« Yay! EVDO Live here! | Main | Online Comic Strips That Interest Me »
MegaSound VRCD300-USB Review
So, our Jeep, being the ancient 1997 model that it is, only had a tape player in it. This wasn't terrible as we had a tape adapter for using MP3 players or whatnot -- until that got stuck in the unit and wouldn't work or come out, even with force and wrenches.
Clearly that meant we had to get a new head unit. I really wanted one with front auxilary mini-jack input, just like the one in our Miata. Our Miata has a JVC 990 (something or another). The only one I could find this time around that hand the headphone style input that I wanted was the JVC G510. Well, it was basically the same as the one in the Miata, but newer.
Some problems with it: It does not display the time when off, although you can push a button to turn it on long enough to display the time -- but that causes the antenna to go up briefly. It has no pause button, for CD playing or otherwise. It only has auto scan for the radio, which is nice for strong signals but bad if you're trying to get a channel you know is about to come in -- or can come in good enough (a lot of public radio stations are like this). You have to flip it down to insert a CD, which disables all controls while doing this.
So, we weren't entirely too happy with it, but it has been working out just fine. However, all of the local places that sell the G510 have it for $180 with free installation (compare to cardomain). That's not too bad for the features we wanted. When shopping, I had seen a higher end unit with USB input (the Audiobahn A1200N). That intruiged me, but it had not front input and was more expensive.
Then along comes a Kragen ad with a no-name headunit with both front input and front USB input for a mere hundred bucks. So what's the catch? Well, it's a no name. That means Google searches return almost nothing about it. Although it did return a sparse manual from their website (VR3 -- Roadmaster -- their only CD player).
The only review I found was someone putting it on a bench and determining it didn't have that great of sound. Precisely what I would expect from a hundred buck no name unit.
So we bought it.
The Review
MP3 Playing from memory key:
I have only used it with a cruzer mini 256 meg USB 2.0 memory key (UPDATE: and an m-systems 256meg key -- no difference). Although it doesn't say, I'm pretty sure the unit only uses USB 1.1 speeds, which are sufficient for MP3 playback. The manual doesn't talk about this sort of thing at all. It does tell you what order MP3s will be played in, either on a CD or memory card.
You plug in the memory key. This is the easy part, although you'll find it seems like it doesn't go in all the way before it's stopped. You then press the source button (which cycles through radio->usb->auxilary without a CD in). It lights up the memory key and will display "Load" -- sometimes this fails, so you just press the button again and it'll retry -- not a huge deal.
The huge deal, however, is the problem with playback. Audio quality is just fine. In fact, I can't tell any different between it and iTunes -- especially given the road noise, etc. However, I've mostly been trying podcasts. This is where the problems begin.
It seems if it encounters any sort of error, instead of trying to recover or skipping over it, the player moves to the next MP3 file. And it's doing this frequently. I thought, at first, that it was the size of the files since I was using 50 minute and longer files.
After splitting files into 5 minute chunks, and seeing no improvement, I now know that it's not the file size. My next test will be re-encoding the files (I always use dbPowerAmp). I also need to try MP3s from CD to make sure it's not the card reader.
Assuming it is just the MP3 player, that will be a bit upsetting. If it's the card reader, it'll be upsetting as well, but this unit was still less expensive than the one I wanted without the reader. The fallback will just be using the front auxilary input from a portable MP3 player (or my Audiovox CDM-8940).
Radio playing:
I haven't noticed any difference when compared to either the unit in the Miata or the stock unit in the Jeep. That is to say, it works and it works fine. It's easy to save stations, you just use the normal press-and-hold technique. There are plenty of saves available (18 FM and 12 AM).
CD Playing:
I'll update this when I actually stick a CD into it.
Final comments:
Aside from the MP3 playback problems, which may have a workaround, the unit is bad for the money. It looks nice, has plenty of features, but isn't so blingy or such a fancy name that it'll be boosted the first time a snitch walks by.
