Home > Consumer Reviews > Sony Xplod CDXGT420IP GT Series Head Unit
Sony Xplod CDXGT420IP GT Series Head Unit
See it at Amazon.com for $103.99Average Customer Rating
(4.0 out of 5)
Amazon Customer Reviews
Most Helpful First | Newest First | + Share3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Great unit..full of features
(5 out of 5) by KRASSEL on Apr 19, 2008 (SPANAWAY, WA USA)The Sony cdx-gt420ip was originally purchased to go into my 1995 Bronco. It worked out so well that I have purchased another to go in my 1988 Harley Davidson Electraglide Classic to replace the stock unit which was really showing its age. I purchased a adaptor kit from an online source which allows me to plug the Sony into my handlebar controls as if it was the much more expensive Harley replacement radio. Very happy with this receiver, especially with the IPod interface, it works very well. May buy another to put in the boat. Highly recommend.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Good price, mostly works OK
(3 out of 5) by The Steve on Dec 6, 2008 (Los Angeles)Good sound, nice features, compact size. Sometimes the iPod controls don't seem to work as expected, but I don't know if it's an issue with the Sony or the iPod.
Simple functionality, but great sounds for cheap price
(4 out of 5) by S. C. on Aug 6, 2009 (Los Angeles, CA USA)I was looking for a stereo with great sound and ipod connection for a very affordable price. I think this was a great choice.
The sound of the stereo is rich, and even though I am not comparing it with other high-end stereos, I can tell you that you won't be disappointed with the audio quality of this unit. Very clear highs and great bass.
Features-wise it's a very simple system. The EQ works great and has a custom set-up and very nice choice of factory presets. The ipod plug-in charges the ipod and plays the tunes at the same time. CD player and radio are also good.
Now to the negatives that you should know about ...
The radio sensitivity is definitely lower than of other stereos I owned. In the large city where I live, I get more interference than I used to with my stock car radio. Though, it's not that bad, so it's still listenable, and interference happens just once in a while.
Now my biggest complaint: the ipod controls are very uncomfortable in my opinion. As I plug in my ipod to the ipod connector, the ipod becomes uncontrollable, and the XPLOD logo is displayed on the ipod screen. The stereo starts playing whatever album or playlist you selected before you plugged in the ipod into the stereo. If you want to change the playlist, you can disconnect the ipod and choose another playlist (hard to do when driving). Unfortunately when the playlist is done playing the ipod goes to the first album alphabetically and starts playing it automatically. There's no way to make it repeat the album I chose over and over. So that is why I have to disconnect my ipod and choose my playlist again. It is annoying, but I can handle it, since I drive an automatic and have one hand free.
The other way to control the ipod is through the radio, but the setup is poor. You have to choose the album list or the artist list mode. Then you'd have to scroll through each album or artist one at a time, by pressing the buttons. You can speed scroll, but if you pause on a title it starts playing on it's own, and you have to wait a few seconds before you can continue your search. If you have a large amount of music on your ipod, then scrolling through the list with up and down buttons becomes a huge annoyance. That is why I never use these controls. I just unplug my ipod and choose something else using ipod's controls.
The other minor details worth mentioning are the screen brightness and the security beep. The screen is very bright blue, and while driving at night that hurts my eyes. But there is a setting I can use to dim it. Though I'd prefer it becomes dim when I turn the headlights, and become bright when I turn them down. Some stereos have a control pin for that. This one doesn't, so I keep it dim all the time, which is ok, and visible during the day.
The security beep is what happens when I stop my car engine and take out my car key from the ignition. The radio beeps three times to remind me to take out the faceplate. There is no way to turn off the beeps, I believe, but it's not that loud, and I just ignore it. I never take out the face plate. The sound is more like musical chirps, rather than beeps anyway.
Bottom line, if you don't mind the inconvenient ipod controls on the stereo, but want the ipod plug-in functionality and great sound for a cheap price, buy this product. There is nothing else to upset you, and you'll enjoy listening to high quality music in your car without spending too much.
The sound of the stereo is rich, and even though I am not comparing it with other high-end stereos, I can tell you that you won't be disappointed with the audio quality of this unit. Very clear highs and great bass.
Features-wise it's a very simple system. The EQ works great and has a custom set-up and very nice choice of factory presets. The ipod plug-in charges the ipod and plays the tunes at the same time. CD player and radio are also good.
Now to the negatives that you should know about ...
The radio sensitivity is definitely lower than of other stereos I owned. In the large city where I live, I get more interference than I used to with my stock car radio. Though, it's not that bad, so it's still listenable, and interference happens just once in a while.
Now my biggest complaint: the ipod controls are very uncomfortable in my opinion. As I plug in my ipod to the ipod connector, the ipod becomes uncontrollable, and the XPLOD logo is displayed on the ipod screen. The stereo starts playing whatever album or playlist you selected before you plugged in the ipod into the stereo. If you want to change the playlist, you can disconnect the ipod and choose another playlist (hard to do when driving). Unfortunately when the playlist is done playing the ipod goes to the first album alphabetically and starts playing it automatically. There's no way to make it repeat the album I chose over and over. So that is why I have to disconnect my ipod and choose my playlist again. It is annoying, but I can handle it, since I drive an automatic and have one hand free.
The other way to control the ipod is through the radio, but the setup is poor. You have to choose the album list or the artist list mode. Then you'd have to scroll through each album or artist one at a time, by pressing the buttons. You can speed scroll, but if you pause on a title it starts playing on it's own, and you have to wait a few seconds before you can continue your search. If you have a large amount of music on your ipod, then scrolling through the list with up and down buttons becomes a huge annoyance. That is why I never use these controls. I just unplug my ipod and choose something else using ipod's controls.
The other minor details worth mentioning are the screen brightness and the security beep. The screen is very bright blue, and while driving at night that hurts my eyes. But there is a setting I can use to dim it. Though I'd prefer it becomes dim when I turn the headlights, and become bright when I turn them down. Some stereos have a control pin for that. This one doesn't, so I keep it dim all the time, which is ok, and visible during the day.
The security beep is what happens when I stop my car engine and take out my car key from the ignition. The radio beeps three times to remind me to take out the faceplate. There is no way to turn off the beeps, I believe, but it's not that loud, and I just ignore it. I never take out the face plate. The sound is more like musical chirps, rather than beeps anyway.
Bottom line, if you don't mind the inconvenient ipod controls on the stereo, but want the ipod plug-in functionality and great sound for a cheap price, buy this product. There is nothing else to upset you, and you'll enjoy listening to high quality music in your car without spending too much.
Design - operating challenges!
(3 out of 5) by Eugene Saunders on May 10, 2009 (Bermuda)The Xplod performance is great; ie capability & audio quality is rich, very good both in the cabin of my 8m. sailing yacht & external area w/o an amplifier; purchased because of iPOD link. However w/o instructions radio is difficult to operate and use/select features/functions.Functions are not simply logical for the casual user, requires learning; will have to keep the well written manual handy. Thanks to Sony, the manual is available online as an Adobe PDF.