Customer Ratings & Reviews

Best Deal for the Money

I tried to do a lot of research before I purchased this deck. If you are looking for a system that has built-in bluetooth and iPod or mp3 capabilities, this is the best value for your money. It sounds great with the exception of the radio seeming to get slightly poor reception, but I really don't listen to the radio since I use my iPod with it.

The best part is that you don't have to buy any extra cables like you would with many other head units. Although, I will say that the bluetooth auto-connect feature on this unit did not work straight out of the box, I had to go in and turn it off and then back on. After that, it has worked great. I have had a couple of glitches with my iPod connection, it usually works fine, but I have had to unplug it and plug it back in to have it work.

The one negative to using the unit to browse through songs on your iPod is that it always starts with the "A"s so going through the songs to get to the end of the alphabet takes some work. I mainly bought this for the bluetooth for my phone, since it is now illegal to talk on your cell while driving in Washington. The phone sound is fine, but make sure you place the mic closer to the drivers side if you want the other person to be able to hear you without you having to yell. Overall a great unit and I'm happy that I purchased it. There are better decks out there if you want to spend the money, but for the price, I definitely recommend this one.

Bang for the buck

After a little time figuring it out, this is a great unit. All the features I wanted. In a price range I could deal with. The best bang for the buck.

Excellent stereo

Good looking head unit, very bright blue light but the screan is a little on the dull side. Great sound, works well with mp3 CD's, flash drive, bluetooth and music streaming is awsome.

pretty good buy

Everything works great on this unit except streaming audio sometimes. Sometimes when you try to connect and stream the music it says its connected but it doesn't work so you have to disconnect and reconnect your phone. Aggrivating but still works.

Bluetooth works great. Good sound from unit. Good eq controls too.

This is the best value your going to get from a cd player without spending 200 dollars. Can't go wrong buying this one.

solid deck

As title says its solid have no complaints great price.

Great Value, A2DP Audio Skips Occasionally

Overall, I can't complain. Sounds great with aftermarket speakers and sub.

My only issue is the A2DP connectivity, it'll skip every once in a while, which can get very annoying since this is my main way of playing music. I have the original droid though, so that could be where the issue lies. But it's awesome when it works, I don't even take my phone out of my pocket and it'll start playing right where I left off.

The BT phone feature is flawless. I put the mic on my steering column right behind the wheel, and people can't tell I'm using hands-free. If someone calls, it pauses the music and rings, and when you end then call it starts your music back up.

Again, not perfect, but definitely worth the price.

clarion cz500

Great buy

Clarion CZ-500

Very good, I love it, ubs works great, the bluethooth is not the best one but it works well. For listenning music It dosen't always works well with my iphone 4.

Good radio for the money

The Bluetooth feature is the reason why I bought this. Streaming music from my android phone works perfect. Takes a few seconds to pick the signal but you can control your phones music player right from the radio. When you get back to the car picks up right where it left off. Sound quality is good streaming through bluetooth. I cannot speak of the cd player since I will never use it. The usb port is neat since you can make it come out wherever you want (glovebox, etc). Built quality is good. The mic cable is long enough for most cars. The call quality is decent, and it will depend of how loud your cabin is and how close you can get the mic to your mouth. I have a miata which is a loud cabiner (soft top) but I does the job, don't expect quite long conversations while driving.

Great product and value

Excellent head unit sounds great. So nice I bought it twice!!

clarion cz500

I bought this stereo for its bluetooth capabilities which work prefectly fine in my bronco wich is usually topless most of the year. My only disappointment is the ipod control function is extremely slow, but no big deal. I disconnect my ipod select the music i want and press play and reconnect it. Otherwise you'll sit there for almost an hour just to get from a-mm not even a-z on your artist list.
Pros: mp3, aux input, bluetooth/a2dp connection, and 3 sets of rca's.
Cons: iPod function is extremely slow to scroll through, bluetooth does not automatically reconnect. My CD player is picky and only works when it wants to.

Clarion CZ500

The CZ500 by Clarion is an absolute gem, bang for the buck it doesn't get much better than this head unit. An absolute must was 3 sets of pre-amp out, it has it. Next was in deck crossover, it has it. Bluetooth capable, Got has it. I run all Infinity amps, speakers and subs the blue illumination matches the Infinity blue leds on the amps perfectly. Learning to navigate around to all the features was a bit of a challenge at first, now, I love it, very easy to use. Anyone looking for a solid head unit would appreciate this at a wonderful price. Buy, buy, buy.

