direct, Satellite Radio Ready Review

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(More customer reviews)I bought this Clarion car stereo as a Christmas gift for my partner. He wanted something simple to use with as few buttons as possible because he is a technophobe. After comparing this to several other double-din models from JVC and others, I decided to go with this since the layout is very simple and easy to understand. I installed it in his 2002 Tacoma pickup (I used to install car stereos professionally and I really would not recommend it for a novice.) The install went very smoothly and the factory brackets for the Tacoma stereo were a perfect match for the Clarion with no modification. After the install was done, I popped in the Josh Groban Christmas CD and I was stunned by the volume and clarity even with the Tacoma's factory speakers. It literally sounded like a cathederal and all of the small nuances and sense of space was amazing. I could not believe it, but the Clarion reproduced the kettle drums and big bass without the need for an extra amp. The bass actually made my pants leg shake and even made different parts of the truck rattle with no subwoofer! If you want to upgrade your factory stereo and you have a double din opening, I would absolutely recommend this stereo to anyone. For less than $200.00 you get a very nice unit that is very easy to understand, has some very nice e.q. settings, a very sensitive radio, and some really incredible sound quality. The unit is also very upgradable if you want to add XM radio, you can, it supports USB and MP3 and has outputs for adding on extra amps or anything else. It also looks quite cool when it is lit up, it has neat blue lights that look very tasteful and high tech. It also has a hookup to the factory dimmer and you can change the contrast of the display to allow for the best view to the driver's seat.

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Alpine iDA-X100 Digital Media Receiver Review

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(More customer reviews)I've made my way through a bunch of different car stereo head units over the years, but ever since the iPod has become the de-facto standard, I've wondered why nobody made a decent iPod-friendly one. Alpine's iDA-X100 is probably the first usable product for this purpose (its predecessor, the X001 was essentially a beta-tester version of the X100, and by many accounts, not ready for prime time). Sure, there are a slew of crummy FM transmitter adapters, and many stereos have auxiliary (Aux) inputs, but those are merely kludges.
The X100 displays the artist, track, and album of the currently-playing song. It lets you quickly scroll through all your artists, tracks, and albums, so you can find the song you want fast. All this works very well, and does so while charging your iPod in your glove compartment or wherever you want to put it. Don't have an iPod? No problem - just put your tunes on any inexpensive USB memory key and plug it in!
The X100's bright screen rivals a typical iPod screen, although is definitely a step down from my iPhone. The volume knob, which also affords navigation through your collection, is large and comfortable. In all, a solid design designed for use while driving. (This means that, unlike the iPod itself, you can use without having to look at it.)
So, why not five stars? First, the screen is too small. With the X100's large, easy-to-read font, there's only room for 6-7 characters. Listening to the White Stripes? You'll only see "White S" on the screen. Sure, 'long' text scrolls back and fourth, but that's a poor design for drivers who need to keep their eyes on the road. If I had designed this unit, I would've moved the big knob all the way to the left, and made the screen twice as wide. As it is, the left side is wasted anyway.
Second, when a song begins playing, the text rolls out on the screen very slowly, like it's being typed one letter at a time from a typewriter. It can take 10-15 seconds before everything appears, making it a stupid design for a display that must relay all its information at a glance.
Third, the 'Back' and 'Next' buttons are small and flush with the surface of the unit; you can't use the big wheel to go to the next track. These buttons should be more prominent, perhaps akin to the slick lever on Sony's excellent CDX-C90.
Fourth, the X100 can be set to have blue or red backlighting. But the red is a harsh, dark crimson that looks terrible next to the amber lighting on my dashboard. Why no soft amber/orange setting? Who knows.
Fifth, the X100 can display cover art from the current song (provided you've loaded one into iTunes), but, for some reason, it displays a very low-resolution image. This is particularly glaring when you hit the Display button to hide the text and display only the cover art; it just looks bad. I have high-res cover art in my collection that looks great on my iPhone's screen, but the X100 just doesn't use it. Perhaps a firmware upgrade will fix this?
Finally, and it may sound like nit-picking, but the X100's customizable wallpaper feature is poorly executed. You have two trendy patterns from which to choose, or you can download additional patterns from Alpine's awful website (which was last updated in 2005, by the way, and only works on Internet Explorer). Although Alpine has gone out of their way to prevent customers from creating their own wallpaper (for reasons that completely elude me), you can do as I did and download the free, third-party xndconverter.exe utility and create your own APN files. With my own photo as the wallpaper, the X100 head unit actually now looks nice in my car, despite the lack of a matching backlight color.
As for the sound quality (which is supremely important, despite the fact that I've spent most of this review talking about the interface), I'd rate it a solid 'B.' The sound is pretty good, but lacks the richness and warmth of the gold standard, the Sony CDX-C90 (even when playing the very same MP3s). Perhaps the PXA-H100 IMPRINT add-on accessory will improve the sound, but I haven't tried it yet.
To sum up, this is THE unit to get if you want to listen to your iPod/iPhone in the car, but don't expect it to be perfect. I'd give it only three stars if there were competition, but since it's the only worthy game in town, it earns four.
(Note: At the time of this writing, Alpine also makes the ida-x200 and ida-x300, but these are lesser models, both without the X100's bright color screen.)


