Sony CDX-GT21W Car CD / MP3 Player
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Similar in In Dash Receivers
- MP3 / WMA Playback: MP3 Playback WMA Playback ATRAC Playback
- Anti-Theft Protection: Detachable Face Panel
- Player Type: CD
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415
Sounds Great, Works Funny
Pros
Good sound quality; no skipping of CDs; front-panel aux jack
Cons
Quirky and sometimes frustrating controls
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
Sony needs to re-think the operation of its car stereos. There is a fine car stereo here buried under some inconvenient controls.
I had an older Aiwa car stereo in my little pickup truck and it was starting to drive me nuts with all the skipping during CD playback. I had identical Aiwa in another car and it also had problems with skipping CDs, so I replaced it with a Sony CDX-GT20W. The CDX-GT20W is the Wal-Mart "exclusive" version of Sony's CDX-GT200. (You can read my review of the CDX-GT20W at http://www.epinions.com/content_220502199940.)
I had mixed feelings about the CDX-GT20W, although it sounds excellent and absolutely does not skip. It also has a front-panel aux input connector, which is a must-have feature for me. I therefore went back to the Wal-Mart well again and bought the latest version, the CDX-GT21W. This is identical to the Sony CDX-GT210 sold by other stores, except that the labeling is different. (The display color may also be different, although I'm not sure about that.)
As mixed as my feelings were for the older version, the CDX-GT21W is a little worse. Let me see if I can explain.
What It Is
The Sony CDX-GT21W is a fairly basic car stereo with a built-in CD player, AM/FM radio and a front-panel aux input jack. It has a detachable faceplate and a reasonable number of controls that are arrayed on the left side, closest to the driver. It has a rotary volume control, which is my preference for car stereos.
The unit's specs are pretty good for a basic car stereo. The CDX-GT21W claims 17W (RMS) into four channels, FM sensitivity of 9 dBf and CD signal-to-noise figure of 95 dB. That last number is well below anything I'm likely to hear in my little pickup.
The CDX-GT21W can play standard CDs as well as MP3 and WMA files. Unlike its older cousin, the CDX-GT21W can not play Sony ATRAC files. That's okay, since I have yet to experience a Sony ATRAC file. I do use the MP3 capability and will discuss it shortly.
Unlike the Sony CDX-GT20W, the CDX-GT21W does not have a remote control. That's okay by me, as there are only two reasons why I need the remote control and they don't happen often. (On the CDX-GT20W, the remote control is required to set the clock. It also has an audio mute button that is convenient.) Sony managed to engineer the CDX-GT21W so that a remote was not required. That's a good thing.
The box includes a wiring harness and a dash-mounting sleeve for the stereo. One reason why I wanted to get another Sony car stereo was because I knew that my existing Aiwa car stereo's wiring harness is completely compatible with Sony. I could simply remove the Aiwa and plug in the Sony. Sweet, huh? In practice, I decided to use the CDX-GT21W's mounting sleeve, since the stereo simply seemed to fit better in it. Overall, the installation took me perhaps 15 minutes, mostly because I could simply plug in the existing wiring harness.
Also included in the box is a user's manual and an installation guide. You'll need the user's manual to set the clock and other housekeeping functions.
I paid $100 for the Sony CDX-GT21W at Wal-Mart.
Using It
Sony moved the controls around just enough between the two generations that learning how to use the CDX-GT20W does not really help me with the CDX-GT21W. That's probably the first thing that I found annoying with the CDX-GT21W. You can tell the two units share the same DNA, though -- just like the older unit, the CDX-GT21W requires that you press the "Source" button before you can listen to anything. That's right... if you were listening to a CD and shut the unit off, you must turn it on and press the "Source" button to resume listening to the CD. That is really boneheaded design, in my opinion.
One thing I really appreciated about the older unit was its flexible equalizer that could be set differently for each source. For example, I could have one EQ setting for radio listening, another for CD/MP3s and yet another for the aux connector. This is an excellent feature, and one that I looked forward to in the CDX-GT21W. Unfortunately, the CDX-GT21W does not have this feature -- it has standard bass and treble EQ settings that are across the board for all sources. The CDX-GT21W does have a useful "loudness" setting that is good for music, especially at low levels. However, it't not all that easy to get at and it actually reduces the intelligibility of voices on a newsradio station or a recorded book. (I'm a big recorded book listener.)
