Clarion CX505 (Includes HD Radio & 4V Output!)

satisfaction of the product car radio

I'm satisfy about the choice I've maid
This a good radio , very good sound ,fit very well
in my car .I recommend it
Not too difficult to install with all the kit ,but you need
the Scosche FD23B,the Scosche FDK11B and the Metra 95-5812

It has features, but no good ones...

The Clarion cx505 was a dissapointment to say the least. Unless you just cant live without this one, then you will be happier looking elsewhere.

I got an excellent deal on this thing - Already on a huge sale, promo code for more $$ off, a mail in rebate, 10% off a steering wheel module, and half price installation kit, with free shipping. I was excited. ...

But Im paying for return shipping and a restocking fee, losing all the discounts and sending this back... its really, that bad. Even a non-audiophile can hear the difference.


Pros:
Bluetooth pairing seems to do very well once set up. Turn phone BT on, change radio to BT input, and the phone just connects. (I am testing an Android btw). On my factory unit, and a Sony I have, I have to re-pair every time... Fast BT mode

Axxess steering wheel control works great...

It has 3 4volt pre outs with sub control



Cons:
BT audio is terrible...
So is HD Radio quality, terrible. (more on that later, this IS the radios fault)... (Is it the aptX that is the problem ???)

The DAC or software filter on the BT and HD Radio streams is buggy and not good at all. It is full of pops hisses clicks and noise. Its only the BT and HD DAC, as Regular FM sound is perfect. Its only the digital to analog with bad noise. I tried different speakers, ran a dedicated 12v+ and ground and same issue. I swapped radio and it stopped. (No its not the source, this isnt my first install...)

This unit has HD Radio which I thought would be cool. The problem is, with this unit, you are forced into digital mode. You cannot choose analog or digital. This is very stupid, some stations broadcast in such a low bitrate it is unbearable to hear. While that isnt the radios fault that HD Radio is terrible to begin with, it does force you to use it and you can only hear analog FM for the seconds before it switches automatically.

The menus are rediculous. There are 3 menu buttons and things dont make any sense. The manual doesnt help either.

For HD substations, you press menu, scroll past tty, select sub, then choose hd1 or hd2. Not easy to find. That is the only thing in menu !

For subwoofer settings, well, some of them can be found under the display button. Haha. Display.

The other options are jumbled up under the music button at top left.

The CD player is loud and slow and sounds cheap.



Summary:
All quirks aside, the DAC and audio produced isnt worth a free radio. Plus this thing is just cheap.

By BZ on July 24, 2015 Verified purchase

easy to install

I watched the video and had this puppy in and working in 20 minutes I love it!! it's a little tricky to program don't throw the booklet away ever, keep it handy

Great values, like the CX505, usually have a drawback..

The HD-Radio sounds like you're eating a bowl of rice crispy treats; it snaps, crackles and pops throughout the duration of the digital connection and you're stuck on digital, you can't switch to analog like my old pioneer (stolen). I cannot NOT, notice it. I'm basically looking for it now..it's very, very, very frustrating. It is on the edge of being awful; but apparently I'm dealing with it and have decided to live with it; as a result I will either accept it, or over time find myself listening to less and less of the radio.

- The "display" is bright at night to say the least. A brightness setting would have been in it of itself a a key feature in hindsight.

- Is there a mute setting on the unit itself? Clicking the large volume knob inward would have been a great feature, however clicking the volume knob inward doesn't do anything besides choosing menu option settings. I mean come on, even factory radios have this feature. Its always nice being able to quickly silence the radio.

- I can't explain why, but initially I didn't like the "clicky" sounding menu buttons, band, presets etc.. additionally, it takes a bit of force to push in the buttons.

- As far as the internal microphone, I've been told I sound like I'm far away and talking in a room that echos. I've heard the external microphone works much better; I have not yet found one for purchase.

Overall.. the HD Radio is the worst part by far.. The screen brightness is something that wouldn't stop me from recommending this product, I would just forewarn. However, this a value double-din radio, the price is what it is for what you get. All-in-all this product try's to offer desirable technology at a low price. Result: mediocre performance along with the bells and whistles such as screen brightness and other little small features like a quick mute aren't going to be in a value grade head unit.

