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JVC KD-R800

The JVC KD-R800 is an in-dash car-audio receiver that features a built-in MOSFET amplifier with a 200w max power output. The sixth of six JVC KD A/V head units, the JVC KD-R800 is an upgrade from the JVC KD-R600 in that it features dual (versus one) Full-Speed USB 2.0 ports (2-way control and charging for iPod/iPhones) and an included Bluetooth adapter. In all other ways, however, the KD-R800 is quite similar to its predecessor. For instance, the KD-R800 is also Bluetooth Compatible (adapter included), Satellite Radio Ready, and HD Radio Ready. Plus, the KD-R800 features a variable-color illumination display with 30 preset color choices. The KD-R800 also includes a regular AM/FM radio and a CD player that supports traditional CDs, CD-Rs, and CD-RWs, not to mention those outfitted with MP3 & WMA music files. In addition, the KD-R800 sports a front auxiliary input, a wireless remote, a 3-band iEQ, a detachable face, a low-pass filter and subwoofer level control, a 24-bit digital-to-analog converter, and 2-channel preamp outputs. The JVC KD-R800 retails for a more expensive $219.95 (versus $159.95) and comes with a 1 year limited warranty. Additional service plans are available for a fee.

Where to Buy

JVC KD-R800
MSRP $219.95
Release date January, 2009
Brand JVC
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want it
have it
tag it
Pros & Cons15
Reviews9
Details
Buy It
Competitors3
Comments6
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Pros & Cons

ProSCORE
9 reviews
85
negative
mixed
positive
7 positive
0 mixed
1 negative

[i] How is the ProSCORE calculated?

show me!

Pros:
Do you agree?
•
Two USB jacks, allows the use of the bluetooth device and a secondary external device.
+5agreedisagree

•
Awesome mp3 decoder. Very dynamic. Great clear bass. No mushiness.
+4agreedisagree

•
rear USB allows you to hide USB devices in the glovebox
+4agreedisagree

•
front USB and AUX inputs
+4agreedisagree

•
Very sensitive microphone (almost TOO sensitive)
+3agreedisagree

•
One of only a very few units that allow the iPhone to control the audio, instead of having to use the radio controls.
+3agreedisagree

•
Display colors can be changed. A surprisingly useful (fun) feature to match your cars lighting
+3agreedisagree

•
Satellite and HD radio ready
+3agreedisagree

•
Bluetooth compatible (adapter included)
+3agreedisagree

•
includes wireless remote
+3agreedisagree

•
affordable price
+2agreedisagree

•
This unit has preset buttons. According to their manual, you may select 18 preset FM stations and 6 AM stations
+2agreedisagree

Cons:
Do you agree?
•
NO PRESET BUTTONS!
+2agreedisagree

•
LCD display is small
+2agreedisagree

•
Bluetooth garbled 95% of the time. Tested with Motorola Razor V3 & Samsung i730 phones.
-2agreedisagree


9 people added to this review by submitting or voting on pros and cons. Add your say!
See individual votes »

Details

Features

  • MOSFET Amplifier w/200w Output
  • AM/FM Tuner
  • CD Player
  • Dual USB Ports
  • Auxiliary Input
  • 3-Band iEQ
  • Wireless Remote
  • Detachable Face
  • Subwoofer Control
  • 24-bit Digital-to-Analog Converter
  • 2-Channel Preamp Outputs
  • Satellite Radio Ready
  • Bluetooth Compatible
  • Included Bluetooth Adapter
  • HD Radio Ready
  • 1 Year Limited Warranty

Available Service Plans

  • 2 years – $24.99
  • 3 years – $34.99
  • 5 years – $59.99

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This report was started January 18, 2009 at 6:13 pm by vsaxena911
with the last edit occurring November 2, 2009 at 5:34 pm by dom
This page has been viewed 5446 times, with 87 edits by 11 contributors.
See the full report history »

Buy It

JVC KD-R800

• JVC KD-R800 30K Color-Illumination Single-DIN CD Receiver with Dual USB 2.0 for iPod/iPhone and Bluetooth

• KD-R800 Dual USB/CD Car Stereo Receiver with Bluetooth

UPC: 046838037368

EAN: 046838037368

MPN: KDR800

Competitors

Kenwood KDC-BT742U

Kenwood KDC-BT742U

MSRP  $220.00    Released  January, 2009
Pros
  • built-in Bluetooth compatibility for hands-free calling and music streaming
  • front USB and AUX inputs
  • affordable price
Cons
  • horrible manual
  • microphone pickup is horrible
  • lack of buttons make interaction with the unit complicated and unbearable
ProSCORE
7 reviews
61
Vote! (0 votes)
vote JVC KD-R800   vs. vote Kenwood KDC-BT742U  
Sony MEX-BT3700U

