Sony MEX-BT5100

Sony MEX-BT5100

I got this sony stereo 3 years, but lost the interface. ordered the same model, because it's simple to use, looks good not like other stereos, and i like that it produces very good sound, has bluetooth and the price is not too bad at all. Good stereo good price. Never had problems with shipping and handling. Responsible and serious company.

Awesome

Everything u can want in a Headunit.

Sony MEX-BT5100 Review

Bluetooth works good with talking and playing music from your phone you can control music on your phone through the radio via bluetooth. The radio has caller I.D. timer phonebook, you can call and hang up with the radio. The joystick is easy to use except when trying to adjust volume while driving if you hit a bump the joystick is sensitive and will cause you to change stations while trying to adjust volume. The radio is very easy to set up and use( user friendly ) except when trying to adjust sound quality there is no simple Bass or Treble you have to use the presets, it is simple enough to use but not always the sound your looking for or you will have to use the EQ that you shouldn't try to adjust while driving. This radio has a lot of bang for the buck, but can get expensive if you add HD radio & I-Phone or I-Touch options. I gave this radio a 4 rating on Durability but really not sure because I haven't really had it for more than a year but I have had other Sony radios in the past and never had any problems. I gave it a 3 Rating for overall because of the issues with volume control while driving & sound adjust-ability. I gave it a 5 on features because it has a ton of features for the price. I gave it a 4 on Value because it is cheap for all the features but can get expensive with add-ons.

Great Car Stereo

This is an excellent product and very affordable - the sound quality is excellent and the stereo unit provides many equalizer options. The unit works great in BMW 330ci Convertible (though I haven't used it yet with the top down).

The bluetooth feature / speakerphone works flawlessly and I have heard no complaints from the other end of the phone. As well, the phone syncs easily (T-Mobile G1).

I also purchased the Sony XA-120IP (iPod connector) which makes the functionality of the iPod through the stereo head unit and/or remote control very simple and safe.

Had the unit professionally installed at Geek Squad; not because the unit was complicated, but because BMW is not an easy install and I didn't want to take the chance of ruining the trim on the car.

The unit is simple enough for any idiot to figure out without ever opening the instruction book (this idiot was able too).

I am very happy with my purchase and highly recommend the MEX-BT5100 by Sony. I shopped for months for a good deal and after extensive research, I came to love this unit over the compatible Pioneer and Kenwood units.

this deck is awesome

i have not had any problems.. the bluetooth is tricky at first but very convenient. the mounting system is very sturdy. i hit a tree in my truck the cd player was still pumpin out music and had not moved.... defiantly worth it, the joystick is bada$$

Nice system

Great music system. Bluetooth calls works well when I had it in my cherokee mounted high in the dash. Does not work well mounted low in my toyota. Microphone needs to be close to user.

Great product, especially considering the price!

I purchased this stereo mainly for the bluetooth and its hands free capabilities (I spend a lot of time in my car). Not only does this allow me to have phone conversations over the stereo, but it also allows me to play the tons of music which I have stored on my phone. Only cons are the on-board microphone whose quality some callers complain about, but just speak up and it works ok.

Sony MEX-BT5100 nice concept, some issues though

I really liked the convenience of having hands free without having to fumble around for an ear piece, then finding that is not charged etc. So that alone was nice. But the person on the other end always complains they cannot hear me. I began dropping the faceplate down while on a call since the mic is behind it. That seemed to help a little, but I still had to pretty much yell at it.

The other issue is that after a couple months I could no longer hear outgoing calls using either of the phones I paired it with. The screen says "withheld" when you try to call out and there is no mention of this term in the instruction or troubleshooting section of the manual. I phoned support and they suggested trying the reset button. That did nothing. So I am packing it up and sending it in to get fixed/replaced. Of course I have to pay to ship it there. Make sure to keep every piece of packaging and the box just in case.

The face plate is VERY difficult to get on, and more so in the dark. I take it on/off every time I drive. So you would think I am a pro after 6 months but that is not the case. Half the time it goes flying onto the floor. I still struggle and curse it. I didn't even know there were face plates this hard to put on. Although this is my first stereo with a plate that drops down to put in the cd, so maybe they are all that hard.

I also wish you could make the clock font larger. The screen is huge but they make the clock too small to read if you ask me. And the glare on the screen makes it practically unreadable during the day. I turned off the background images because it was literally impossible to read the clock with it on.

One other very annoying issue was trying to send my contacts from my blackberry. I was aware that it only allows you to store 50 contacts. Ok fine I thought. I was not aware that it is not smart enough to let you select the 50 you want from the blackberry. It only lets you send the first 50 contacts. This option is supposed to be there to use a group on the Blackberry menu, but there is no way to "select" it on my blackberry. Maybe a glitch with Blackberry, I don't know. But it was really lame. So long and short is I spent over a week researching a workaround. From Outlook flag the 50 people I wanted, export ALL Outlook contacts to a csv file and save it for later, delete all outlook contacts EXCEPT the 50 I flagged, synch with my Blackberry, push to the stereo, then import the csv full contact list back into Outlook and synch again with the Blackberry. Does that seem like a lot of work? Well it is, and a little scary too, to delete all your contacts!

All in all, I still like it because of the bluetooth functionality so will continue to use it when I get it back from the manufacturer that is.

Sony's best headunit.

Given the price it should be no surprise. The big selling point on it seems to be the built-in bluetooth capability, which works pretty good, but in my opinion the best part of the unit and what separates it from other Sonys is the EQ function.

You can get a really nice range of sound out of it with the proper tweaking, and that DSO function, something I originally didnt like, really grows on you. While it apparently "raises" the soundstage, what I noticed most was it greatly increased the maximum volume possible while removing a lot of the lower-frequency mud, creating a loud and clear output.

Look/Design gets a four because the screen feels too retro, even for Sony. There highest-end iPod model has a color screen; I see no reason why this shouldn't at the price. That joystck is great, though. No idea why they got rid of it for the newer BT5700 model.

Great Unit

I would highly recommend this unit. I've had it about six months and have been extremely pleased with the features, the ease of use and the sound quality. I also installed an HD radio unit and Ipod adapter, and couldn't be happier with how well the three units work together. If you're looking for a great value, this unit is well worth looking at.