Clarion CX 501 2 DIN bluetooth car stereo review

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) November 23, 2011 -- The Clarion CX 501 2-DIN CD, Bluetooth, USB receiver is one of the latest products from Clarion and is available at amazon.com.

The Clarion CX 501 is a sharp-looking unit with a nice, clean, somewhat futuristic looking design. It’s easy to use and install. The faceplate features 728 settings to help blend its appearance in with the rest of your car’s dashboard.

The Clarion CX 501 built-in Bluetooth feature automatically syncs to your car stereo when you start the engine. This makes hands-free cell phone calls, even in older cars where it wasn’t an option, possible. Note that not every phone will provide the Clarion CX 501 access to every feature it can support via Bluetooth (such as phone book upload, streaming audio, and the like). The microphone built into the stereo includes a gain adjustment to increase its sensitivity if your callers have trouble hearing you.

The Clarion CX 501 AM/FM reception is as good as any receiver on the market, though if you’re in the market for a nice piece of equipment like this you probably don’t listen to the radio that often. An HD radio tuner can be added to enable reception of Sirius radio. An optional Clarion CX 501 adapter will allow you to use the factor steering wheel controls, if your car is equipped with them.

The USB port on the Clarion CX 501 allows you to use it with your iPod, iPhone, Android phone, MP3 player, or other device with ease. It will even help keep the device charged if it charges through a USB port.

You can also, of course, play audio CDs (including CD-Rs) and MP3/WMA discs. In other words, just about wherever you store your music, the CX 501 can get it.

The receiver is CEA-2006 compliant, features 21 watts RMS output, 50 watts peak output, has 6-channel preamp outputs, and many other features listed here. For more Clarion CX 501 reviews please check these out HERE.

For me the Clarion CX 501 is the answer for my car audio needs, if you want to grab one I'm pretty sure you can find them on sale HERE.


Great Bluetooth

I bought the Clarion CX 501 for a 2009 Chevy Silverado.

I like that the Clarion CX 501 is compatible with my existing Sirius SCC1 receiver - it's a BIG reason I chose this unit. I just plugged it in and it simply worked. The unit will hold 18 Sirius presets and I can choose to display Artist and Track at the same time.

Music sounds good with my BA speakers. I actually removed my external Alpine amp at the same time I installed the Clarion CX 501. I don't feel like I need it now.

Also, the Clarion's CX 501 ability to read USB MP3 files is great - I like to throw audio books on a USB stick for long drives. The Clarion will remember the track position even after the truck is turned off and the USB stick removed so when I put the USB stick in again the unit will shift to the USB source and start playing where it left off. This is a great feature for audio books.

Good bluetooth connection with my Droid X

Aux-In jack on the front - haven't used this yet but its good to have.

Clarion CX 501 Double Din - Big two-line text thats easy to read while driving. The buttons are not all mashed together and the volume knob is big. It's easy to control the unit quickly and safely. I appreciate this after driving another vehicle with a single-din unit that had dozens of tiny buttons and practically unreadable text and button labels.

The Clarion CX 501 FM sounds pretty good - better than the Sirius music stations I think. I can't compare the FM sensitivity to the factory radio because I took out the factory radio long ago...

The ability to change colors is very cool. Right now I have it on a custom yellow which looks real good.

The remote, which I don't use, has a mute button but the head unit does not. However it's easy to turn down quickly due to the huge volume knob.

I did test the CD part which was great, but I probably won't be using that either.

There are three ipods in my house so I could test that feature but I just don't care enough to do it. I can use my Droid over bluetooth if I want to play portable music.

Bottom line is that I am very happy with the Clarion CX 501 considering it's price and would certainly buy again if I needed another head unit. The Clarion CX 501 is the best thing ive bought for my car in years.

bluetooth     clarion cx 501