On a final ergonomic note, many of the CDX-GT21W's settings are accessed through the volume control. By pressing the knob in, you can step through the unit's various settings. I have no problem with this but my wife has yet to master it. She'll reach over to tweak the volume and suddenly realizes that she's adjusting the bass or the balance. She finds the volume control to be frustratingly sensitive. Fortunately, we're always in the car together and I can make things right.
On the positive side, the CDX-GT21W has excellent sound quality. CDs are clean and bright, and MP3s sound just as good. Stepping among tracks on an MP3 disk is fast and the display scrolls the song title. I particularly enjoy acoustic music with lots of jangly guitars and crisp drums, and the CDX-GT21W delivers this with clean, transparent sound. There is plenty of volume for my taste and I have yet to run out of volume control. (I have four decent 6x8 speakers in this pickup, but no subwoofer.)
The sound quality of the front-panel aux jack is excellent. I frequently use it with a small audio cassette player, for the playback of recorded books. (I have an MP3 player but it's my experience that recorded books are simply more convenient on audio cassette than any other medium, including CDs and MP3s.) The only problem is that the CDX-GT21W no longer has the separate EQ settings for its sources, something the older CDX-GT20W had. Recorded books sound best with lower bass and higher midrange, since that makes voices most intelligible. Unfortunately, I have to fiddle with the CDX-GT21W's settings every time to get this preferred audio setting.
As for skipping CDs, there are none. My little pickup truck has a firm ride and I have deliberately tried to make the CDX-GT21W skip. I couldn't get it to skip with either a CD or MP3 disk.
I listen to the radio a fair amount and the FM reception quality of the CDX-GT21W is average. It's fine in the city and suburbs but it fades quickly beyond the suburbs. I was hoping the stereo's good FM sensitivity spec would translate into better performance, but average is what it is.
The faceplate of the CDX-GT21W is easy to remove and install. Like its older cousin, the CDX-GT21W beeps three times if you turn off the car without removing the faceplate. It's a minor annoyance, since I never remove the faceplate.
Summary
The Sony CDX-GT21W has great sound, superb skip resistance and acceptable FM reception. It has the makings of a terrific value in a car stereo.
However, its quirky ergonomics are a big step backwards. I knew the ergonomics were quirky from the operation of the CDX-GT21W's older cousin. But if anything, the CDX-GT21W is ergonomically worse than the older CDX-GT20W. This is particularly true for me as a devotee of recorded books and will probably be less important if you simply listen to music from an MP3 player or satellite radio system plugged into the aux port.
I really like the sound of the Sony CDX-GT21W but I really dislike its many ergonomic inconveniences. I will keep it but that doesn't mean I have to think it's terrific. If you're willing to trade quirky controls for good sound at a low price, the Sony CDX-GT21W is a car stereo you can consider.
I had mixed feelings about the CDX-GT20W, although it sounds excellent and absolutely does not skip. It also has a front-panel aux input connector, which is a must-have feature for me. I therefore went back to the Wal-Mart well again and bought the latest version, the CDX-GT21W. This is identical to the Sony CDX-GT210 sold by other stores, except that the labeling is different. (The display color may also be different, although I'm not sure about that.)
As mixed as my feelings were for the older version, the CDX-GT21W is a little worse. Let me see if I can explain.
What It Is
The Sony CDX-GT21W is a fairly basic car stereo with a built-in CD player, AM/FM radio and a front-panel aux input jack. It has a detachable faceplate and a reasonable number of controls that are arrayed on the left side, closest to the driver. It has a rotary volume control, which is my preference for car stereos.
The unit's specs are pretty good for a basic car stereo. The CDX-GT21W claims 17W (RMS) into four channels, FM sensitivity of 9 dBf and CD signal-to-noise figure of 95 dB. That last number is well below anything I'm likely to hear in my little pickup.
The CDX-GT21W can play standard CDs as well as MP3 and WMA files. Unlike its older cousin, the CDX-GT21W can not play Sony ATRAC files. That's okay, since I have yet to experience a Sony ATRAC file. I do use the MP3 capability and will discuss it shortly.
Unlike the Sony CDX-GT20W, the CDX-GT21W does not have a remote control. That's okay by me, as there are only two reasons why I need the remote control and they don't happen often. (On the CDX-GT20W, the remote control is required to set the clock. It also has an audio mute button that is convenient.) Sony managed to engineer the CDX-GT21W so that a remote was not required. That's a good thing.
