Panasonic CQ-DP383U Car CD / MP3 Player
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Similar in In Dash Receivers
- MP3 / WMA Playback: MP3 Playback
- Player Type: CD
- Controlled Devices: CD Changer Sirius Ready
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Awesome Functionality at a Great Price but Downright Distracting
Pros
MP3/WMA playback, Price, Quality
Cons
Horribly Bright Display, confusing remote
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
I recommend this player with reservations because of the display illumination. The functionality proves itself as a solid performer.
I bought this stereo from Crutchfield after reading the reviews on epinions about it. I noticed that it had overall good ratings and as I had limited funds available and wanted a full function MP3/CD player for my car, I did not hesitate to order this model.
When it arrived, I opened the box like a child at Christmas to see a beautifully designed car stereo. In the box were the stereo, the wire hookups, a plastic faceplate case, the remote, and instructions in several languages. I would suggest that anyone who installs this or any other model of car stereo invest in a wiring harness adapter for your make of car. It saves tons of time, not to mention backache from being scrunched under the dash connecting wires. Crutchfield sent all my needed adapters and the harness for free for my vehicle with the purchase of this system, but you can get them anywhere they sell car stereos.
The install into my car was relatively easy. I am a 26 yr old female who has never been one to work on the car but I installed this stereo without any major problems on my 96 Grand Am. The CD player works perfectly for me with purchased CDs or CD-R, has not skipped at all yet. The MP3/WMA playback works as expected. It has random mode, and repeat modes that are a great plus. I find the folder system in the player confusing, but with a little effort I could learn to use them effortlessly as well.
I really like the knob volume controls and the other buttons on the unit are really easy to understand. It has a feature called 'loud' that lets you have full sounding base even when the volume is turned low. 'Loud' makes a remarkable difference in the quality and I leave it on all the time. The unit also remembers your volume settings for different modes, one for CD playback, one for each of the FM and AM presets it is a small feature that I really appreciate as my CDs play much louder than my FM stations have to.
The remote is also a little confusing. It has too many buttons for anyone who is driving a car to try to fool with when in motion. I also wish it had a key ring so I could hook it in my car and not have to worry about losing it.
The display has many modes that it can perform in. I leave mine on the clock setting so the clock is always showing. It can be set to scroll MP3 titles or song time settings and several others. The display is a nice blue color that has one disadvantage: it is super bright! I have not found a way to dim it yet and it is the true downfall of this system. My stereo mounts high and the light from the display shines right in my eyes at night. It is more than distracting for me it is dangerous. I find myself squinting and dodging my head around to avoid the bright light it radiates. It is so bright that at night I can see my reflection in the rearview as a pale blue glow from the display. Even my passengers are blinded by the brightness of it. This is one feature I cannot live with and I am afraid I am going to have to uninstall my system and trade it in for a bit higher priced one, but one without such a bright blue display. I think a black background display would be fine in my car, but this one is just too much. On cars that mount the system lower in the dash, I think this would be a fine player because the light would not be at just under eye level.
This unit is a great looking piece with the best functionality of its price category and even outperforms higher priced stereos I have dealt with. The ability to play MP3 as well as WMA files at a price under $150 is a bit too good to be true, but if you can live with a bright shining unit in your dash then this will be the perfect stereo for you.
---Updated---
I have decided to keep this great Stereo and I am still applauding it's features. I went to a local store and purchased some static cling tint and cut it to fit the display to dull the brightness of it. Now I can still see it during the day and the distraction is minimized in a big way. I recommend this!
When it arrived, I opened the box like a child at Christmas to see a beautifully designed car stereo. In the box were the stereo, the wire hookups, a plastic faceplate case, the remote, and instructions in several languages. I would suggest that anyone who installs this or any other model of car stereo invest in a wiring harness adapter for your make of car. It saves tons of time, not to mention backache from being scrunched under the dash connecting wires. Crutchfield sent all my needed adapters and the harness for free for my vehicle with the purchase of this system, but you can get them anywhere they sell car stereos.
The install into my car was relatively easy. I am a 26 yr old female who has never been one to work on the car but I installed this stereo without any major problems on my 96 Grand Am. The CD player works perfectly for me with purchased CDs or CD-R, has not skipped at all yet. The MP3/WMA playback works as expected. It has random mode, and repeat modes that are a great plus. I find the folder system in the player confusing, but with a little effort I could learn to use them effortlessly as well.
I really like the knob volume controls and the other buttons on the unit are really easy to understand. It has a feature called 'loud' that lets you have full sounding base even when the volume is turned low. 'Loud' makes a remarkable difference in the quality and I leave it on all the time. The unit also remembers your volume settings for different modes, one for CD playback, one for each of the FM and AM presets it is a small feature that I really appreciate as my CDs play much louder than my FM stations have to.
The remote is also a little confusing. It has too many buttons for anyone who is driving a car to try to fool with when in motion. I also wish it had a key ring so I could hook it in my car and not have to worry about losing it.
The display has many modes that it can perform in. I leave mine on the clock setting so the clock is always showing. It can be set to scroll MP3 titles or song time settings and several others. The display is a nice blue color that has one disadvantage: it is super bright! I have not found a way to dim it yet and it is the true downfall of this system. My stereo mounts high and the light from the display shines right in my eyes at night. It is more than distracting for me it is dangerous. I find myself squinting and dodging my head around to avoid the bright light it radiates. It is so bright that at night I can see my reflection in the rearview as a pale blue glow from the display. Even my passengers are blinded by the brightness of it. This is one feature I cannot live with and I am afraid I am going to have to uninstall my system and trade it in for a bit higher priced one, but one without such a bright blue display. I think a black background display would be fine in my car, but this one is just too much. On cars that mount the system lower in the dash, I think this would be a fine player because the light would not be at just under eye level.
This unit is a great looking piece with the best functionality of its price category and even outperforms higher priced stereos I have dealt with. The ability to play MP3 as well as WMA files at a price under $150 is a bit too good to be true, but if you can live with a bright shining unit in your dash then this will be the perfect stereo for you.
---Updated---
I have decided to keep this great Stereo and I am still applauding it's features. I went to a local store and purchased some static cling tint and cut it to fit the display to dull the brightness of it. Now I can still see it during the day and the distraction is minimized in a big way. I recommend this!
