Need tips on best brand CD receiver to get at Walmart or Crutchfield

Hello All, first time poster, first time visitor here. Normally I post my car questions in car forums, but I thought I would come to the real experts for a stereo question. I'm about to replace the CD head unit in my 2004 Pontiac GTO because the volume knob isn't working right and I can never turn up the volume very well (also, the steering wheel controls are very erratic and usually don't work). My current setup is the stock Blaupunkt unit with in dash 6 CD changer, which is pretty convenient, but 6 discs is only needed because it won't play CD's in mp3 format, just audio discs. So a single disc CD receiver that plays mp3 discs will be fine. It's been a while since I bought an aftermarket stereo, so I don't know who makes good quality or not these days. I'm mainly interested in getting a single-DIN Sony, Pioneer, Kenwood or JVC unit in the $70 to $130 range. All I need this unit to do is play mp3 discs, get great AM/FM reception, and play at least as loud as my stock radio. Any suggestions as to my best choice? Is there much difference between the brands at this price range? thanks in advance for any info!

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I, personally, would recommend going for the Clarion CZ505. It's just a hair out of your budget, but the frustration saved by having the BT mic built into the head unit itself means one less wire to figure out how to run around your car. 4V preouts on 3 channel pairs of RCA, HD Radio, and aptX for your Bluetooth connection help sweeten the deal.
Alternatives that fit your budget would be Alpine's CDE-143BT, Kenwood's KDC-X701 (refurb), or JVC's KD-R970BTS. Each plays a different set of strengths; each carries its own relative sound signature. The JVC and Kenwood will be the most alike to each other and, fwiw, I ran one of JVC's Arsenal series single-DINs for years with great success (it's just not available anymore).

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hmmm, that actually could be some great information there, I never thought about moving past the CD era, but apparently you can do that. So, are these "digital media receivers" a good option these days? Do you have to have a usb stick hanging out of your dash, or does the receiver store a certain amount of songs on it's own? When I first looked at these, they kind of looked like cheesy bottom tier units for people who can't afford a real CD receiver, but when I think about it, eliminating the spinning CD in a moving car for solid state data makes sense.
This could be a whole new way of listening to music for me. I haven't even gotten a cell phone yet, but this new-fangled technology seems pretty interesting. Almost like back when I used a couple of speakers from a Radio Shack 8 track home stereo system in the back seat of my 79 Trans Am. Home speakers sound surprisingly good in a car!

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Clarion FZ105 digital media receiver - $60 at crutchfield and has SD card slot behind faceplate, plus volume knob instead of buttons. At crutchfield I can add the installation kit with car specific mounting kit, antenna adapter and wiring harness plug for $7.99. The only bad thing I saw was that one reviewer said it had bad radio reception. Any comments on this unit?

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Clarion FZ105 digital media receiver - $60 at crutchfield and has SD card slot behind faceplate, plus volume knob instead of buttons. At crutchfield I can add the installation kit with car specific mounting kit, antenna adapter and wiring harness plug for $7.99. The only bad thing I saw was that one reviewer said it had bad radio reception. Any comments on this unit?

Click to expand...

hmmm, that actually could be some great information there, I never thought about moving past the CD era, but apparently you can do that. So, are these "digital media receivers" a good option these days? Do you have to have a usb stick hanging out of your dash, or does the receiver store a certain amount of songs on it's own? When I first looked at these, they kind of looked like cheesy bottom tier units for people who can't afford a real CD receiver, but when I think about it, eliminating the spinning CD in a moving car for solid state data makes sense.
This could be a whole new way of listening to music for me. I haven't even gotten a cell phone yet, but this new-fangled technology seems pretty interesting. Almost like back when I used a couple of speakers from a Radio Shack 8 track home stereo system in the back seat of my 79 Trans Am. Home speakers sound surprisingly good in a car!

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After extensive comparing of models on Crutchfield, and taking the advice I've gotten here into consideration, I've come to decide the best choice might be the Kenwood KMM-BT318U for $99, with a Sony DSX-A405BT coming in second. The Kenwood unit has the highest RMS power output (22 watts vs 17 for the Sony), 13 channel eq compared to 5 on the Sony, plus the display looks cool and has variable colors. The only thing I didn't like was that the FM sensitivity was second best to the Sony unit (8.2 dBf vs. 7.0 dBf for the Sony). Not sure how significant that is, but I eliminated the Pioneers and Alpines from consideration because their FM sensitivity scores were higher than Kenwood or Sony. I did also like the Kenwood Excelon KDC-X501, but the USB input is in the rear instead of front??? I think I probably will go with the KMM-BT318U - any comments? thanks again!!

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