MEX-BT3800U
4.3
5
7
7
USB drive use lacks flexibility
Concerning USB drive music (not iPod), this is from the manual:
"The maximum number of displayable data is as
follows.
? folders (albums): 128
? files (tracks) per folder: 500"
So for someone who has more than 128 albums, I can't actually have one album per folder.
If listening to music on a USB drive, it's not possible to ff or rew a track. It's only possible to skip to the beginning of the songs.
I have yet to find out if there is any way of using playlists in USB device mode (as opposed to iPod mode). I doubt that it supports playlists unless you're using an iPod.
I reorganized my music on my USB player with a folder structure as follows so that I can find music and comply with the poor folder and file limitation with this deck.
Rock - A
Rock - B etc.
Classical - A etc.
So I'm able to access all my music, but if I want a specfic playlist of songs from different artists and albums, I'm forced to create another folder and put those songs in that folder.
I'm hoping that manufacturers realized the limitations with devices other than iPods and address this in the future.
January 3, 2011
I wanted to replace Alpine that was not adaptable to bluetooth and just not the product I had hoped it would be. I had looked for 3 months at different units from manufacturers. The Sony 3800 unit was by far superior to all other units I had researched. I purchased through local dealer, "Car Audio". They were very professional in installation, setup, etc, for me to drive away satisfied with my 3800. Even followed up with a phone call a few days later to check everything was operating properly. Bluetooth works great, BTS Audio is awesome, XM sounds great. A great product at a great price. So satisfied, purchasing a Sony marine receiver to replace Jensen.
May 23, 2010
Sorry not that great
Sorry Sony but this model is not up to par with the quality of manufacturing I expect out your company. I bought for the bluetooth feature. But was dissappointed to find the built in mic is behing the faceplate making it difficult to pickup the sound of the drivers voice. Why? Why? put the mic behind the radio faceplate? So with blind faith I said I will buy the external mic ($50) because I trust my Sony brand to design it well. Surprise, the $50 dollar mic is $10 mic with no Digital processing, noise reduction or anything to justify the price and it looks cheap. I said ok all the technology is built into the radio it will sound better when I install it. Surprised again. People on the other end can''t hear me. I followed the instructions to activate the external mic feature but still no one can hear me. Really wanted to love this radio. I have sony Tv, Sony house radio, ps3, psp, sony kitchen radio. Would have love to give you guys raving review but you dropped the ball on this one. sorry sony you need to contact me and tell me what went wrong. waited past my 3 months to return it so I am stuck with it now.
April 23, 2010
Very nice stereo
I always spend a long time researching any technology before I buy it because there are always so many options and prices out there. I ultimately made the decision to purchase this for a few key reasons: I wanted something that looked smart and discrete, had Bluetooth, and was not too expensive. I found a good price for the unit online and so far I am very satisfied. The sound is fantastic and the look is not showy; a nice blue when turned on and black and almost hidden when off (good security even when you don?t remove the faceplate). The Bluetooth is clear and works exactly as one would hope. So long as your phone?s Bluetooth is on, when you get in the car and turn on the ignition your phone connects and you?re ready to go. iPod works great. You plug in the standard iPod cable into the USB, control the iPod via the unit and it displays all the info etc on the screen and charges simultaneously. The only issue comes up if you own an iPod Video (5th Generation) or and iPod Nano (1st Generation). It will work fine but some of the functionality will disappear: you cannot control the iPod directly (i.e. control the iPod by using the iPod itself, not the unit) ? you can only control these iPods with the unit itself (when using USB). You can?t select Shuffle on the unit if the iPod wasn?t already shuffling. (You can go from Shuffle to a selected album etc but not vice versa. I have one of these iPods but it doesn?t actually bother me; I can just pull out the USB cable, click Shuffle on my iPod and plug it back in. If you don?t have one of these iPods then I guess you?re fine. And there?s always that little bit of extra cost and hassle installing the unit if the connector on your car doesn?t fit because you have to purchase a wiring harness that will fit your car and splice it to one that comes with the unit ? but nothing too painful. To conclude, so far so good, a very nice stereo.
March 11, 2010
