[3 of 3 customers found this review helpful]

Sony CD Receiver with Bluetooth - MEX-BT2600 Review

Great Unit for the Price

"The Sony MEX BT 2600 has been a wonderful addition to my car audio system. I have read some lackluster reviews of this stereo, and I am, needless to say, unsurprised and unimpressed with the complaints that most have made, namely about the sound quality of the radio output. Some of the complaints pretty well prove that the person who purchased this radio expected competition quality audio from changing one head unit and nothing else, and folks need to realize that this is an impossibility. If this was possible, why would anyone spend extra money on subs, amps, capacitors, etc? The radio is simply a receiver of signals, and most radios have a low RMS rating that will need to be supplemented with amplification of the signal at the proper crossover levels to get the sound you dream of. This takes a lot of time and money to do, but I know Best Buy has the materials you are going to need for the dream system. I used to be the very same way in my feelings, so I guess it takes one to know one. I have learned my lesson.

To start, I will tell you what I have in my car: I drive a 98 Honda Civic. The Sony head unit is run to a Precision Audio parametric equalizer located in the console above the cup holder(There was a useless old cassette player in there), and the equalizer is run to an Emerson amp powering 2 Pioneer 5&1/2 front speakers and 2 Pioneer 6 x 9 rear speakers. The equalizer also run to an Infinity subwoofer amp powering one Sony 12 sub in the trunk, and one Rockford Fosgate 12 sub that floats between the 2 front seats. The subs have a capacitor in-line with them, so I dont kill my battery and my lights dont flicker with the bass. It took 3 years to build the system as I wanted it, so dont think that a great system is an overnight thing. Thats only for rich people!!! It took years of purchasing and then tinkering to get the right sound, and once I did, my old radio went out!!! The radio I had was an import DVD player with 5 screen, Aux, SD, USB, Bluetooththe works. After that broke, I realized how little I used anything but the Bluetooth and the aux, so I began looking for an affordable radio with the features I wanted. The Sony MEX BT 2600 fit this perfectly!

The features of the radio are pretty impressive for it being a base model. The expandability of the unit is pretty impressive. The CD player works great, and being able to select the gain on the Aux and Bluetooth are awesome as well, so all inputs are equal in volume. No more blaring!!! I wish the radio did the same, but since this is an old model, perhaps the new model will have this feature? At least the radio is lower than the rest. I have also heard some issues about the Bluetooth mic, and while I find the mic location a little illogical, I do not have any issue with it. Sounding a little tinny is a small price to pay to avoid a ticket. I mainly use the Bluetooth for music, and it does an awesome job. I have a Samsung Juke(schU470, though on Sony Support they say U740), and it does everything that the radio is capable of, including music streaming, hands-free talking, and voice dialing, though Sonys site said voice dialing was not supported. I have a Satellite car kit that I have run into the front Aux jack, and it has improved my satellite sound dramatically (I was using the direct radio antenna connection previously). The clarity is amazing. My next purchase is the HD radio kit for this radio.

All in all, I find that this unit lives up to the hype and I am very pleased with my purchase. I would recommend to anyone finding that the sound is inadequate to ask themselves some questions. Firstly and most importantly, Did I use the factory radio ground? If so, you need to ground your radio differently or you will have HUGE amounts of engine noise in the speakers while driving. It would be no surprise to have bad sound in a configuration like this. If you are planning to expand, I would plan where you want the equipment and run the radio ground there. Youre your components all do not have a common ground, your sound will suffer. This is the main issue I hear complaints about. Then, ask yourself, How was the sound before? Is this even a slight improvement over what I had? Do I have aftermarket speakers, amps, etc. or is it just the radio? Do I have all components on a common ground? What kind of sound do I want for my car? Once you answer these questions, it is time to determine what you will need to achieve the results you want. It may be much more than you think, especially if you are an audiophile. Best Buy has you covered though, because they can sell you the equipment as well as install it for you too, if you dont know how or simply dont want to. I personally love a good project."