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Pioneer DEH-P7000BT In-Dash CD/Mp3/Wma/iTunes AAC/Wav Receiver Review

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(More customer reviews)This is the third in-dash receiver I've installed in my car in the past 2 years, and I have to say, this is by far the best head unit yet. I didn't install an amp and I'm using the stock speakers, so I can't comment much on audio quality. It's as good as can be expected from the marginal factory speakers. Instead, this review will focus on features.
The P7000BT has a very nice, clean design. Some car receivers are just overloaded with dozens of tiny buttons and goofy graphics. Not so with this unit: it is clean and neat, but not too spartan. The cool blue and white faceplace looks modern, and is bright and easy to read in both sunlight and at night.
The large rotary knob on the left side controls volume, station selection and tons of other functions. Its not as elegant as the click wheel on an iPod, but lets face it, no other company can come close to the ease of use of an Apple product. It will take a little getting used to, but after using this Pioneer receiver for a few days, I got the hang of the interface, and I like it. Note that there are no station preset numbers on the faceplate itself; instead, you use the rotary knob to select from one of 6 favorite stations, or you can use the included remote to directly select a preset. At first, I thought this was kind of lame, but after using it for a while, I don't mind it at all.
The built-in Bluetooth is a godsend. Within minutes of first installing the P7000BT, I was able to pair it with my iPhone. It just works. Not much else to say about this.
I also installed a USB to Dock cable, allowing an iPod or iPhone to connect directly to the head unit via USB. Nothing special is required: a standard dock cable is all you need (Apple brand or third party, doesn't matter). Not only does the receiver play the iPod's audio through the car speakers, but it also charges the iPod without the use of an extra clunky cigarette lighter charger. You can even choose to have the head unit control the iPod, in which song titles, artist info, track number and duration show up on the head unit. Or, if you prefer, you can choose to do all your searching on the iPod or iPhone itself. I like how the receiver gives you both options. I prefer to control all my music on the iPod or iPhone, because Apple's interface for browsing music is simply unmatched.
In this review you've seen me mention the iPhone several times. Just to confirm, yes, the P7000BT does work flawlessly with the iPhone, despite the fact that Pioneer never lists it as officially supported. No complaints here. It just works.
Overall, a very nice receiver. Highly recommended!

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JVC KD-A805 - Radio / CD / MP3 player / USB flash player - Arsenal - Full-DIN - in-dash - 50 Watts x 4 Review

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(More customer reviews)I love this stereo. You cannot beat the price for all the functions it has. The Bluetooth is soooo useful since I hate those ear things - I love how my car answers the phone for me now. The dual USB is really nice. I don't even bother with CDs anymore, I just use my 8GB USB stick. I can also use the bluetooth to connect to the music on my phone which is another 8GB. That gives me 16GB of music space in the car... awesome!
Small complaints. When showing artist it first shows the album title in the text line. Maybe that's just the way I have my ID3 tags setup but it's annoying. For having so many colors, none match the other colors in my car but I like being able to change it every few weeks.

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Planet Audio P9735B 4.5-Inch Double-Din In-Dash Receiver with Widescreen Touchscreen Monitor Review

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(More customer reviews)Do not buy this thing! It doesn't work. Won't read ipod or USB. Touchscreen is almost imposible to use while driving. It's buttons are extremely small. Don't waste your money!!

