Clarion CZ209E head unit
Price: £149 Rating: 4/5
You no longer need to spend a fortune to get the latest in-car audio system, as Clarion gives you access to a range of music sources with its well priced CZ209E head unit.
Fitting the new £149 set-up is simply a case of connecting the correct wires – and Clarion even provides tools as part of the package, so you can remove your old stereo first.
Once the CZ209E was in place, we got to grips with the iPod control – but this proved frustrating.
The rear-mounted USB socket gives you direct control over your MP3 device via the facia, which displays track names. But if you have a long playlist, it can take a while to scroll through.
Still, you can also plug memory sticks into the port, while the front-loading CD slot plays discs encoded with MP3 files.
The aux-in socket ran music from a non-Apple player, too; we just wish Clarion also supplied the relevant lead to do this.
* Contact: 01793 870400, www.clarion.co.uk
* Problems? No 3.5mm lead or remote, iPod control clumsy.
* So why buy? Easy to connect, no menu lag, charges iPod, Aux-in for non-Apple players.
