I was looking for an ICE(In Car Entertainment System) for my new Indigo CS. Since I commute a long distance daily to office and have to receive a lot of calls I was particular that any model I choose have BlueTooth capability. i.e I should be able to receive / make calls thru the car audio system when I connect it to my Bluetooth enabled Motorokr E6.
I looked at various models such as Pioneer, Blaupunkt, DAPIC, Xenos etc, but rejected them all because most of them did not have the features I wanted i.e
Bluetooth enabled(NOT BT ready models which require another adaptor) USB in(I like to listen to lot of MP3) Aux in(preferable) to connect any Walkman or even my Rokr E6 CD player(optional!) AM / FM of course Cassete player – not required. DVD player – not required.
But I rejected all of them because most of them did not have all the features I required, or they were very expensive.
I found that Sony Xplore MEX-BT3600 U fitted my specifications. The list price was approx Rs.12, 000 in the website and Sony showroom. There were some other older Sony models eg BT2500U which was about Rs.9, 000 but did not have USB input.
I got the BT3600U fitted along with a pair of 4 in Front speakers and 6x9 Rear speakers, (total after discounts, including installation – Rs. 14, 000) from an authorised Sony dealer in GP Road with bill and 1 year warranty.
I am very satisfied with this unit and all the functions work great.
Pluses:Able to receive / make calls through Bluetooth. Rotary volume selector knob. Has BT Audio Streaming Capability. i.e I am able to play songs on my E6 phone and stream it through Bluetooth to my Car Audio speakers. Voice / call clarity when using BT Phone function is excellent. Excellent CD player(plays MP3, WMA, AAC) Able to connect audio device(walkman) thru Aux In mini stereo jack. Able to plug in USB and play music off the USB stick.
Cons:
Only thing I find inconvenient(which is true of all Sony Car audios) is you have to press ‘display’ button to display time instead of showing radio frequency and vice versa.i.e both cannot be displayed at same time.