Conference terri::cars_uk

    Model: Panasonic C62 'Alpha Tuner'.
    Age  : 2 years.
    cost : 210 quid.
    
    It's a quad system. It's everything a good car hi-fi should be. Usable
    features and benefits, superb radio and cassette deck and plenty of
    power. Absolutely no problems to report, after two years of heavy use.
    
    My Audi has ITT speakers too, which make the unit sound even better. I 
    chucked out/sold the Blaupunkt Melbourne which came with my car, in 
    favour of the Panasonic. The cassette deck in the Panasonic was a big
    improvement over the Blaupunkt, although the radio was not quite as
    good. I've had a few Blaupunkts, and I am not impressed with their
    cassette decks at all.
    
    Panasonic are reputed to be one of the best makes around...so says 
    an auto electrician friend of mine!
    
    If you just want a cassette deck, take a close look at the sets on offer
    from Clarion and Lucas. 
    
    
    
    

Model:		Philips DC 670
Owned since:	January 1990
Overall view:	Reasonable quality radio cassette.   Reasonably simple to use,
		but reading the manual first is recommended, some of the 
		functions are not intuative.

Problems:	no problems, no chewed tapes, reasonable sound quality.



Other notes:	blurb from brochure follows -

. 4-figure security code
. Micro-processor controlled PLL Quartz tuning
. 20 station electronic memory
. Additional 10 station autostore memory
	Autostore system automatically tunes and stores the 5 strongest  
	available FM and 5 strongest available MW stations ready for push
	button selection.
. Transflective LCD for 
	frequency
	waveband
	preset number
	FM stereo mode
	FM strength
. Automatic 3-level search tuning, up & down
. Single button storage with confirmatory bleep
. Electronic waveband switching with "last station" memory
. Front/rear fader control
. Continuously variable tone control
. stereo balance control
. Autoreverse stereo cassette deck
. autostop: Tape "salad" protection  (no chewing !)
. Auto replay after fast wind to end of tape
. Auto cassette instertion with autostart
. 4 x 4.5 watts output

    Hi Steve,
    
    I presume you are buying, not just auditing the manufacturers' quality
    control department!
    
    What sort or price did you have in mind.  Have you considered an
    in-dash CD, over cassette?
    
    I read a review of a new Phillips CD player with an RDS Radio tuner.  
    Excellent sound, excellent shock resistance to skipping;  �350
    
      . Sound as good as, or a little better than an equivalent priced
        Cassette player (Alpine and even Nakamichi probably included).
      . No wow and flutter; no wobbles and shudders from Elvis as you
        drive!
      . No f.fwd or rewinding required.
      . Unfortunately you can't play any of your tapes in the car, however
        see below...
    
    Also, 
    a lot of the UK In-Car Hi-Fi dealers will sell you a (Good) �160
    Radio/Cassette which can control a CD multi-changer, with the CD
    multi-changer (it'll fit in the hatchback boot quite nicely) for around
    �410.  They are quite desparate for sales at the moment.
    
    
    If I was to buy a new model, I'd look seriously at CD and RDS.  I used
    to be pro-cassette "CD is a waste of time for General In-Car use", but
    I have been slowly converted.  
    
    Now that's warmed the pallette to the 1992 Car Hi-Fi market;
    Read about my old duffer...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Model:        Kenwood KRC-545L
Owned since:  December 1988; 3 and a bit years old.
       Cost:  �230 full-price.
Overall view:
	Very good.  Holds it's head when the rest of the car's system costs 
    	4 times the price of the head-unit.  Beaten by latest players at this 
        price, but only just.  Not over featured, the expense went to decent
        components.
    
Problems:
	Nothing major.  Twice on very cold mornings a few months back, 
        the auto-reverse mechanism seems to have got stuck in a loop; 
        switching from side a to side b and back until the cassette is ejected.
    
