Display Features
Audio Section
Radio Functions
Disc Playback
USB/iPod Connectivity
AV Connections
Bluetooth/Remote Control
Display Features
2-DIN Chassis: The Clarion VX401 has a 2-DIN chassis (also
known as "Double DIN" or size DD), and will fit in many vehicles with a large
dash opening. The unit can be ISO-mounted using your vehicle's factory radio
brackets and the supplied hardware. There is also an optional custom double-DIN
sleeve (0202DBKT,
sold separately) available for this unit that will allow you to mount the VX401
in a custom 4" opening.
Note: As always, please consult the
Crutchfield Car Selector to verify fit with your vehicle.
6.2" Touch Panel TFT Display: The Clarion VX401 has an
integrated 6.2" TFT wide screen display with touch panel controls. The display
provides a high-resolution video monitor for watching your DVD videos. The
screen has a total pixel count of 1,152,000 pixels. The display features
brightness and shape (4:3 or 16:9) adjustment. The unit's touch panel features
interactive controls making menu navigation easy.
Touch Panel Controlled GUI: The GUI (Graphical User Interface) shows
large icons that are highly visible and easily recognizable at a glance. And
thanks to the touch panel screen, accessing each function is as intuitive as
touching its icon. This very straightforward system lets the driver keep his
attention on the road, and enables front seat passengers to use any desired
function without the need to "learn" anything. What's more, since the vast
majority of functions are controllable from the touch panel, there are only 4 physical buttons on the unit for the most basic and commonly-used functions.
Parking Brake Detection: To prevent displaying video while
the vehicle is in motion, the bright green wire in the supplied harness must be
connected to the vehicle's parking brake detection circuit. While the vehicle is
in motion (parking brake off), you can still view all of the other displays and
menus.
Anti-Theft Code: You may program the unit with a 4 digit security code. Once
the unit has been programmed with a security code, the code must be entered to
use the unit after it has been disconnected from power.
Audio Section
24-bit D/A Converter: The unit's 24-bit D/A converter
re-quantizes the 16-bit audio signals from CDs and DVDs as 24-bit data while
maintaining the low distortion and linearity of a 1-bit D/A converter. This
allows an expanded dynamic range and clearer reproduction of subtle nuances,
for a richer sound when viewing DVDs or listening to CDs.
MOSFET Amplifier: The Clarion VX401 is equipped with a
MOSFET amplifier. Compared to conventional power supplies, the MOSFET
amplification circuit is smaller and more efficient, and it delivers increased
power with less distortion and absolutely zero on/off switching noise. More
power means louder and cleaner music at higher volumes because you're not
pushing the limits of the amplification circuit.
CEA2006 Compliant: The power specifications for the VX401
are compliant with the CEA2006 Mobile Amplifier Power Testing and Measurement
standards from the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA). These standards were
developed as a way to equitably compare power specs from model to model and
between manufacturers. The power output specs for the VX401 are as follows:
- CEA2006 Specs: 18 watts RMS x 4 channels (at 4 ohms,
20Hz-20kHz, 1% THD-N)
- Maximum Power Output: 40 watts x 4 channels (160 watts
total)
Audio Settings: The Clarion VX401 offers the following audio
adjustments.
- Preset EQ: Flat, Jazz, Pop, or Classical
- Bass and Treble: Independent and variable bass (60, 80,
100, or 200Hz) and treble (10, 12.5, 15, or 17.5kHz) control (+/- 7 dB); you
can also adjust the Bass Q-Factor to 1.0, 1.25, 1.5, or 2.0.
- Loudness: Compensates for low and high tones during low
volume.
6-Channel Preamp Output: With 3 sets of RCA outputs, you are
free to add external power amplifiers to create a more powerful, sophisticated
audio system. The multimedia head unit is equipped
with stereo front, rear and subwoofer preamp outputs for connecting the unit to
an external amplifier.
