JVC KD-HDR50 30K Color-Illumination Single-DIN HD Radio CD Receiver with Remote Control USB 2.0 for iPod/iPhone Review

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I listen to my iPod a lot in the car.

Being an self-proclaimed nerd with an insatiable thirst for knowledge, my iPod is loaded with mostly audiobooks, downloaded from the iTunes store and Audible.com.

However, I listen to music when I'm in the mood to just "zone out" and drive.

That's why I love the JVC KD-HDR50 30K Color-Illumination Single-DIN HD Radio CD Receiver with Remote Control USB 2.0 for iPod/iPhone.

The JVC KD-HDR50 HD Radio Receiver allows me to use either my iPod, or listen to HD Radio when I'm in the mood for that. It's the best of both worlds.

Not only that, but this JVC KD-HDR50 HD Radio Receiver can play CDs, too (although I only did that once for testing and it's probably not a feature I will use a lot).

Another feature that will not see much use is the remote control. I know some people think that this is a cool feature for a car stereo, but I don't have a use for it. If I'm in my car, my stereo is within arm distance. If I'm outside of my car, I'm either not listening to music or not interested in changing the volume... Maybe I'll try to figure out a way to mount it to my steering wheel or something, but I haven't yet toyed much with that idea.

I installed the JVC KD-HDR50 HD Radio Receiver myself. Since I own a Jetta, I had to order the wiring harness adapter and the antenna adapter, but once I had that, installation only took about 20 or 30 minutes.

My Jetta has red and blue dashboard control lights, and with the JVC KD-HDR50 HD Radio Receiver I am able to match the exact red or blue of my interior lighting exactly. This car stereo looks beautiful at night (I have received several compliments).

Another great feature that I have not used much yet, is the USB input for hard drives and flash drives. I can see this coming in handy on road trips, where everyone can have some music on their own flash drive and we can take turns playing that person's music on the JVC KD-HDR50 HD Radio Receiver.

To be honest, this is my first HD Radio receiver, so I'm trying not to give this "feature" too much credit in my JVC KD-HDR50 30K Color-Illumination Single-DIN HD Radio CD Receiver with Remote Control USB 2.0 for iPod/iPhone Review... but, if don't already have HD Radio, this stereo really will change the way you listen to the radio. Here are 3 reasons why:

• First of all, I used to HATE listening to a great song on the radio, and then not knowing the title of the song or the artist. I downloaded an iPhone app just to solve this problem (SoundHound), but that's awkward and dangerous to use in traffic.
• Secondly, there are a lot more stations in HD than I ever imagined. The sound comes in crystal clear with zero distortion or static.
• Third (and this is the best one), is the "tagging" feature. If you like a song and want to download it later, just hit the TAG button. When you plug in your iPod, it will transfer the tagged tracks over to your iPod. Then, later, when you plug your iPod into your computer, iTunes will show the tagged songs in a tagged "playlist" on the lower left hand column, giving you the option to purchase these songs. Absolute genius.

Now for the bad stuff.

I don't have many complaints about the JVC KD-HDR50 30K Color-Illumination Single-DIN HD Radio CD Receiver with Remote Control USB 2.0 for iPod/iPhone. But, I do have one big one.

There are no preset buttons.

That's right. No preset buttons. Zilch. Nada.

That's not a huge deal-breaker for me, since I use my iPod in the car so much. Also, I typically only have a couple of radio stations that I listen to on a regular basis.

To set the presets, you pretty much need the manual.

After you have them set, you use the control knob to change from one preset to another. So, yes, it's not horrible. You still have preset stations, just not those convenient little buttons we have all grown to love so much.

All in all, this is the most amazing, feature-rich, beautiful car stereo you can buy for less than $150. There are actually more features than I will use in most cases, but that's okay.

If you are looking for a new car stereo, check out the JVC KD-HDR50 30K Color-Illumination Single-DIN HD Radio CD Receiver with Remote Control USB 2.0 for iPod/iPhone. You will not be disappointed.

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