Rating: 4 / 5

I purchased this unit Christmas 2008 for my wife’s 03′ Ford Escape – the stock double-din multi-CD unit died. It was installed in roughly February and I have since been driving the SUV a lot so I felt I should write a review.

The unit was bought because it doesn’t look like a control panel on the USS Enterprise pimped out w/ a spoiler and modified exhaust. It was intended to replace a stock radio, support MP3 and bluetooth. It does well in the required categories: simple aesthetics, mp3/bluetooth operation (SD & CD)

MP3′s can be played on a CD and are easily navigated with the unit as long as you sort them into folders prior to burning. The folder and song names appear on the LCD and the radio navigation controls are simple and to the point when it comes to MP3 operation.

The included USB cable supports SD (and I believe mp3 players). I can attest to the SD card working fast & you can easily use a 4+ GB SD card and not have to worry about what’s on the airwaves. An mp3 CD accesses quickly and quietly. The USB cable has sufficient length to easily route to a glove box which was done in this case. The unit does not have a front-panel USB port but it does have an Aux port.

The LCD is basic which is a minor complaint as it accomplishes what it needs – it’s a radio not a TV. Sun glare can be a slight problem but no more than a nuisance. Be sure your dimmer connection is functioning properly when hooking it up. I don’t believe the unit supports displaying the artist/title over FM.

Radio reception seems to be worse on this unit than the stock but I listen to mp3 most of the time. The unit supports Sat-radio (with the additional hardware) which is nice but I did not elect to go this route. Aside from that FM radio functions are standard (memory functions, scan, etc.)

Sound reproduction on the default settings is not that great. Another poster made mention of this and also that the default or canned equalizer settings were not great. I found this to be the case as well. This can be remedied by using custom settings.

The unit uses a combined “Source” button to power the unit on/off and to switch from radio, sat, mp3, aux. This is annoying. You have to hold the button for the proper time to turn the unit off and can end up simply switching sources. Besides that, you must cycle through the other sources to get to mp3 from radio to CD etc. It would have been simple to add an independent set of buttons but this was not done. This is probably the worst part about the unit but isn’t a showstopper, either.

Understand if you install this in a Ford Escape the dash opening is not standardized double din – it is slightly smaller and therefore requires some dremeling plus a Clarion kit only sold through Crutchfield (e.g. expensive). I imagine most other makes and models are fine – this is a fault of “Ford quality” which I have experienced time and time again. This is not a fault of the unit itself, however.

Overall, the unit gets 3/5 stars which means it functions as advertised but does not impress in any area. I think Clarion did well in engineering the unit but was tripped up on the more mundane placement and use of buttons and user settings.

Rating: 3 / 5

1″ Factory Tweeters (doors)

4 ½” Kicker Speakers (dash)

6 ½” Pioneer Speakers (Rear quarter panels)

1″ Orion Tweeters (Rear quarter panels)

MTX Crossover

Jenson 500W AMP

Rockford Fosgate 12″ Subwoofers (2)

Phone Type:

Nokia E63 (Unlocked) Purchased 6/1/09

Installation date: 7/9/09

Purchase Location: Amazon.com

Price: $229.99

Here is my small review of this radio. I have had a few Clarion head units/ decks/ radios in my time. They have never let me down as far as bang for the buck or cool gadgets and bells and whistles. As well as normal functions, this unit is no exception. It performs well and offers a good deal of bang for your money.

I installed this radio in a new/ old car I just purchased because I wanted two things this unit offered, iPod controls, and Bluetooth hands free. Another deciding factor was the different color display combinations the unit has to match up to any dash color lighting.

First thing you notice is the HU/ deck is nice and black not allot of chrome or “bling” that serves no purpose other then theft magnet.

You will also notice once you start looking at the manual that the person who translated from Japanese to English was on “Crack” or some other drugs? The manual can be a little confusing not only in the fact sentences are sometimes written in backwards English but the actual directions are not in LOGICAL order (for example BT pairing comes a page after how to make a call using BT)? You must read the manual very carefully and concentrate on what you’re reading to get it. I found it very difficult to get the device to pair with my phone before I found these instruction from team clarion on the following website “http://www.teamclarion.com/sharedwebdbs/clarionsupport.nsf/WebCategorizedView/C52461A06F9427E98825756F007B4808?OpenDocument” After reading this I had no issues the manual doesn’t really mention holding enter in until “Search” or “waiting” begin to flash. Also note the blue tooth indicator light on the radio display does not come on unless connected to a device or connecting to a found device (annoying made me think BT wasn’t working almost sent deck back).