Subwoofer Controls: Independent volume control is enabled for the
subwoofer preamp output so you can adjust the level of bass output to your
liking at any time, regardless of the output level of the other channels. The subwoofer preamp output's level can be adjusted
independently from -9 to +9 dB. The VX401 also features a low pass filter for
the subwoofer preamp output. You can select between 80Hz, 120Hz or 160Hz.
Beep: The in-dash head unit provides an audible beep to
confirm button operation. This function can be turned On or Off.
Radio Functions
AM/FM Tuner: The Clarion VX401 is equipped with a built-in
AM/FM tuner. The VX401 offers Seek, Scan, Manual, and Preset tuning.
Preset Tuning: The VX401's built-in AM/FM tuner
features 3 FM bands and 1 AM band. You can store up to 12 presets in each bands,
allowing you to store 36 FM and 12 AM preset stations. You can manually store
your favorite presets or have the VX401 automatically store the strongest
stations for you.
Preset Scan: The Preset Scan
receives the stations stored in the units' preset memory in order. The unit
scans each station for 10 seconds sequentially. This function is useful when
searching for the desired station in memory.
Local Seeking: When Local seeking
is turned "On", only those radio stations with strong radio signal can be
received.
HD Radio Ready: Connecting the optional Clarion THD400 HD
Radio tuner (020THD400, sold separately) lets you enjoy listening to digitally
broadcast radio programs with superior sound quality and text information (such
as artist name and song titles or traffic news; viewable on the head unit's
display). HD Radio technology, where available, offers higher quality sound than
conventional analog broadcasts and receives text data. HD Radio provides FM
broadcasts that are equal to CD sound quality and AM broadcasts that are as good
as analog FM stereo broadcasts. HD Radio also provides a variety of data,
including station name, song title, artist name, album name, etc. No
subscription fees required.
Note: Right now there are about 2,000 radio stations
broadcasting using digital HD Radio technology in the U.S. To find HD Radio
stations in your area, visit the HD Radio website (HDRadio.com).
iTunes Tagging: The add-on HD Radio tuner (sold separately) includes
iTunes Tagging capability. iTunes Tagging allows you to "tag" songs heard over
HD Radio. iTunes Tagging saves the song's title and metadata to your connected
iPod/iPhone (you may store up to 64 tags in the memory). When the iPod/iPhone is
synced to iTunes, a playlist is generated with links to the iTunes Store where
the song can be purchased and downloaded.
Note: This function can be operated with the following
iPod/iPhone models - iPod nano (3rd/4th/5th/6th gen), iPod
classic (80/120/160GB), iPod touch (1st/2nd/3rd/4th gen), and iPhone
(2G/3G/3GS/4).
Sirius Direct: You can connect the Clarion VX401 to the
SiriusConnect SC-C1 Sirius Satellite Radio Receiver (607SCC1,
sold separately) without any need for a interface box and enjoy over 130
channels of music, news, talk shows, sports and traffic information with digital
quality sound throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Note: A subscription to Sirius Satellite Radio is
required for service.
Disc Playback
Disc Slot: The Clarion VX401 has a front-loading disc-slot
to make loading your disc easier, because there is no panel to slide or
fold-down.
Electronic Skip Protection: The Clarion VX401 provides
electronic skip protection for your CD-Audio discs (10-seconds), as well as your
discs containing MP3 (45-seconds) and WMA (90-seconds) audio files.
Disc Compatibility: The VX401 can play back the following
types of discs:
- CD: CD-Audio, CD-Text, CD-R,
CD-RW
- DVD: DVD-Video, DVD+R, DVD+RW,
DVD-R, DVD-RW
MP3/WMA Playback: This unit can play MP3 (32-320 kbps)
and WMA (32-320 kbps)
files recorded on CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, and DVD+RW discs ISO 9660 Level 1 or 2 format. The player can recognize up to 8
hierarchical levels, 200 folders, and 1500 files per folder (1500 total files). The head unit also supports ID3 Tag information (Ver. 1.0, 1.1, 2.3, 2.4) which
will display the title, artist, and album information when recorded on the disc.