Recommended for someone willing to work around the MP3 problems or who just needs a cheap unit with front input. Otherwise, go for a cheaper CD-only player.
Posted by Shane on August 26, 2005 9:00 AM | Permalink
TrackBacks
» MegaSound VRCD300-USB Follow-Up from Shane Conder's Whateveritis of Nothing
In my last review I hadn't yet tried the CD player part of this head-unit. Over the weekend, we had a chance to give it a shot. I prepared a bunch of podcasts on a CD. I transcoded all of... [Read More]
» More Info on the MegaSound VRCD300-USB from Shane Conder's Whateveritis of Nothing
I haven't spent any more time trying to get the USB reader to work better. In the past, I've tried USB 1.1 and USB 2.0 keys and card readers, all with the same results: the playback will hit a... [Read More]
» My iPod nano Grew Up! from Shane Conder's Whateveritis of Nothing
Yeah, that's right. It's now physically bigger, now stores 30 times as much stuff, has a longer battery life (20 hours instead of 14 hours), and has a larger, higher resolution screen. Yep, that's right. It's now just a regular,... [Read More]
http://www.kf6nvr.net/mt/kf6nvr-tb.cgi/555
Comments
anyone else tried the unit? I'd love to have a usb input in my car, but it looks so far that this unit is not worth it... are there any good alternatives?
Posted by: Alexey | August 29, 2005 11:47 AM
I think I'm actually going to try to get the company to respond about the problem. It's serious enough and obvious enough that I have a hard time believing it wasn't caught in testing. There may be some trick to it that I haven't tried.
I did have some luck with CD playing -- I'll be posting about that soon.
Posted by: Shane | August 29, 2005 12:00 PM
I recently bought the vrcd630s-usb and have had none of the problems you have described. I wonder if the problems are only with the vrcd300-usb. The only real problem i have had is with mp3 playback from CD, it does skip but only for about 30secs from when i turn it on. I guess it just needs to warm up. I also use my usb flash drive with it, an ocz rally 1gb. Works with no problems at all. The speakers that came with it were not too bad either.
Posted by: Bob Reed | December 1, 2005 8:53 PM
Bob,
Thank you for the pointer. When I purchased the VRCD300-USB (and when I wrote the posting) VR3 only had a single CD player available. Now I see they have two new ones -- which both support WMA as well as MP3, too.
It sounds like they've resolved the problems found in this model, which is excellent. The in-article link to the "one" CD player now shows 3 CD players: the VRCD400-USB and the VRCD630s-USB which, from the quick specs, looks like the VRCD400-USB, but also comes with speakers. (Although the model number implies more differences).
Thank you very much for the information!
-Shane
Posted by: Shane Conder | December 3, 2005 9:18 AM
Shane,
On the VRCD300-USB can you tell me how does the radio sound when a signal is strong enough to come in?
I have been considering either the VRCD300-USB or the VRCD400-USB, and in my area the signals are quite strong and well separated, so I am not so worried about the RF tuning section so much, but I still would like good audio quality in the presence of good clear signals. Any comments?
Also, any comments regarding possible radio section weaknesses from Bob Reed who has bought the VRCD400-USB model?
And does anyone know of any other model that has both the USB and the AUX IN jack on the front panel? I have done a pretty extensive research, but found nothing. A few have the jack, and I saw just one that had the USB, but none had both. I am kind of suprised that no other company has caught on that this is the way to go (both USB and AUX IN jack) to have all your options open.
Thanks
Alan
Posted by: Alan Clark | January 3, 2006 10:09 PM
Hello Alan,
If I just went by the reception of the VRCD300-USB, I would think my area had no, clear strong signals. However, if I go by the reception on the radio in my other car and other portable radios, I would say it had many good, really strong signals.
My point is simply that the radio has bad reception -- and tuning problems.
I do not know of any other units that provide both a front auxiliary jack as well as USB. Many head units provide rear auxiliary inputs along with something on the front. I recall seeing a couple with memory card slots (SD, I think) up front and some sort of rear input. That didn't suit my needs, though.