    	I suspect a belt inside it may be beginning to slip, as I am unsure
        of a probably small error in playback speed.  I'll record one 
        minute of music soon to find out!  Yes, I am being really picky on this.

    	Tape plays for about 1� hours every day, heads cleaned every other
        month with a reputable Allsop3 thingie.
    
Other notes:
    Excellent tape player, I have not heard much to appreciably better it.  
    This includes very expensive demo cars with cassette players costing 
    twice the price.  A good CD player will be much better though.
    
    Manual Normal/Metal-Chrome setting.  Has a track skip facility.  
    No Dolby, but tape hiss is not really noticable with decent metal 
    or chrome tapes.  Can't vouch for pre-recorded meterial though. 
    Some of that stuff is really rough with hiss recorded in, 
    from what I hear on my home system.  
    
    Kenwood make very good cassette players for their price ranges.
    
    The Radio is acceptable bordering on OK for the price!  Lastest tuners 
    easily beat this, Kenwood, Poineer, Alpine and Phillips are usually 
    notably good.  (I have noticed Pioneer to make particularly awful 
    sounding Cassette players to accompany their excellent tuners)!
    
    Regards,
    Robert.

Thanks for the "essays" so far - most informative (though they don't HAVE to be
that long!). Good to see that they are all relatively trouble free - must be
just me that's had bad luck in the past.

Robert, thanks for the suggestion of a CD player - however I've got children
with their very important tapes to play on long journeys ("Wheels on the Bus",
"My little Pony" that sort of thing ;-[ ). Mind you, most of my music at home
is on CD...

>>Robert, thanks for the suggestion of a CD player - however I've got children
>>with their very important tapes to play on long journeys ("Wheels on the Bus",
>>"My little Pony" that sort of thing ;-[ ). Mind you, most of my music at home
>>is on CD...
    
    So perhaps you might be advised to get a unit with an input jack, and
    connect a portable CD player to it when you wishto hear CDs in-car.
    
    This is what I do, with a Panasonic unit.  I don't know the model number
    etc, right now, otherwise I'd enter it.
    
    It does have the 'alpha' tuner and has 4-way 25-watt output.
    I've got a Panasonic Amp connected (with a DIN lead) to put out
    150w power to the rear speakers and am quite pleased with its sound.
    It's also a removable design, which is a feature I do use from time to time.
    
    What I don't think all that clever is the design of the buttons.
    The pre-set selection buttons are fine, but the others are small
    (although these aren't used much).  It also doesn't have Dolby.
    
    I've had no problems with it at any time.  I think the newer models
    that have replaced mine (a few years old now) have a much improved
    front panel design, with much better keys.  If I were to buy another
    unit for some reason, I would definitely consider another Panasonic.
    
    J.R.
    

Ahhh Gi'day...�

    I also  have  the  Philips  CD,  and it resistance to shock to amazing.
    I've  NEVER  heard it mistrack, even though I'm boring around Munich on
    tram tracks and (very rough) cobblestones.

	      Radio features can be bloody infuriating, though.

    Model: Panasonic CQL30 (Cass/Tuner/CD Controls)
           Panasonic 12 disk CD auto changer.
           Small Panasonic Amp.
    
    Age  : 3 months old
    Cost : 550 quid. (aprox)
    
    Simplicity itself to use.  Volume/bass/treble/fade/balence are all
    controlled by a rocker switch with a select button to cycle through the
    options.  All this is displayed on a big microdot 'screen' showing the
    current level, mode etc.. (Theres even a remote control feature if you
    want it!)
    
    The cassette deck is of superp quality with all the usual tape
    functions and also includes motorised load/eject.
    
    The tuner is also very good although it could be more sensitive (mabie
    I need a new aerial?)
    
    CD - Excellent, I hardly ever use the tape deck any more.
    
