8 out of 8 people found this review helpful.
Full of features
Date of Review: Jun 26, 2007
The Bottom Line: Great features, low price, decent build quality!
I was kind of skeptical of ordering the VR500CSBT after seeing a similar less feature rich (vr400) model. I was expecting the unit to look kind of cheap, but I was mistaken! The 2007 model (identified with the keypad next to the usb/sd port ) looks alot better than previous VR products.
Installation was very straight forward, with 4 speaker outputs, or can be used with the optional RCA outputs. To my surprise, there were even RCA outputs for the subwoofer. I have it driving 4x6" & 2x10" subs. I should probably throw in a separate amp for the subs, as it is only 45wx4 and tends to heat up a bit when running at near max volume (my rear channel is only 2 ohms, so heat is expected ).
The BT works fine, able to recieve calls and dial out flawlessly. There is a choice of 6 ringtones and a psudo address book. The voice quality with the internal mic is ok, but for a real conversation you will want to use the included plug in microphone. I have not been able to test the A2DP stereo music transfer from my phone, as my phone doesn't support it.
Sound quality is very good from cd, mp3 cd, usb or sd card. Only issue is when powered off it restarts at the beginning of the song instead of picking up where it left off.
The radio is a wonder in itself. While it is not an HD radio, it does support RDS, so you can see the station ID, song & artist for almost every station. It even has modes where you can choose the type of music and it will find stations for you. When traveling, when you lose a station, it will find a similar one that is in range.
I have only had the unit for a week so I am still learning all the features, but if your into electronic gadgets, this one has a ton of features for the money.
