Clarion CZ501 CD/MP3/WMA Receiver with USB and Bluetooth

• Built-in Bluetooth for hands-free calling and music streaming
• Direct iPod and iPhone connectivity with front USB connector
• HD Radio Ready (THD301) and Sirius Satellite Radio Ready for clear radio reception
• 4V/6ch output for superior system expandability
• Wireless remote control included

While researching for a new stereo for our 1999 Toyota Tacoma there were a few things that were 'must have's'. Bluetooth, iPod and Aux were essentials. This head unit has all of those and more. One thing that surprised me was that the Pre-Amp outputs are 4volt, which makes a difference when adding amplifiers. With the Pre-Amp output there is an additional Subwoofer Pre-Amp. This makes a huge difference in the sound quality when adding a subwoofer. The other head units in this price range did not have a subwoofer Pre-Amp let alone 4 volt. One thing to note is the Bluetooth is BUILT IN. When you are researching for a head unit with bluetooth, make sure you know whether or not a separate accessory is required for it to work. Most of them in this price range are not built in. When using it in the car it sounds great. Sometimes I have to speak a little louder but not much more than normal speaking volume. There is an option to add a microphone which I may do eventually. After pairing my MyTouch 4G it connects and disconnects seamlessly. Playing my music from my phone via Bluetooth works very well with little or no static. When connected to Bluetooth you can listen to the radio, CD, iPod and when a call comes in it switches to the phone. This feature is one of my favorite because it makes driving and talking easy and safe. The iPod usability is great and easy to figure out and use. I have not used this feature much as I do not own an iPod but have tried it out a handful of times and I had no issues finding the song/artist/playlist I wanted. All in all Clarion has done a great job providing lots of options and features into a head unit in the mid/lower price range.

UPDATE:

Just bought one for my Dad's Father's Day gift and will buy another one for a new car we just bought.

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I purchased this unit at audio express here in Phoenix. I wanted out of my factory stereo which did not have an aux. port and ended up purchasing this one with bluetooth built-in. Now I stream my music from my Windows phone without any cords. Clarity is great...I would say CD quality if not close. And the Hands-free calling is great. You pair your bluetooth enabled phone once and thats it. Now, every time I get in my truck and start it up, it automatically detects my phone. For being a built-in mic, the quality is very good. I've had the opportunity to have several lengthy calls while driving and only my daughter noticed a slight background noise during the conversation. But she said it was something that she had to listen for. None of my other friends and family could tell the diffence. My only complaing so far is that the wiring harness that fitted my truck did not allow the dimmer switch to be connected so the display is on the brightest level...but that is no fault of the unit only a wiring issue.

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I replaced an old not so great Sony CD receiver in order to gain a USB and Bluetooth interface. What a great decision to go with the Clarian CZ501. I've been looking at possibilities for months but couldn't justify the $. This receiver was very inexpensive and had all the features I was looking for. So far I haven't played around with the iPod connection bucause I put all my favorite music on a couple of tiny 8Gb thumb drives and now there is no real need for the CD drive though it works well. It took about five minutes initially to connect my phone to Bluetooth and it connects flawlessly to the radio within a few seconds of starting the car and the faceplace located microphone works quite well with no real need to add an external microphone. It even seamlessly transfers an active call to Bluetooth when I get in the car without any action on my part. Automaticly switching the audio to the car speakers and microphone without any call disruption. I couldn't be more satisfied with this receiver and the sound is quite acceptable on my 25 year old Porsche 944 factory speakers.

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The sound quality is GREAT!!

I like all the options for getting music in my car.. Bluetooth, usb, Ipod via USB, cd, aux, HD radio hookup, Satellite hookup.

Stuff they could have done better:

1. Mic sensitivity for bluetooth to phone is adjustable, but still doesn't quite work right. It does have a port for an external wired mic.. may have to look into that..

2. Menu and buttons are counter-intuitive Try and set the clock! Menu button? nope.. try the "D" button.. hold it down.. then hit left and right then turn the dial to make the hours and minutes right.. then press... ??? nope.. that didn't work. try again.. nope.. again.. nope.. again!!?!? nope.. manual? no, I won't do that... hmm.. press and hold the dial? Yup.. that worked.. but man... why ? what? huh?

3. Remote does not seem to have the option to switch folders on a USB drive or CD, just have to ff or RR to move through all the songs to move to the next/previous folder.

4. Audio settings are mediocre. Fader and Balance are adjustable but as soon as you adjust it past two clicks, the other side shuts off completely. Not really much of a fader/balance. EQ settings are limited, but you can make your own, but it is a pain to get right.

5. The HPF and LPF are good, but it is pretty much all or nothing. LPF is for subwoofer output only and the HPF is for EVERYTHING else, front and back deck powered channels and the pre-amp hookups for the front and back channels to AMP. Cannot customize any further than that, so hope your speakers are all the same type!

6. What the hell is M--B EX? Magna Bass EX ? Manual had no mention of what it is. had to google it. "Magna Bass Expander" -Bass Boost essentially -works OK.

7. Bluetooth sound quality is good from my android phone. Deck can control the player but only for pause, play, next track/ff , prevous track/rr. Deck does not display song title via bluetooth connection.

8. Button labels on the deck are hard to read, but once you get used to them it isn't so bad.

9. Searching for folders/songs is a pain with the non-intuitive controls, but it is possible. I think?

Other random thoughts:

IPOD controls are better than USB or Bluetooth lets you select playlists etc, actually seems somewhat intuitive.

I do not have the Satellite nor HD Radio hookups,so I have no input on those.

This thing produces the cleanest, purest and most 0 distortion sound available. There is not another head unit out there under $5oo that even comes close. so simple to operate and everything works flawlessly. If u have an ounce of smarts and can read a manual you will have no problems. As for some reviews i have read stateing some problems i hate to say it, but they just dont know what they are doing. Even my 9 yr old grand daughter can operate the features on this unit. Hands down it deserves 10 stars. CDi wanted to add regarding playing the cd, the reason it takes a second or so to load is it is reading and storing the entire cd, wich is why you will not get noise from scratches and unlike other units when ff or rw you will notice song still plays without speed interuption as all other units will do. UPDATE: i keep reading about the dimmer control issues: ok people all vehichles have a dimmer wire. just most dont run thru the wireing harness unless you have a new vehichle with steering control. In most vehichles the wire is gray. ( take a second to look at your radio and or electrical schematics) most have 2 wires for control of dimming. One will dim when lights are turned on, the other will give total dimming control same as your dome/dash dimming control switch. when you figure it out dimming works great, just decide wich dimming you want to use. I control mine thru the dome/dash dimmer so i can dial in brightness to exactly what i like. (1991 chevy 3/4 ton pickup) REMEMBER ALL VEHICHLES HAVE DIMMER CONTROL