Clarion VZ309 3.5-Inch Single-DIN Multimedia Station with USB Port

5 Responses to “Clarion VZ309 3.5-Inch Single-DIN Multimedia Station with USB Port”

1. Jacob A. Otero says:

   January 26, 2010 at 1:04 pm

   GREAT SOUND GREAT LOOKS WHATS NOT TO LIKE ABOUT IT. OHH WAIT UNLESS YOU LIKE TO WHINE ABOUT STUPID STUFF THAT ONLY A NIT PICKING RETARD WOULD COMPLAIN ABOUT.YOU SHOULD FIRST GET YOUR FACTS STRAIGHT ABOUT THE LEADERS IN CAR AUDIO BEFORE BASHING THEIR PRODUCTS. I THINK ALL OF THE NEGATIVE REVIEWS AND WHINERS ON HERE SHOULD GO BUY JENSEN OR SONY.
   Rating: 5 / 5
2. NDodd says:

   January 26, 2010 at 3:05 pm

   First of, the four star rating has a lot to do with the price point (130 for Unit + HD Receiver).

   The hardware has so much capability, and yet the software lacks so much. It feels like the Software didn’t go through any kind of QA process. Software is full of annoying bugs. UI is laggy and lack-luster

   The player was able to play AVI and MPG files from the USB drive, which was not mentioned in the spec. I am guessing they initially had plans for this, and ended up scrapping it due to deadline issues. If Clarion made the source available, some software engineer out there like me could make things a little better. This hardware is definitely capable of doing some good things, and can actually sell for 100 bucks more, if the software gets it’s issues fixed.

   Bottom line: It’s a good value (features) at the sale price, if you can ignore the crappy user interface.

   List of bugs I can remember:
   
   1. Mute only mutes for one track. This is definitely not an intended feature as you can see the mute icon still on the display.
   
   2. Setup menu looks like they throw something together at the end of the schedule. You can only access this through the remote. Nothing really useful in there anyway.
   
   3. Player plays/displays JPG files. So if you have a USB with music connected that has album art images, it will display it, and doesn’t know what to do after that. Doesn’t play the next track. When you hit next, it goes to the next music track, but clears out the shuffle option if previously selected. Really annoying
   
   4. I gave up on browsing through folders on USB, which can only be done through remote. This interface is horrid.
   
   5. The looping of a DVD track after a power-cycle as someone already mentioned in a previous review.
   
   6. Yet to figure out on how to change time.

   There are so many other randomly annoying bugs
   Rating: 4 / 5
3. M. Masseo says:

   January 26, 2010 at 4:00 pm

   I did not have unrealistic expectations for this unit. All I wanted was an in-dash DVD video player, with MP3 capability. This is what I got, and then some.

   The unit looked mildly attractive to me after seeing it on Cruthfield’s site for 299.99. I just couldn’t see any justification for spending that much, so I looked on Amazon’s and saw it for 129.00!. So I proceeded to purchase this unit. It also came with a bonus of an HD radio tuner.

   I am happy with the results.

   The system has plenty of power. No external amplifier is required in most cases. Its loud enough to cause hearing loss, if thats what you want.
   
   The audio quality is quite good. There is no noticeable hiss or hum, the frequency response is good. Bass and treble functions are adequate, The loudness setting is great at lower volumes.
   
   The system does not distort heavily when listening at loud volumes.

   AM/FM Reception
   
   —————-
   
   - The reception I get with AM/FM is better than my 2003 aftermarket panasonic head unit.

   HD Radio
   
   ———
   
   - HD Radio sounds amazing. I never thought I would listen to broadcast stations, but this makes it much better. Living in the NYC area, i listen to 660AM WFAN Sports radio. I have listened to the shoe-box, mono sound for years and never minded. Now when I tune into 660 AM, I initially hear the mono sound, then a few seconds later, the radio picks up the HD signal. The sound truly does seem to be CD quality. I’m happy the HD tuner was thrown in
   
   The only issue with HD, has nothing to do with the unit. This is a flaw in HD signals themselves. Since HD signals only have about 10% of the power of analog, good luck hearing your HD stations without it reverting back to analog while you drive.

   CD
   
   —-
   
   - The Speed of the insert and eject is quite rapid. ( I really minded slowness, but this makes me wonder why other decks were so slow in this area)
   
   - The audio quality is quite good, but the navigation through the tracks isn’t as simple as it could be. (Due to the button layout, for me) not a big deal, as once I’m playing a disk, I don’t really look at the display anyway.

   MP3s
   
   —–
   
   - This unit plays MP3s fine, you put a disk in, and you see the tracks on the screen, and their id3 tags. They sound like you’d expect from Mp3s… ok, to good. Its almost like listening to a cassette where the head has become misaligned, and the highs are going in and out. They are not audiophile quality anyway, and really do not sound good unless you use at least 256k bit-rate.
   
   - MP3s can be listened to from CD, DVD and USB. *My 64GB usb key doesn’t work on it, didn’t expect it too. Stick to 2GB or smaller USB keys.

   DVDs
   
   —–
   
   - Hooray, I can watch DVDs (or listen to them) while I drive.
   
   - there are not many display options, as far as picture quality adjustments go. You get bright, not so bright, and off. Videos look very nice, considering you are watching them in your dash. Its pretty cool to just even hear everything in surround. (Kind of like dolby and dolby II, not neccessarily AC-3)
   
   * For saftey’s sake, the manufacturer requires you to have your parking brake on, to assure that you are not moving while viewing video. This is a good thing, but I bypass it. The way the system is supposed to be setup , is you run the green wire from your unit, to your parking brake switch. The unit detects the wire is grounded, when you have your parking brake on (parking brake light illuminated) .. There is no secret, you can easily bypass this. for the Clarion VZ309 , and other.

   My workaround.. I just wedge the green wire in my cigarette lighter. When I turn the car on, and try to play a disc, it says “Video not allowed while moving”. once I see that, I pull out the cigarette lighter (with the wire wedged) then plug it back in… then the video appears. Basically, you just need a little toggle or push button switch to do this.

   AUX
   
   —-
   
   there is a simple 1/8″ stereo jack on the front, so you could plug in any audio device. I’ll be using this with my portable XM unit.

   Minor gripes:
   
   - The folding up and down of the face scares me. I sometimes thing im going to break it. Due to the removableness of the face plate, you can surely tell the hinging and locking mechanism will be a problem area; “Too many moving parts” I suppose.
   
   - There is a longer than desired delay between switching sources (Disc–>HD radio –> source, etc) I sometimes click to quickly and land on the source after the one i needed.
   
   - no simple XM solution (you have to buy a “universal” kit from audiovox, and a cable)
   
   - If you like IPods, and want to control them from the unit, its another cable you have to get.
   
   - It doesn’t play DTS audio, and DVD audio disks.
   
   Rating: 4 / 5
4. E-4EPIC says:

   January 26, 2010 at 4:38 pm

   this is a great unit the HD in rhode island is not a big deal because there are few stations. the dvd quality is great. a bypass switch is a must for any TV. this unit in my volvo stuck out a little but is not a big deal with the frame. i installed this with the dash pocket from crutchfield and the wiring harness from carxtc
   Rating: 5 / 5
5. Rosemary Robinson says:

   January 26, 2010 at 7:05 pm

   So far this product has been great, easy to install, has a great picture when watching a dvd, and my iphone plugs right into the stero to play songs from my play list. I love this product, and recomend it to everyone.
   Rating: 5 / 5