gsx1300r's Full Review: Clarion FB275BT Car CD/ MP3 Player
Before I say anything else, please be clear that I am not an audiophile or sound system techie, so if you want that kind of review, this is not going to be it. I will include the manufacturer's specs at the end, but truthfully, to me they mean nothing! I just wanted a decent radio for a decent price and I think I got it with this unit. (NOTE: there's an error on epinions' description of this radio, which does NOT have a CD player)
The factory radio in my 1985 Mazda RX-7 never really worked properly. The pre-set tuner buttons did not work and the radio would drift in and out of stereo and lose stations. That never bothered me before but Because of recent changes in my life I have been driving it almost exclusively (rather than my motorcycle) and decided it was time to put in a radio.
There were several considerations that went into my decision to purchase this particular radio. Because of the car's age, I did not want something that looked too fancy and out-of-place; I wanted something with lights that would match the car's existing dash lights; I wanted something with bluetooth built-in (for hands-free telephone); and I wanted something that would accept memory cards. (Our entire home music collection was converted to MP3 years ago and if I never had to use another CD, I'd be happy!) The FB275BT fits the bill. Additionally, though not a factor in my decision, the faceplate comes off for security.
As a kid, I installed my own car stereos in half a dozen cars I've owned and was not at all reluctant to install this one myself. Out of the box, the radio provided everything necessary: the radio, the sheet-metal sleeve, the wiring harness, wiring diagram, installation instructions, user manual, and carrying case for the radio's faceplate.
Installation was a breeze, but if you're not into that sort of thing, I don't recommend it. My wife and my son came into the garage midway through the installation while I had the dashboard out and the wires in my lap and they both thought I was insane and were both afraid I would never be able to put the car back together. I did not read the instructions but did refer frequently to the wiring diagrams to insure I was connecting the correct wires to my car's wiring system. (Because I bought the radio from Crutchfield.com, they provided some wires for the Mazda-size to make matching the colors more convenient - I have reviewed Crutchfield here http://www.epinions.com/content_413565423236.)
This radio is visually appealing and there are few buttons. I really like the fact that you can choose a preset color (red, blue, green, orange, etc.) or make your own with red, green, and blue settings (1 through 8) for 728 possible color options. For my dash, standard orange looked perfect. The radio's actual display is blue, but the buttons are illuminated in the color of your choice. My car and its interior are blue, so the blue/orange combination fits nicely. Also, you can turn off the illumination if you don't it.
Besides the volume/mute/pause knob in the middle of the radio, there are only four buttons on each side. Each of the eight buttons has a top and a bottom so in essence, there are sixteen functions for phone/hangup; presets 1 through 6, random, adjust, skip, rewind, fast forward, repeat, and band (fm, memory card, bluetooth audio). I did not need to resort to the manual to figure out any of the radio's functions. The Display button, which when held becomes the 'menu' button, leads through a very intuitive and easy to figure out menu tree.
Bluetooth Operation.
The first time I turned the radio on, I pushed the telephone button. Pairing the radio with my phone was quick & simple. All I did was make my phone and radio each "search" and within a few seconds I was up and running and I saw my phone's identification on the screen of the radio. You can program six 'speed dials' into the unit, so that you press the telephone button and scroll to the number you want (or last number redial) and the radio places your call without need to touch your phone. When a call comes in, the radio mutes, you hear your ringer through the speakers, and the caller id is displayed on the radio's screen. You simply hit the phone button to take the call and hit the end call button to hang up.
A nice feature of the telephone is that if you're in the middle of a call and you turn off the car, the radio will continue serving your call until you hang up. That way, you can safely pull over and turn off your car but not interrupt the call you're on. There is a built-in microphone and an external that I ran up to my visor. According to my wife during some test calls, the built-in mic sounded poor, so I ran the line for the external mic and she said that sounded as good as being on the phone normally.
The stereo can stream music from my cellphone, which is a windows smartphone. As soon as my phone gets paired, any music I play on the phone is played through the car'sbspeakers. Pretty neat.
SD Memory cards only - NO CDs.
I hated the clutter associated with having CDs in a car, and welcome a radio that doesn't play them at all. This radio takes up to 2 gb SD memory cards, which are currently available for $15 online and $19 at local stores. I already have a few lying around, so all I had to do was transfer music from my home computer. For me, at the bit rate I have ripped my cd collection, I easily fit 20 CDs worth of music on a 2gb card. Plenty of room for what I want to travel with, including a folder or two of my 3-year old son's music.
Navigating through the folders is easy enough, you can search by artist, folder, song title, or randomly play a folder, an artist, or the entire card. I like randomly playing the card. While songs are playing, you can view the track, artist, or album name, and either the timeline or a clock. I have the track timeline on because my car's dash already has a clock. I think it's nice that you can disable the clock and not have to have two clocks on the car's dash!
FM Stereo. Good-bye AM. I never listened to AM anyway, and welcome a radio without it! FM is all I need. There are 6 preset buttons and three FM levels (FM1, FM2, FM3) for a total of 18 presets. All the stations I like fit on FM1, I've programmed FM2 for my wife's favorites, and FM3 contains room for the next trip to the Poconos, where the stations are different. The radio can also automatically search for the strongest stations and pre-program them for you, which will be especially nice when driving away from our home area.
The stereo's sound is loud, crisp, and clear, especially when playing digital music from a memory card. There is absolutely no chance of skipping, since there are no moving parts in the unit and that's nice when you live/drive in a town that's especially full of potholes, as Staten Island, New York is!
They include a cushion-lined plastic case that holds the radio's faceplate, which snaps off for security. Don't tell anyone, but I'm not likely to ever take the faceplate out of the car. Even if I took if off the radio (as a theft deterrent) I would probably leave it somewhere in the car. But, if I wanted to take it out, at least the case would keep it from getting scratched.
If there's something you need me to elaborate on or something you want me to do or compare, please do not hesitate to email me and I will do what I can to help.
As promised earlier, here are the general specifications from the manufacturer:
Chassis Size Code IEJ
RMS Power Output 17 watts
Peak Output 50 watts
CEA Compliant Yes
RMS Power Bandwidth 20-20kHz
Preamp Outputs 1 pair
Sub Preamp Outputs No
Preamp Voltage 1.8 volts
Display Color 728 Colors
Key Button Color White
EQ Bands None
Sound Shaping Type None
Wireless Remote No
Wired Remote No
Security Detachable face
Parts Warranty 1 Year
Labor Warranty 1 Year
Expandability
iPod Connection No
AUX Input Rear
USB Input No
A/V Inputs No
Bluetooth Compatible Built-in
Satellite Radio Ready No
HD Radio No
Navigation No
Memory Card Compatible SD Memory Card, MMC
Changer Control No
Tuner
Tuner Type Not given
FM Sensitivity 11 dBf
FM Presets 18
AM Presets None
European Tuning No
Seek/Scan Seek
Radio Data System No
Playback
CD Frequency Response N/A
CD Signal-to-Noise ---
CD-R Playback No
CD-RW Playback No
MP3 Playback N/A
WMA Playback N/A
DVD Playback N/A
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
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