Power, controls, functions, compatability, optional equipment, asthetics(looks).

-ERROR Messages occasionally when cold -No attenuate on headunit, save for the optional RM-X4S remote -Unable to tune into specific FM or AM stations, but the ones I got were stronger and there were more of them than my previous Blaupunkt -Too easy to remove from car -Face Scratches as easily as a pair of Oakleys

This is definitely a step in the right direction for a GREAT sound system. I'm 23 now, but when I was 15-18, I had listened to all sorts of headunits from tape to CD to MD to 8-tracks, and unless it was a prize winner at a DB Drag, this unit performs. This being my first CD headunit, (upgrading to a CDX-C90 as soon as I can find a cheap one,) I am thoroughly impressed. This looks titties in my car's dash like it was made to be there. The switchable illumination helps with my Amber backlighting, and the optional RM-X4S stalk remote puts almost all functions at my resting arm so I can keep my eyes on the road, (thanks to every button being shaped differently, ) it even adds an attenuate feature not found on the headunit's controls itself for those times you have to mute the sound for that pesky officer. Next I'd like to say it never skips. The only times I was pissed off at it it when I get ERROR's when it's real cold sometimes in the morning, but I've learned to be patient and just not adjust anything on it when the car's interior is cold. I love the absense of "dancing lights and fireworks, " that are found on the "ugly-as-can be" Xplod headunits that you can actually buy models of at Wal-Mart. The fact that is ES from the Elevated Standard realm of Sony that has been fairly impressive to my home theatre makes me like it even more. Again, the only thing I will be replacing it with now is either a CDX-C90 or 910. The speakers in my car are stock, but ask anyone with an E30 BMW with the premium sound package what he thinks about them. Rubber surrounds and some plastic material for the cone are an indication the 15w power capacity is a pointless attempt to keep the sound down in nice neighborhoods. The controls are well placed, and not cluttered at all. The fact that is controls a CD/MD changer, TV Tuner, and DSP, was a great initial selling point for me. The installation is a snap, and it's stupid easy to remove for extended parking periods, or if you want one for yourself, but don't want to pay anything for it. Anyway, it's a great unit for a cheap price considering it's $500+ original inflated price. It really performs, but if you can find a CDX-C880 or better, buy that. I'm not an Audiophile, but I know what's good and bad, and this is FAR from anything bad. Other items I have, but still need to install as it's winter and I'm cold: -Sony MD changer, (haven't gotten it yet) -Sony ES UDP-X50D DSP -Sony XM-754HX 300w 4/3/2 amplifier (for the mids) -Soundstream D60 120w 2ch. x2 (for both sets of tweeters) -Esoteric Audio MUSICA 500 Patch RCA's -MonsterCable XP Speakerwire Things to buy/upgrade for the future: -Sony ES CDX-C90 or 910 CD headunit -Sony ES XDP-210? Equalizer -McIntosh MC 420 300w 4/3/2 amp -MB Quart QSD 213 components -Better quality wiring

Similar Products Used:

Eclipse, Clarion, Mcintosh, Kenwood, Pioneer incl. Prestige, Blue Dot (Blaupunkt), others, but I can't remember them all at my old age.

Ease of use, controls changer/tv/dsp

display bad in sunlight, and reads almost NO CD-R's

This is a very nice unit. The controls are very easy to use, and it has a nice rotary volume knob. The 4volt outputs are strong and the cd playback is average.

Similar Products Used:

Clarion/Eclipse/Panasonic

lots of attributes, great for sub woofer control

CD player stopped working, and this had no mis-use whatsoever, taken care of and maintained. Beware

GREAT EVERYTHING!

NOT AT ALL.

GREAT OUTPUT & SOUND & CONTROLS. EVERYTHING WORKS GREAT & DOESNT SKIP AT ALL ON CD-R'S OR ORIGINAL CD'S & GREAT DISPLAY & JUST PERFECTO FOR ME. I DON'T ABOUT OTHERS BUT MINES WORKS FINE WITH MY SUBS & SPEAKERS.

will not skip, plays some burnt disk, playes scrached disk with no problem, easy to use,

hard to read in direct sun light

I think it is a great deck even though I have had only one other deck. I told my self I would never buy sony because of the problems my friends were having (skiping, button not working, ext) but car stereo review talked it up so much that my choice was between that and a kenwood of the same price. Needless to say I went with the sony and have never looked back sence. This will be the third car it will be gonig in and just today (4/18/02) I was getting ready to install it and it fell off my bench! I powerd it up and no problems yet! If you are lookin for a used deck I highy recomend the cdx-c780

Similar Products Used:

Kenwood Pioneer Jvc none can hold a candel for proformance at the price I payed for it

The only thing i will agree with is its a little hard to see when its really bright out...oh well

These people are smoking crack, i''ve had mine for about 3 years and not once has it skipped...you could rub a cd on the concrete and it would play, it absolutely smokes any alpine or pioneer, it has a very clean sound and is reliable. And this is a cd player...so i personally do not care if the radio sucks on it.

