What about audio quality??

All the reviews here focus on how skip-free the Sony RF players are -- nobody seems concerned about the audio quality. Which, unfortunately, ain't so hot.

I had high hopes when I had the CDX 424RF installed in my car. But they were quickly dashed as I listened to several of my favorite CDs. The sound was dead and muddy, far inferior to the sound of the same CD played on the in-dash player. When I exchanged the Sony RF changer for a hard-wired (Alpine) changer, the guys in the shop said the biggest single complaint they get is about RF changers.

The audio quality of the changer was noticeably worse than that of the FM radio, which is puzzling. Apparently the changer wasn't utilizing the full bandwidth available to the FM radio. I don't know if the changer was installed incorrectly in my car, or if Sony cuts corners by compromising the bandwidth of the little transmitter that was in my trunk. (If you can alleviate my confusion, please email me: breckh@pacbell.net.)