Re: CD Player elements

[tnas@dtpdirect.nl (Tom Nas, DTP Direct bv)]

Fringe Ryder <Fringe@ai.net> wrote:

  I've done a lot of work on stereos in general.  I've -owned- a lot of
  stereos in general, including somewhere around ten after-market car CD head
  units.  They are not all created equal.  In my Escort (small tense souped-up
  road rabbit), Sonys tracked better than anything else, but I never had a
  Pioneer.

IMO, Sony is better on ergonomics. Pioneer is OK too, though, but they get
stolen a lot here (even without the front panel) because it's apparently
easy to get a replacement front panel for them.

  So I believe that Phillips units are somewhat better.  Would I use this to
  purchase a car stereo?  No.  I didn't.  I prefer the features on Sony units,
  the warranties are similar, the sound is similar, and Sonys track well.  The
  home units have to last longer and the environment is more conducive to
  noticing their problems.

My brother had a problem with his Sony CD changer- it sprayed some sort of
oil on the CDs. The importer repaired it and replaced the CD cartridge, but
it's still not 100% OK.
Although Philips is a Dutch company originally, I'm no great fan of them.
They seem to have all the good ideas but implement them badly.
Ergonomically, they're not bad, but their car stereos have that 'Fisher
Price' look IMHO. And their bad marketing strategy will kill them one day
(at least their consumer electronics division, which has been laying off
employees for years)

  My advice?  Avoid Sanyo, Kraco, JSL, and Clarion.  (Of these, I've only had
  a Sanyo, but you get the idea.)  Other than that, in a car as smooth as most
  Audis, the brand won't matter as much as the features.

Low price/OK quality/reliability combo: JVC (personal favourite)

Low price/mediocre quality/innovative design/good ergonomics: Blaupunkt

The Sony name gets the prices up over here, as does Pioneer. Philips is
cheap, and if you can stand the looks, an OK choice. Last time I looked,
they sold the cheapest tuner/cassette/CD changer combo. Blaupunkt gets the
credit for the cheapest in-dash CD tuner here. Both Philips and Blaupunkt
feature red illumination, a plus for us Audians. None of the other, easily
obtainable, brands here do that.

Of course, this is for Holland only...

My $.02. Yes, I am an audiophile (a problem if you're on a budget) but I'm
also practical- it's hard to hear the difference between two great-sounding
units over engine and wind noise...

Tom
(currently trying to get my JVC in-dash CD from green to red illumination)

 _______________________________________________________________________
   Tom W. Nas, graphic design                        tnas@dtpdirect.nl
   DTP Direct bv                              Voice +31 (55) 5 790 799
   Apeldoorn, the Netherlands                   Fax +31 (55) 5 790 125

      He who dies with the most toys, is, nonetheless, still dead.