Sony Mobile CDX-4750
By Richard Podsada
Description:
Specs:
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Overview:
The first thing you'll notice about the unit when looking at it is the rotary volume control, and CD/track selection controls right beside it. This was a major thing on my list when I was looking for a head unit, as I find that the button/slider volume controls are a complete pain in the ass to adjust when driving. The layout of how the volume/track selection sections are all in one place makes it a snap to adjust while driving, without requiring to look while doing it.
One really annoying thing about this deck is when you have to press the "SOUND" button to access the bass/treble/balance/fader. It tries to "remember" the last setting you used and it will come up first when you press the sound button. You not remembering what was the last setting you tinkered with, requires you to look at the menu while going through it. This poses a driving hazard by all means, and is just simply annoying. Definitely not a good unit for people who tweak these controls alot on the fly.
The four color LCD screen looks attractive at night, and is pretty visible in the daytime. I think a drawback to it is that the clock is displayed on the same line as the CD/track/status information, so sometimes you have to hit "Display" to get it to show up. On the higher-end models (ES) you will find the clock always visible.
The unit sports a good amount of expandability with the ability to add a CD/MD-changer as well as control a TV tuner setup through it. It also has an output to mute the deck upon the ring of a cellular phone. You can also add Sony's rotary commander to control it's functions. This lets you add things like a TV/playstation and other setups later on without needing a new deck.
Installation was standard by all means, the deck fit very well into my factory location. Just wire your power/ignition/ground/remotes, add some RCA's and the antenna, and you're well on your way. Took me only about an 3/4 hour to put in this unit.
The instructions were clear, and like all of Sony's other manuals, from DV camcorders to amplifiers, they follow the same look, feel and format so if you've ever read a manual for any other Sony product, it will be a snap to look through these. The installation instruction card shows you full wiring diagrams of the head unit's connections as well as your various setups for add-on modules (such as a CD changer/etc). They also include a users manual which is a booklet on how to operate the various functions of the deck itself as well.
As for skipping performance, I haven't had a problem with this deck at all. On an older CD with a few scratches it might skip if I run over some train tracks fairly hard, but that's pretty much expected anyway. On a new CD with no scratches I can run down a bumpy gravel road without skipping a single beat. Excellent performance in this sense!
The D-BASS bass boost control on the front-right side of the deck is lacking in my opinion. First, and worst of all, it will add bass-boost to all of the outputs on the deck, and colors the midrange on my system as well. I think this could also be because I am running a 2-way component set which crosses over at 3500 Hz. The extra bass to the 6.5" driver probably muffles the mid sounds. The increments it goes in (has 3 steps) are too far apart. More than once I have wanted a setting right between two of them. A person is much better off with an X-over that has a remote sub level controller, or an EQ/DSP which will do the same for you.
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Website:
http://www.sel.sony.com/SEL/consumer/ss5/car/mobile/cdreceivers/cdx-c4750.shtml