Eclipse, Simplified Navigation
January 2005The radio tuner is among the best in the aftermarket and can pull in weak stations without trouble. The audio output coming from the speaker-level outputs is strong and is also powerful compared with other aftermarket offerings. The only thing I was a little surprised by was the relatively low voltage coming out of the RCA outputs. I had to substantially turn up the gain on the Infinity 102a amplifier installed in the Miata. To audiophiles, this can mean additional background hiss courtesy of a higher noise floor. Luckily the Infinity amp is a quiet amp; even so, more background hiss was present in comparison to other aftermarket head units that I have tested in this car. Of course, with the engine running it was very hard to discern the difference.
The AVN2454 has one of the most easy-to-use graphic equalizers to hit the streets. The nine-band unit can be adjusted by simply pressing the frequency you want to tweak on the screen. You can literally tailor the sound for individual songs, easily. There are also DSP listening environment adjustments that allow the user to listen in a concert hall, cathedral, club or theater modes. Personally, this isn't my thing, but you may get a kick out of these effects.
Overall, the AVN2454 is a triumph that contains a feature-packed punch in one small box. Are there a few quirks with this unit? Yes, but they are easily reconciled. The bottom line is that you're not going to find all of these features in single box that any other company puts out.
So, if you are lucky enough to have a vehicle with space for double-DIN head unit (found in many popular Japanese and German vehicles), then the AVN2454 is definitely the multimedia control center for you. It has just about everything but the kitchen sink in one unit with no subchassis. -Brett Solomon
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