Navigation is the Source

Clarion
MAX675VD & NAX970HD
MSRP
$1,199.99

What We Like
Ease of use, excellent graphic interface, HDD-based nav, responsive touchscreen

What We Don't Like
Separate brain for nav, latest 5.1 decoder necessary in surround sound setup for voice prompts, pricey for source and nav HDD

Nav Features
30GIG hard drive, 9 million POIs, maps of U.S. and Canada

Audio Features
50 x 4 max power, Ce.NET with balanced audio line transmission and dynamic noise canceling, 24 radio presets

Extras
DVD/Video CD/CD player, MP3 and WMA capability, 2-Zone function, full feature remote control

What To Connect To It
iPod and iPod video with optional cable, backup camera input, optional XM and Sirius Satellite Radio, 5.1 surround decoder, TV tuner

Of all the major electronics manufacturers, Clarion may be the most underrated. Other companies may be more recognizable for head units, but that probably has more to do with marketing than product quality. Passengers in our test vehicle were surprised at how attractive and easy to use the MAX675VD and NAX970HD were. We ran into a snag at the beginning during the install when we discovered the nav system wasn't compatible with Clarion's older 5.1 decoder which we happened to have in the vehicle, but once we upgraded to the new DVH940N we were able to get the voice prompts that we were missing. After that the Clarion nav combo worked nearly flawlessly and it was so intuitive that the only time we needed the manual was when we had to verify various things for this review.

Some redundancy of function controls can be a great convenience to consumers. Clarion's double-DIN head unit has just the right balance between virtual and real buttons. On the panel you'll find access to Source, Map, Menu, Band, an individual button for quick access to iPod and one for audio adjustments. On-screen, while in navigation mode, you have two simple buttons, "Navi" and "AV". It doesn't get much simpler than that.

By hitting the Navi button on the current location map you can call up the navigation shortcut menu. From there you can input a destination, go over route options and search nearby POIs. It's all very well thought out. The Destination menu is less so. We would've preferred having a single screen for destination options rather than having to hit "Next" to access previous destinations, for instance. The main menu page for destinations provides access to direct address input, Address Book, Points of Interest, a separate key for Nearby POI, Home and Phone Number.

Around town the NAX970HD always kept us on course. There were no major routing issues and re-routing was very quick. The map itself is attractive and, partially due to that, is easy to read, even in 3-D view mode. While trying to find anything through the POI database could be frustrating depending on what we were looking for, it was no more so than on most other navigation systems. The problem is probably more attributable to changing POIs and the difficulty associated with keeping them up to date than anything else - just ask the map data companies.

The NAX970HD is also compatible with the VRX775VD (which retails for the same as the double-DIN we used), but we preferred the more factory look provided by the MAX675VD. It's an excellent multimedia source; and when used in conjunction with the DVH940N for a surround sound setup you can truly maximize the capabilities of the unit. We loved the ability to set individual speaker gain level, set crossover points for the different speakers and adjust the delay on the center channel and surround speakers. Basically you need to go through only a couple of windows to make these adjustments. And overall, that was the high point for the combined products we reviewed. In a car you want to be able to quickly make changes on your nav/audio system and Clarion made it easy to keep your eyes on the road, instead of searching for items on the screen. -Ben Oh
Grade: B+