Sony MEX-BT3700U

MSRP  $200.00    Released  February, 2009
Pros
  • front USB and aux inputs
  • built-in Bluetooth compatibility for hands-free calling and audio streaming
  • affordable price
  • built-in iPod control
  • external microphone available
  • satellite and HD radio ready
ProSCORE
2 reviews
100
Vote! (0 votes)
vote JVC KD-R800   vs. vote Sony MEX-BT3700U  
Sony CDX-GT730UI

Sony CDX-GT730UI

MSRP  $200.00    Released  February, 2009
Pros
  • the quality is great - upgrade from stock and find a tremendous improvement from the speakers
  • many options to change the sound quality using the EQuizliers
  • illuminates blue, red, and green
Cons
  • the faceplate is a bit difficult to align when attaching
  • Can't adjust the bass and treble with this model.
  • when turning off the ignition, the stereo makes a beeping sound that gets annoying
ProSCORE
6 reviews
80
Vote! (0 votes)
vote JVC KD-R800   vs. vote Sony CDX-GT730UI  

Suggest a new competitor to add to the list of competing products.
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Comments

5 taps
1.  avatar Trusted-1 said:

This communication is intended to convey how disapointed we are with our recent JVC purchase. Our business is custom audio video installations in large residential applications although I am quite familiar with car audio and video products as well. We have JVC systems in two other vehicles (KD-HDR1 & KD-AR870 with iPod and XM Radio interfaces) and we have a JVC DILA projection system in our Home Cinema.

Although I should have done a better job of researching a head unit, the two major flaws in this model did not become aparent until after I had completed installation of the KD-R800. The two major flaws are:

1) The bluetooth connection is garbled 95% of the time regardless of the phone that is used. It has been tested with a Samsung i730 and a Motorola Razor V3 and neither perform to an acceptable level.

2) I am completely confounded by the absence of preset buttons. Whatever design team thought it would be a good idea to eliminate radio preset buttons in favor of a design that requires the driver to take his/her eyes off the road to select a radio station should be fired immediately. When you factor in a small, difficult to read display, one could argue that there is a potential liability if an accident occurred while trying to operate this deficient design. To be clear, I would not have bought this model had I realized it was without the proven basic feature of radio preset buttons.

The vendor I purchased this from is unlikely to be willing to exchange this unit now that it has been installed and for that matter it is not his fault that this flawed product was produced.
May 02, 2009 12:11am
2.  avatar jamesb said:

I got this after several days of research online and testing it, and others, out at Fry's. My requirements were:

1) Can control ipod using ipod itself, not just the head unit.
2) Bluetooth with a separate microphone.
3) Rear cable input for ipod so I don't have cable dangling about while I drive.
4) "Works with iphone" certified. I have an iPhone 3G

This is the only unit that meets these requirements. All others I have tried, including panasonic, alpine, kenwood, require the use of the unit to control the ipod. Stupid! I have the iphone mounted on the dash so I can use the maps etc. Why would I want to use the head unit to control the music when I have a touchscreen iphone on my dashboard!?

Sound is awesome. I was using a belkin FM transmitter through the Shaker 500 factory unit. The difference is night and day. I thought I just had overcompressed mp3's, but through the JVC, everything sounds powerful and dynamic. The unit has a great mp3 decoder.

I had a problem with the bluetooth connection, I suspect that "Trusted-1" has the same problem I had. The calls came through completely garbled. I tried turning up the mic volume and this made no difference. I went back to Fry's and they turned the mic *down* to level 1, and it all works. Basically, the mic is very sensitive! Now at level 1, everything is clear.

I don't listen to the radio, so the lack of presets doesn't even bother me. If you are looking for a unit for your iPhone, this unit is the absolute best, in fact, the *only* one that satisfied my requirements.
May 23, 2009 4:57pm
3.  avatar yaminb said:

yeah, I can't figure out this recent trend in decks. They don't seem to have preset buttons. Even the pioneers, kenwoods, alpines... I talked to my installer and he said they started switching to give more room for the display.
Jun 07, 2009 10:43pm
4.  avatar livid said:

Sadly you people are not taking the time to understand how the deck works...

The preset controls are in the menu, you just have to look for them. If you are not a-custom to such learning curves, perhaps using a different brand is the solution. I fell in love with the JVC as it had all the functionality I wanted at 1/2 to 1/3 the price of a Pioneer or Alpine. I do like my Alpine's, but I don't like having to pay for their Ai-NET crap to use Bluetooth and have iPod/USB functionality (Get with the times Alpine!)

