Affordable Solutions For The Everyday Audiophile
Written: May 23 '02
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Pros: Attractive to the eye, ear, and pocketbook
Cons: Seek time on MP3 files can be discouraging
The Bottom Line: Sound, appearance, security, look at this player. I mean just look at it! For 200 bucks or less, there's not much to worry about. GET IT, it's a sound investment.
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| mstyles3k's Full Review: Aiwa CDC-MP32 Car CD Player |
It's amazing how difficult it can be to find the right reciever for a car stereo. I mean, come on! The choices are seemingly limitless. There's FM, AM, XM, CD, CD-R, CD-RW, MP3 CD, CDC, SO MANY FEATURES!!! It makes one want to assume the fetal position and scream. And to add to all of the existing frustration is the idea of cost. To find a quality car stereo, it's pretty much understood that no price less than $150 should be spent. That's a lot of money riding on a decision that will be "riding" with you wherever you travel.
Luckily there's people like the reviewers from Epinions and Carreview.com and the nice folks from AIWA that helped me to make the decision of getting AIWA's CDC-MP32 player. Just one step above their conceptual CDC-MP3, the first car stereo that can play MP3-encoded discs sold at a reasonable price, the MP32 brings to the table several new features and just a little more power.
Not only does AIWA makes its most earnest effort to make installation so simple it can be done at home instead of at a professional garage, it also does its best to simplify the operation of the reciever, providing the user with not one but two means of operating the system. For those who fear change like the plague, the faceplate offers every means of operation, whether that be through EQ settings, function usage, or the loading and unloading of discs. As for the unselective few who are willing to try something new, a nice and easy-to-use wireless remote to try out. Instead of card remotes (Panasonic and the like love to issue these, they're less expensive and easier to manufacture), AIWA provides a special wireless remote that latches onto your steering wheel and provides you with the means to operate every needed feature, whether it be switching functions, changing volume or changing tracks with the push of a button and not a hand off the steering wheel. Could it get any easier? Yes it can.
Because not many people choose to completely stock their car stereos with CD Changers and auxiliary connections (MD/portable CD player), AIWA's Smart Engine removes the selections that aren't accessible. If there's no CD inserted in the CD Bay, the CD option isn't selectable; likewise with the CD Changer and AUX options.
What's the one thing every person is looking for when looking for a device that plays music? Sound Quality. And for the folks at AIWA, these two terms always fall hand in hand. Providing a peak value of 50 Watts per channel and enough tone settings to compliment every musical style, this system packs one mean sound wallop. Now I have no subwoofer in my car, and I don't really have an ambition to have one now that this little baby is installed in my car. The H-BASS enhancement (which amplifies the lowest bass frequencies, that is those that are felt and not heard) practically turns my back speakers into subwoofers, saving me both money and trunk space. Because of the H-BASS's four settings (OFF, 1, 2, and 3), it's up to the user, not the system, to decide how much bass is sent to the speakers (mothers, I'll bet this is music to your ears, no pun intended).
The final "biggie" that most stereo shoppers look for when buying is security issues. More expensive stereo systems have better security features. That's the sort of thing most shoppers think when they look at the REMOVABLE FACEPLATE and DISAPPEARING FACEPLATE models. AIWA thought a little differently, thus coming up with the MAGIC FLAP system. "What's so magic about it," you're probably asking. The fact that the stereo knows when you turn on/off your car and AUTOMATICALLY retracts the faceplate to look like there's not stereo inside seems pretty magical. As of matter of fact, any common theif looking into the car would see what appears to be a factory plate put over the covering of dashboards that have no stereos, most likely leaving you with an untampered car and intact stereo.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 179
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Epinions.com ID:
mstyles3k
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Member: Mark Schilleman
Location: San Diego, CA, USA
Reviews written: 26
Trusted by: 2 members
About Me:
Born and raised in San Diego, I've always had an impression with music and electronics.
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