Phone auto connect feature is great all though people complain about it taking the deck to BT (Bluetooth) from what ever source you were on when it connects. This to me is not nearly as annoying as trying to get Bluetooth devices to pair up or find each other through numerous menus and button pushing. I’m fine with selecting the source it was on prior to connection. This also lets me know the phone is connected. What happens when you turn on the car the radio is on for example then in about 2-5 seconds it will cut off and switch to Bluetooth mode “Source”, you push the “SRC” button to go back to what you want (USB, Tuner, etc.).

BT hands free works great I can hear everyone and everyone can hear me fine (run mic up to drivers side A-pillar near visor). Can’t get my phone book to upload yet though, but haven’t spent allot of time on that either. Direct dialing is a pain since there is no numbers keypad on the remote (deck only has 1-6).

ISR (Instant Station Recall) is great programmed it to my favorite local station to go to it with one button push from any source or mode your in.

iPod controls work great after you figure them out (read manual) controls my iPod Touch 16GB great and charges it to, USB cable long enough to put in center console, glove box, or almost any where in or around your dash.

Main issue I see is that the subwoofer doesn’t seem to get any signal strength at lower volume levels below 12-15 I think the max is 33 on display. It works great after about 15+ on the volume level but before that at say 10-12 where I have to listen with my wife in the car it seems to not have any base at all other then from the regular speakers (1″ tweeters, 4.5″, 6.5″)? This is kind of disappointing and I have never seen this before in a deck but after 13-15 the bass comes in hard and fast.

Over all I’m pleased with the purchase the deck looks nice the iPod controls work great with the USB cable with no need for an auxiliary head phone cable to be plugged in (like on my 07 Civic). Sound quality is good, radio stations pick up good power antenna works when it should (Tuner only). I would recommend it and would purchase again.

PROs:

1. Multi color display to match almost any car on the market today’s factory interior dash lighting color.

2. Bluetooth (up to 5 devices in memory)

3. Hands Free

4. Ipod controls (rear mount USB)

5. Auto connect to phone

6. Dimmer control

7. Amp remote turn on out separate from power antenna remote turn on.

8. ISR is great.

Cons:

1. No dedicated Subwoofer RCA output (knew before I purchased -ok)

2. Output power of deck kind or low (but about all anyone really needs)

3. Round control knob not really that comfortable to use in low mount applications.

5. Deck sticks out a little to far from dash panel (needed more mounting hole options, still looks okay just can’t use cup holders).

6. Manual isn’t the best as always the English translator who does the manuals for them should be fired (I work with Asian people from China, Korea, Singapore, and the Philippines on a daily basis) and this person stinks, and often leaves out key things or speaks backwards?

7. Getting phone book into radio doesn’t work with my Nokia, dialing direct is awkward and a pain to do with the unit (no number key pad on the remote).

8. No indication in the manual which RCA outputs are front and which are rear?

Rating: 4 / 5

Pros:

-I like the simple look of the unit as it is not overly flashy and doesn’t look overly expensive.

-It can mimic the color of my other dashboard instruments which is a big sell for me and the reason I picked this unit over the better-looking Pioneer model.

-iPhone/iPod integration is great, you can use Bluetooth or the USB dock connector. Both sound great.

-Sounds great!

Cons:

-The design is nice but not as cool as Pioneer’s double DIN units but they don’t mimic the dash illumination color.

-Setup and menus are a little awkward. You need the manual to know what BBE-MX or S-CTRL is referring to.

-There is a screen saver that I find a little distracting. Maybe I’ll get used to it.

-The unit doesn’t fit flawlessly into the Nissan Pathfinder double DIN hole. Luckily [...] included some minor trim pieces to fill in most of the gaps.

-The instructions were not originally written in English and therefore it takes a bit to figure out what they are saying.

Overall I am very happy. I even called [...] tech support line to double check some wiring (10 hold time @ 8:00pm MST) which was nice to have instead of just guessing. I’d recommend it to a friend. The coming weeks will allow me to work out any other imperfections in the unit.

Rating: 4 / 5

Rating: 5 / 5