Receiver w/ USB Input for less than $100?

[Joe Dirt]

I do know that most reviewers seem to like the sound of the Sony units ahead of Clarion or Dual

the clarion is probably the best...

I love this forum!

 

[Donner]

That Sony Xplod series puts Clarion to sleep...

 

[210Sooner]

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4744710

Its out of stock online but I have seen them at the stores. They might still have some.
It aint the best but it has usb and its with in budget.

 

[toypaseo]

I'll put in a vote that Sony is junk.

I would spend a bit more money...

 

[Donner]

And how is it junk?

 

[Anime]

Pretty much any brand-name receiver, even if it breaks you budget over $100, is well worth it over some sub-$100 junk. If you want a receiver with the USB input and you want it under $100, you'll have to do it by either getting it used, or checking Crutchfield and other audio shops for sales or clearance deals.

Whatever you do, don't get the cheaper ones. That VR3 receiver at walmart has some horrible reviews all over the web.

My choice for an inexpensive receiver with USB and SD/MMC inputs would be the Blaupunkt Brisbane. It hasn't officially been released in the U.S. yet, but should be here soon;

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-W7qxZ1Kfhuo/App/Product/Item/Main.aspx?i=023BBANE48

 

[Kyle0614]

my brother likes his nintendo wii better than his sony playstation thats all i know...

 

[jluv]

Sony Xplod is garbage. Then again, everything in your price range will be. Instead of saving for speakers, save for a solid head unit. Then save later for speakers, and so on. Piecing together a good system over time is the way to go (in my opinion) and that all starts with a quality head unit.

Whatever you do, don't buy your car audio stuff at Walmart.

 

[Donner]

Why is it garbage? What makes it garbage?

 

[jluv]

Why is it garbage? What makes it garbage?

Poor quality. Cheap parts. Inferior design, research, engineering. Sony Explod is about marketing a cheap product with a household name behind it, aimed towards users that either don't have the money for anything nicer, or don't know any better. You won't find it in any vehicles at any reputable car audio competition.

 

[DMacLennan14]

i second that sony xplod is garbage. i have seen many xplod products start smoking, fall apart, pieces break off, etc. spend some money on a head unit and you will be much happier in the long run. go with alpine, eclipse, or pioneer if you want something that will last for a while.

 

[Donner]

Here's the deal... Sony is far from being the worst, and far from being the best. The poster has a budget that is insufficient - that's the bottom line. If the poster wants to buy the h/u first, and speakers later, that's fine; or wait until the budget is ready to buy all at once, that's fine too. But one person's budget is not the same as another... It would be beneficial to point out equipment in their price range - what is the purpose of the sound system? The poster needs to know how much it should cost based on their spending range, not just "Lay down $500 on an h/u and go from there." Build what you can, when you can, how you can. If the poster wants to spend $500, go ahead, but the budget says about $100+

 

[Donner]

Bingo!

Poor quality. Cheap parts. Inferior design, research, engineering. Sony Explod is about marketing a cheap product with a household name behind it, aimed towards users that either don't have the money for anything nicer, or don't know any better. You won't find it in any vehicles at any reputable car audio competition.

i second that sony xplod is garbage. i have seen many xplod products start smoking, fall apart, pieces break off, etc. spend some money on a head unit and you will be much happier in the long run. go with alpine, eclipse, or pioneer if you want something that will last for a while.

Jluv, the poster has a budget and hasn't mentioned being in any competition for sound. I owned one, and it was not cheap and inferior. Can you recommend something within a reasonable budget?

DMac, you always know how to point people in the right direction. But are those three brands in the budget? Which would you recommend?

Thanks guys!

 

[jluv]

No, I can't really recommend anything in his price range, which is why I recommended saving a little more and getting a better head unit. That's just my advice. Take it or leave it.

 

[Donner]

I would take it...

No, I can't really recommend anything in his price range, which is why I recommended saving a little more and getting a better head unit. That's just my advice. Take it or leave it.

What you say makes sense... they just have to wait a bit more.

 

[CobraSVT1184]

Dual makes some headunits with USB inputs i think...they are gonna be cheap but would do what you wanted.

 

[Ritsui]

That's just my advice. Take it or leave it.

Not bad advice (for someone else), but what part of I have a $100 budget made it sound like eyal8r cares about car audio competitors? Just start talking to those guys and you'll find only a fraction of them or their installers actually know jack about audio. Sure, Sony is "low end", but it's also one of only a handful of options around $100. Personally, I'm putting a Sony in my truck, because I don't think $1000's spend on cables and capacitors to get 120 dB of headroom is actually going to matter much in a noisy ass SUV which actually gets driven rather than spending its nights parked in a Drive-Thru lot .

