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[Budgie]

Gosh Dave - that's seems a bit harsh! 

That`s a comment from someone who obviously doesn`t understand what I do for a living, and my involvement with all aspects of car audio !!

 

Slightly taken out of context Dave and misunderstood methinks! as I took the liberty of visiting your web site and indeed reading your signature line at the bottom of your posts.
I do therefore fully understand what you do for a living and I'm sure you are a very knowledgeable and experienced person. I myself spent many years as a motor engineer dealing with a wide range of diciplines before moving into electronics design and manufacturing for professional recording equipment and latterly in a quality management and IT Administrator role in a company supporting BT Payphone equipment.

Anyhoo Dave - that aside I would still like to understand the issues you experienced when dealing with XTRONS direct over warranty claims.

It's guys like you that can best provide a wealth of well informed specialist advice to those that don't have it. Where better to get info and advice about all things Omega than from those who have the experience.

I do have a genuine interest here Dave - thank you again.

Cheers
Brian 

[Dave DND]

The choice is yours, If you want to spend 50p on a cheesy china import stereo that will go wrong fairly quickly and be left with a dubious warranty, then thats up to you - should you wish to invest in a branded model that will last a lot longer and give years of service, then you will have to put your hands in your pockets.

Yes, I usually bang on about the Clarion brand, but then having sold them for 18 years with warranty claims still within single figures for that period, you can understand why.

Intersting that the only other comment about that brand also indicated a fault within a few months

 

Your choice

[mathewst]

If price is your main factor I would personally go for a Pioneer, either 3200 or 4200 Double din series.
Branded but still relatively cheap compared to others.

[Dave DND]

New Clarion VX401E also worth a look

[Budgie]

The choice is yours, If you want to spend 50p on a cheesy china import stereo that will go wrong fairly quickly and be left with a dubious warranty, then thats up to you - should you wish to invest in a branded model that will last a lot longer and give years of service, then you will have to put your hands in your pockets.

Thanks Dave - I do understand your point 

[Budgie]

If price is your main factor I would personally go for a Pioneer, either 3200 or 4200 Double din series.
Branded but still relatively cheap compared to others.

Thank you for the recommendation - it's appreciated. 

[Budgie]

New Clarion VX401E also worth a look

Thanks Dave 

[05omegav6]

Sony xav 70 bt (US import). Easy enough to use and does most of what it says on the tin. (except play region2 dvds and tune in steps of 0.1  ). Bluetooth seems reliable so far ie no connection issues, nice clear sound. UK ones are about £500+, US ones about £300 delivered. at a risk of sounding cynical, I wouldn't be too surprised to find that a lot of the ones on sale in the UK had been imported from the States.

I've only ever had sony head units, and only had a problem with one of them (which was fitted on a boat- the problem was a combination of condensation running down a pipe and being to close to said pipe, so not really the units' fault. :-/).

Having said that, I've found that their speakers are pish  .

HTH,

Al

[Budgie]

Sony xav 70 bt (US import). Easy enough to use and does most of what it says on the tin. (except play region2 dvds and tune in steps of 0.1  ). Bluetooth seems reliable so far ie no connection issues, nice clear sound. UK ones are about £500+, US ones about £300 delivered. at a risk of sounding cynical, I wouldn't be too surprised to find that a lot of the ones on sale in the UK had been imported from the States.

Hi Al,

Many thanks for the info on your Sony. It has helped. I agree about Sony speakers - not brilliant are they  :-/

[Dave DND]

A few years ago, I was a Sony Prestige Service Centre, and I loved the stuff - and whilst I agree that the speakers were dire, the head units were Ok -

However, the last few years have seen a dramatic reduction in build quality as they moved their manufacturing elsewhere, and reliability has suffered tremendously. We stopped being a service centre for them as we simply couldn`t keep them running long enough for the warranty to expire, and this has become such a problem that there are even widespread industry rumours that Sony may well pull out of car audio completely in the near future.

Another thing to bear in mind when choosing a head unit from abroad, is that not all of them can be converted for UK useage, as many were specifically built for their international markets with region coding for the DVD and strange spec tuner frequencies.

Sad to see the decline of such a previously dominant manufacturer.

 

[Lampynoiseboy]

A few years ago, I was a Sony Prestige Service Centre, and I loved the stuff - and whilst I agree that the speakers were dire, the head units were Ok -

However, the last few years have seen a dramatic reduction in build quality as they moved their manufacturing elsewhere, and reliability has suffered tremendously. We stopped being a service centre for them as we simply couldn`t keep them running long enough for the warranty to expire, and this has become such a problem that there are even widespread industry rumours that Sony may well pull out of car audio completely in the near future.

Another thing to bear in mind when choosing a head unit from abroad, is that not all of them can be converted for UK useage, as many were specifically built for their international markets with region coding for the DVD and strange spec tuner frequencies.

Sad to see the decline of such a previously dominant manufacturer.

 

I've had very little experience with Sony ice, but the rest of the stuff they make seems to be overpriced rubbish imho. The Bravia TV's are nice, but so much of there other stuff seems only to work properly when connected to other Sony stuff.
Personally would avoid anything with VAIO on it like it had the plague.

As Dave notes above (and they're not the only one), once they made a name for themselves, they seem to stop caring about quality in manufacture

[Budgie]

Another thing to bear in mind when choosing a head unit from abroad, is that not all of them can be converted for UK useage, as many were specifically built for their international markets with region coding for the DVD and strange spec tuner frequencies.

You're right of course and it is with this in mind that I still continue to cautiously consider all options before making that purchase  :-/

I am however finding some success stories on other forums where Far Eastern imports have been reliable and even recommended.

Still my search continues 

I do wish the branded HUs were a tad less expensive though.

Thanks again for a good post Dave

[TheBoy]

Whilst you will pay a premium for Brands, there is another saying that rings true here - you get what you pay for....

Seems a lot of the Chinese junk starts life as a marketing spec list, then built to match that, not mattering if it sounds awful, or is ill concieved...

[Kevin Wood]

I've had very little experience with Sony ice, but the rest of the stuff they make seems to be overpriced rubbish imho. The Bravia TV's are nice, but so much of there other stuff seems only to work properly when connected to other Sony stuff.
Personally would avoid anything with VAIO on it like it had the plague.

As Dave notes above (and they're not the only one), once they made a name for themselves, they seem to stop caring about quality in manufacture

Yep, they are as bad as crApple when it comes to trying to lock their customers in to buying their products exclusively.

Kevin

[Budgie]

Whilst you will pay a premium for Brands, there is another saying that rings true here - you get what you pay for....

To a degree (which is not easy to qualify) this is true - however it is a fact that well known or respected brands mantain their position by pricing their products based on 'What the Market Can Stand'. They will of course have to produce a reliable product before they can get away with it. This marketing strategy is used by many Blue Chip companies. Sony is a classic example and latterly Apple with their overpriced gadgets which consumers are more than happy to shell out hundreds of pounds just to say that they have an Iphone or pod or book etc....... These guys are clever marketeers 
But yes if you're going to buy Far Eastern imports then do your research first adhering to the 'All that glitters isn't Gold' principal.