I'm running the JVC with my stock AC Delco speakers and the deck does not overpower them. I've had to upgrade speakers in the past when using Alpine head units. I am replacing the stock 6x9's for better clarity, but I love how one does not have to spend a fortune on speakers to match the JVC's sound quality.

MP3 read speeds are good, though the iPod interface is a bit slow to read the content on the iPod Touch. I love the navigation for the IPod, very easy to use. If you are looking to avoid Sony but don't want to donate a kidney or sell your third child of your second marriage (kidding), this is the deck to get.

Jul 16, 2009 12:52pm
5.  avatar livid said:

I'm not sure what the bluetooth complaints are about. I've been using my BlackBerry 8830 with this head unit and the call quality is fine. Perhaps getting a better phone will solve their problems as Motorola's Bluetooth solutions are not all that stellar. As for the preset controls, they are in the deck, you just have to look for them. The LCD text is small, but necessary for song title length.
Jul 16, 2009 12:58pm
6.  avatar Chris Andrade said:

I just bought this for my girlfriend today and so far we love it. Just can't figure out one thing; how do you set the colours to change automatically without using the Demo? We don't want to just have one colour selected in the menus.

Hopefully someone can help with this...thanks!
Oct 02, 2009 11:45pm
Some HTML is allowed. Your comments remain editable after you post..

Reviews

Sort by: Most helpful  •  Newest  •  Most positive

jamesb

avatar
June 17, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
100
negative
mixed
positive
11 pros
0 cons
trustedtrusted
have ithave it
love itlove it
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Pros

  • Two USB jacks, allows the use of the bluetooth device and a secondary external device.
  • Awesome mp3 decoder. Very dynamic. Great clear bass. No mushiness.
  • rear USB allows you to hide USB devices in the glovebox
  • front USB and AUX inputs
  • Very sensitive microphone (almost TOO sensitive)
  • One of only a very few units that allow the iPhone to control the audio, instead of having to use the radio controls.
  • Display colors can be changed. A surprisingly useful (fun) feature to match your cars lighting
  • Satellite and HD radio ready
  • Bluetooth compatible (adapter included)
  • includes wireless remote
  • affordable price

Cons

Did not agree with any cons

Comments

"I got this after several days of research online and testing it, and others, out at Fry's. My requirements were:

1) Can control ipod using ipod itself, not just the head unit.
2) Bluetooth with a separate microphone.
3) Rear cable input for ipod so I don't have cable dangling about while I drive.
4) "Works with iphone" certified. I have an iPhone 3G

This is the only unit that meets these requirements. All others I have tried, including panasonic, alpine, kenwood, require the use of the unit to control the ipod. Stupid! I have the iphone mounted on the dash so I can use the maps etc. Why would I want to use the head unit to control the music when I have a touchscreen iphone on my dashboard!?

Sound is awesome. I was using a belkin FM transmitter through the Shaker 500 factory unit. The difference is night and day. I thought I just had overcompressed mp3's, but through the JVC, everything sounds powerful and dynamic. The unit has a great mp3 decoder.

I had a problem with the bluetooth connection, I suspect that "Trusted-1" has the same problem I had. The calls came through completely garbled. I tried turning up the mic volume and this made no difference. I went back to Fry's and they turned the mic *down* to level 1, and it all works. Basically, the mic is very sensitive! Now at level 1, everything is clear.

I don't listen to the radio, so the lack of presets doesn't even bother me. If you are looking for a unit for your iPhone, this unit is the absolute best, in fact, the *only* one that satisfied my requirements."
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

Trusted-1

avatar
May 2, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
0
negative
mixed
positive
0 pros
2 cons
trustedtrusted
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Pros

Did not agree with any pros

Cons

  • NO PRESET BUTTONS!
  • Bluetooth garbled 95% of the time. Tested with Motorola Razor V3 & Samsung i730 phones.

Comments

"This communication is intended to convey how disapointed we are with our recent JVC purchase. Our business is custom audio video installations in large residential applications although I am quite familiar with car audio and video products as well. We have JVC systems in two other vehicles (KD-HDR1 & KD-AR870 with iPod and XM Radio interfaces) and we have a JVC DILA projection system in our Home Cinema.

Although I should have done a better job of researching a head unit, the two major flaws in this model did not become aparent until after I had completed installation of the KD-R800. The two major flaws are:

1) The bluetooth connection is garbled 95% of the time regardless of the phone that is used. It has been tested with a Samsung i730 and a Motorola Razor V3 and neither perform to an acceptable level.

2) I am completely confounded by the absence of preset buttons. Whatever design team thought it would be a good idea to eliminate radio preset buttons in favor of a design that requires the driver to take his/her eyes off the road to select a radio station should be fired immediately. When you factor in a small, difficult to read display, one could argue that there is a potential liability if an accident occurred while trying to operate this deficient design. To be clear, I would not have bought this model had I realized it was without the proven basic feature of radio preset buttons.

