looks the part, sounds the part
Written: Jun 23 '00
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Pros: Traffic info recording
Cons: Fragile front panel and surround clip.
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| a.solan's Full Review: Sony XR-C8220 CD Changer |
I acquired my Sony head unit in January of this year and to date I've been very happy with it. The voice prompts, available in English and Spanish I feel, have little or no use. Why anyone would need a car hi-fi to tell you that after pressing 1 on the panel that you have selected disc 1 or FM 1 is beyond me. The voice prompts can thankfully be switched off in the set-up menu. The unit itself however is well featured and sounds great. Illumination is switchable between green and orange and the display contrast is adjustable to cope with different installation angles. The clip off panel can feel a little fragile and I would advise a delicate touch when removing it. When coupled with a 10-disc changer sound quality is fine and crisp. One of the features I like is the CD text facility, though use of this has been limited to CD R's which I've done myself as I'm yet to find a commercially sold CD where CD text has been included. For those who are unaware of what CD text actually is, it simply allows info about the track artist and album title among other things to be stored on the CD itself. CD text compatible players are able to read this info and display it on the panel. The unit is compatible with two types of remote, the fixed wire type (included) which fixes to the steering column and the optional wireless infrared type. I've used neither of them, as my arms are sufficient in length to reach to my dashboard from my seat. Installation of the unit is straightforward enough and anyone who can understand colour-coded wiring can do a basic installation. For those who want to add on amps, cellphone car kits etc this again is not particularly difficult, but if unsure, seek professional advice before doing so. My only dislike about the unit is that traffic announcements (the TA function) seem to switch off by themselves when I remove the front panel on an evening. If I leave it on the TA function stays active. The most useful feature I've found is the TIR function which allows the unit to record traffic announcements even while the unit is off and you are away from the car. So when you switch on in a morning to travel to work the most recent travel bulletins are recorded and can be played back instantly.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 300
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Epinions.com ID:
a.solan
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Reviews written: 1
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