MSRP: $229.99
Clarion is known for its high-quality, affordable products. The DXZ435, from the company's entry-level line of products, continues that trend splendidly. The removable faceplate has blue illumination for the buttons and the volume knob, with a high-contrast LCD display in the center that uses white text on a blue background. The display is uncluttered and easy to read in daylight, with a large eight-character text section as the main source of information, and eight selectable levels of contrast. CDs are loaded through a slot at the top of the faceplate. Releasing the faceplate from the deck is a little difficult on first attempt, but after a couple tries you can get it off easily. Controls are laid out intuitively, although the button illumination is uneven enough that it's tough to read the ones with small text. The volume knob is large and has a rubber grip ring making it easy to find and use. On the opposite side, a paddle provides up and down level control for the subwoofer output -- a unique and welcome feature.
[Two sets of RCA pigtails provide either front/rear line outputs or front/subwoofer line outputs. The choice is made on the menu by selecting one of the low-pass filters (50Hz, 80Hz, or 120Hz), effectively changing the full-range rear output into a subwoofer output.]
For AM/FM reception, the unit has the Magi-Tune+ technology, which includes automated stereo/mono selection (based on signal strength), enhanced multiple AGC (automatic gain control), impulse noise reduction circuits, and multipath noise reduction for better reception in town. Three FM bands and one AM band each have six presets that can be accessed directly from buttons across the bottom of the faceplate. Along with manual storage, an auto-scan function picks out the strongest stations and saves them to the presets in the current band. A novel feature called ISR (Instant Station Recall) lets you store your favorite station and recall it at the touch of a button, no matter what source is currently selected. It's very handy to be able to switch from a CD or Aux source directly to your main station with a single button. Support for Sirius Satellite Radio is included when you purchase the optional Sirius Satellite tuner. If you don't already know, Sirius is a system of satellites broadcasting 50 channels of commercial-free digital music and 50 more channels of news, sports, and entertainment. (If you haven't heard of Sirius, you really should get out more often!)
The CD player handles CD, CD-R, and CD-RW discs and displays CD-Text titles. Standard CD controls are all present, including scan, track repeat (disc repeat is automatic and always enabled), random, and fast-forward/fast-backward. Custom eight-character titles can be stored for up to 50 discs. With some of the compatible CD changers, an additional 100 disc titles can be entered. Support for an MD (MiniDisc) changer is also included.
Another option that is supported is a TV tuner, using the separately purchased tuner-only or hi-fi VHS with tuner. Two bands will each store six presets for a total of 12 memorized stations. Stations can be manually stored, or you can use the auto-store to scan for available stations and memorize them in the current band. Both optional units have auxiliary A/V inputs that can be selected from the deck, providing game system capability. This is a great addition for those long road trips, especially if you have rug rats.
For tone control, the deck has a system called Z-Enhancer Plus (labeled Z+ on the faceplate), which consists of peaking bass and treble adjustments with selectable center frequencies and gain. The treble control has two frequency selections (10kHz and 15kHz), while the bass control can be set to three (60Hz, 100Hz, and 200Hz). The bass control also has selectable Q (filter width) with four settings (1.0, 1.25, 1.5, and 2.0). This changes the amount of the spectrum above and below the center frequency that is cut or boosted. Each filter has six cut and boost settings for a total of 13 gain settings each. There are also three factory preset EQ curves called "B-Boost," "Impact," and "Excite" that can be selected. These presets each have seven settings to increase or decrease the amount of EQ applied. I like the way the audio adjustment menu changes based on your EQ selection; the treble and bass controls disappear from the menu when you select a preset or turn the EQ off. There is also a volume-dependent bass boost called Magna Bass Extend, which compensates for road noise at lower volume settings.
Two sets of RCA pigtails provide either front/rear line outputs or front/subwoofer line outputs. The choice is made on the menu by selecting one of the low-pass filters (50Hz, 80Hz, or 120Hz), effectively changing the full-range rear output into a subwoofer output. Another stereo RCA pigtail is used for the Aux input, which has a menu selection with three settings for input sensitivity to allow for a broad range of external audio sources. Signals to and from other optional Clarion source units are transmitted via the proprietary CeNET bus. The detachable wiring harness has four pairs of powered outputs to drive speakers directly if you aren't using power amps. Other connections provided include amplifier turn-on, antenna power, and illumination (dimming).
This is a very complete deck at a very reasonable price, with good sound quality. For those that don't feel the need for spaceship-style cosmetics and displays that make your eyes explode, look no further for a great bargain. v
Clarion DXZ435 Specifications
CD Section
Frequency Response: +0/-0.4dB 20Hz-18kHz, +0/-1dB 20Hz-20kHz
Distortion (THD+N, 1kHz): < 0.02%
Stereo Separation: > 75dB
Signal to Noise Ratio: > 95dB
Preamp Section
Frequency Response: +0/-0.2dB 20Hz-20kHz
Output Level: 2.15Vrms (< 0.1% THD+N)
Distortion: Aux In (THD+N, 1kHz): < 0.005%
Bass Control: +/-15dB @ 44Hz, 72Hz, and 148Hz (Peaking, four Q settings)
Treble Control: +/-12dB @ 10kHz and 16kHz (Peaking)
Power Amp Section
Maximum Continuous Power:18.2W x 4 (4 ohms, 5% THD+N)
Distortion (THD+N, 1kHz):0.17% (4 ohms, 13.9W)