Good luck,
-Shane
Posted by: Shane Conder | January 4, 2006 8:25 AM
Shane,
Thanks for the reply.
I guess I have to take it that the radio section in the unit is really bad under all circumstances.
Since I do listen to FM radio at least half of the time, I will have to look for another brand or model, even if that means doing without the USB port. Unless the 400 model has a better radio section than the 300... but I doubt it.
Thanks again.
Alan
Posted by: Alan Clark | January 5, 2006 6:29 PM
Alan,
I can't be sure, but I think the 630 that Bob Reed (above) talks about came out at the same time as the 400. They were both definitely later than the 300 that I got. The 400 and the 630 appeared to only differ in the presence of speakers. The point is that it may not have the same problem.
However, from my point of view, they haven't given me any reasons to try them again.
Good luck with whatever you get.
-Shane
Posted by: Shane Conder | January 6, 2006 8:13 AM
Hi Shane,
Yes, I was indeed wondering if Bob Reed's unit was as bad on the radio section, but I have no way to contact him.
If he happens to read this, it would be great to have his comments.
I did a search to see if anyone had any comments posted on these units, but it seems that yours and Bob's are the only ones...
Thanks again,
Alan
Posted by: Alan | January 8, 2006 6:47 PM
Hey there, I just purchased the VRCD630S-USB for my '97 Toyota Rav4. It had the stock tape deck in it and I've been using an XM Sky-fi through the tape deck for the past 8 months.
The USB and Front Aux port is what attracted me most to the VRCD unit. I could now have a CD player in my car instead of a tape deck and still use my XM player with the Aux port. I figured the USB port would be a bonus.
I had read Shane's review before getting it and decided even though it's a no-name brand, it fits my needs and I wasn't looking to spend a lot of money on a head unit. I had first bought the VRCD400-USB at Target for $99, but then the following day, I saw the VRCD630S-USB at Wal-Mart for $88, so I took back the first unit before I ever opened it. It was $12 cheaper and I got the speakers with it (although I haven't even tried the speakers yet).
I installed just the unit about a week ago. I bought the Toyota plug adapter and wired up the new radio and installed it as simple plug in so I can always go back to the factory radio if I need to. I've installed radios in the past and the Toyota is one of the simplest installations I have ever done. You actually don't have to take apart your entire dash to get access to it.
My first impressions of the unit are that it's pretty decent for the price. Nothing special, but it works good and sounds decent. I've still got the crappy factory speakers in the Toyota though, so that's not saying a whole lot, but it's not any worse then the stock radio and the volume gets plenty loud for what the speakers can handle. I'll break down the individual, CD, AUX, FM, USB performance below.
Overall Button layout:
The first thing most people will notice is that the volume knob is over to the right hand side of the unit. Not a big deal, but not the norm you find on most radios. I do prefer the rotary knob to the push buttons you find on a lot of units though, so that’s nice and it's a pretty solid knob when you adjust the volume. I do find some of the other buttons like the power button are kind of in an awkward spot, but anyone will get used to where they are all at and it won't be a big deal. I’ll also give the unit a +1 for the fact that it’s not a flip down face to load the CD.
Screen Layout:
I think the clock format with constant 0 in front of the first number looks awful. Thank goodness I have a separate clock in my car. The clock doesn't stay in view anyways and you have to press the button to see it for a few seconds. The sound level or EQ display animation on the left of the screen or whatever they were trying to achieve could have probably been left off. It looks like a cheap imitation of the animated type screens you see on more expensive players.
Aux: This is main part of the radio that I have been using and my main reason for choosing this player. I was actually surprised when I opened up the box and found that they even included a 1/8" stereo plug to connect the Aux port to anything with a standard headphone jack. I've been using my Sansa e130 MP3 player plugged into this Aux port. I haven't got to test my XM on it yet (short story my cigarette socket stopped working, so I can’t power the XM). The MP3 player sounds good. I don't plan to keep using my MP3 player like this, but it's substituting for my XM for the time being until I figure out what’s wrong with the cigarette socket.
