Pioneer DEH-1800 CD Player

Pros: Sound, Ease of use, Brand Product, usable preset EQ settings
Cons: Small Buttons

My Wife wanted an easy to use no frills CD player / Radio for her 1997 van. I purchased the unit installed at Circuit City for about $165.00, including harness kit and faceplate adapter, labor, tax. The unit sounds great and has plenty of options to ...

Pros: brand name, power rating, sound quality, and features
Cons: small buttons, reliability, made in China

I've had my DEH-1800 for about 18 months now in my 1990
Toyota Pickup. I purchased this unit because of the name,
price point, and features. The unit worked great for the first 18 months. Now, all of the sudden, the power switch
has gone bad. When you turn it on, there's a severe crackling sound; eventually it starts to play. The symptom
is like "a switch with a dirty contact".

I noticed that this unit was made in China. I don't know
if Pioneer is skimping on quality to be in a certain price
point, but I expect it to last more than 18 months.

My vehicle is old, I don't want to put a ton of money in to
a stereo for an old work truck. I wish that someone would
make a good basic AM/FM/CD unit that has basic features,
large buttons, reliability, and a reasonable price!