JVC KD HDR50 30K Color Illumination Single DIN HD Radio CD Receiver with Remote Control USB 2 0 for iPod iPhone
CD receiver with built-in MOSFET amplifier (20 watts RMS CEA-2006/50 peak x 4 channels) * built-in HD Radio tuner * plays CDs, CD-Rs, and CD-RWs (including discs loaded with MP3 and WMA files) * compatible with optional JVC iPod adapter, Bluetooth adapter, satellite radio, CD changer * inputs: front-panel USB and auxiliary inputs, optional rear aux input *
User Ratings and Reviews
4 Stars Great Stereo for the money
I purchased this stereo for $139 on July 8th 2009 to replace my $350 split screen Pioneer that died on me (I will never purchase another split screen as there are too many moving parts that apparently break easily.) I reviewed stereos ranging from $90 to $300 and I finally settled on this one. It had all the features I wanted and the price was definitely right.
Quick Summary:
Pros: Built in HD Radio; USB & Auxiliary port; Multi-Color backlight; Subwoofer Pre-outs; ITunes Tag(if you have an IPOD); Low Price;
Cons: HD Radio sometimes cut’s out if signal fades (like older stereo’s with a “stereo” setting that only let strong enough signals throug); USB port does not read my MP3 Player; Subwoofer signals are limited to low, mid or high – no all pass or low pass filtering; Trim ring around stereo is too small and can see the mounting sleeve after fully installed.
Full Review:
So far the features are great. I really like that I can cycle through so many different color options.
The auxiliary port works just fine, but the USB port wont read my MP3 player (Sandisk 4GB Sansa Clip), but I’m the one bucking the IPOD infatuation so my bad to begin with I guess. My player charges but the device just says “reading” for like 10 minutes before I usually get tired of waiting. I haven’t tried my flash drive yet.
The HD radio is very interesting, the sound quality is exceptional (like listening to a CD) and so far I’m enjoying it. I’m not sure if it is just the area that I live in but the “hidden” HD signals sometimes blip in and out when I’m driving down the road.
The overall sound quality from the stereo is very good and I was pleased that it has pre-outs for my subwoofer. However, the sound options for the sub are pretty limited. My old stereo would play all frequencies through the sub and had an optional low-pass filter that would allow you to clip the higher frequencies if desired. This unit only has a band-pass filter that allows you to send either low, mid, or high frequencies to the sub, so I’m constantly having to cycle the filter depending on the type of music I’m listening to.
I am a sound-board mixer for my church and my ears are pretty well trained to pick up different frequencies, so I was a little disappointed that there is very little difference between the pre-defined eq settings. The only one that really stands out is the Hip-Hop setting. You can definitely tell there are more lows and mids in that mix, but the others are all pretty much the same (at least when listening to the radio). I haven’t had it long enough to really play with the user defined eq setting, but if it’s anything like all the other stereos I’ve owned it will re-set itself the first time I jump out of it so I’m not sure I will bother.
The last complaint I have is that the trim ring that comes with the stereo is about 1/8 in too narrow on the top and bottom and so you can see a thin line of silver from the mounting sleeve when the stereo is installed.
All in all a great stereo for the money. I would definitely recommend it if you want some great features and your on a budget.
5 Stars Awesome Unit
Awesome Radio. After the questionable installation (my fault) this radio worked like a champ.
1. USB 2.0 with full power = best thing ever for my iphone
2. HD Radio is worlds beyond. It has brought me back to radio.
3. iTunes Tagging is incredible
4. 30,000 colors to choose from means I can match it perfectly to my interior.
All in all I got more for my money than I hoped for.
I highly recommend this product.
5 Stars Good deal on a top rate stereo
Excellent stereo for the money, I have had mine for about a week. Didn’t do too much research, actually I came here for my research. I wanted a stereo with HD Radio, Bluetooth, and front mounted USB/iPod. I couldn’t find any stereos out there with all 3, so I made a compromise, I rarely talk on the phone in the car anyways, so bluetooth wasn’t a deal breaker, I plan to purchase a Parrot bluetooth speaker for my visor later on down the road.
HD Radio is awesome, you actually do here a difference, over here in Los Angeles most FM stations have it, and so far only 1 AM station, KNX 1070. It makes the AM station sound like stereo FM, and the difference between regular FM and HD radio is noticeable, but not as much as the AM.
I was debating whether to get the front mounted USB vs the rear mount, but they have to cut into the inside of the glovebox to mount your iPod inside it. Well I don’t have an iPod, the glovebox isn’t the best place for any electronics, and that is added expense.
You can get a 16gb USB drive for $20 and have a ton of songs on there, when you want to leave your car you can just put it in your pocket, and if someone steals it you are only out $20 or less compared to $200.
I do have an external 320GB usb drive with music but the radio couldn’t read off it, I think it might have something to do with the formatting, as it is NTFS, I will try to make a partition with FAT32 and see if it makes a difference.
EDIT: I put the Bitlocker encryption on it, that is why I couldn’t read it.
If you have a USB stick it is better to either have a folder with all your music in it, or just make the stick music only because the stereo goes into all folders, whether it can read the files or not, so you don’t have to do a lot of scrolling.
This radio has a function where you can “tag” music and later buy it on iTunes, great for people with an iPod. I think the button is too big, I hit it accidentally a few times.
Only gripe I have with this unit, and something I didn’t notice until it was too late is there are no direct access channel memory buttons. JVC’s solution is for you to push down on the volume button and scroll between our saved stations, something that takes practice to do while moving, even though you really shouldn’t be.
Then there is the gimmick of color changing, don’t really care too much, but it is nice to change the colors once in a while, seems everyone now is doing blue LED’s on everything from computers to radios. Blue is a nice color but then they make it so bright, like my previous Sony radio. My colors are red and orange.
The coolest feature about the front mounted USB is it’s ability to charge, you can charge your iPod and almost anything USB. My cigarette port on my car is broken, now I don’t have to spend the $100+ to get it fixed, already purchased a Nokia USB charger, and I keep a generic cable in my car to charge the Garmin nuvi, those are the only 2 things I need to charge on the go. Only thing that sucks is the Nuvi recognizes the stereo as a computer so no charge and drive.
I need to change my speakers, the stereo outputs too much power for the stock speakers in my car, the stereo cuts off the volume at level 28.
5 Stars Clarity of Sound
This receiver replaced my stock ’05 Tacoma one and I couldn’t be happier. I got tired of the poor sound through the iPod FM dock and was blown away by the clarity of sound from this model. Also with more power being push to the speakers there’s an incredible boost in volume. My friends think I installed a completely new system with speakers and an amp. Installation was easy and you’ll love your wheels all over again. Oh, and don’t forget you’ll enjoy HD programming too.
4 Stars Great radio, good reception
Replaced the factory radio in my 1999 Silverado with this unit and I’m very pleased. I have had no issue seeing the radio in the daytime, wondering if the people who put that accidently wired the “on with headlights” wire up to constant 12v.. it is piercing bright in blue. Some of the greens are harder to read, really depends on your color choice for the LED’s. Reception is good, absolutely hate the need to go into the menu to move from one preset to another, but I rarely use the radio anyway, and its not that hard to adjust to.
