Terrain.org Posted April 10, 2012 Share Posted April 10, 2012 Thinking about getting the JVC KW-R800BT double-din stereo from Crutchfield for my soon-to-own 06 Legacy wagon (2.5i SE): http://www.crutchfield.com/p_105KWR800B/JVC-KW-R800BT.html?tp=5684 http://a248.e.akamai.net/pix.crutchfield.com/products/2011/49/105/x105KWR800B-o_front-1.jpeg It's getting great reviews, and has what I'm looking for -- USB/aux, Bluetooth, and RDS -- at $199. Anyone have experience with this radio? I've had JVC in the past and had some problems, but it's been a decade or more. Thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmberg Posted April 10, 2012 Share Posted April 10, 2012 I was considering that one too, but ultimately went with this Clarion: http://www.crutchfield.com/p_020CX501/Clarion-CX501.html Basically the same features, but you can change the lighting to perfectly match the stock red of all the other interior gauges. Now if I can just figure out how to fix my reception issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terrain.org Posted April 10, 2012 Author Share Posted April 10, 2012 The reviews by some on the Crutchfield noted reception problems for the radio stations, and also a glare problem on sunny days, neither of which popped up for the JVC. Do you have any glare problems on yours? Sorry to hear about the reception problems. Plus the Clarion CX501 doesn't have RDS, does it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmberg Posted April 10, 2012 Share Posted April 10, 2012 All is well. Bad reception was due to a faulty connection of the antenna wires. My fault and now remedied. I haven't noticed any issues with glare, at least, no more glare than I've seen on other stereos. And no, it doesn't have RDS, but that wasn't even on my list of considerations, to be honest. If that's high on your list, then I guess this one isn't right for you. It really looks nice at night. Perfect match to the other lights and gauges in the car. http://i.imgur.com/MoJwO.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terrain.org Posted April 11, 2012 Author Share Posted April 11, 2012 Glad to hear the reception issue is solved! And it does look great. I love the large center knob. Hmmm, choices, choices! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miltoney Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 I have the JVC KW-R500 installed in my car, pretty much the same thing minus a couple features I didn't need. I am happy with the stereo, it looks good in the dash, doesn't have that cheesy aftermarket look. It has alot of color choices, I was able to exactly match my other dash colors. Radio reception is much better than the stock radio, and I love the usb feature. The sound is pretty good, better than stock, but I'm still wanting a little more. Will probably add one of those Alpine amplifiers that wire right into the back of the stereo soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KSpan Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 I went with the KW-R900BT for my car due to the upgraded preamp voltage, improved sound processing features (time alignment), and, IMO, better display - I also installed a KW-RHD81BT in my wife's car (she wanted HD radio and her car is small enough that time alignment isn't a huge issue) and greatly prefer the display on the R900 due to the extra info shown and the fact that it can actually display in a couple of different formats depending on your preference. The time alignment was a HUGE improvement in sound and really fixed the balance issues in my car. I would snag an online coupon code and get the 900BT. I have pictures of my install in this thread: http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/aftermarket-receivers-show-them-here-181731.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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