The Sony CDX-MP80 : Mobile Sound Redefined
Written: Nov 09 '03
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Pros: Great sound, great looks, lotsa bells and whistles, easy to use, easy to install
Cons: Display face easily scratched, lots of moving parts so we'll see how it holds up...
The Bottom Line: A very good CD/MP3 in-dash player. It has all the basics and a whole lot of extras.
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| AVaddict's Full Review: Sony CDX-MP80 Car CD/ MP3 Player |
A Little Background
Most head units do the same thing whether than playback CD media external or internal, tape media, FM/AM/XM, what have you. There are obvious levels to what is available, whether dependent on price or features, or sometimes both. For many years now, I have thoroughly enjoyed my Sony XR-C900ES. It is a tape deck and was purchased at a time when good CD players were cheap, though MP3 was few and far between at the time, but as an owner of a Sony TC-KA3ES, I obviously had incentive to stay with a the last best deck out there. This was also at a time when ES still existed, however it no longer does as they have removed that line from their automotive offerings. ES was their high line and so with its absence, I wondered a bit as to whether my cash outlay would match the product purchased. Fortunately for me, my worries were without base as it performed not just as well, but possibly better in the digital domain than the copper clad winner I had previously. This CD deck sends signals to a very nice Alpine amplifier (and a decent Kenwood) that send the signal to a set of JBL GTi components and Infinity 693.3 three way 6x9s.
Install and Features
The install of this unit is no different than any other. In my case it was even easier as I already had the harness and retrofit unit already installed. All the expected hook ups are there with the addition of an extra auxiliary for even more expansion in the future. The unit was impressively packed and actually quite heavy. Granted this unit has an internal amplifier, I am not using it as everything I need is already in the trunk. It’s a good looking install and even though I may have to modify its position later to accommodate a turbo timer and boost control, I’m sure I will be able to match all the fluorescent colors due to the huge number available on the Sony’s face. Switching between them is pretty east and you’re bound to find one that matches your factory illumination.
This unit features most of the items we have come to expect of the mid to high level Sony head units. These features include, but are not limited to DSO, EQ7, 18 station naming, high and low pass crossovers, and G-Protection skip protection. I don’t how active that last one is, but this player never skips. The DSO is a system designed to adjust the individual outputs of all the primary speakers to give the listener a feeling that the door speakers seem higher placed. The EQ7 is what it sounds, an equalizer. Though the adjustability of the EQ features are limited they are useful and certainly leagues ahead of simple bass and treble controls. When one has a separate subs and mains, this can be very useful in combinations with the crossover.
The crossover features two cutoff points at 78Hz and 125Hz. This feature is convenient and can save your speakers from unnecessary stress trying to push low frequencies too hard leading to breakup and muddy sound. It works both ways, as a high pass and low pass, so this can be applied to the sub as well. It is important to note though, that depending on the quality and versatility of your amp section, you may want to disable the head unit’s crossovers for those on the amps themselves, again, depending on quality. It is all these features working together in unison that help to produce some of the best sound I have heard in a car since the last time I listened to a friends Alpine/Boston system he installed in his S4.
Performance
The face of the unit, when closed, is very clean and uncluttered save the two dials that perform most of the primary functions. All the sub functions can be accessed by either the source or menu keys, discreetly located at the outermost edges of the face. Scrolling through options of functions is easy and quick as is station naming as well as disc naming. MP3 encoded discs should have all the info for display already on the disc if encoded or recorded as such. Since getting this unit I have had no problems with the unit not reading a disc I insert. Of occasionally the ID3s don’t come up, but its not too big of a deal considering all the folders are named anyway, so it’s not as if I don’t know who I am listening to.
The sound itself is very, very good. It is clear, doesn’t sound too tweaked even when all the digital functions are invoked. The bass is deep, rich, and dedicated. The sound going to the mains is marvelously clear and defined without being fatiguing. This with the understanding of course that my tweeters on the front components have already been pulled back mechanically upon install because they tend to be a bit bright anyway. As I don’t use the internal amp I can’t say how effective it is, but I have no doubt that even with relatively new factory speakers, it would sound very good at low to medium volumes, or at least till you pushed the bass all the way. As I mentioned before, the crossovers can be very useful, but without a sub section setting it to 125Hz can just leave all the music you play very hollow and tinny. This is not true so much with the 78Hz setting, but it still leaves the sound lacking in bass.
The loading and unloading of the deck is straightforward and a treat for the eyes. We have all seen a tray comes out of PC for a disc, but this one is beefier, lit up, and not something folks are used to seeing in an automobile. The tray features little ball bearing on the spindle that the disc is locked onto when loaded. Though I wouldn’t say the tray feels flimsy, I always support the front of it with my thumb when snapping in a CD, just to be safe I guess. When loading, the spindle is actually pretty close to the opening of the unit already so I still doubt it will break too easily, I just take extra precautions like this.
Although I don’t listen to the radio nearly as much as I used to, the reception of FM stations is very good almost regardless of where I am in town. There are plenty of presets (18) available for each band, though all I ever really need are about 5 in the FM band. When I travel to other close cities I am always amazed at how long I can continue to listen to that one frequency, all things being relative.
This unit comes with a card style remote that I never use. I put it a drawer when I got this system and haven’t taken it out since. I still had my rotary commander from my earlier Sony deck and promptly installed it. The rotary is simply easier to use and one doesn’t have to take ones eyes off the road. The same could be said about the card however, it doesn’t get permanently mounted as the rotary does which I see as an advantage as I won’t ever have search around in my middle compartment for where it might have slipped or dropped to.
The Numbers
Here is a listing of the basic and, in my opinion the most important specifications for this head unit. These can be pulled off of almost any internet site, but I am quoting them directly from the manual.
RMS Power – 23w x 4
Peak Power – 52w x 4
Pre-Outs – 3 pair
Pre-Out voltage – 4v
S/N ratio – 95dB
CD response - 10Hz-20kHz
This should give you enough to compare it on a simple level to other receivers you might be looking into. Features vary from brand to brand and unit to unit as do the bells and whistles, but the importance you put in these items will have to be up to you.
Final Thoughts
I am very happy not only with the price I paid but the performance as well. With a retail of $449, $301 delivered can’t be beat. This unit has a lot of show off features like the face colors, the loading mechanism, and even the spectrum analyzer display, something that’s seems to be coming back into vogue. The install was easy and the ease of use is very good, though the learning curve for setting functions like DSO and EQ7 may have more than mild unless this isn’t really your thing or you choose not to read the manual. Although I would have preferred black, I am slowly getting used to the silver, slowly but surely. As I mentioned before, the face of this unit is very clean and does look very good with the only real surface features being the mirrored knobs. There has been, for quite some time, a propensity to bash Sony’s head units. I have had quite a few and only ever had one problem, and that was with a $100 unit almost 5 years ago. I’d call that a pretty good record and the sound speaks for itself. No it doesn’t have the warranty that my ES did, but I have a feeling I will never need it.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 301 del.
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