Sony CDX-GT11W Car CD Player
Out of stock |
Similar in In Dash Receivers
- Anti-Theft Protection: Detachable Face Panel
- Player Type: CD
- Overview
-
Reviews
-
Compare Prices
User ReviewRead All Reviews »
A modest replacement head unit delivers solid performance
Pros
Good CD playback, Good FM sensitivity, Aux. input, average looks.
Cons
Lack of preamp. out connections, average looks that won't set the world on fire.
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
Good factory receiver replacement or if you want to step up to a CD receiver with some flexibility. However, that flexibility is limited to the input.
I picked the CDX-GT11W because I wanted to replace an aging and trusty $3.00 (thrift) Kenwood cassette head unit I have had in my vehicle since last year. So after a Saturday of scoping local pawn shops, I have chosen this deck because of the auxiliary input and basic CD playback (plus, it was $45). Similar to the CDX-GT110, the Wal-Mart-exclusive model only gets a bump in maximum 50 peak watts per channel and different packaging.
Installation:
Installation is simple, as with other car stereos. I have installed it in my 1989 Jeep Cherokee using the factory bracket, effectively removing the mounting kit that was previously used for the 2-shaft, or "old-style" Kenwood KRC-1006 head unit. The CDX-GT11W, like most in-dash receivers, has a provision for controlling a power antenna - and the nice touch is that the power antenna is only activated when the tuner is in use. The downside, like most in-dash receivers is the lack of a dependent illumination dimmer, and uses its own dimmer when the display button is held - or can be accessed in a menu. This model also lacks any form of RCA preamp out, since the GT11W is the base model. To the casual owner, it would not matter; however, for someone wanting to expand their system, the GT11W (and its similar siblings) will fail to excite your desires.
Audio Quality and Ergonomics:
The audio quality is crisp, but the way the vehicle is designed for its layout (sans subwoofer), hampers bass quality. There were no noticeable distortions on safe volume levels of up to "30". Tone controls consist of five equalizer settings plus a custom curve accessed by the EQ button on the faceplate. Loudness, on the other hand, is accessed in the main menu - by holding down the single knob for three seconds and pushing the knob just to get to it. Personally, I find that a nuisance, especially when I switch from a music station to a talk station and digging through the menu to suppress some of the vocal boom. I'd rather see this as a dedicated button. A shorter tap of the knob shows another menu that displays the standard bass and treble controls ranging from -10 to +10, balance and fader controls also are in this menu. Some radio preset buttons do double-duty for CD transport (pause) and playback modes (repeat, shuffle).
Design:
Luckily this head unit would never win the hearts of twelve-year olds. The color choice works well with most interiors, and it shows throughout the industry - a trend towards darker plastic colors. The blue background, white alphanumeric display is easy to see at night, a bit difficult in bright sunlight. For an inexpensive car stereo, the look is pleasant - not as gaudy as some on the market.
Convenience:
Does what most CD head units do when inserting a disc: loading the disc into the slot automatically turns on the receiver, loads the disc and plays it. Searching a CD requires the track to be played at least three seconds before going to the desired passage, otherwise, the player skips to another track. The tuner quickly (within one second) scans to the next station as well as finding some stations that might have been difficult to find on the previous deck. To do step-tuning, just press and hold either tuning button and pinpoint the station. The tuner also automatically searches stations and stores them into memory (although the "BTM" function is buried in a menu). Pressing and holding a specific preset button (1-6) will store a station, of up to 18 FM, 12 AM presets - assignable in the respective FM-1, FM-2...
CD Playback:
The CDX-GT11W does not play MP3-encoded discs (see CDX-GT21W). The CD-DA playback is skip-free, plays a bunch of moderately scratched discs without mistracking. The skipping is non-existent when going through potholes and sharp road undulations (because of the standard-fare anti-skip memory). Repeat and random play work as expected. Playback time functions are limited to displaying the elapsed time.
Auxiliary Input:
Quickly becoming commonplace, the useful front jack input allows any portable audio player (DAPs like MP3 players as well as iPods, MiniDisc, DAT portables, portable cassette players, or anything with a stereo minijack output) to be fed through the receiver.
