Clarion DRX8675z

Price Paid:  $0.00 from Insurance

Year / Model Reviewed:
 2001

Strengths:
Great sound. Some companyies try to put too much into a great display and forget why you buy a cd player, to listen and not to look.

Weaknesses:
Could be easier to find the bass and treble features. Have to search and have certain things turned off to reach them. Display could be alittle better, but like I said in the previous.

Summary:
Very Very Durable. Friend had it in his car for a few months and one night he flipped his car. He thought the car was on fire because the volume nob was flashing thru its color spectrum. Long story short car would be repaired and the cd player never ever skipped. Says alot.

Similar Products Used:
Earlier model Clarion.

Price Paid:  $240.00 from local mall

Year / Model Reviewed:
 2001/DRX8675z

Strengths:
You can select different lighting set-ups,rotary volume control is nice. enhancer comes in handy and its very simple to operate.Has only skiped maybe 3-4 times in 2 years, and im sure all were bad road related.

Weaknesses:
The screen is very weak in sunlight, but so are most recievers.

Summary:
Ive had the unit for about 2 years know and have had no problems.Sounds good works well and looks nice at nite when lit up. I have a external amp to run my interiors, but thats me, i like it loud.

Similar Products Used:
NOone

Price Paid:  $199.00 from OnlineCarStereo.com

Year / Model Reviewed:
 2000

Strengths:
Sound quality is outstanding, whether through the internal amplifier or through the RCA preouts. Build quality seems to be quite good. Easy faceplate to remove/replace, average readibility on the display. Its connectivity is outstanding. It can control more outboard units than I ever imagined was possible! It looks great...but only when turned off!

Weaknesses:
It looks better turned off than turned on. The display is very cluttered, with every indicator on the display visible at all times. In my minivan (''98 Windstar) the display is slightly obscured by the top of the faceplate. The Z-Enhancer gripes me. It seems pretty useless, just a different type of bass/treble control. The ordinary ones work just fine, thank you. With the prism key you are stuck with the colors they preset. It seems a little garish, but that is just aesthetics. For some reason, I can not make this feature turn off like it is supposed to. The button layout and functionality is not as good as it could be. It could have been designed better, but nobody asked me! ;-)

Summary:
Overall a good head unit, just a useless feature or two, and a cheesy display. The important features, though, like sound quality, are great. The unit I purchased was refurbished. That''s why I paid $199, which was less than half of MSRP. It comes with a warranty, though only 90 days. I would like to give it only 3 1/2 stars for overall rating because of the display and controls. I''m not sure if I would buy this unit again for aesthetic reasons, but that is no indictment of its fitness as a high-end source unit. I just prefer a more conservatively styled display. I would definitely recommend it to those looking for a more flashy display.

Similar Products Used:
Eclipse 5331, Alpine 7814, Older Clarion

Price Paid:  $300.00

Year / Model Reviewed:
 2000

Strengths:
Great sound quality, clean power from pre-outs, nice looks (in my opinion). I moved up from a 6675 and am very happy. Like this better than the Pioneer DEH-P9200 I had too. Rotary volume control is a must.

Weaknesses:
Could have CD-Text built in. Would love an RDS tuner with Radio Text like the Pioneer, but those are features you pay more for. Face sometimes won't open on its own, and needs a little push. Over all, I'm very happy.

Summary:
For the price, the sound and build quality can't be beat. I'd love some extra features, but I wouldn't give up the rotary volume control. Won't switch this until some better radio system is available in Canada (and DAB doesn't count).

*****

Similar Products Used:
Pioneer, Kenwood, Sony, and just about all the others available in Canada.

Price Paid:  $350.00

Strengths:
Good Pre-amp output power. Good speaker power 45x4. Easy 2 use and program.

Weaknesses:
I ended up blowing the finals in the first one i got after a few months, then got a brand new one from crutchfield with hardly any questions asked. My new one is great and no problems yet.

Summary:
Good all around Cd player, no skipping at all. definatly recomended.

Similar Products Used:
cd players