car audio

Pioneer DEH2100IB SCD Receiver with iPod Control
$129.99
I wanted to replace perfectly-working factory stereo in my 2003 Camry LE with something that would play MP3s. My additional criteria were:
1. Established brand name (for perceived quality and reliability)
2. Good reviews
3. Understated appearance with green illumination to match Camry's interior.
4. Preset buttons on the face plate.

I searched Amazon and Crutchfield and Pioneer DEH-1100 (yes 1100 not 2100) was the perfect match; however, because of the way Crutchfield markets and prices car stereos I could get a more feature-rich DEH-2100 for the same price as DEH-1100.

Installation, using the double-DIN to single-DIM kit and wire harness adapter, was very easy once I figured out how to put the kit together. I did not replace factory speakers, so all of the improvements I see come purely from Pioneer DEH-2100.

Pros:

- CD, MP3, and FM sound great. AM is about the same as it was on the factory stereo.

- Setup is very intuitive (clock, balance, fader, preset stations). I set up this stereo to my liking in 5 minutes without ever looking at the manual. I did look at the manual afterwards to understand advanced features.

- Sufficient selection of audio adjustments. There are few preset equalizer curves (voice, flat, dynamic, etc.) plus an option to set a custom one (adjustable low, mid, treble)

- Preset radio buttons eliminate the need to look for and use the included remote control. In my opinion, the remote control in the car is distractive.

- DEH-2100 has an understated appearance compared to some other units that use lots of chrome, exotic button layouts, and silly dancing colors or bars on the display. DEH-2100 matches 2003 Camry LE's interior well (see picture).


Cons:

- Buttons are small and labels are not clearly visible; however, once you memorize the 6 preset buttons, volume control and SRC button, you can easily operate the receiver even in the dark.

- Four navigation buttons around the volume control are raised and located too close to the volume control, and my fingers get caught on them sometimes.

- No attenuator or mute button. This is an oversight on Pioneer's part. There is no way to quickly mute the sound if you need to make or answer a call while driving. The receiver can be turned off by pushing and holding SRC button.

- Mirror trim on the face plate. I dislike the mirror trim and would prefer the faceplate to be plain black - it would have matched my car's console better.


>> This is not really a con, but I think it is worth mentioning that there is no dimmer. The brightness of illumination is the same during the day and at night, but, since the buttons are small, the stereo is not too bright at night.


Overall, the features of this receiver and the pros outweigh all of the cons, and I am glad I have purchased Pioneer DEH-2100.

Sony CDX-GT330 MP3/WMA-Compliant CD Receiver with iPod Adapter, HD Radio, and Satellite Ready
$99.95
I bought this as a drop-in replacement for an old radio in the family boat in order to get a front auxiliary input. I never really plan to use the HD Radio, Satellite or Ipod hookup in the boat, but I figured I'd get this model for the remote and so that it would be really useful if I decided to instead install it in one of our cars.

It sounds great and in limited use so far on the lake, it is working great. We've already got the boat winterized, so it won't get any serious use until next summer, but so far, so good.

Sony CDX-GT630UI MP3/WMA/AAC Compliant CD Receiver with iPod Direct Control via USB
$159.95
This is great CD Player!! You won't get a better one for the price. It has some features that I haven't seen on other units, the display will auto-dim when you turn on the headlights. It sounds really good. And I love how I can just use a jump drive to listen to music (I'm really bad about scratching CDs). The blue color is a lot brighter then the green. Not a big deal to me. I Like it so much I'm thinking about getting one for my other car. If you don't want to spend a lot of money and you want a quality CD player, BUY THIS ONE!!!!

Boss Audio Systems BV9055 In-Dash Double-DIN DVD/MP3/CD AM/FM Receiver with 6.2-inch Widescreen Touchscreen TFT Monitor with USB Port and Front Panel AUX Input
$515.00
Great stereo for the money. the stereo sounds great, the dvd player has great picture, and you can load music up from a flash drive. it also has touch screen presets which are really great. there are a few things I would like to mention you can't by a dash kit for this stereo so you will have to modify your dash your self. and also it has a parking break wire so that the dvd player doesn't work while the car is in motion, but that can easily be bypassed by wiring the pink parking break wire into your stereo ground wire. great stereo great price.