CD: I put the first CD in the player this morning. It was a standard store bought CD. It started skipping right off the start, but then a few seconds later was fine. I ejected and put it back in and played fine from that point on, so maybe just everything getting used for the first time. (It also could have been that my CD’s had been in a warm house and I carried them out to a cold car on a damp morning, so they may have had condensation on them too). However, since it was skipping for that short while, I wondered how good the player really was and would it read a CD I had that I knew skipped in several other players. I put in a different CD that I know skips bad on a couple songs and low and behold it played through all the songs without a glitch. Wow, +1 there. I had a couple CD’s with some MP3 on them and played them and they worked fine also. The only thing that I couldn’t get to work correctly was the +10 -10 buttons. Reading the manual they are supposed to advance you forward 10 tracks, but all my player did was beep when I tried them? I’ll have to play with those buttons some more and see if I'm doing something wrong?
FM: This is where the cheap specs of the player and the no name come into play. I wouldn’t even call this an FM player and I'm quite suprised that as many electronic things that have cheap but well working FM players built into them these days, they got this part so wrong or skimped so bad on the quality that it's not even worth it. If you plan on listening to the FM tuner at all, you will be very disappointed. I live about 30 minutes south of Atlanta, GA, so we have tons of radio stations around, but I am a good distance from many of them. However, where I live, I can pick up several stations just fine in other vehicles. My drive to work takes me farther south away from Atlanta towards Alabama, so I do start to loose some of the stations that are farther North, but this player doesn’t even play some of the most crystal clear ones clear. There are 2 or 3 stations that probably have an antenna within 15-20 miles of my house and those are the only ones that you might consider coming in clear. If you sit still and listen to the radio, it’s tolerable, but if you’re moving the feedback and noise from adjacent stations is ridiculous. My MP3 player has a built in FM player that picks up better then this radio. (With all that said, I really can’t stand FM and that’s why I own 2 XM’s and 1 Sirius units), so this isn’t a huge loss for me, but I want others to know that you don’t want to buy this player for the FM tuner if that's important to you.
USB: I haven’t had a chance to test the USB function yet. I have a 1 GB cruzer card that I’ll try with some MP3 and WMA’s on it and see how it does. I also have one of those card readers that accepts multiple cards. When you plug it into a USB port on a PC, it shows 4 external drives. I’m not sure if the radio will read that or not, I’ll try it, but don’t expect much, plus it’s not nearly as convenient as a single cruzer drive vs some 4 port card reader hanging from your radio. If the 1 GB cruzer card works, I’ll be happy. I’ve read from the other reviews that it always starts at the beginning on the USB, so I’ll have to see how I like that.
Overall, for $88-$100 you are getting a decent CD player that plays MP3, WMA’s and a very convenient front Aux port that also works well. If that’s your main functions you plan on using, you are good to go. It also has a convenient removable face plate if that’s important to you. The USB is a nice perk, maybe a bit peculiar in the way that it works according to Shane’s description, but I guess I’d only consider it only a bonus to a pretty cheap player. The FM part is another story. I don’t really know what you can do to make it better? Maybe a signal booster, but I think the problem is that it has a hard time separating other signals that are close by the FM range you are listening to.
Posted by: Dan | January 12, 2006 7:29 AM
Hey Everyone,
I found some interesting news. Possibly the VR3 website has an exchange for radios with poor radio reception. Go to http://www.vr-3.com/help_vrcd.html, select your model of radio, select "I need help playing music," select "I am getting poor radio reception," then the answer comes up as:
"Make sure the antenna is not broken. If the antenna is broken replace it. Also, make sure the antenna is fully connected and properly grounded.
If you are still experiencing noise or static, please try a different radio, if possible. If the problem persists, you may have a defective unit. If so, please click on the link below to exchange it for a working unit."
I haven't done this yet, but I just came across this when I was surfing their website, and I wanted to share the news!
