I installed this unit in my 2009 Subaru WRX. I removed it and returned it after 3 days.
The good:
-It has a good amount of power. I ran this to my stock speakers and they sounded much, much better than they did with the factory receiver.
-Good build quality. The physical unit feels well made. Mechanical flip face works smoothly, buttons and volume dial feel solid.
-It's cheap.
The bad:
-iPod integration is terrible. There is no way to easily scroll through artists/albums etc. You have to click an arrow to flip through each individual entry. This is OK if you have a couple albums on a nano, but not OK if you plan to connect an iPod with a large library. Finding an artist beginning with 'N' took close to 100 clicks with my full 120GB iPod classic. And if you want to go from Nelly to Nirvana, you have to start all over from 'A' again.
-Poor screen resolution. Font edges are jagged.
-No dimmer. It has a dimmer connection wire, but it did not work on my unit. The screen was at full brightness at all times, and the manual dimmer control did not work either. At night it was like having a spotlight in my dash.
-Restarts between sources. Every time you change sources, the entire unit restarts. Screen shuts off then on and everything. It doesn't take too long, 3-4 seconds maybe, but it is rather odd and obnoxious. I took the whole thing out to check for a loose connection when it first happened. Called Clarion about it and they said it is normal operation.
-Navigation. The specs list this unit as being compatible with an optional navigation unit. However, the only input for the navigation unit is a component video connection. So if you were to connect navigation, the VX409 would only serve as a monitor, and you would not have touch screen control of anything.
Overall, the actual physical unit could be quite nice. However the software feels like going back to using Windows 95.
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The VX409 is a great unit, but for the price, you'd think you would get a lot more.
The Positives:
-The unit makes your factory speakers sound way better. I installed it in a 2000 Honda Accord and had no idea that my speakers could sound that good.
-The motorized fold down screen is awesome. It looks good and is very smooth when it flips down. I expected it to be jerky or sound labored (like other units I've seen) but it simply works and works well. The touch screen responds well to touch whether the weather outside is cold or hot. Also, when the screen is cold, it doesn't lag like I've seen in other units.
-The EQ controls are as easy or as complicated as you want them to be. It's a good unit for beginners or for higher-level installation.
The Negatives
-The software is awful. There is no room for any customization other than sound (which I guess is what really matters, but other things are nice). Another problem is that any time you change from one interface to another, the unit does a small reboot. So if I change from watching a DVD to listening to the radio, I push the mode button and wait for it to reboot into "A/V Input", then through "iPod" and then finally to radio. It takes a while to get to anything because of the constant rebooting.
-The settings menu seems to be its own program on this unit. That is a problem when you're listening to music and then you have to adjust the sound, so you exit the music (which stops playing at that point), boot up into the settings menu, change your settings, then enter back into your music and check the settings. The whole process should be integrated but it's not. Changing and checking one setting takes about 2 minutes due to rebooting.
-Due to legalities, this unit will not play DVDs while the vehicle is moving. They do this by requiring you to hook up a wire to your parking brake. I don't have a problem with this except that I bought this unit so I could send the video signal back to TV headrests for long trips with my kids. This can't be done without buying a small "cheat box" that gives your unit a false parking brake signal and making it work. This of course makes your unit operate in an illegal way and can get you a huge ticket in some states.
-For the love of God, don't set a security password on this thing. Brand new, out of the box, I put a security password on it. It was the same password I use on EVERYTHING so I know it wasn't user error. Long story short, the unit locked me out after three attempts, went into a 24-hour lock out mode, then gave me three more chances to get it right, then went into a permanent lock out mode. After 2 weeks of wresting with Clarion customer service, the whole unit had to be reset.
I love this unit now that I have worked all of the kinks out using aftermarket products and cheat boxes but I don't think I should have to do that after spending $600 on a product. There are tons of units out there from companies who have learned to integrate all programs to work together and also integrate your portable music. This particular Clarion unit has failed to do that. I recommend finding a unit that does.
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I've owned this unit for a few years now and just wanted to say it's been great! It's not the flashiest around but gets the job done.
Honest reviews on Clarion VX409 6.5-Inch Double-DIN Multimedia Station
For the price of this unit, there are far better choices that the vx409. Despite the fact that the unit has added features that you may purchase such a IPOD adapter, bluetooth adapter, and navigation. The controls for these options seems like an after-thought, meant to push more units out the door and make it sound feature rich. The add-ons offer little in terms of seemless user interface. The unit takes a good 3 seconds when switching between different sources, even more when it is trying to decide if the CD you put in is actually a dvd, cd, or mp3s. There are 4 EQ selections and the only changes you can make is the fader, bass, and trebble.
PROS
It looks nice and the buttons have a nice tactile feel
Smooth operation
Display is bright and crisp
CONS
LCD touch screen loses sensitivity even after calibration
Title text is limited to a few characters.
Delays when switching between sources
User interface is counter intuitive
Add-on modules are not tightly integrated
CD/DVD take forever to load
Lacks features for the price.
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Clarion VX409 6.5-Inch Double-DIN Multimedia Station
Very nice stereo, would be nicer if the instructions included were clearer and made more sense but they don't. I don't beleve I can use this stereo to it's fullest potential because of this fact. It has noce features but needs a usb port and sd card slot to be complete. Not very customisable. That is all it really lacks to be complete. Put it short this is just another stereo and nothing spectacular...... Easy installation for the mechanically inclined...
