Summary of Sources

George Fincik

ENG 162-WA

Mr. Hricik

Summary of Sources

As I have mentioned before, I am planning to purchase a head unit for my car. I have researched several models and narrowed them to three. The three models are the Pioneer Avic-x930BT, Sony - 52W X 4 Apple® IPod®/Satellite Radio/ Navigation Deck, and the generic B5 Volkswagen Passat iPod and Navigation radio. Each radio offers features such as navigation and iPod connectivity that are exactly what I am looking for. Many of the sources I’ve used have user reviews which give real consumers’ opinions on the products. These reviews help to give a good understanding of the products. I have internet sources that are comprised of opinion sections, as well as the features. I’ve also included an interview to give better insight on one product. I’ve become very educated about my choices and can now make a confident decision.

1. "Car DVD GPS Autoradio Headunit For VW Passat B5 Golf Bora Polo Jetta Sharan." EBay. Web. 01 Mar. 2012. <http://www.ebay.com/itm/Car-DVD-GPS-Autoradio-Headunit-VW-Passat-B5-Golf-Bora-Polo-Jetta-Sharan-/320841993798?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0>.

This source was the exact page where I first stumbled upon the product. It provides detailed descriptions of each feature. Some of the features were:

· GPS

· Steering wheel control capabilities

· USB slots

· SD card slots

· Bluetooth

· DVD player

I particularly liked that the Volkswagen logo appeared onscreen each time the car was started. The display was also very appealing because the screen was so clear. I have also found that this radio will provide me with every feature I am in search of, including red backlighting, and an iPod interface. While I couldn’t find any reviews on-site, I did notice that the seller had a very good rating for positive feedback. Another interesting note is that I could only find this particular unit on EBay. Even after visiting the company website, EBay still provided far more information.

2. Mitcher, Austino. "Volkswagen Head Unit from Ebay." Personal interview. 29 Feb. 2012.

I decided to interview my friend for the Volkswagen radio that I found on eBay. My friend Austino has a great deal of knowledge dealing with car audio systems. He was employed at Circuit City for three years before they closed for business as an audio section salesperson. He also installed vehicle audio systems for customers’ cars. His input was greatly appreciated. He felt that the radio quality seemed a bit “cheap”. He also noted that there isn’t a review to be found on the website where the product is featured. This led him to believe that the company may be hiding some bad feedback.

3. "New Pioneer Avic-x930BT Installed - DIYMA.com - Scientific Car Audio - Truth in Sound Quality." DIYMA.com. Web. 01 Mar. 2012. <http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/member-reviews-product-comparisons/101260-new-pioneer-avic-x930bt-installed.html>.

This source was generated by a consumer. It provided a good review. The user pointed out the pros and cons from the start, which helped to see how it would fare against my other choices. I was happy to see that few cons were listed. Some of the pros listed were:

· 10 different colors for illumination

· unit displayed full song titles and the artist’s name

· volume button was easily accessible

· 3D navigation

· Option of backup camera

· Sound quality increased dramatically over stock

Some of the cons listed were:

· There is a decent amount of glare on the screen

· The display doesn’t tilt

Since the content was consumer generated, I felt I was getting an honest opinion about the product. The review was also helpful as pictures of the install were provided. This gave an idea of what it would look like once installed. While the head unit wasn’t installed in my particular model of car, it was still nice to see the radio installed in an actual car, opposed to seeing a naked unit.

4.  "Pioneer AVIC-X930BT 6.1" In-Dash Navigation AV Receiver with IPod/iPhone Control, Bluetooth, Pandora." Amazon.com: : Car Electronics. Web. 01 Mar. 2012. <http://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-AVIC-X930BT-Navigation-Receiver-Bluetooth/dp/B004HW6F8I>.

This source is where I originally discovered this particular radio. It details every feature of the unit. Some of the nicer features listed were the useful iPod connectivity and quality GPS. Amazon made sure that every feature was described well. I particularly enjoyed the “AVIC Feeds” feature that allowed the user to work back and forth between the unit and the user’s phone to make tasks easier. It also included user reviews. These were very helpful land you could get a sense of just how consumer felt about the product. Some pros were:

· Customization

· Easy to use Bluetooth

· Good sound

· Intuitive iPod controls

· Nice and appealing display

I’ve found that many of the reviews listed on the site were quite positive. I was hard-pressed to find a negative review. Some of the product cons were:

· A special iPod cable is needed to operate Apple products

· User must pull over to add a new destination to GPS

· Anti-theft feature is useless

· Some basic options are left out or cost extra

· No voice commands

Some of the cons I found made me think more about this particular choice, but I was glad that I was able to run across them on this source.

5. "Sony - 52W X 4 Apple® IPod®-/Satellite Radio-/HD Radio-Ready In-Dash Navigation DVD Deck." Best Buy. Web. 01 Mar. 2012. <http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Sony - 52W x 4 Apple%26%23174%3B iPod%26%23174%3B-/Satellite Radio-/HD Radio-Ready In-Dash Navigation DVD Deck/1263534.p?id=1218245463998>.

This is where I found my third choice for a radio. BestBuy provides an overview of the product, as well as every specification you will need to know about the unit. This section is very simple to understand. Technical information is provided, and them a simple translation is given for those who aren’t technology-savvy. For example, a heading reads “52 Watts Peak Power x 4 Channels”. Under that heading it is translated into “Powerful sound”. In that case, if someone didn’t know what those specifications meant, they could still understand how this would make the unit perform. BestBuy labeled some of the key features as:

· Apple iPod ready

· HD radio compatibility

· Bluetooth

· Satellite radio compatible

· Front-mount auxiliary input

· USB ports

· Multiple version of media playback

There is also a user review section that was very insightful. I found one very good review, and two that were less than favorable. Some consumers reported that the GPS worked very well, while others complained that the service was terrible. Overall, this led me to believe that the head unit was decent, but that I could experience some problems down the road. This was a very helpful source.

6. "Sony XNV-660BT 6.1-Inch WVGA In-Dash A/V Receiver with Bluetooth, USB, Satellite/HD Radio Ready, and Integrated Navigation from TomTom." Amazon.com: : Car Electronics. Web. 01 Mar. 2012. <http://www.amazon.com/Sony-XNV-660BT-Bluetooth-Integrated-Navigation/dp/B0046A9DH6>.

This source provided in-depth descriptions of each feature of the unit. Some features were:

· 6.1” Display

· USB connectivity for iPod and phones

· Integrated Bluetooth

· Satellite and HD radio ready

· DVD and CD play

An integrated TomTom navigation feature was the centerpiece of the feature. Amazon broke this down into categories that included:

· Preloaded maps of US and Canada

· Spoken street names

· 6 million points of interest

· One year of free map updates

This breakdown helped to understand the exact features of the system. I was glad that Amazon included it. There were also many user reviews that showed the true story behind the product. Some of the pros that users listed were:

· Very clear screen

· GPS works well and is detailed

· Audio streaming works well

· Phone integration is seamless

· Quality audio

Some cons were:

· iPod controls are sometimes difficult

· GPS can be slow

· Sorting through iPod can be slow

Amazon also provided me with an alternate price for the product. It was helpful to have a few prices to compare.

In summary, the sources I’ve compiled have made it very helpful in making a decision of which car stereo I would like. These sources have helped to make me better informed, and I now have a different idea of the products I am currently looking at. All of the user reviews found on almost every site were very helpful. They essentially let me know how each stereo would perform, without buying a single one. I am very confident that I can now make a decision on a radio that not only has great quality, but will last me for a long time to come. Please reply to me with your feedback within a week.