Take care,
John
Posted by: John Dryden | January 12, 2006 8:34 PM
Hi John,
This is a great find! Thank you very much.
I think I'll have to try this out because right now it's not much different than just hooking my iPod up to the speakers directly.
Thanks again!
-Shane
Posted by: Shane Conder | January 13, 2006 10:24 AM
I have the VRCD-400USB and have had good luck so far. I bought it for the aux in and the USB port; haven`t used the aux-in yet but love having the USB.I LOVE having the track info on-screen!
I have used the AM radio portion and it works fine without even an antenna (long story-I got the stereo to replace one stolen when my car was stolen and trashed); I`ll give the FM a try later today.
About the CD player-it`s strange but mine does the skip thing when I first start it up but stops after about 5 seconds and doesn`t do it again until the next day; it might be a cold weather-related problem as suggested.
I do like the real knob for volume and find that the buttons on this are MUCH easier to use than on the old (stolen) stereo...
Posted by: Julie Dixon | March 3, 2006 3:20 PM
I wanted to add I bought the VRCD630s-USB and the USB input didn't work when bench testing. I returned it to Walmart and got another. I found that the FM radio is junk. All but a couple of local stations are static and even those are occasionally static when still. When moving the reception can wash out. Some stations I hear up and down the dial, and sometimes two strong stations at once.
I wish I would have found this review before I put the time and money into this. :( I'll be attempting to return this to Walmart. If you listen to FM at all, then this is not the radio for you.
I've tried a 128MB Lexar and a 2GB PNY Attache USB drives with the unit. Both worked fine, except for the 2GB when there were many many files on the disk. I'm not sure what the limit is.
I don't like the arrangement of buttons, but it's tolerable. They should think about gloved hands while designing the controls!
It's too bad the radio is so awful, it would be an OK unit otherwise.
Jason
Posted by: Jason | March 5, 2006 12:38 PM
I also should add these radios do not have a dimmer option. The display is practically an interior nightlight when country driving, it can be really annoying at least at first. The bright light isn't so noticeable when there are more exterior lights than just your headlights. Out in the middle of "no-where" it's just too bright.
Best Buy had a couple Sony decks, and w/o the need to flip the faceplate down to insert the CD they were tempting. I've had bad luck with other Sony electronics so kept looking.
I found JVC has a kd-g720 model with USB and AUX input, although the AUX input is through an adapter on the backside. The kd-dv5100 doesn't have USB, but has the 1/8" headphone AUX input and I understand that it will play mp3 DVD's. That's over 2x the storage of 2 2GB flash drives, although possibly not quite as convenient. I opt'd for the 5100 and so far haven't been disappointed after the (self) install.
Posted by: Jason | March 5, 2006 8:40 PM
Hello Jason,
Thanks for the comments! It's interesting to hear that your experience with the VRCD630s-USB really isn't all that much better than even the VRCD300, although at least you can even attempt to make use of the USB.
The ability to play MP3 DVDs is interesting, but it really isn't as convenient as a flash drive. But if it can't read very many MP3s of the flash drive, then it doesn't much matter.
The lack of dimmer has been a real problem for me. Not just because of how bright it is at night. But also because if you don't have it on there is no way to read the time at night, either.
At first I thought the place that installed it just forgot to wire the dimmer in, but when I checked the manual I realized that it just didn't have that option.
The only saving thing about my head unit is still that it can take a front input. Of course, that's the only thing that really works. Our non-iPod MP3 player (a DJ ditty) actually has better FM reception, so at least there are ways to play FM.
-Shane.
Posted by: Shane Conder | March 6, 2006 9:19 AM
Hey Shane,
I posted a month or two ago about going to the company website, fill in the info and they'll send you a new radio. Well, I tried it, and the first radio they sent me had the same problem with the poor FM reception, so I wrote them back, and they sent me the next-generation VRCD400-USB, and yes, it is entirely different from the first one. It still has the same functions, but with a totally different faceplate, and has a remote control. This unit has to be the best radio I've ever owned. It has the aux input behind the radio, it has a menu search for the USB so you can pick the file you want then play it, and the FM works terrific. I had a problem with the first faceplate where half of the display quit working, so I wrote them back, and they sent me a new faceplate. I give the guys at Roadmaster credit for their customer service (Larry Sharp and Morty Shaab were the guys I corresponded with).