Playback Operations: The Clarion VX401 offers the following DVD and CD
playback operations -
- Track List: This function allows you to select audio
tracks from a displayed list of tracks.
- Direct Search: You can locate the beginning of a movie
scene using the time, chapter numbers, or title numbers recorded on a DVD
video disc. You can also select a specific track on a music disc.
- Skip Search: Chapters or Tracks are
skipped down or up from the current location, as many times as the key is
pressed, and then playback starts.
- Fast Forward/Rewind: The VX401 offers a variable fast
forward and rewind function. You can select between 2x, 4x, 8x, or 16x.
- Scan: The first 10 seconds of each music track on the disc is
played.
- Repeat: This operation plays back chapters, titles, or
tracks recorded on a disc repeatedly. You can also select A-B repeat in
order to repeat a desired passage of video on DVD disc.
- Shuffle: This function allows you to randomly playback
audio tracks or files recorded on a disc.
Switching Angles: On DVD
disc in which video images have been recorded in two or more angle, you can
switch among the angles during playback.
Parental Lock: Like home DVD players, you can set password
protected viewing restrictions. This function allows cutting scenes that are
inappropriate for children, or replacing them automatically with other scenes
prepared in advance. There are 8 levels of parental lock that are protected by
a custom user 4-digit password.
Auto Reload: If a disc is left in the ejected position for 10 seconds,
the disc is automatically reloaded.
Mounting Angle: For proper disc playback, you must install the unit
within 30-degrees of horizontal.
USB/iPod Connectivity
USB Port: The head unit features a rear panel USB port
(attached to a 7" pigtail) that
allows you to connect and play USB Mass Storage devices loaded with MP3 and WMA
audio files. This unit supports USB 2.0/1.1 Full-Speed and FAT12/16/32 file
systems. The multimedia head unit will support MP3 files with a bit rate of
32-320 kbps and WMA files with a bit rate of 32-192 kbps. The player can
recognize up to 8 hierarchical levels, 200 folders, and 1500 files per folder
(1500 total files). The VX401 offers the following playback operation
of your USB Mass Storage device - Play, Pause, Track selection,
Fast-forward/backward, Scan play, Repeat play, Random play and Folder selection.
The head unit also supports ID3 Tag information (Ver. 1.0, 1.1, 2.3, 2.4) which
will display the title, artist, and album information when recorded to the USB
device.
iPod/iPhone Connectivity: The optional Clarion
CCA-748 iPod/iPhone connector cable (020CCA748, sold
separately) allows the VX401 to connect to your iPod via the head unit's
rear-panel USB port and A/V input. Using the optional iPod/iPhone connector cable,
the VX401 supports audio/video playback, control, information display, and
charging of select iPods and iPhones. If you only need audio playback, you can
simply use the USB/Dock cable supplied with your iPod.
- USB Connection: The USB connection allows your iPod/iPhone's
stored music to be loaded instantly to the head unit and sound quality to be
maximized through the head unit's 24-bit D/A converter, allowing for a
Signal-to-Noise ratio up to 87dB.
- Audio/Video Playback: The Clarion multimedia head unit supports
both audio/video playback from compatible iPod or iPhone. Using your iPod or
iPhone's USB/Dock cable you can enjoy audio playback of music stored on your iPod or iPhone. Using the optional Clarion
iPod/iPhone connector cable (sold separately), you can also enjoy video
playback of movies, TV shows, and music videos stored on your iPod or
iPhone. Video can only be displayed while the vehicle is in park (the unit
will display "Audio Only" when your vehicle is in motion).
- Media Navigation: You can control your iPod/iPhone from
the multimedia head unit. You can
browse your iPod/iPhone's music library by Artist, Album, Song, Genre,
Playlist, or Composer. You can browse your iPod/iPhone's video content by
Movie, Music Video, TV Show, Video Podcast, or Rented Movie. You can also select random and repeat
functions for a certain song or specific folder. Your iPod/iPhone's controls
will be locked while connected.