    
    Overall - Excellent!  
    All units are very well constucted and should last for years of use and
    beating.
    Dual azimuth adjustment on the tape deck will ensure long life.
    (All other auto reverse sets I've owned seem to deteriorate on one side
    after about a year)
    Only 2 channel output though, you will need a separate amp for 4
    channel use. (the bigger the better)
    
    ..Craig

    Hi Craig,
    Is that �550 for the Cassette/Tuner, or does it include the external amp and
    auto-changer?
    
    �� CD - Excellent, I hardly ever use the tape deck any more.
    
    Ah, so it's not just marketing hype that I've read.  
    What's a rough estimate of your CD/Tape/Radio/"V12-Engine Note only"
    usage while in your car?
    
    Mine would be:
    		90% tape
    		5% Radio
    		5% none.
    		0% CD (I don't have one, sob, sob!)
    
    Regards,
    Rob.

    Hi Robert,
    
    550 covers all I mentioned including the amp (small one).  A bigger amp
    would increase the sound quality even more (I'm saving!)
    
    I suppose my useage ratio is something like:
    
    80%  CD
    10%  Radio
    10%  Cassette
    
    Before CD, the cass deck was used about 90% of the time, not any more!
    
    ..Craig

    Hi,
    	
    	I havent heard of anyone with a JVC so I add my bit on its side.
    
    Model: JVC R360 (I think..)
    Owned Since: August 1987.  Cost Including Pioneer 50W Speakers - �450
    Overall View: Well I have still got it. After changing cars..
    
    Problems: Well like the chap a few back stated. Cold morning, tape left
    it tape deck. All it did was play side A the side B 2 seconds per
    side... Until I ejected the tape. 
    
    It has Music Search on the tape deck along with Dolby Etc.. Great Sound
    quality (When you turn up the volume) on both Radio & Cassette.
    It has the added benifit of being a CD tuner. (But I cannot justify
    buying a CD unit for the car..)
    
    My comments would be to check out the JVC range. They may have still
    kept a good range on sale..
    
    Regards,	
    	Stu.

 Model: 	 Sony X7071  (I think!)
 Owned since:  Only a few months
 
 Overall view:
  A big improvement on what I had before but then anything would be!

   It's a FM/LW/MW/Auto-Rev Cass/CD Controller to drive a seperate CD
 Autochanger. Three FM bands with 6 presets on each. LW & MW bands share 6
 presets. Radio appears to have a good pickup and no problems with the tape
 either. Worth a look as the price seemed good at around �200 mark (not
 100% sure but I don't think this is too far off)

    Model:        Nakamichi Tuner Deck 3
    Owned since:  Mid '91
    
    Overall view: Blinding.  The ape performamce is *almost* as good as the
    TD-700E I used to have, and the CD performance *WAY* better that the
    deck I had in-between, the RD-701.  I bought my girlfriend the Tuner
    Deck 1 (entry-level Tuner Deck) and rest of kit for Christmas, and
    that's pretty good too.  The TD3 is around �780, and TD1 around �580,
    and once you've heard a tape on a Nakamichi you'll buy one - no
    kidding!  This price is just for the head unit - CD changer and
    optional D-to-A is extra.
    
    One thing - Nakamichi aren't very good at making tuners.  The 
    Tuner Decks are much better than previous attempts, but they're nowhere
    near as good as, say, Pioneer in reception strength.  But then again, I
    just use CD and tape...
    
    
    Dave.  

Hi,

Model       : Grundig RDS 5500
Owned since : 2� years
Overall view: Exellent
Problems    : None
Other notes : RDS and TP (Radio Data System and Traffic Program
              TP  = cassette is interrupted when there is traffic info
              RDS = search for and switch over to strongest transmitter
              Dolby B & C
              4 x 20 Watt
              Security code (you have to wait more than 8 hours between the
                             7th and 8th try)
              Removeable frontpanel (so you haven't got to carry the whole
                                     machine)
              Porsche (Ferdinand) Design
              Volume adjustment per motor-rpm
              Light adjustment via dashboard
Price       : fl. 1400.00 (� $ 650.00, I don't know the actually � currency)

Sjaak.