+ Uncomplicated installation
+ Good adaptation to the original instrument lighting possible
+ Quick mute (Mute) by pressing the volume control
+ Clear control panel, well "blind" to operate, "adjustment" only about pressing a separate menu button so accidental adjustment difficult
+ Ordinary BT handsfree system providing fast and reliable Connect at startup, good comprehensibility, parallel connection of 2 phones, 6 phone numbers to the preset buttons assignable
+ Easy USB and CD Playback
+ Extensive sound settings
- Noise of the built-in amplifier to greatly
- Buttons with "hard" pressure point and short actuating travel, thereby "cheap" feel
- Device is (at least in the very narrow BMW radio slot) fast relatively hot
- Sensitivity of the station search too high, stays at each "station scrap" are
The JVC I wanted to provide a newly acquired, somewhat older (Series E46) BMW 320i, factory with Simplest cassette radio and a permanently installed mobile phone, which assumed no SIM card more, multimedia standard and gives away the 21st century, ie CD , USB and Bluetooth hands-free system.
And in regard to the future main user as possible "elderly-friendly", ie without avoidable buntiges Geblinke and with as clearly laid out control panel.
Control via steering wheel remote control / Multifunction steering wheel should go also optional.
In previous car (a BMW 3 Series E46) I had it built an almost perfect solution consisting of a MP3-enabled car stereo (Blaupunkt, with compared to today "erzkonservativem" control panel) and a separate, but the Radiolautpsrecher mitnutzenden PARROT handsfree.
The action to incorporate all that stuff, but I really did not do that again to me now, a conversion of the plant from the old vehicle came only reecht not in question.
So a complete unit, and as a due to a restructuring of the center console developed anyway just from my other car ALPINE CDE-125BT offered outright to.
Built-in, and ... work tiptop, but the non-adjustable garish blue lighting at night interferes mightily, and the panel could be clearer.
A much clearer Panel have Alpines newer models 173BT and 174BT, but unfortunately both a nasty bug in the MP3 playback.
So the search continues and the JVC found.
The installation was smooth, viewed from the Gefuddel with the cables in very narrow BMW radio slot, but the radio's fault. As with many of today's aftermarket radios, the ISO connectors are not the unit chassis itself, but are out (fairly short at this unit) breakout cable with Molex Multi plug to the device via a.
Unfortunately, the Bluetooth microphone was not included, but since I had anyway the installed from Alpine, I closed the test, connect. Goes perfectly and saves me re Kabeldurchfuddelei, and subsequently delivered by JVC then comes up to the Alpine.
At the very beginning I was angry amazed at what this radio still rausholt from really not test victory suspicious basic original speakers of the BMW. Again noticeably better than the three Alpine radios, and they were compared to the factory radio already a significant improvement.
FM reception is also OK, where as the Alpine radios were just a tad bit better.
USB and Bluetooth also playing without a murmur, and especially without her famous Alpine Herumgezicke with larger USB sticks.
Setting the panel color is independently possible, optionally via presets or RGB adjustment of the primary colors into three zones (knob zone display with preset buttons below, right side). The Amberton of BMW original lighting can not be accurately reproduced, but it comes close enough to him.
While the use of the Bluetooth hands-free (ie, during a call or when is selected), and while the menu setting, the unit switches again each in its own color combination to (white for menu, blue display in speakerphone mode), as well as flashing at turning on and adjust the volume again different display colors.
Speaking of flash, the strange bar animation (fortunately only quite small) while listening to the radio and the BT / USB playback is not switched off. Well, there are worse things.
The control panel itself is, as already mentioned, kept quite clear:
Mode selector switch (the same on / off switch) and handsfree button stand out clearly visible between both the back / forward buttons (depending on the mode for tuning or track up / down jump), the right of the large knob in the "normal operation" course for the volume or with a short top, press the Mute (the latter unfortunately no longer be taken for granted in modern car radios).
To reach the menu where it is possible further on and adjust, it is necessary to keep the slightly recessed Menu button for a moment. The fast setting of sound parameters as required, making it difficult indeed something, but accidentally access the menu and then "Totalverstellen" while trying to get out there again also.
When Bluetooth media player there is a small problem if you used to be (Android) smartphone as Navi, because if one is so coupled that the radio is used as a media player, so BT audio streaming is possible, then the Navi Progeramm dumb. Tested with several Android smartphones and various navigation apps.
Too bad, the already mentioned separate PARROT handsfree could because then went each audio output of your smartphone using the speakerphone once was active. Here you have to choose, either Navi speechless or not BT media playback.
But there is no specific error of JVC. The two newer Alpine devices had the same, the elderly can not eh BT streaming and therefore does not know the problem.
Speaking of selection of sources that are always sequentially switched, whereby the radio after source selection and release the source button always only two "commemorative seconds" inserts until it actually switches.
incl. Countdown of the same on the display. Well, "Wanns's makes schee", would say Lindenstraße Else ...
After all, one can seldom-used entrances and reception areas (medium wave and Front-AUX) in the menu individually hide from the switching cycle.
Handsfree goes smoothly in great quality, in spite of the "inappropriate" microphone.
The coupling after switching is fast and reliable is fully automatic, no difference to Alpine. I have an older JVC (in which the BT radio module was separately and one of the USB ports occupied) as far "bitchy" in recollection of what was then the reason to switch to the Alpine.
Again, they have thus made manifest their homework at JVC, bravo!
Allerings latches onto at Radio manually turned off, the Bluetooth unit while the speakerphone of Alpine radios even further contact with the mobile phone holds (or builds on startup) and (call or Rauswählen) if required, the Radio "wakes" as long as the ignition is. Since you the JVC but, as already mentioned, at any time can quickly mute, you just leave it on continuously, the result is up to the backlight equal.
A deduction of points, however, there for the untimely strong noise of the built-in amplifier.
Although in the aforementioned car here and with the factory speakers perceive only in the state without the engine running, but the other mentioned radios, as well as the parallel yet tested by me KDS-BT34U from Kenwood were clearly better in this respect, there rushes and then nothing!
In the current situation, so no problem, but if there now speaker with better treble response would be off, it could be distracting audible even while driving if necessary.
On a longer trip now had the opportunity, and the JVC Kenwood said to compare the each other directly.
Despite apart at aperture abgenommender almost indistinguishable chassis (no wonder, Kenwood, JVC has a few years ago acquired) has the Kenwood at (non-) noise of the amplifier and the sound "out of the box" clearly in the lead.
The latter mainly because of the very successful, already activated in the default settings "Drive EQ" Equalizer setting. The has the "twin group", at issue here is not to offer but also of the equalizer of the JVC is consistently OK.
Even with the haptics of the control panel the JVC can with the (one at that a few euros cheaper) Kenwood not keep up by far, but one mired in Kenwood "simple" in the menu case and has no direct mute by pressing the volume knob, but that calls up the menu.
Conclusion: I'll keep both radios. The JVC remains in BMW, the Kenwood is installed in another car, where there is not so much a matter of "operator error prevention".