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Planet Audio P9725B 7-Inch Single-Din In-Dash Receiver with Motorized Slide-Down Widescreen Touchscreen Monitor Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a sweet stereo for cheap money-i love bluetoothing my music to it via my phone and overall having it completely wireless. The one big complaint is that I have had the stereo lower the volume on me randomly. This has happened whether the volume was very low or very high. Great screen quality though for DVDs and the bluetooth talking is really clear on the other person's end. If you can deal with the volume lowering itself randomly, it is a pretty sweet radio, especially considering the price. I will respond back if it does go dead (a slight few have been known to happen with this model I found out during my research)

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IBM 31P9490 Keyboard for Thinkpad (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)I bought it to extend my thinkpad keyboard experience, which was wonderful, to my new Toshiba TabletPC. It has about the same looking and layout as my old thinkpad laptop, which is what I expected.
However, the build quality is poor, compared to the one mounted on the thinkpad laptop and to the mac at my place. The functions keys on the top are shaky. I got a chance to detach some keypads from both the laptop and this keyboard. The plastic components suspending/mouning the keypads on this keyboard are poorly made, tend to be very soft.
These top-row keys are dull as well, not picking up every stroke. Especially bad is the "delete" key, which works only if I hit it with extra attention. I found this to be very distracting.
Also, motion components beneath the keypads seem not well lubricated, squeaking in quiet nights.
For a price around $90 and such a quality, I will hesitate to recommend it to anyone, except that you cannot live without a thinkpad keyboard.

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Alpine CDE-126BT - Radio / CD / MP3 player / digital player - Full-DIN - in-dash - 50 Watts x 4 Review

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(More customer reviews)After reading another review I felt the need to write a review on this great radio. The Alpine CDE-126BT replaced the stock radio in my 2003 (7.3L) F250 which had a broken CD player. I've been looking and reading reviews on and off since purchasing the truck used 2 years ago. Since I already had all my music converted to iTunes in Apple lossless I really wanted to be able to use my iPod 120gb classic in my truck. In the past there seemed to be mixed reviews with functionality using this and many iPod/iPhone/iWhatevers including a friend's older 80gb classic and older Alpine radio with built-in iPod support. His combination doesn't work very well but does somewhat work.
After doing some reading again I ended up with this Alpine CDE-126BT. If you compare it to the CDE-125BT it's slightly more money but includes the iPod adapter which plugs into the rear of the radio. It also includes a few other additional functionality such as 4-channel pre-amp. I'd suggest purchasing a little more radio than you currently need just to future proof it a bit. You'll at least have options if you decide to add an amp or two plus they normally include some additional controls you may need.
Anyway, just prior to installing the CDE-126BT I put some Alpine 6 ½ component speakers I had from a previous vehicle in the front doors. This did help with sound quality even with the stock deck but with the CDE-126BT and the iPod it was awesome! I really wasn't expecting it to be this good. Although the big diesel motor is somewhat loud the clarity still stands out. As far as the iPod 120gb Classic, it works great and is fully controlled from the radio. Just be sure to use the included cable and plug it in the rear of the deck. Why wouldn't you just use it!? Searching is easy enough once you get used to the controls. Yes you do need to learn how to get around! It also includes a small quick reference book to carry in the vehicle.
Bluetooth - I really didn't purchase the radio because of this but why not hook it up? Did I mention the truck is loud? It also does work way better than I thought. People on the other end do hear the motor at highway or every speed but say it's acceptable. Placing and receiving calls are really easy and with my Motorola Atrix it also displays the person's contact information.
Supported devices - Download the manual and check page 24 to see for yourself what's support. If you still have issues and it's on the list contact Alpine directly for support, don't just complain about it on a forum!
[...]

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Pioneer Premier DEH-P510UB iPod AM/FM/MP3/WMA/AAC Receiver Review

