Sony MEX-BT3700U

Good price/performance balance

I set out to purchase a stereo that had an AUX port and a USB port on the front of the unit and I didn't want to spend a ton of money. I shopped a number of different electronic stores, trying interfaces and looking at features. Most of them were either too expensive or had clumsy interfaces. I eventually found the BT3700U. At about $170, it was right in my target price range.

The button layout works well for me and I can operate the unit without looking at it. I was a little disappointed with the brightness controls. While you can dim the display, you have to step through a number of menus to do it, and the dimming doesn't affect the buttons at all, which are very bright at night.

The Bluetooth was a selling point for me, but not a primary feature. As it turns out, I'm glad I got it. It works perfectly with my phone. The built-in microphone is inexplicably located behind the removable faceplate, which seems like it obstructs the pickup somewhat. I've had callers tell me that they have a little trouble hearing me, so I may invest in the external mic as well. I also wish the Bluetooth had Caller ID capability as well, but for $170 I'm not about to complain about a tiny missing feature.

There are a lot of stereos that are better than this one, but you will find precious few of them at this price. If I had to choose again, I'd still pick this one. It's an excellent stereo for the price.

Whole lot of stereo for the money

This is my second Sony BT stereo (MEX-BT2700). I bought this one because sold my old car.

For the price this one can't be beat. Most of the features on this stereo you can't find anywhere else, until you hit the $400 range. Not to say it is prefect. The interface could be a little better (like you have to press "MODE" to change radio bands AM/FM). Also my wife has a tenancy to push the volume knob in as she turns down the volume, which changes the Equalizer instead. I have gotten used to it though.

I also wish it had a REAL dimmer that was tied into the Headlight switch, like my OEM stereo was. The dimmer function on this stereo is useless. First you have to scroll through the functions to switch it On/Off. It dims the LED display, but the Blue button lights stay at full brightness all the time. At night the Button lights overpower the dimmed LED display making it harder to read. I don't know why they even bothered to add this function. I like to keep my dash instrument lights on my car low but I have to leave the dimmer function OFF all the time.

Bluetooth Phone and Audio work perfectly with my Blackberry Flip (8220). On my old Sony Ericsson (W810i) only the Phone paring worked. Go figure the Sony Stereo and Sony Phone aren't fully compatible...

Love the AUX jack in the front. I have also used a Thumb (USB) drive to play music while on road trips out in the sticks (where there are no Radio Stations). Both preformed great.

One thing I like in particular about this stereo is that you can add an external Mic for the hands free, which I have mounted near my Visor. It makes the outgoing sound a little clearer.

I find the included wireless Remote rather redundant. I think I used it twice on my old Sony stereo. This stereo the remote is still in the bag. I guess if you had a van, or kids in the back you want to give the remote to, you might find it useful.

Durability: I have had this stereo for about 7-8 months, with no problems. My old MEX-BT2700 I had for 4 years, I think, before I sold the car; no problems either.

Works Great with I-Pod

This was exactly what we were looking for to run our I-pod's in the vehicles. You can use USB or regular cable connect. It also runs our I-Phone's (or the new I-pod touch) via bluetooth. There is better sound if you can utilize the bluetooth mode. Great for hands free-phone use also. We have one in each of our vehicles and this is the best radio we've had in a long time for being versatile. Great radio for the price.