Decent for the price but pops

You probably won't find another deck with the features this one has for the money. Bluetooth works as it should, and I did not test iPod capability but it is built in, so you do not need a separate adapter. All that is required is a standard USB data cable. It doesn't interface with Zune players, but then, what does?

My main complaint about this deck is the delay of the amp turn-on lead. The deck powers up and then the amp powers up later, which is not such a nuisance, however it also delays powering down the amp, causing an annoying "pop" when the car is shut off.

Otherwise I have no complaints about this model. It played all my mp3 tracks and CDs and handled skips well. If you're on a budget and need hands-free phone capability, this is the ticket.

Good Value

I have no complaints with this product. The bluetooth functions, the sound quality is great, and it works well with my iPhone.

Clarion CZ500, Very Nice Simple Head Unit!

I bought the CZ500 mostly due to the power features. 4 volt outputs, 3 sets at that... That's usually found on more expensive products of other brands. EQ is pretty basic so are the customizations but it is sufficient for the average listener. The sound I'm getting is very clean, overall I'm very happy with the product and price. Sonic Electronix gave me everything I needed including a rebate for buying the bundle of installation parts I needed!! Head unit reads my iPod and Sony Walkman and blackberry through it's provided Ipod cable. ANY device that can operate in "Mass Storage" option can be used through the cable to the head unit and it charges at the same time. My 80 gig zune wouldn't operate through the cable but a simple front face aux input solves that, just doesn't charge. Blue illumination looks very nice at night, bright display throughout the day and is easily visible, again for those who like everything straight forward and basic this is pretty good. Overall very happy!

CZ500

The biggest reason I purchased this unit was for the bluetooth capabilities and that it came with an external mic. Sound quality is good, but not what I expected (and it is paired with 4 Boston Acoustic speakers). However, the bluetooth lacks big time, even with the external mic. The unit is fussy at times and will not connect to your mobile. Receiving a call is problematic at times too. You are supposed to hit a button on the unit to answer a call, but that rarely works too. And with the external mic, one would expect better communication capabilities. But its the old, "you sound like you're in a tunnel a million miles away" saying.
I would recommend the unit for the sole purpose of music entertainment. But if you are looking for the bluetooth capabilities, I would keep looking.

great buy

The blue tooth works great, i got Apline speakers in the dash, cadence 6x9s and a alpine type-s 12" sub with a 1200 watt powerbass amp. Sounds pretty good.

Not working for me

Have to to keep sending it back plays for a week or two and goes out.

Great Item and Service

Received item fast and in great condition. Nicely packed and protected. The stereo works great. The only issue I have is that when I turn on the car, it always plays music from my phone.

Excellent unit! I have it in 3 vehicles

I love this head unit and have it in 3 of my vehicles. I like that the usb is in the back so my iPod can hide out in the glove box. The controls are easy to use and the display is large and easy to see.
I've recommended this unit to several friends who are pleased as well.

Very Nice

This is a quality headunit and will not disappoint. Very fast shipping and harness+hardware were free. Bluetooth was easy to pair with my Droid X and mic cable was plenty long. I love the fact the usb isn't on the faceplate, makes it way more flexible. Speakers sound way better than on the Pioneer unit this replaced. This was my first order and will not be my last!

excellent product

Terrific sound, allows mp3 and iPhone Bluetooth connectivity.

Great sound quality!!!

Buy the speakers matching to the output (watts rms) specifications of the radio will give you great sound quality without breaking your budget. Very easy to use radio.

couldn't be happier

Fantastic unit, I couldn't be happier. Installed it myself, a first time experiment that turned out. After one set up with my iPhone for bluetooth -- all I need to do is get in the car and the music starts playing from my pocket! So awesome. It auto pauses when I get out and auto resumes when I get back in. For better quality I sometimes plug into a proprietary plug that goes to aux-in AND cigarette lighter, this charges the phone while using the line out for better sound via AUX. When I'm in aux mode if blue tooth is connected I can still change songs with the unit's track change buttons - totally prefect. Absolutely cannot believe I got everything I wanted in a car stereo for this price, any shop wants $250 just for a unit that does it all not including install

Good buy

I put this radio in my 99 GMC Suburban. Everything works good, all except the bluetooth. It connect's when it want's to. I have read other review's from people complaining about the same issue. I am connecting w/a iPhone and it still connect's when it want's. But when it works it works great, everything else works excellent.