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(More customer reviews)I bought a Pioneer DEH-P510UB along with the Pioneer HD tuner in early 2009 when they came out. I was eagerly awaiting a quality deck with good radio and also AUX-IN and USB right on the faceplate of the deck. The unit sounds fabulous, even through my car's original (premium, 7 speaker) sound system with no additional amp. The radio works wonderfully, gets stations that our home tuners don't, and you can store HD subchannels as presets. I put a whole bunch of MP3-encoded songs on a 16 GB USB thumb drive and this is my primary mode of use. It's very easy, plug in the thumb drive and within seconds it's playing your music. The key to playing 1000 songs on one digital medium like a USB drive is the user interface, of course. Sadly, this is where Pioneer cut corners. There's no way to skip ahead say 50 or 100 songs, and if you want to go back to the song that played before the current one it's incredibly bad, barely works. You can put the unit into random mode, which will skip around through your music. Unlike many consumer audio players, the random algorithm seems to work well. However, this is the very worst part. If I'm in random mode and I push the button to skip to the next song, it should go to the next song randomly, NOT the next song in alphabetical order. This is a very basic and stupid mistake in the UI design and it is excruciating for the user. Stuck in the middle of one of your daughter's Spice Girls songs and don't want to listen to it? You'd think you could push "next song" and it would jump to the next song in random order. Does it? No. It goes to the next Spice Girls song, then the next .. yow.
It's a good thing the remote works as well as it does, because that one-button-does-all thing doesn't work very precisely if you're driving. To make a radio station a preset, for example, requires that you hold that button exactly in its center for several seconds until the deck realizes what you're trying to do. I have yet to accomplish this while I'm driving - some tiny swerve will make my fingertip move just barely but enough to make the thing skip to the next radio station instead of adding the current one as a preset. Sigh. The remote works much better.
It's a shame, really. This could be a really killer product and it wouldn't have cost Pioneer any money in hardware, just needed to put someone on the UI design who knows something. The manual seems large at first glance until you realize it's one of those awful written-in-every-language manuals. The English section is skimpy, the index is uselessly terse, and whatever you're looking up is certain to refer to another section which itself may refer to another section .. just plain lazy tech writing. And the font is way way tiny. I have to take off my driving glasses and put on reading glasses to read it. Needless to say I have to pull over to do this. There is supposed to be a way to enter custom EQ data using a six-band equalizer, but the crummy manual has defeated me entirely.
So it's a great product with great limitations. I'm going to keep mine, hoping Pioneer comes out with a flashable upgrade to the UI. After all, I can still have my whole damn collection on one USB drive and the unit plays them and sounds great. That's cool.

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Pioneer's DEH-P510UB CD receiver is an ideal upgrade to your stock system, with iPod and USB connections, MP3/WMA/AAC/WAV playback with advanced sound enhancement for compressed audio, and plenty more. The DEH-P510UB features clean, modern design, with Pioneer's highly regarded rotary commander for superior operation, swift retrieval of music files and ease of use when scrolling through audio and function menus. Expand your system with digital radio options like HD Radio, XM Satellite Radio or Sirius Satellite Radio.

Stop straining to see the screen Enjoy vibrant, exciting displays with the Larger Full-Dot OEL display that makes it easier to see what is playing, no matter what the light is like. Scroll through your iPod with greater ease with 3-Line list mode. Even enjoy features like 3D full motion screen savers.
Dual USB opens up a whole new span of options for your system. Plug in your passenger's iPod while leaving your own connected, practically doubling your music. Keep your iPod in your car and add new songs into the mix with a USB drive. The possibilities are endless.
iPod Made Easy It's easy! Simply plug your iPod directly into the unit using the included cable, and you are ready to rock and roll. Listening to an artist that you just can't get enough of? Now you can hold the "List" button down and it will pop up folders containing that specific artist. You can also have your passenger control your music directly from the iPod.
Advanced Sound Retriever. This year you can hear the detail, warmth, and clarity the way the artist intended it, from all of the highly compressed MP3, WMA and AAC files playing on your CD player. By restoring data that tends to get lost in the digital compression process, we can make your music sound close to CD quality.
Fed up with your Bluetooth headset? Here's a better hands-free solution. Use the available CD-BTB200 Bluetooth Adapter and Bluetooth-enabled cellular phones for easy, safe, and hands-free operation. The unit acts like a speakerphone, channeling the sound through your car speakers which makes the call sound better. It also automatically mutes your music so that you'll never miss a call. *Optional CD-BTB200 adapter required
The Premier advantage Discover the quality and passion that goes into our Premier CD players. The warranty on this model is two years--double the warranty period of most headunit models currently on the market.
What else does this model have to offer? The DEH-P510UB also includes these additional features like built-in AUX input for your media devices and Advanced Sound Retriever to restore your MP3s to near CD quality. Features that are designed to expand your system, customize your experience, provide superior sound quality and easy operation.
Remote Control included
Full Dot OEL Display (192 x 48 pixels)
Advanced Sound Retriever to restore your compressed media to near CD quality
iPod Cable Included
AUX input to easier plug in your portable media devices
Dual USB (Front/Rear)
HD Radio, XM, and Sirius Radio Ready
3 RCA Hi-Volt preouts for adding on external amps and speakers simplify system expansion.
Two-Way Crossover with separate High and Low Pass settings.
Built-in MOSFET 50 W x 4 amplifier for excellent sound quality, minimal distortion and efficient power handling.
Supertuner IIID advanced analog and digital processing assure superior imaging, less distortion and noise, and stronger, smoother broadcast signal reception.
Amplifier Off Mode
Display Off Mode

