I had installed a Alpine XM radio in my truck 3 years ago. I had 7 subscriptions for different devices all running XM. I then got angry that XM radio had started to play commercials on some of the channels so I decided to cancel my XM radio service and switch to HD Radio. Yes, I know HD radio has commercials but it is free and the sound quality is great.
I shopped around for new decks that had the features I was looking for.
1. HD Radio
2. Bluetooth
3. CDR support with MP3 play back & support.
4. Mobile media players support (iPod or similar device).
After checking several different vendors I came to find the Dual devices. The reason why I was leaning to the Dual decks was price for the deck and add-ons. I looked at the Alpine, Sony, Pioneer, and other units but was put-off by them because of the price for the add-on modules, (Bluetooth, Ipod Support, etc.) The decks ran anywhere from $100 to $900 dollars, which is fine but the modules, (Bluetooth), added anywhere from $150 to $300 dollars for each one. This brings the price above what I was willing to pay for a radio in my old pickup truck.
I ordered the Dual XHD6425 unit for under $120 and got the BTM-60 Bluetooth module for under $50. When they arrived I was pleasantly surprised with how well the device worked.
Installation was straight forward. I have installed several car stereos over the years. I used the wire harness I bought with the Alpine unit which made it easier. There is one downfall, there is no dedicated sub-woofer output. I ended up plugging the sub woofer into the rear preamp connections.
The Bluetooth module clipped to the visor and ran down the inside of the side molding to the dashboard where I was able to fish it under the dash to the back of the deck. The cord was plenty long. Probably about 10 feet. It easily reached in my full size truck.
The unit it itself works great. Set up is fairly easy, but I did have to read the instruction on some items operation. HD radio sound is great and power is beyond what I need in my truck. I have never turned it all the way up yet and I usually listen to music pretty loud.
The Bluetooth works with out a hitch and it also supports the streaming of music from my Blackberry. It does not display the music info when streaming with bluetooth which sucks but what do you expect.
The USB support I have not had a chance to try yet. I did get a 4gig key but have not taken the time to move music to on to it.
All in all I would suggest this unit for the features included for the price and the add-on module price. I am very happy with the performance over all especially for $180 bucks.
CraZyLeS
Get more detail about Dual XHD6425 4X50 Watt Bluetooth-Ready HD Radio and MP3 Player.
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