It's a cool unit

It's cool. I only purchased this unit because I've had bad luck with Pioneer radios faceplates and faulty/sensitive rca outputs. Seems to be sturdy and well built. I'm just surprised that a unit with 3 rca outputs doesn't have a dedicated subwoofer cutout as does Pioneer. The settings are very basic. Luckily for me, I've paired it with the Clarion EQS-746 so I'm able to cutout the subwoofer.

Satisfied customer

Product came as excepted. Install was easy and works as needed. Good product and well done service. A++++

Great buy and works great

This was a gift for my son and he said it was easy to put in and loved it.

Kick a** Love the quality sound

This cd player is kick a**. I talked to the seller and he made some suggestions as to what speakers to go with and in 3 days I had my awesome Mp3/cd and iPod player. Hooked it all up on my 2002 jeep wrangler and it sounds nazty.

Good Deal

It is easy to install and sounds good. The removable face is easy to use. I have not tried the bluetooth. The usb player works great. MP3 CDs play good also. The shipping was fast.

BEST BANG FOR YOUR BUCK

Its got everything in a single din size except Navi (which I don't need). By the way the Bluetooth is made by parrot (the best - its works and is clear). I actually bought two of these.

cz500

Its very good!!!!!

Thanks Sonic

I absolutely love this head-unit! The Clarion CZ500 has many great features that other decks in this price range don't. I have ordered 2, my first one had a hardware malfunction buy that was no problem thanks to Sonic! They replaced it no questions asked.. Sonic is the only place that I order car audio from because they have great prices and unbeatable customer service! I will be along time customer of Sonic Electronix.
As for the head-unit order it you wont be disappointed.

Value is great!

You can't beat the value. Bluetooth, plus quality for the price!.

Great value!

I haven't owned this unit for long. But, I'm already impressed. The USB functionality is flawless, the sound quality is great, and looks amazing in my dash. The bluetooth sound quality is good. But, not great. But, that's not Clarion's fault. That has more to do with the fact that my phone is an probably an antique by now. Taking calls hasn't been a problem. I definitely prefer using the car audio route rather than using an ear piece.

I only had a few requirements when looking for a new cd player. USB, Bluetooth and low cost. this thing is really a great value.

The only complaint I could muster is the same complaint that I had about every other Clarion head unit that I have owned since about 1994. The remote control really needs an update. They've been using the same exact remote for about fifteen years( that I know of). It is just far too basic for use with mass storage. It would be nice if I could at least change folders using the remote.

I'm probably going to know off a few stars, just for the remote issue.Come on Clarion, quit beating a dead horse and come up with a more functional remote.

Great Head Unit

I would recommend this to everyone. I love this unit. It has alot of settings to get the most out of your speakers. Plus 4v preamps for this price are u kidding me. I do not use the speaker outs only the preamps. Which is nice they have front rear and sub out. great sound from this unit. I will be buying a couple more for my other rides. I don't use the blue tooth so cant comment on that. Love the usb input. Nice aux input on face. All the features I could ever need like I said love it one of the best I have owned.

Very Good

I bought this to go into my 01 Accord and I love it. For the amount of features you get for the price, this is a steal. The sound quality is great and the bluetooth connectivity is really good. One note for buyers, the book doesn't cover much and I had to figure out some of the features on my own, nothing too crazy. If you buy this and want to tune to your liking, press sound, select custom out of the EQ presets, then (important) press in on the button to make your adjustments. It took me a half hour to figure that out. I thought I was stuck with presets. Very good unit.

Great Stero

Would highly recommend this. Its worth every penny and very durable. Had it for almost around six months and cant say anything bad about it.
Does everything as expected and more.

Great, and very loud for just the head unit!!!