What's in the Box Pioneer DEH-P510UB receiver with detachable face, sleeve, trim ring, wiring harness, installation hardware, wireless remote, USB cable, iPod cable, manual, installation manual, warranty

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Alpine iDA-X200 In-Dash Radio/MP3 Player (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)I was surprised there was so little info on the web about the Alpine iDA-x200. It's one of the only car stereos that can control your Creative Zen and other mtp (media transfer protocol) mp3 players like an iPod. When you plug your zen into the usb port, it takes about a minute of searching before it will play music. You can search by playlist, artist, album and others. You can skip to the next song but you can't speed search through a song (this limitation is only with mtp players). Also, when you turn off the car and come back, it will return to the beginning of the track you were listening to (only with mtp players). This means, for practical purposes, you will want to carry your podcasts and any lengthy tracks on a flashdrive or ums mp3 player. The alpine can speed search tracks on ums devices and it even remembers exactly where you left off within tracks when you disconnect the device and reconnect! Plus you can do all the same searching by artist, album, track, file name ect. So you're probably wondering, why not use a ums mp3 player exclusively? Two reasons. First, you won't get playlists. If you want playlists, you have to get a mtp player or iPod. Second there are currently no small ums flash players with large capacity (32 gb) and great sound (Sansa Fuze blows in comparison to Zen V Plus). Two other quick notes, there is no cd player and going to radio presets requires a few clicks. Finally, I want to mention how much better the sound quality is when you allow the Alpine's 24 bit burr brown d/a converter to process the sound (using usb connection) rather than letting the mp3 player decode the sound and send it into the car via minplug aux connection. If you current stereo plays mp3 cds, do a little experiment and listen to the same song on mp3 cd compared to your mp3 player plugged into the aux. Keep an eye on the horizon for when the Microsoft and Ford sync exclusive deal ends. Then you may be able to buy a non-Ford car or an aftermarket head unit that works with mtp mp3 players and has voice command. Should be within a year. One more thing, if you upgrade your Zen V firmware, the Alpine will control it too. Also, I can't tell you about the power of the internal amp because all my speakers have a separate amps. Even though it's the only game in town in aftermarket car stereos that can control mtp music players, it does an admirable job.

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JVC KD-HDR70 CD Receiver with HD Radio Review

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(More customer reviews)I chose this model for several reasons; first, I wanted the slightly larger character size of a basically one line display. I don't drive with my reading glasses on! Then I thought I wanted to experience HD radio so it's built-in to this model. I wanted to retain a single DIN size and gain a removable face. I wanted to plug in one of the newer, tiny USB flash drives because it's cool to have MP3's play without spinning mechanisms or a wired player! I have the KS-BTA100 add-on Bluetooth adaptor plugged into the rear AUX input for hands-free calls. I thought the color choosing capability would be cool too.
I can only offer three stars for this model that I've been riding around with for about 3 weeks. Everything works pretty much OK but my main gripe is the lack of display brightness during the day. You get to choose a DAY and a NIGHT color & brightness for both the button section and the display section. The illumination changes with either of two wires in the harness connected to the car's panel illumination circuit. My Acura, like most cars these days, has a variable duty cycle panel brightness control which properly triggers the JVC's day/night switchover. However, the daytime brightness of the display section is woefully DIM even though all colors and dimming settings are set for maximum brightness. I could drive around without my sun glasses but I didn't have to do that with my previous JVC head unit. At night I have the color set to only RED to match my instrument panel illumination and that's a welcomed improvement.
HD radio? It's probably just me but I find little programming of interest. At least there's lots of it in the Houston market!
My new Maxell "ultra compact flash drive" fits neatly in the front USB jack. For USB playback navigation, you get to choose folders and then files within the folders. The display shows an assigned folder number and below that the MP3 tag data. You can cycle through several display formats. I was pleased that the time between USB "reading" and toe tappin' to the tunes was brief compared to earlier examples of car audio USB playback technology.
The add-on Bluetooth functionality is very good. Callers report excellent fidelity from the microphone in the stick-on control module and I can make the caller as loud as I need to.
Although it's new, I'm going to replace this JVC with (likely) a different brand that has fewer shortcomings and trade-offs. Like many head units, the limited number of buttons on the KD-HDR70 means you have to click through many settings to arrive at the one you want and cuss when you overshoot!