What drew me to the 780 was the clean and clever layout of the controls. Canadian winters mean I often drive with gloves on, and this is one deck I can control even with a pair of mittens.

The loading mechanism for the CD player has failed on me twice now. FM reception has been OK (not as bad as most people make it out to be) although the Pioneer deck I had prior defininately pulled in weaker signals.

I bought the Sony because of the better warranty, and I'm glad I did. Experience has shown that car stereos live a rough life, and CD players - being machines - will fail after a period of time. As stated earlier, the best "feature" I found in this deck was the simple layout of the controls. The display can be hard to read when it's bright out, although the clean, simple display pattern is much better than the dancing lights and fireworks on most modern stereos. Good for kids, I suppose, but not for adults who simply want to listen to good music with reasonable clarity.

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This deck replaced an Alpine I had ripped off from my old car. The Alpine was a nice deck in its day, but the row of tiny buttons was too hard to operate without taking my eyes off the road, and I found the mounting mechanism for the faceplate wasn't all that durable. The Pioneer deck I had prior (my first in-dash CD player) had the strongest radio and the CD player most prone to skippage. This, however, I attribute more to the primative anti-shock technology.

Excellent CD sound. Very intuitive features and display. I like the round volume knob control.

Horrible/unbearable FM reception. Sometimes CDs get rejected then accepted on power on. Lack of CD track index control.

I bought the CD-C780 to replace an older first generation Sony CD head unit that could do nothing but skip. After putting a CD in and driving around, I was very pleased not only at the lack of skipping (it has never skipped), but at the amazing sound quality. Very impressive.

Then I tried FM.

The sound was so bad, I could not even listen for more than a minute or so. It would lock into stereo for an instant, then clearly go into mono (even though the "ST" light would stay on. This would only happen while the car was moving. When still, it would sound bearable (though still not as good as the old factory FM radio!)

I tried replacing the antenna wiring and connections to no avail.

This got so bad, I decided to take advantage of the 2 year warranty that Sony offered and returned it to them for repair. I was hoping there would be some sort of adjustment that was out of wack. Apparently, they decided it was too much trouble, and instead of fixing it, just sent be a newer model, the CDX-C7850.

This one was a little better, though I still can't listen to FM. It tries to stay in stereo a bit longer, but instead of dropping to mono, it goes back and forth, stereo/mono/stereo/mono at about 5X/second, even with strong local stations. I have tried all the controls (I.F. wide/narrow, LOC/DIST) and nothing makes a difference. I even tried adding a noise supression filter, but it happens when the engine is off too (I had to coast and cut the engine to test since it also only happens when the car is moving). I wonder how many people would ever realize this problem even existed listening to the unit in a store. Ahh, brilliance, Sony...

Also, this newer one has problems sometimes when the car is turned off and the CD was playing a track near the end of the CD. When the car is restarted and the CD player tries to get back to that spot, sometimes I get the "ERROR" message, and have to eject and re insert the CD. Then it plays fine.

Another nice feature would have been the ability to skip to CD tracks based on the preset numbers on the front of the unit. As it is, you have to skip/skip/skip/skip/etc. to get to the track.

Anyway, I have had problems with FM reception before with Sony products (one head unit lost FM completely, and the other boom box can't hold the station worth a darn) so I have concluded that Sony is now permanently off my list of any product that has a tuner in it.

Similar Products Used:

None

Attractive faceplate. Ease of use during driving. Amazing CD quality ( 99 Db S/N for the CD player ).
One look at the patch bay in the rear of the unit will give any Audiophile a sense of security. It's large heatsink and high quality rca outputs are second to none.

No mute button. Slightly difficult to read on VERY bright days. Low FM sensitivity ( 8/9 Db) as compared to the competition (10-12 Db)

I paid $350(U.S.) for the Unit (BRAND NEW). Unfortunately This unit was discontinued in 98' and has left a fairly large gap in the sony line between the CDX-c90 and the Lower models ( CDX-C680 ). I saw one on Ebay recently for less than $150 WOW! The only reason any person might not like this head-unit would most likely be due to a prejudice towards Sony products.

I give this unit a 4 overall due to its minor deficiencies and problems. Otherwise, this has been a rock solid preformer for the 2 years I have owned it..

Similar Products Used:

A friend of mine owns a Eclipse in the same price class. His skips constantly and IMHO is not nearly as attractive.

What is wrong with you people?
Car Audio & Review ranked this the #1 best buy of 98!
I purchased it before that award, and am still pleased.
One person said it skipped...i live in a mountainous area and it has never skipped on me. (get your mounting checked)
Also, the seperate subwoofer control is great. Great bang for the buck. I think most of you are just sony haters ;)
cya

The FM does stink, but it is a Cd player...you should be listening to CDs! Plays CD-Rs fine.

Paid $400 when it first came out a while back.

Similar Products Used:

Um, Sony Playstation :)