Boss 865DBI Double DIN MP3/CD Receiver with Internal iPod Docking Station
Friday, March 19th, 2010 at
11:24 pm
Product Description
Double DIN MP3/CD Receiver w/Internal iPod Docking Station, Bluetooth, Full Detachable Front Panel, USB/SD Card Slot, Front Aux-In AM/FM/RDS, 80W X 4
Features:
- Double DIN AM/FM/RDS/MP3/CD Receiver with Full Detachable Front Panel, USB/SD Card Slot and Front Aux-In
- Internal iPod Docking Station compatible with most iPod models
Price: $173.81
Boss 865DBI Double DIN MP3/CD Receiver with Internal iPod Docking Station
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- Boss Audio 720CA In-Dash CD Receiver with Detachable Front Panel
Tagged with: 865DBI • Boss • Docking • Double • Internal • iPod • Mp3/CD • Receiver • Station
Filed under: Boss
The Boss 865 DBI is a full featured double DIN unit That includes an IPod dock, SD card reader, UBS, Bluetooth audio and phone all built in with no other adapters to buy.
Out of the box the unit seemed to be heavier than the unit I was replacing, the stock radio from my 97 Geo Prizm.
The installation was about an 8 on a 1-10 ease of installation chart. The only reason for the 8 was only one hole lined up on each side of the mounts so I had to locate and drill the other holes, after that everything was pretty easy. The interface took a bit to learn but within about 15 minutes you will understand the logic so it becomes easy to setup and operate.
I have tried every function except the IPod dock (I don’t own an IPod) which is cleverly installed behind the face place so Your IPod is out of sight. I will have to borrow my wife’s IPod to see how it works and post an update.
The unit loads up the SD card and it sounds good. The display is easy to read which I find is a plus for someone that wears reading glasses. It tells you what song is playing and the album/group like an IPod screen.
The CD player works well although it is a bit slower to read the disk than most units (It says “reading” for a couple of seconds).After playing a CD, the unit and the CD is still cool to the touch. Most car units I have used make the CD feel like it was just in an oven.
The unit has a transfer function that can transfer files from the CD player to other media in the player. Note: It will not copy a regular audio CD, the CD has to be a MP3 or a WMV file format.
The Bluetooth works good and sounds good in both directions. It can store the last 10 numbers dialed but has no voice dial function.
I am quite pleased with the price and the quality of the unit. It seems that it will last a long time from what I see.
If I were to make suggestions to improve future versions of the unit would be as follows:
The volume knob is too small and slippery, could put knurls on it like the tuning knob.
The writing could be bigger and/or easier to read on the remote control.
The display could use a “progress bar” that lets you know how far along a song has played.
A voice dial function would give this unit a total hands free Bluetooth dialing experience.
I have to agree with the others on this unit and their comments being an excellent unit. I installed it in a 1985 model car.
I only have a couple of issues with this radio that keeps it from being 6 stars.
1st, the blue screen is very bright and have yet to find a way to dim the screen at night, however is very clear even in a convertible on a sunny day.
2nd, an amplified sub-woofer output is not available thru the internal amplifiers. Only a line-out for the sub-woofer. Simply add a powered sub-woofer and that problem is taken care of.
Other than those two issues, I am extremely happy with the purchase. For the price, there are more features on this unit than those costing up to 4 times as much and did not have to purchase additional “adaptors” like a Bluetooth adaptor, etc.
Boss – add an internal satellite radio to this unit and you will have 10 stars in my book.
This radio works well but has some drawbacks that need improvement: first, accepts many signal interference, ie mixing stations. Second, the volume of the speaker phone in default is very high, leading to echo the talk, besides that other people hear me away (do not know where the microphone).
For the rest, the radio works perfectly: the ipod, sd memory, auxiliary, etc..
I was skeptical about buying this product because of the brand name that I was not familiar with. However I was more then pleasantly surprised once I had used it. It sounds great and the convenience of being able to use the CD, SD Card, and USB Drive options together was overwhelmingly satisfying. It is my favorite Car Stereo, and I have had some very nice more expensive units. I do not have an IPOD but without using this feature it is still an outstanding value.
Sound is adequate; ipod connection handy. Display can’t be read under normal circumstances, regardless of “contrast” setting. I sent the first one back because I thought it was broken. The replacement had the same display problem. Would not recommend it to anybody.