JBL branded HU? EDIT: GT-X555 & 333 Confirmed!

[deepakchiniwal]

Originally Posted by BlackRaven

Folks from Bangalore, could you direct me to a shop where I can get 333 at 3k? Last I heard from a neighbourhood shop was 4.5k.

Where in Bangalore are you? I am looking to get either the JBL or Kenwood.

[ms001]

Originally Posted by ms001

hi my friend bought a JBL x333, it has an issue , the HU does not recognise a 4 gb sandisc cruzer usb stick with 4gb capacity.
same USB stick play fine in my kenwood HU
also another 8gb usb stick works fine in JBL.
both are fat32.

any ideas?

ok so JBL accepted that it is a problem(bug) with the HU.
exchanged it with x555 .
had to pay the difference of 1200 or so.

[deepakchiniwal]

Originally Posted by ms001

ok so JBL accepted that it is a problem(bug) with the HU.
exchanged it with x555 .
had to pay the difference of 1200 or so.

What was the cost for X333 and x555?

[dhirajs]

Originally Posted by deepakchiniwal

Is that with B/w?

@Sam, Satya please comment...

Anyone from Bangalore, please confirm?

Yes, its with b/w.I bought one yesterday.

[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by dhirajs

Yes, its with b/w.I bought one yesterday.

Could you let us know where you bought it from at these prices?

[dhirajs]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

Could you let us know where you bought it from at these prices?

Got it from Sound FX,Andheri East,Mumbai.

location

[ms001]

Originally Posted by deepakchiniwal

What was the cost for X333 and x555?

4.5k and 5.8k respectively with B&W autoshop koramangala

[BlackRaven]

Originally Posted by deepakchiniwal

Where in Bangalore are you? I am looking to get either the JBL or Kenwood.

Whitefield. I am open to getting it anywhere in BLR for 3k with B & W.

[deepakchiniwal]

I picked up a kenwood KDC-U446 for 5.7k last evening.
KDC-U446 | 1DIN Receivers | Car Electroics | Kenwood Corporation
Initial impressions: Awesome

[vgudale]

Any buyer of jbl headunit, please post the product performance!

[abk]

Originally Posted by DerAlte

@abk, have you checked the wiring and verified if it is done correctly?

1. If the wires are reversed, i.e. Yellow to ACC, and Red to Battery, it will either not switch off at all or lose settings since the (constant) Battery connection is what retains settings, and the ACC is used to control ON/OFF of the HU

2. If only the Red wire (ACC) is connected correctly, the set will switch ON and OFF correctly, but will not retain settings

3. If only the Yellow wire (Battery) is connected correctly, it will never switch ON (it needs ACC leading edge to switch ON, respectively trailing edge to switch OFF) - not possible in your case

I must admit my description of the likely scenario is not very clear, but in any case check the wiring thoroughly before inferring that the HU is at fault. One doesn't need a large capacitor as you surmised, since the control chip does not draw too much power and can retain info for 10's of seconds when power line goes down (Vcc goes below permissible).

In case wiring is proper, you will need a visit to the service center to check further.

Dear DerAlte, thank you for your help & the information! The problem has healed by itself. My theory post event is - the battery of my car is rather weak. So although the connections were done correctly, however, during ignition the current drawn from the already weak battery was all the lion's share perching up the supply to the HU. However, as the car was being driven around the battery held up enough power to sustain the HU even during ignition.

Originally Posted by vgudale

Any buyer of jbl headunit, please post the product performance!

Upfront disclaimer: Am no audiophile.

• For Rs. 3,750/- i would probably not find a better sounding HU from a brand as known.
• My this car is santro with OEM front speakers & Pioneer 6x9 co-axials on the rear parcel tray. The last HU was Kenwood (I suppose KDC-333) that was burgled. I loved the sound. It buzzed of the right balance of bass, mid-range & treble notes. The bass was "tight". If i were to compare based on the VFM, to a certain degree i loved the set up more than the OEM audio set up in my BMW 540i (E39), except the auditorium like "warmth" of reverberation & the finesse of the treble The JBL GT-X333 is better blended than the Kenwood but at the loss of the tightness of the bass.
• Reads very fast off 8GB Micro SD & 4 GB USB pendrive
• Pause & Mute buttons appear to me as transposed
• Like many others one of my gripes is the clock display cannot be set to always-on. Anyone aware of any firmware upgrades?
• Display is too dim during daylight
• Only 3 frequency bands to choose from for setting up the custom equaliser. 5, i think, is a must!
• ID3 tag info limited to 32B. Not sure if most others display upto 64B
• Also, I found the unit heats up fairly quickly

.
A note on my buying experience: I ordered the unit online from carplus.in. The experience of their customer service was superb. For Rs. 3,750/- the unit arrived in very good condition (shipping included) & works like it should. I will highly recommend the site for shopping.

[k2max6]

Originally Posted by vgudale

Any buyer of jbl headunit, please post the product performance!

1st Impression - Looks Good, has 3 pre-outs , sounds good, is from JBL.
No need of spending more on any other HU as i dont need the cd player at all.
Got it for 4k from reliance Autozone in Gurgaon.

After 15 Days (Now)
The system isn't as user friendly.
(As compared to the alpine 9846E that i am using in my other car)

The buttons are hard.

Daylight visibility is poor .
(I wouldn't have bought it if i had seen it earlier,I have installed it in my Wagon R ,it might be better in other cars depending on the location of the HU)

While searching it starts displaying the song name from the first alphabet from right to left in a scrolling manner.You have to wait to read the name and then move to the next one.It would have been better if it could display the first few alphabets that fit the screen and then start scrolling.

System does not remember if it was in pause or mute state after restarting the car.

Clock isn't permanently displayed even if you want.(I knew it from the beginning and am ok with it.)

Sometimes i regret that i should have spent a little more to get a better HU.
Even 2k more would have done a lot.

Although it seems like a post to bash X-333, i don't hate it, neither do i like it.

[k2max6]

One point i could not add :
It is 100% VFM although.You cant get anything better in 4k.
The things i have stated above if their in the HU would have made it a perfect HU for my needs.

[Rehaan]

Originally Posted by vgudale

Any buyer of jbl headunit, please post the product performance!

Like most others have said. Cons :
- Clock does not display continuously
- Random setting does not stay remembered!
- Advanced functions like search are not very intuitive
- Low visibility during daylight

That said, i'm very happy with the sound quality, the looks (classier in real life than in pics IMO), powerful volume output level, speed of operation, remote control (came as a pleasant surprise to me!), fine adjustments for volume/treb/mid/bass/fade/balance, etc

At a 3.75k pricepoint - its pretty awesome! (I paid 4.5k for mine)

cya
R

[vkochar]

Just got a 333 in the courier Thanks !!!!

It looks so much better in reality than pictures.

I am getting it installed in my Verna this morning. Will post photos and first experience.

I have Rockford Fosgates in the rear and front. No amp. Currently have a CD MP3 only Alpine HU which does not take any USB's or Aux In's. That is the reason for the change as was fed up of writing CD's.

Will go to the local stereo guy and get it replaced at 11.