The box includes a wiring harness and a dash-mounting sleeve for the stereo. One reason why I wanted to get another Sony car stereo was because I knew that my existing Aiwa car stereo's wiring harness is completely compatible with Sony. I could simply remove the Aiwa and plug in the Sony. Sweet, huh? In practice, I decided to use the CDX-GT21W's mounting sleeve, since the stereo simply seemed to fit better in it. Overall, the installation took me perhaps 15 minutes, mostly because I could simply plug in the existing wiring harness.
Also included in the box is a user's manual and an installation guide. You'll need the user's manual to set the clock and other housekeeping functions.
I paid $100 for the Sony CDX-GT21W at Wal-Mart.
Using It
Sony moved the controls around just enough between the two generations that learning how to use the CDX-GT20W does not really help me with the CDX-GT21W. That's probably the first thing that I found annoying with the CDX-GT21W. You can tell the two units share the same DNA, though -- just like the older unit, the CDX-GT21W requires that you press the "Source" button before you can listen to anything. That's right... if you were listening to a CD and shut the unit off, you must turn it on and press the "Source" button to resume listening to the CD. That is really boneheaded design, in my opinion.
One thing I really appreciated about the older unit was its flexible equalizer that could be set differently for each source. For example, I could have one EQ setting for radio listening, another for CD/MP3s and yet another for the aux connector. This is an excellent feature, and one that I looked forward to in the CDX-GT21W. Unfortunately, the CDX-GT21W does not have this feature -- it has standard bass and treble EQ settings that are across the board for all sources. The CDX-GT21W does have a useful "loudness" setting that is good for music, especially at low levels. However, it't not all that easy to get at and it actually reduces the intelligibility of voices on a newsradio station or a recorded book. (I'm a big recorded book listener.)
On a final ergonomic note, many of the CDX-GT21W's settings are accessed through the volume control. By pressing the knob in, you can step through the unit's various settings. I have no problem with this but my wife has yet to master it. She'll reach over to tweak the volume and suddenly realizes that she's adjusting the bass or the balance. She finds the volume control to be frustratingly sensitive. Fortunately, we're always in the car together and I can make things right.
On the positive side, the CDX-GT21W has excellent sound quality. CDs are clean and bright, and MP3s sound just as good. Stepping among tracks on an MP3 disk is fast and the display scrolls the song title. I particularly enjoy acoustic music with lots of jangly guitars and crisp drums, and the CDX-GT21W delivers this with clean, transparent sound. There is plenty of volume for my taste and I have yet to run out of volume control. (I have four decent 6x8 speakers in this pickup, but no subwoofer.)
The sound quality of the front-panel aux jack is excellent. I frequently use it with a small audio cassette player, for the playback of recorded books. (I have an MP3 player but it's my experience that recorded books are simply more convenient on audio cassette than any other medium, including CDs and MP3s.) The only problem is that the CDX-GT21W no longer has the separate EQ settings for its sources, something the older CDX-GT20W had. Recorded books sound best with lower bass and higher midrange, since that makes voices most intelligible. Unfortunately, I have to fiddle with the CDX-GT21W's settings every time to get this preferred audio setting.
As for skipping CDs, there are none. My little pickup truck has a firm ride and I have deliberately tried to make the CDX-GT21W skip. I couldn't get it to skip with either a CD or MP3 disk.
I listen to the radio a fair amount and the FM reception quality of the CDX-GT21W is average. It's fine in the city and suburbs but it fades quickly beyond the suburbs. I was hoping the stereo's good FM sensitivity spec would translate into better performance, but average is what it is.
The faceplate of the CDX-GT21W is easy to remove and install. Like its older cousin, the CDX-GT21W beeps three times if you turn off the car without removing the faceplate. It's a minor annoyance, since I never remove the faceplate.
Summary
The Sony CDX-GT21W has great sound, superb skip resistance and acceptable FM reception. It has the makings of a terrific value in a car stereo.
However, its quirky ergonomics are a big step backwards. I knew the ergonomics were quirky from the operation of the CDX-GT21W's older cousin. But if anything, the CDX-GT21W is ergonomically worse than the older CDX-GT20W. This is particularly true for me as a devotee of recorded books and will probably be less important if you simply listen to music from an MP3 player or satellite radio system plugged into the aux port.
I really like the sound of the Sony CDX-GT21W but I really dislike its many ergonomic inconveniences. I will keep it but that doesn't mean I have to think it's terrific. If you're willing to trade quirky controls for good sound at a low price, the Sony CDX-GT21W is a car stereo you can consider.
