Sony MEX-1GP: The Next Generation of Car MP3 Players
For all of those MP3 music owners, the future of car audio is
finally here for you. Gone are the days where you had to burn
your MP3s onto a CD for playback in your car audio system. Sony
recently released the MEX-1GP CD receiver, a CD receiver that
also features a built-in 1 GB flash memory unit. So now your car
audio CD receiver behaves in the same manner as your iPod or
other type of MP3 player. The 1 GB flash memory unit can store
up to 500 of your favorite songs, giving you plenty of playback
time for your music. This little device will make even the
longest of trips in your car smoother and more enjoyable, since
you will not have to worry about changing CDs any longer.
Aside from playing MP3s, this CD receiver also plays CDs (as the
name implies) along with burned CD-Rs and CD-RWs so that those
who wish to play their old CDs can still take advantage of this
nifty product. However, the real attraction to this new car
audio head unit is the MP3 playability. The flash memory unit is
located in the detachable faceplate. Here resides the USB port
which allows you to connect the faceplate to your PC (similar to
your iPod or other MP3 player). Once your faceplate is connected
to your CD, you simply drag and drop the MP3 files onto the
flash memory unit of the faceplate. Unfortunately the faceplate
is only compatible with Windows operating systems, so all of you
Mac owners will have to go to your buddy's house to copy the
MP3s to and from the Sony MEX-1GP.
The new receiver is also aesthetically pleasing to the eye as
well. It is finished in a high-gloss black color and features a
13-segment LCD display for simple navigation of track and title
information. The screen displays album, artist and track name
when playing your MP3 music files. Users can shuffle or repeat
tracks, albums or personalized groups through controls on the
faceplate or with the supplied remote control. The MEX-1GP unit
has a built-in 208-watt power amplifier and a three-band
equalizer enabling clear, rich sound. The selectable
rear/subwoofer preamp outputs, controls the frequency and output
level of an external amplifier.
After installing this receiver and experiencing it for a little
over a week, I must say that I am quite impressed with this
product. For one, the sound quality when playing MP3s through
this unit is nothing less than phenomenal. If you didn't know
any better, you would think that you were playing a CD with the
crisp and clear playback quality of this head unit. While
traveling on a three hour road trip (three hours each way, six
hours total) I was able to listen to one selection of songs on
the way up and an entirely different selection of songs on the
way back, all without the hassle of changing CDs and enduring a
pause in play. I'm just a little surprised it took so long for a
product like this to hit the market, especially with the
increasing popularity of portable MP3 devices such as the iPod
over the last several years. While it may have taken awhile for
a product like this to hit the market, I'm sure Sony will have
plenty of competitors very soon, which will benefit car audio
enthusiasts like myself.