Sony CDXGT930UI CD Receiver - Black (Discontinued by Manufacturer)

***Faceplate Warning Beep Concerns***This is nothing to be concerned about. Do not let others dissuade you from purchasing this stereo solely on this issue.After 6 days of ownership, going to and from work, to and from lunch, errands and various other car trips, 9 out of 10 times I'm out of the car and door closed without ever hearing these beeps. It doesn't give me a second thought. And the rare times I have heard them, I noticed the volume of the beeps is independent from the volume you have the receiver set to. No matter how loud I was listening to my music, (and I do like it loud) the beeps are subtle, and quiet. Now on to my review...******It came time to finally update my old stereo. I was on the lookout for a CD/MP3 player with multiple pre-outs, iPhone connectivity, and gorgeous display.Many CD players nowadays can read MP3 media so that was easy.Single pre-outs are common, but multiple pre-outs a bit less so. This unit has 3 pre-outs - Front/Rear/Sub. This accommodated my setup perfectly. Front and rear outputs to two 2 channel amps for the door speakers, sub output, and the receiver is left to power my tweeters.The iPhone connector (purchased separately) works perfectly. This part of the stereo wasn't a huge concern of mine, I only occasionally connect my iPhone, but I was quite surprised by its ease of use. I was disheartened by my friends stereo with iPhone connectivity. It was very difficult to navigate, and displayed little information. (It was a 1-line display) Certainly not the case with this stereo! It starts playing just seconds after connecting, and I love how the stereo switches to the USB source on connect. Finding songs through the stereo is quicker than my old iPod, and almost as quick as on the iPhone.The display was quite an important feature in my decision. I've grown tired of single line displays. With MP3 info, and even CD Text, a large display with extensive song info was my number two deciding factor. (Price being number one) It's highly readable at all times, and just makes me grin seeing it in my dash!The rotary commander is a breeze to use. Easy to reach, 6 different functions in one, and I've had no miss-clicks with it, even while driving. The Sound and Menu options are well organized, with easy to set features for beginners, and tons of advanced features for the experienced.I am beyond ecstatic with my decision to purchase this stereo.

I bought this receiver about 2 1/2 years ago... yeah, I probably should have reviewed it sooner, but only recently have I come to really appreciate what a great investment it was!I'm not really an audiophile, so most of my review will be based on the features. This thing does absolutely anything I want. Plays CDs? check. Play MP3 CDs? check. Play via USB drive? check. Play via auxiliary? check. Interact with iPod? check. Good-old radio? check.If you have music with you, this will play it. That is my favorite aspect of this product. The only things I believe are missing out of the box are sattelite and HD radio, but there are add-ons available for these.As for the aesthetics, perfect on nearly all fronts. The blue/black/silver look really appeals to me. The screen is quite nice and it displays much more information than most receiver screens; this helps tremendously if you are navigating menus or files on your usb drive. The cd slot is cleverly hidden behind the face, you get to it with via a slick motorized sliding mechanism that never gets old. I barely used CDs, so I just find myself hitting the button just for kicks sometimes!The audio sounds pretty good, I can't complain. There is a built-in amp if you are into that kind of thing. There are plenty of audio settings and filters to tweak everything to your liking. I still have stock speakers, so I can't really speak much in this area.Pros:+Very attractive aesthetically+Plays from many sources, see above+Aux is in back (you can route it through glove box)+CD slot is hidden+Large, detailed displayCons:-Pressing knob inward requires a fine touch-Lights behind buttons can change color, but display cannot-There are some weird limitations when accessing usb music files (no more than 100 folders, no more than 100 files per folder, you can get around these easy but it is a nuisance)

Wazap fellas, I've had this unit for a few months and I can tell you it's awesome.Let me break it down for you guys.The good:- excellent sound (I have 2 amps with some subs) sounds 10 times better that my old pioneer unit.- Very easy to use, specially while driving. The remote is also very easy to use.- Super fast controls with almost no delay when playing ipod/external audio input.- It charges my ipod. I don't have to keep taking it out every other day and didnt have to purchase additional wires to connect my ipod- burned cds/mps play with no problem- 4 volts for the front, rear, sub output (makes your beat rock)The bad:- During the day, the illumination is poor. You can barely see what's on the screen when the sun is hitting it directly. I usually have my fog lights on during the day which dims the brightness of the stereo and makes it even harder to see.- The navigation knob is very sensitive. Depending on what you are playing, when changing tracks (knob to the left or right) u can mistakenly change the folder or start your ipod from the first track (knob up or down). The proximity of this feature is very sensitive.- Text display is very limited, only two option and u can't turn it off. (i wish i could)- The unit give you 3 illumination options (blue, red, green), but the bright light around the knob does not change when a different color is selected (it stays blue).I gave this unit a 5 star rating based on its great sounds, (I love the EQ drop graphic), and how easy it is to use once you get familiar with the unit. A few minor bubu's but for $175 and no shipping charges, I haven't had a unit at this price that had left me so satisfied.