Great Stereo suggestion- and one lil' question

[kevin-design]

So about a month or two ago I picked up a panasonic head unit that plays MP3's along with everything else. Well, I got tired enough the bad user interface, the blindly bright (and mismatching blue) display, the skippy CD reading, and the sketchy mp3 interpretations. Just as I was thinking to myself, 'If it skips just ONE more time during this song, I swear I'm replacing this thing' and it skipped right on que- Anyway, so I went ahead and ditched the thing, and today received the answer to all my audio prayers- a Clarion DXZ735MP.
My review:
Sounds great. 52x4 watts peak is sufficient for me.
Features are intuitive and accessible.
No performance quirks yet like I experienced with the panasonic.
No skipping- due probably in part to 20 seconds of buffering (on a side note- Isn't this a no-brainer?!? Why is this not a standard feature on every auto CD player!!!?)
All kinds of upgradeability from TV to DVD to Sirius, etc.
Color changes to match my interior- you can't quite get blue- the main shades are Red, Orange, and Green. Your color options are basically composed of mixed shades of the above. Great for my orange lighted interior.
MP3 Decoding works perfectly- this proves that it WAS my player and not the CD that was causing problems.
The remote is kind of big and clunky compared the standard 'credit card' remotes you always see, but the whole idea of having a remote to change your stereo that's 4 inches from your hand seems pretty absurd to me.
So overall, I'm VERY VERY happy with this purchase, if only to be relieved to escape my previously annoying stereo. I found a guy who will sell these at only $180 shipped. I think he has more if anyone's interested.

Finally, before I forget- there is one wire labeled 'dimmer', and I assume this would connect to a lead that is hot when lights are engaged. I wonder if I could connect it to dynamically adjust to match the selected level of gauge dim; or is this just a go/no go type of switch? This is just another feature that seems like it would be a no-brainer for manufacturers, but what do I know... I'm just a consumer.

Oh yeah, while trying to find the answer to this question, I found some discussion on a light sensor. I have already discovered a basic light sensor mounted into the dash near the gauge toggle buttons, but I recently noticed that there is a big, round, (light?) sensor mounted right in the middle of my dash. Looks like an IR filter over it- what does that one do? And why have two if its just another light sensor?

Thanks for any help- sorry about the long post!
-Kevin

 

[Macgyver]

Hey Kevin, What model number was that Panasonic? Im going to get another head unit soon and was very interested in the Panasonic Mp3 players. Skipping is a big NO NO! As well as not reading the CD b/c of a little scratch since they do sit in a car. I would like to steer clear of this one.

Thanks,
Steve'O

 

[kevin-design]

Hmmm, 783 something something...?
It's not ALL bad, but the blue display even at its dimmest setting lights up the whole interior and is distracting while driving. Besides, it doesn't match anything in the car. There are TOO MANY features as well which aren't so intuitively integrated. It's not THAT bad, but the memory buffer (among other things) makes the Clarion a WAY better choice for me.

Edit: (it's this one)
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3058566663&category=39761

PS. I have one to sell! Almost new! Just kidding about all the above!

(double kidding)

 

[Macgyver]

HA HA! I like yer style.

Its really that bright? Im planning on really trickn out this bad boy when redoing the interior. Quite far from stock. I want the face to be real blue and I have found some brushed alum. panels to put over the center console and the speedo. Ive already switched my dials in the console to blue but the face is important. Fortunately thats not the model Im looking at. The model higher that has the dot matrix display and the subwoofer control.

Thanks for the heads up bro. Hey your up late! No one around the C3 forums ever posts past 9:30pm hehehehe. Guess they need their Z's. Not too many young bucks around there.

Steve'O