The vendor I purchased this from is unlikely to be willing to exchange this unit now that it has been installed and for that matter it is not his fault that this flawed product was produced."
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

dom

avatar
November 2, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
91
negative
mixed
positive
10 pros
1 con
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Pros

  • Two USB jacks, allows the use of the bluetooth device and a secondary external device.
  • Awesome mp3 decoder. Very dynamic. Great clear bass. No mushiness.
  • rear USB allows you to hide USB devices in the glovebox
  • front USB and AUX inputs
  • Very sensitive microphone (almost TOO sensitive)
  • Display colors can be changed. A surprisingly useful (fun) feature to match your cars lighting
  • Satellite and HD radio ready
  • Bluetooth compatible (adapter included)
  • includes wireless remote
  • This unit has preset buttons. According to their manual, you may select 18 preset FM stations and 6 AM stations

Cons

  • LCD display is small

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

Yale

avatar
June 8, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
80
negative
mixed
positive
8 pros
2 cons
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Pros

  • Two USB jacks, allows the use of the bluetooth device and a secondary external device.
  • rear USB allows you to hide USB devices in the glovebox
  • front USB and AUX inputs
  • One of only a very few units that allow the iPhone to control the audio, instead of having to use the radio controls.
  • Satellite and HD radio ready
  • Bluetooth compatible (adapter included)
  • includes wireless remote
  • affordable price

Cons

  • NO PRESET BUTTONS!
  • LCD display is small

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

yaminb

avatar
June 7, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
83
negative
mixed
positive
5 pros
1 con
have ithave it
love itlove it
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Pros

  • Two USB jacks, allows the use of the bluetooth device and a secondary external device.
  • Awesome mp3 decoder. Very dynamic. Great clear bass. No mushiness.
  • rear USB allows you to hide USB devices in the glovebox
  • Very sensitive microphone (almost TOO sensitive)
  • Display colors can be changed. A surprisingly useful (fun) feature to match your cars lighting

Cons

  • NO PRESET BUTTONS!

Comments

"yeah, I can't figure out this recent trend in decks. They don't seem to have preset buttons. Even the pioneers, kenwoods, alpines... I talked to my installer and he said they started switching to give more room for the display."
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

tooKewL4SkewL

avatar
May 27, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
75
negative
mixed
positive
3 pros
1 con
have ithave it
love itlove it
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Pros

  • Two USB jacks, allows the use of the bluetooth device and a secondary external device.
  • Awesome mp3 decoder. Very dynamic. Great clear bass. No mushiness.
  • One of only a very few units that allow the iPhone to control the audio, instead of having to use the radio controls.

Cons

  • NO PRESET BUTTONS!

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

zooomer

avatar
August 3, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
100
negative
mixed
positive
1 pro
0 cons
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Pros

  • This unit has preset buttons. According to their manual, you may select 18 preset FM stations and 6 AM stations

Cons

Did not agree with any cons

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

wobbie

avatar
July 1, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
100
negative
mixed
positive
1 pro
0 cons
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Pros

  • front USB and AUX inputs

Cons

Did not agree with any cons

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

livid

avatar
July 16, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
100
negative
mixed
positive
1 pro
0 cons
love itlove it
have ithave it
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Comments

"

Sadly you people are not taking the time to understand how the deck works...

The preset controls are in the menu, you just have to look for them. If you are not a-custom to such learning curves, perhaps using a different brand is the solution. I fell in love with the JVC as it had all the functionality I wanted at 1/2 to 1/3 the price of a Pioneer or Alpine. I do like my Alpine's, but I don't like having to pay for their Ai-NET crap to use Bluetooth and have iPod/USB functionality (Get with the times Alpine!)

I'm running the JVC with my stock AC Delco speakers and the deck does not overpower them. I've had to upgrade speakers in the past when using Alpine head units. I am replacing the stock 6x9's for better clarity, but I love how one does not have to spend a fortune on speakers to match the JVC's sound quality.

MP3 read speeds are good, though the iPod interface is a bit slow to read the content on the iPod Touch. I love the navigation for the IPod, very easy to use. If you are looking to avoid Sony but don't want to donate a kidney or sell your third child of your second marriage (kidding), this is the deck to get.

"
"I'm not sure what the bluetooth complaints are about. I've been using my BlackBerry 8830 with this head unit and the call quality is fine. Perhaps getting a better phone will solve their problems as Motorola's Bluetooth solutions are not all that stellar. As for the preset controls, they are in the deck, you just have to look for them. The LCD text is small, but necessary for song title length."
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

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This product is also known as:

KD, R, 800, KDR, R800, KDR800