I recommend everyone try to get the next-generation model if you can. It's strange but I've had this radio for a month and a half now, and I still see they haven't updated the Roadmaster website with the new model that I've got. Maybe they're trying to sell out the first-generation models before they start advertising the new one. I could take a picture of mine and upload it so you know what mine looks like. Can I do that?
Sincerely,
John Dryden
Posted by: John Dryden | March 18, 2006 2:54 PM
Hey Shane, I found an EBay link that has my radio on it, have a look: http://cgi.ebay.com/CAR-Stereo-CD-MP3-WMA-USB-PLAYER-Head-Unit-NEW-for-2006_W0QQitemZ7596598055QQcategoryZ18798QQcmdZViewItem
Posted by: John Dryden | March 18, 2006 3:01 PM
Hi again John,
Thank you again for the information. It's good to hear that they are at least responding to the problem. I still have this as a "Todo" item on my list. I would do it right now, but I can't even get to their website. I hope I didn't wait too long!
Thanks for the information that they definitely will exchange the head units for working models.
And thanks for the ebay picture link.
-Shane
Posted by: Shane Conder | March 18, 2006 3:39 PM
Unless I've overlooked someone's post, I'm really surprised nobody has commented on a MAJOR FLAW with this unit's ability
to play back REGULAR audio CDs! I was listening to a live concert (multiple tracks with continuous sound - applause between songs) and noticed this CD player puts a gap in between each track! Keep in mind, I was playing a CD I bought
at the store, specifically created to play through from one track to another.
Apparently, even though it's a regular audio CD, the VRCD 400 treats it like an MP3 or WMA file and needs to "re-group" before it plays the next track.
I called tech support and they are aware of this and have no resolution. Now, I need to investigate this a little more and see if this is common with any car audio that plays MP3s and CDs.
Either way, it doesn't sound good and I'll going to return my unit. It's a real shame because I was really excited I found a car stereo that has both an aux port and a USB port, that's a rare find!
Posted by: Joe | March 28, 2006 5:51 AM
I really appreciated the comments on the VRCD** models
I just got a VRCD400-SDU today at wall mart.. $79.99
Given all the controversy over the unit I decided to bench test it before installing it in my boat.
I hooked it up to a 12v power supply I have sitting in my office for just such a need. Hooked up the rca outs to a computer system mic in connector and then started playing. This actaully gave me decent stereo sound through the computer sound system.
FM:
I did not have a radio antenna at hand but the normal 3 or 4 strongest stations came in fine without it.
USB:
I have a 1 gig jump drive on my key ring with mixed mp3's in various folders and other files.. It found the music and has played 15 songs or so fine. I have skipped around a bit no problem also the jump up or down 10 on the remote worked good for me also.. (as ive been playing I have found a couple mp3's that didn't play corectly. (they are ones that have done this in other players though) I also think it hit some non mp3 files and reset to the first mp3 on the disk. so there are some issues there. Overall though I think with a dedicated mp3 drive it would do fine.. I will have revisit this on my weblog after using it for a while.
CDs:
worked like a champ both regular and mp3.
AUX IN:
didn't play with yet.
SD slot:
didn't play with yet.. no card.
MISC.. there is an option on mine to turn off the volume beeping noise that everyone has complained about (so far i can only do it with the remote. hit the SEL button and hold it down and it drops you into an extended menu that has this as an option) Just for kicks and giggles I threw in a disc with some .ogg vorbis files on it.. :( error 07 .. so it doesn't read them.. Dimmer switch... my unit comes with a wire for hooking up to the vehicle dimmer switch.
Posted by: Scott Carle | December 6, 2006 2:24 PM