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Boss 865DBI In-Dash DD MP3-CD-AM-FM Receiver Review

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(More customer reviews)The Boss 865 DBI is a full featured double DIN unit That includes an IPod dock, SD card reader, UBS, Bluetooth audio and phone all built in with no other adapters to buy.
Out of the box the unit seemed to be heavier than the unit I was replacing, the stock radio from my 97 Geo Prizm.
The installation was about an 8 on a 1-10 ease of installation chart. The only reason for the 8 was only one hole lined up on each side of the mounts so I had to locate and drill the other holes, after that everything was pretty easy. The interface took a bit to learn but within about 15 minutes you will understand the logic so it becomes easy to setup and operate.
I have tried every function except the IPod dock (I don't own an IPod) which is cleverly installed behind the face place so Your IPod is out of sight. I will have to borrow my wife's IPod to see how it works and post an update.
The unit loads up the SD card and it sounds good. The display is easy to read which I find is a plus for someone that wears reading glasses. It tells you what song is playing and the album/group like an IPod screen.
The CD player works well although it is a bit slower to read the disk than most units (It says "reading" for a couple of seconds).After playing a CD, the unit and the CD is still cool to the touch. Most car units I have used make the CD feel like it was just in an oven.
The unit has a transfer function that can transfer files from the CD player to other media in the player. Note: It will not copy a regular audio CD, the CD has to be a MP3 or a WMV file format.
The Bluetooth works good and sounds good in both directions. It can store the last 10 numbers dialed but has no voice dial function.
I am quite pleased with the price and the quality of the unit. It seems that it will last a long time from what I see.
If I were to make suggestions to improve future versions of the unit would be as follows:
The volume knob is too small and slippery, could put knurls on it like the tuning knob.
The writing could be bigger and/or easier to read on the remote control.
The display could use a "progress bar" that lets you know how far along a song has played.
A voice dial function would give this unit a total hands free Bluetooth dialing experience.


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Valor SD-906W In-Dash 1 DIN AM/FM/CD/DVD Motorized 7-Inch Monitor Review

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(More customer reviews)The good:
Easy installation.
Screen is large and bright.
Price on Amazon is great.
Love all the useful features in one unit...when they work.
User Manual and wiring is easy to understand.

The bad:
Valor support is poor. Sent a help request 3 days ago to Valor about the touch screen not responding to my touch (after a week of ownership). Haven't heard back. I tried restarting stereo, and the remote control functioned but not TS. Recalibrating was not possible. After turning off car and waiting until the next day, problem went away. If it happens again, I will revise my review.
***REVISION*** The touch screen continuously stops working when the unit gets hot. This has happened dozens of times in the couple months I've owned the unit. It works again after the car is turned off for a while, but it lost another star because it is annoying, and Valor support never responded to my inquiry above.
Also, I have yet to find a brand of SD media card that the unit will read without getting "device not supported" (I've tried reformatting 2 brands of SD cards in FAT32 and NTFS and it still doesn't read them).
It also takes a good 30 seconds for the player to scan a DVD full of mp3's, or to scan USB media...not a deal breaker...but you would be surprised what this can do at 6AM when you forgot you attempted an awfully loud singalong and butchering of "Run to the Hills" the previous night. I nearly soiled my pants the morning my stereo resumed play at the same loud volume. Luckily you can set a resume volume, and I highly suggest going that route.
One more thing...the screen ejection mechanism seems fragile and likely to fail some time after the warranty expires.

The ugly:
Me singing "Run to the Hills"...and the fact that the blue LEDs do not match my orange dash lights, but real men do not care about that...or so I'm told.Conclusion:
Lost 2 stars because the verdict is still out on the the long-term durability, and Valor's support and website need serious improvement. I may have to send it back. For now, when all the features do work, it's lovely.
I recommend filling out and sending off the Valor warranty card to make sure you get your full one year manufacturer support.

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