Anyone have any experience with this receiver?

[5ickride]

I just bought a Sony CDX GT440U for my car. My current one is in good condition but the tape deck doesnt work so i couldnt use it to play my ipod. I got it from crutchfield and it says that it fits. So i bought cuz it seemed like a good price. Anyone here using this same headunit? Here's a pic. I like cuz the buttons are red. There was a JVC headunit that i also liked that was able to change display colors on buttons and background to whatever. but it was more dollars.

[318Joe]

I have the previous generation of that model. I've got it in a Nissan with the bose speaker/amp package and it sounds pretty good. I've had it for about three years without any problems. Would have put it in the e30, but it only had one preamp output set. But as it turns out, with the right amps you only need one pre-amp out.

I am currently using a JVC Arsenal 805 in the e30 - the switchable illumination is hot. You can use a pre-set color or custom set the color to match the dash. You can also set different illumination for day & night. The orange lettering is too hard for my eyes to read during the day, so I have the display set to white letters on a black background, with amber/orange at night to match the dash.
Built in Bluetooth works well, as does the front and rear usb ports. It will stream Pandora from the iPhone over bluetooth, but the sound quality is best suited to talk radio streaming - also possible through the iphone.

My only complaints about the JVC is the size of the letters on the 805 display and the basic controls.
Lesser models have less lines of info on the same size display - much easier to read if your eyes are older.
And, the controls are not standard. Changing balance, fader or the eq is accomplished through the menu button. Its ok once you get used to it, but you need to read the manual before you can use the deck without taking your eyes off the road.

[SoEm0]

I would steer clear of sony head units myself. They are using old technology and are not impressive in the least. Look for JVC, Eclipse(unfortunatly they just went out of business), alpine, or clarion (if money allows)

[5ickride]

I was looking at the JVC units and they looked really good, i just didnt want to spend more than i had budgeted. I hope this Sony does the trick and gives me no problems. I got this through crutchfield and they say i get free installation, should i take it to their recommended shops or should i try to do this myself? I've researched a bit and seems like its straight forward but electronics scare me...

[dashboardmonkey]

I recommend the new JVC, it has bluetooth, 3 preouts, USB and you can change the display colors to amber to match our interior.

[StereoInstaller1]

In general, sony is basically the same as any other POS $100 deck. They all suck just about the same.

In the case of an E30 the installation is way more important than what deck it is anyway.

[5ickride]

I recommend the new JVC, it has bluetooth, 3 preouts, USB and you can change the display colors to amber to match our interior.

Which model? I just went to Crutchfield website and they posted a new HU for JVC that i would've gone with had i seen it

Is this a good one to buy JVC Arsenal KD-A315 Its only $110. I might return the Sony for this one but let me know what you guys think. thanks for the help.

[StereoInstaller1]

KD R900

http://mobile.jvc.com/product.jsp?modelId=MODL028467&pathId=54&page=3

[5ickride]

KD R900

http://mobile.jvc.com/product.jsp?mo...thId=54&page=3

looks good but out of my range. :(

[IRON-E]

looks good but out of my range. :(

What about KDR 600? I have that in my e30 and it's an easy install, sounds good as hell too.
I'm running stock speakers in the rear deck area and aftermarket tweets and kick panel speakers at full range, no amp but I do have an amp for my bass 2-12"s in a sealed box. I love my set up, oh and I can also match the amber color of the e30 cluster.

[StereoInstaller1]

I just did one of those.

I personally would not buy a deck without:

High pass filters
3 sets of preouts
Bluetooth
USB

Any one of those features not there is an absolute deal breaker to me.

that KD-R900 can be had for under $200.

ramen isn't THAT bad....

[5ickride]

I just did one of those.

I personally would not buy a deck without:

High pass filters
3 sets of preouts
Bluetooth
USB

Any one of those features not there is an absolute deal breaker to me.

that KD-R900 can be had for under $200.

ramen isn't THAT bad....

I found the KD R900 for $179. Is there a big difference b/w this and the KD R610 ($139)? I'm definitely sending the Sony back

[5ickride]

What about KDR 600? I have that in my e30 and it's an easy install, sounds good as hell too.
I'm running stock speakers in the rear deck area and aftermarket tweets and kick panel speakers at full range, no amp but I do have an amp for my bass 2-12"s in a sealed box. I love my set up, oh and I can also match the amber color of the e30 cluster.

Could you post a night shot of the head unit? I want to see how it looks. thanks

[sonick]

I have the JVC KD-R805, which is half a step down from the R900 (same features, but without the high voltage pre-out and some other pro options). It looks the same as the KD-R600 but with a dot matrix display:

Daylight


Dimmer color-match:

[IRON-E]

Could you post a night shot of the head unit? I want to see how it looks. thanks

Let me check
This is the best I can do ATM