In short, the CDX-GT11W is almost a no-frills car receiver. It has a competent amplifier section (for the rest of us who do not have external amplifiers and subwoofers), decent sound, an external input, and a good CD player. If you dream of using this deck for connecting to external amplifiers, you will be disappointed if you expect to have those connectors on board. If you want to play MP3-encoded CDs on this deck, you will be moving on to the next model up. If you want flashy looks other than the lame "motion display" - you could find something in this price tier, but not in this model.
Installation:
Installation is simple, as with other car stereos. I have installed it in my 1989 Jeep Cherokee using the factory bracket, effectively removing the mounting kit that was previously used for the 2-shaft, or "old-style" Kenwood KRC-1006 head unit. The CDX-GT11W, like most in-dash receivers, has a provision for controlling a power antenna - and the nice touch is that the power antenna is only activated when the tuner is in use. The downside, like most in-dash receivers is the lack of a dependent illumination dimmer, and uses its own dimmer when the display button is held - or can be accessed in a menu. This model also lacks any form of RCA preamp out, since the GT11W is the base model. To the casual owner, it would not matter; however, for someone wanting to expand their system, the GT11W (and its similar siblings) will fail to excite your desires.
Audio Quality and Ergonomics:
The audio quality is crisp, but the way the vehicle is designed for its layout (sans subwoofer), hampers bass quality. There were no noticeable distortions on safe volume levels of up to "30". Tone controls consist of five equalizer settings plus a custom curve accessed by the EQ button on the faceplate. Loudness, on the other hand, is accessed in the main menu - by holding down the single knob for three seconds and pushing the knob just to get to it. Personally, I find that a nuisance, especially when I switch from a music station to a talk station and digging through the menu to suppress some of the vocal boom. I'd rather see this as a dedicated button. A shorter tap of the knob shows another menu that displays the standard bass and treble controls ranging from -10 to +10, balance and fader controls also are in this menu. Some radio preset buttons do double-duty for CD transport (pause) and playback modes (repeat, shuffle).
Design:
Luckily this head unit would never win the hearts of twelve-year olds. The color choice works well with most interiors, and it shows throughout the industry - a trend towards darker plastic colors. The blue background, white alphanumeric display is easy to see at night, a bit difficult in bright sunlight. For an inexpensive car stereo, the look is pleasant - not as gaudy as some on the market.
Convenience:
Does what most CD head units do when inserting a disc: loading the disc into the slot automatically turns on the receiver, loads the disc and plays it. Searching a CD requires the track to be played at least three seconds before going to the desired passage, otherwise, the player skips to another track. The tuner quickly (within one second) scans to the next station as well as finding some stations that might have been difficult to find on the previous deck. To do step-tuning, just press and hold either tuning button and pinpoint the station. The tuner also automatically searches stations and stores them into memory (although the "BTM" function is buried in a menu). Pressing and holding a specific preset button (1-6) will store a station, of up to 18 FM, 12 AM presets - assignable in the respective FM-1, FM-2...
CD Playback:
The CDX-GT11W does not play MP3-encoded discs (see CDX-GT21W). The CD-DA playback is skip-free, plays a bunch of moderately scratched discs without mistracking. The skipping is non-existent when going through potholes and sharp road undulations (because of the standard-fare anti-skip memory). Repeat and random play work as expected. Playback time functions are limited to displaying the elapsed time.
Auxiliary Input:
Quickly becoming commonplace, the useful front jack input allows any portable audio player (DAPs like MP3 players as well as iPods, MiniDisc, DAT portables, portable cassette players, or anything with a stereo minijack output) to be fed through the receiver.
In short, the CDX-GT11W is almost a no-frills car receiver. It has a competent amplifier section (for the rest of us who do not have external amplifiers and subwoofers), decent sound, an external input, and a good CD player. If you dream of using this deck for connecting to external amplifiers, you will be disappointed if you expect to have those connectors on board. If you want to play MP3-encoded CDs on this deck, you will be moving on to the next model up. If you want flashy looks other than the lame "motion display" - you could find something in this price tier, but not in this model.