Personally, I'll save my high-end audio budget for home theatre and continue to treat my truck's audio like the utterly disposable Ipod it gets used as. For that purpose, Sony can be a pretty sweet deal.

 

[Kyle0614]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ARSENAL-JVC-KD-...ryZ50559QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

bam! this is what you need to buy don't know much about car audio but i do know the jvc arsenal line is the sh*t from what i've heard and read...

 

[jluv]

Not bad advice (for someone else), but what part of I have a $100 budget made it sound like eyal8r cares about car audio competitors?

The talk about car audio competitors was not about the original poster. It was simply part of a reply to a question that someone else asked me directly.

Just start talking to those guys and you'll find only a fraction of them or their installers actually know jack about audio.

LOL. Really? Okay. I guess you could teach them a few things, huh? Sony Xplod ftw!

Sure, Sony is "low end", but it's also one of only a handful of options around $100.

I understand that the op has a budget, but then he also talks himself into spending more before the first page is even done. He also talks about buying speakers later. Sounds like maybe he wants to upgrade his stock stuff and get better sound, in which case my advice would be to stay away from low end crap and spend more than $100 on a head unit. Maybe he's super impatient and just has to buy something now with the money he's got. Maybe he thinks he can get something decent for that. Maybe he will see recommendations for Sonly Xplod or Dual and think it's a good idea. I'm here to offer a different opinion, and different advice. How do we know he may not be willing to save a little more and make a better purchase later on, if he knows it will result in him getting a much better system started?

Personally, I'm putting a Sony in my truck, because I don't think $1000's spend on cables and capacitors to get 120 dB of headroom is actually going to matter much in a noisy ass SUV which actually gets driven rather than spending its nights parked in a Drive-Thru lot .

What are you talking about, Random Man? Where did this talk about cables and caps and drive-thru parking lots come from? lol

Personally, I'll save my high-end audio budget for home theatre and continue to treat my truck's audio like the utterly disposable Ipod it gets used as. For that purpose, Sony can be a pretty sweet deal.

If you're happy with it, that's great. The guy posted a thread in a car audio forum. I'm just trying to show him a path to building a decent system with more value than some of the low-end stuff others are telling him about. He can take the advice from all sides and make his own decision.

 

[eyal8r]

Hey guys! I didn't mean to start a war here! LOL... I didn't know there was discussion going on, the autoresponder didn't tell me there were more posts. Sorry about not getting in sooner...

Here's the deal. I just got this truck, it has 95k miles on it, 2000. Money is pretty tight right now, and I have no clue how long we're keeping this truck. I normally drive $38k+ trucks- but am trying to cut the budget down for the next little while. Might be 3-4 months, might be 6-8 months, might be 4 years. I have no idea. All I know is that the factory deck's display is burned out, and it'll cost too much to get it fixed compared to buying a newer/better deck. I need a clock, and to know what station I'm listening to. The factory speakers work fine, albeit they suck. In the old days, I had dropped quite a few thousand on some high quality setups... they all got stolen. LOL. Now, it's just not THAT important to me anymore... I'd rather put my money in appreciating assets, but I digress...

So, yes, I would like a decent HU that won't fall apart on me. It'll perform well while I have it. The USB functionality would be great to have for longer road trips, but, it's not REQUIRED. Because I don't know how long I'm keeping this truck, I can't say if I'm upgrading speakers or not. For now, factory is fine. Normally, I'd agree- I'd go drop some good money to get a decent setup- but right now it's just not important. I just can't stand not having a display screen. LOL.

Here's what I've been pricing... most places sell the harness + dash install kit for about $30-40 + tax. I have to have those. If I go buy a $80-90 deck, I still gotta tack on $30-40 + shipping and/or sales tax- so now it's up to $120-130... So, that's why I'm looking at Crutchfield for a deck- they include the install parts, AND free shipping for $129. I'd rather just do that.

Now, I agree. I'd prefer an Alpine or Pioneer or whatever- obviously those are better decks. If I end up keeping this truck for longer than expected, and the budget loosens up, I'll look at redoing the entire system. Hell, I just might do it anyways. But I don't need a pro-quality setup by any means. Just something better than what I go in there now (and has a display screen!)

So, I'm very open to suggestions here. Will I use the USB often? No, hardly ever. Is it a cool feature that I'd like to have? You bet- but, I'd be fine without it. I can always plug in my mp3 player and use that.

So with that said... if I'm spending $130 ANYWAYS... and given my use- what do you recommend? I'm open to going AWAY from those two choices, if there's a better deck for the money. I'd sacrifice the USB for a better deck that will last me longer. I'm open to suggestions.

I hope that helps!!! Any other ideas?
Thanks