I was surprised with just how loud this went with out an amp D:, its so much louder then any other head unit ive had such as Sony, Pioneer and Alpine. This is so much better ill never get a different one unless clarion make an upgraded version of this one.

Junk

The IPOD Interface is crap! It will randomly disconnect from communicating. If you want to play all the music from a certain band, you can't! You can only play one album at a time. You can't do any IPOD menu functions using the remote. Worthless!! Get a Pioneer

Perfect Match...

When I bought this deck I was unsure of the quality of Clarion. I no longer question the Clarion name... I love this deck for the simple fact that it is easy to use and I have had no problems with it... For the price I do not think there is a better deck on the market... It does everything it says it will do... It is a perfect match for me and my system...

great sound quality

i love it sounds great, subwoofer control & magna bass it worth every penny, i don't try the bluetooth function yet but i am sure it will work very good.

Good Sound!

This Clarion unit has a great sound and plenty of basic features my only fault with this particular model was the iPod connection. It was very difficult to navigate artists albums or songs, the random function wasn't random, overall the iPod interface was pretty much useless. I ended up just plugging from the phono output on my iPod to the aux input on the face of the head unit. This provided pretty much the same sound quality with out the iPod interface issues. I bought this to replace the stock clarion unit that came with the car I bought I also purchased the Scosche MA02B harness this made the installation so much easier and a lot neater too.

good deck for a good price

I really like the iPod connect and bluetooth on this deck. The only problem with the iPod is searching for a specific song, which can take a while. Features are for the price, the bluetooth works well except it takes some time to find a number from your phonebook on the deck. Overall, I am very satisfied with this deck.

awesome

I got this on sale for 119.00... u can not find more features for the price.

Excellent Stereo

I bought this head unit for my 99 F250 to replace my factory unit. It is everything it says it is. Easy to use, looks great, and sounds even better. The 4v output improves the sound quality. I suggest pairing it with some high quality speakers ( I use Memphis Audio) to really show off the sound. The USB and bluetooth features work great as well. I've compared several different head units, and this one came out on top and the prices from Sonic Electronix can't be beat. This stereo is worth every penny.

Tried and True

After 6 months of ownership, i can tell you all that this thing is worth every penny. I know that it's durable, because it sits directly underneath my cup-holder, which routinely drips condensation. despite that, the display functions with no hesitations. The only reason i gave it a 4 in durability is that the face-plate is entirely made from plastic, and it feels fairly breakable.

This stereo has as many features as i could have wanted in something this price. The Bluetooth works excellently, as do both the Aux input and USB/Ipod input.

Ease of input, however, takes a hit when you plug in your ipod. The only realistic way of getting music is to put the entire ipod on shuffle, and click next if a song hits that you don't want to listen to. That's not special to the Clarion, however, it's more of an inherent problem with a 2 line display.

Good But.....

We installed this in a 22ft Pathfinder Center Console Boat.

Setup as follows:
MB Quart NAU 260
Cerwin-Vega WAVE 104
Clarion CZ500

It is your standard headunit. Sounds great and features are not lacking.

However, the bluetooth is terrible. Specifically speaking the A2DP has very poor SQ. Comparing this to my Pioneer AVIC-X920BT which has virtually no difference between plugged in and BT.

Overall not a bad unit

Outstanding

Couldn't ask for better. Emails came promptly. Stereo arrived as stated. Will do business again.

GREAT VALUE!!!

Great stereo, easy to use, looks sleek

Looks goodin car

I like this head unit. It sold at a local car audio store for almost $300 and I purchased it a while back on Sonic for less than half that price. Easy set up even if you run an amp or two to it. Glad that is has room for multiple amp connections (RCA's) in the back. I just use the aux plug for it (I didn't feel like running a USB) but it works fine. I still can't figured out how to display the clock but im not too concerned considering I didn't take the time to look at the manual. Looks good for the price... I like the dial and dial light. Very sleek.

Great value for the money!

This is a great deal for the money. Be aware to get the clock to display you have to toggle the display button. You either get the clock or the music display but not both.
Bluetooth autoconnect does not work with some phones but can be turned off by pressing and holding the "D" button while in bluetooth mode, then using the arrows to find auto connect. The volume know will scroll on or off, then press the desired option to select it.
The unit is full of features and plays well. it is truly a great value for the Money