Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)The product looked very promising, particularly considering it was "Featured" on Crutchfield. However, I exchanged it for JVC Arsenal KD-AHD69 due to the following shortcommings:
1. iPOD CONTROL:
Crutchfield does mention this in their review that you can only control the iPod via the Clarion. That seemed fine with me, however the iPod controls on the Clarion turned out to be very poor due to the following:
(a) SCROLLING THROUGH LIST: If you have 1000s of songs and the one you want starts with one of the last few letters, you will be turning the dial on the Clarion for several minutes before you reach the song you want, because scrolling progresses alphabetically. This could have been avoided if you could turn the dial anti-clockwise and go in the reverse order... but NO.. you always start at alphabet "A" and the only way to reach "Z" is to pass all the other alphabets.
The JVC Arsenal KD-AHD69 I exchanged this for jumps forward by 10, 100, 1000 songs depending on the speed with which you turn the scroll wheel.
(b) If a unit does not allow for control via iPod, it needs to have satisfactory iPod control capability like "search", "on-the fly playlist creation" etc.
(c) I connected an in-compatible version of iPod and the unit goes into a perpetual loop to trying to read the device . The JVC unit I exchanged this for says "Cannot Play" within a few seconds.
2. FM RECEPTION:
(a) During FM reception the volume kept abruptly fluctuating. I first thought it was speakers and since I was going to replace it anyway I waited till that was done. New speakers did not solve the problem and then I thought maybe I needed to replace my antenna, but by then I decided to exchange the unit and the JVC Arsenal KD-AHD69 works perfect.
(b) Extremely poor tuning circuitry. When I drive up my company parking garage, the reception almost becomes zero with mixing of adjacent stations. The JVC now provides crystal clear audio (non-HD stations) even inside my company parking garage.
3. BLUE'S BLUE:
Crutchfield pictures depict the Clarion to have a decent mild blue color, but in reality it is a bright, in-your-face blue. It looks very gaudy and if your interior lights are not blue, then this player will really not fit in visually. The JVC has vari-color and so now I have a perfectly matched color.
4. BUTTON FEEL:
The button feel is hard to press. The layout of the buttons won me over on paper, but using them is a slight disappointment... let me explain: Let us take the "Menu" button for example. The button will not activate if you press it towards the top.. you need to press it close to the "SRS" button. This is because in order to activate the button, the entire plastic has to flex downward and depress the switch underneath it. For maximum flexing, you have to press all those buttons closer to the "SRS" button. This may seem like trivial, but the design flaw and the repeated efforts you have to make to activate the button get at you after a while.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Clarion CZ200 In-Dash CD / MP3 / WMA / AAC Reciever with USB
Clarion's CZ200 is an affordable replacement for your OEM receiver. Enjoy simple connection and integration of your iPod or iPhone, USB and auxiliary connections to access music on portable devices, and superior sound quality with subwoofer volume control and advanced sound technology. Down the road you may choose to add Bluetooth, or expand your system with four channels of preamp output.
Bluetooth Ready with BLT370 Hands-free conversations (HSP/HFP) on Bluetooth-ready cell phones promote safe driving. Using the optional BLT370, you can wirelessly connect an appropriate phone to your vehicle's audio system, with A2DP (Advanced Audio Distribution Profile) so you can enjoy music stored on the phone or portable media player, controlled by AVRCP (Audio Video Remote Control Profile).
Enjoy Your Music The CZ200 plays back your CDs and burnt CD-R/RW discs, but it will also take CD-DA discs loaded with MP3/WMA music files, for hours of listening on one disc. You can also play back audio files directly from a USB thumb drive using the USB port.
Superior iPod and iPhone Connectivity Just connect the USB cable to get direct and complete control of your iPod. Additionally, the head unit has been designed to connect to iPhone and has been certified as "Works with iPhone" to integrate its communication and entertainment capabilities into your car system.
Rear USB for Cable-linked MP3/WMA Playback The USB input on the rear of the unit can be used to connect a USB memory stick that contains MP3 and WMA music files. It's an easy way to share music files between your car and your PC.
AM/FM Radio Enjoy your favorite programming on the AM/FM tuner, complete with 18 FM and six AM presets for quick access.
Front Auxiliary Input Enjoy music from external devices such as MP3 players with this handy front-panel input.
H.M.I. Balances Design and Usability Clarion's quest for a superior H.M.I. (Human-Machine Interface) resulted in this year's distinctive "starburst" control button array. Buttons are clustered symbolically for intuitive operation, with a large rotary volume control that is blue illuminated for easy recognition and sensational looks.
BeatEQ for User Customizable Sound In addition to providing 3 preset equalization patterns--BASS BOOST, IMPACT, and EXCITE--Clarion's BeatEQ even lets you freely customize the level and range of the bass, midrange and treble portions of each pattern. You can tune the sound to your liking, depending on the category of music, for a more fulfilling listening experience.
Low Pass Filter for Subwoofer Switching on the Low Pass Filter (LPF) will send only the low frequency range through specified outputs to ensure superb performance with a connected subwoofer. A must if you have or plan to add a subwoofer to your system.
4ch/2V RCA Output with Subwoofer Control With 2 sets of RCA outputs, you are free to add external power amplifiers to create a more powerful, sophisticated audio system. Also, independent volume control is enabled for the subwoofer so you can adjust the level of bass output to your liking at any time, regardless of the output level of the other channels.
What's in the Box Clarion CZ200 Receiver, Remote Control, Installation Hardware, User's Manual
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