Awesome product

Great value, many options for expansion overall great product. Quality sound and plenty of options.

Love it

A little hard to install in dash.i had to order a dash kit to make the instalatoin look decent. Should have told me that fore I tried to install it. I also had to trim out behind dash a real monster if I hadn't had a Drexel. The wiring was what worried me but it real easy to figure out. The functions are not real clear in the instructions need improvement I had to go to a clarion dealer finaly after I fought it for 2weeks got the serious installed and I'm lovin it

Nice radio but Has a few issues

This radio sounds and looks really good but has a couple issues to consider before buying. The main one is the HD radio tuner. When any HD radio station is tuned in there is digital crackling in the background, it's not awful but it's noticeable and annoying. When you first tune in a station it sounds great but a second later the radio transitions over to the digital stream when available. This is when the crackling/static noise begins. As you drive around the digital radio signal may fade and the radio will try and seamlessly flip back to the analog station but it sounds like a CD skip and is distracting. There is no way to manually disable the HD radio. AM radio does a similar thing also, even though I don't think the station I listen to broadcasts in digital. When I try and tune in AM radio it sounds nice and open and clear for a second then you can hear some type of digital filter applied to the signal that rolls off the high frequency and sort of muffles the sound. The Bluetooth aptx sounds really good and connects quickly, I've experienced a few drop outs but I'm chalking that up to interference unless it starts happening more often. I tried the built in mic for phone calls but people said I sounded distsnt and hard to understand, the external mic you can buy works and sounds much better, adequate for short phone calls. The EQ is decent enough and the preamp outs seem strong and clean. I've decided to live with the HD radio issues as this was one of the only double din radios that had the other features I wanted. This radio will dim when you turn on your headlights (if you hook up the dimmer wire) and will also extend the radio antenna only when the radio input is selected (most radios put the power antenna up even if you're listening to a CD). Too bad clarion can't update the software to address a few of the issues with this radio.

By Gavin on December 8, 2015 Verified purchase

A good choice

I bought this for the usb,auxiliary and blue tooth interface also the ability to expand the system in the future but was surprised by the quality of sound this brought out of my speakers.You do need to read the manual to familiarize yourself with the controls.

great stereo

looks nice and fits into the car perfectly seamlessly. Sounds great and works like a charm but the advertised steering wheel adapter did not. Had to have a different RF ID steering adapter installed to be compatible with the stereo unit.

By Kenny on September 27, 2017 Verified purchase

Good value for the money with 3 4volt outputs

Vehicle installed in: 2007 Dodge Nitro

Is this unit perfect and will work for everybody? no, but works for the way i'm using it. I originally purchased this unit for a variety of reasons (in no particular order)
- Value for features included
- Clarion product name/reputation
- Double Din
- 4 volt preouts
- iPhone/iPod compatability
- Hands free bluetooth connectivity
- Large mechanical Volume knob
- Wireless remote
- HD Radio

I'm happy with all my reasons except for the HD radio as I bought 4 extra antenna adaptors (AND then a actual new antenna to for a direct connection to the unit) none of which solved terrible reception problem, before i figured out that it's probably the head unit's issue, and it's not a big enough deal for me to return and deal with that separate headache.

The rest of the unit works great for my needs.
One of my favorite features is as soon as i plug in my "iPod" (iPhone 4s 16gb) it automatically reads it and i can control it through the head unit while it charges it too!
Bluetooth/Hand-free works good but there isn't a green and/or red phone icon to easily answer/disconnect/call. My iPhone (5s 16gb) connects every time i start the vehicle and I can also access the music on the phone through the head unit.
Pandora through bluetooth works with no problems
Cd player works as expected with no problems
Color selection is nice and you can save three favorites in addition to the preset colors
Operation of unit sources/menus takes some getting used to but I feel thats the case with any new product with so many different features

Overall, I'm satisfied with the unit and would recommend it with the caveat of the HD not working well for me.