Clarion DXZ-435 review
Written: Sep 26 '03
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Pros: Lots of features and good sound for the price.
Looks very good.
Cons: Very difficult to remove faceplate.
Some buttons are small.
The Bottom Line: I would recommend this deck if the price is right and if you can tolerate having to use your keys to remove the faceplate. Everything else is great!
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| mwmhong's Full Review: Clarion Sirius DXZ-435 Car CD Player |
**Please forgive my somewhat amateur description of this deck, I'm not a Car-audio Pro**
I bought this CD deck as a 'back-up' deck to my other Clarion Deck, a DRX6675z which is a lemon and sent in for a long time on warranty repair. These decks are used in a 1995 neon with other aftermarket audio components.
The DXZ-435 was on sale at A&B Sound for $110 CDN with a one-year warranty. It was a refurbished deck, but for the price and features, it seemed like a good buy. I already had the Clarion harness from my other Clarion so it was a simple plug-and-play to install.
It has been one month since the purchase of this deck and I have no major problems with it, in fact, I like it more than my primary deck.
The face of this deck looks very good, it does not look like a cheap deck. There are lots of buttons, but they are arranged nicely (no snaggle-button syndrome) and the chrome volume knob looks very nice.
It does not have a flip down face, which makes it easy to load and eject disks. Not having a flip-down face also eliminates the potential for mechanical breakdown which has plagued the DRX6675z (my other deck).
In terms of sound quality, it sounds good.
In relative terms, it is superior to the DRX6675z. It not only features the usual Clarion Z-enhancer (which is just a fancy name for bass and treble control), but it also has MAGNA-BASS which gives a nice surrounding bass effect to your music. It also possesses a Sub-woofer level control which allows you to really crank up the bass (if you have sub-woofers).
The display glows a dim blue background with white letters and is very easy to read. It can be set to display your custom message banner, CD-text (artist, title). The screen saver is just slashes and dashes, lines and bars dancing around while the music is playing.
The most common functions are really easy to use plus a remote control is included. Volume, track skip, mode switch, and the other main buttons are all easy to see and easy to use. The radio tuning buttons and other function buttons that lie on the lower edge of the deck are a bit small and hard to read (mostly because of the low-slung radio position in a neon).
The deck features a detachable face which is good for security, however, I have found it very difficult to remove. The release button in the upper left hand corner and is very tiny. You have to press this release VERY deep in order to pop the faceplate off and it is very hard to do this with a small button and a much larger finger.
The thin cosmetic plastic surround around the faceplate (called the 'Outer escutcheon' in the install instructions) actually interferes with your attempts to get a stab at the release button and I have since removed it. I have to use my key to stab the button and it works like a charm, but it leaves white scuffs/scrapes on the tiny little release button, which is hardly noticeable.
Overall, I am VERY pleased with this deck, the positives so far have outweighed the negatives by far. For the price I have paid, I give this deck a rating of 4 out of 5.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 68.75
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Epinions.com ID:
mwmhong
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Reviews written: 1
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