- Music Information: The multimedia head unit will display your
iPod/iPhone's music file information, including - Track number, Elapsed
playing time, Song Title, Artist Name, Album Title and Album Art.
- Charging: While connected and the ignition switch is set to ACC
or ON, the multimedia head unit's USB connection will power and charge your
connected iPod/iPhone.
Note: If your iPod/iPhone has no initial battery charge, then the
unit will not recognize it. In this case, you will need to charge your iPod/iPhone's
battery before connecting it to this unit.
iPod/iPhone Compatibility Chart: The Clarion VX401 is "Made for
iPod/iPhone" compatible and supports the following iPod/iPhone model features
when connected to the optional Clarion iPod/iPhone connector cable (as of
November
2011):
|
iPod/iPhone Model |
Generation |
Tested Version |
Media Type |
Control Type |
Display Type |
Charge |
|
Audio |
Video |
Head Unit |
iPod/iPhone |
Song/Artist Text |
Track Info |
|
dock connector |
3rd |
N/A |
N |
N |
N |
N |
N |
N |
N |
clickwheel
color |
4th |
N/A |
N |
N |
N |
N |
N |
N |
N |
|
mini |
1st |
N/A |
N |
N |
N |
N |
N |
N |
N |
| 2nd |
N/A |
N |
N |
N |
N |
N |
N |
N |
|
video |
5th |
1.3 |
Y |
Y |
Y |
N |
Y |
Y |
Y |
|
classic |
80GB |
1.1.2 |
Y |
Y |
Y |
N |
Y |
Y |
Y |
|
120GB |
2.0.1 |
Y |
Y |
Y |
N |
Y |
Y |
Y |
|
160GB |
2.0.4 |
Y |
Y |
Y |
N |
Y |
Y |
Y |
|
nano |
1st |
1.3.1 |
Y |
N |
Y |
N |
Y |
Y |
Y |
|
2nd |
1.1.3 |
Y |
N |
Y |
N |
Y |
Y |
Y |
|
3rd |
1.1.3 |
Y |
Y |
Y |
N |
Y |
Y |
Y |
|
4th |
1.0.4 |
Y |
Y |
Y |
N |
Y |
Y |
Y |
|
5th |
1.0.2 |
Y |
Y |
Y |
N |
Y |
Y |
Y |
|
6th |
1.1 PC |
Y |
N |
Y |
N |
Y |
Y |
Y |
|
touch |
1st |
2.2.1 |
Y |
Y |
Y |
N |
Y |
Y |
Y |
|
2nd |
4.2.1 |
Y |
Y |
Y |
N |
Y |
Y |
Y |
|
3rd |
5.0.1 |
Y |
Y |
Y |
N |
Y |
Y |
Y |
|
4th |
5.0.1 |
Y |
Y |
Y |
N |
Y |
Y |
Y |
|
iPhone |
2G |
3.1.2 |
Y |
Y |
Y |
N |
Y |
Y |
Y |
|
3G |
3.1.3 |
Y |
Y |
Y |
N |
Y |
Y |
Y |
|
3GS |
4.3.5 |
Y |
Y |
Y |
N |
Y |
Y |
Y |
|
4 |
5.0.1 |
Y |
Y |
Y |
N |
Y |
Y |
Y |
|
4S |
5.0.1 |
Y |
Y |
Y |
N |
Y |
Y |
Y |
Note: Apple iPod/iPhone software updates may change
functionality results. If you download a newer software version, you may
need to reset the head unit and your iPod/iPhone to regain functionality. If
this doesn't work, you may need to
wait until a newer software update is available.
AV Connection
Front and Rear AV Inputs: The Clarion VX401 is equipped with
AV input terminals on the front and rear of the unit to enable enjoyment of
content from an external connected source. The rear composite video/stereo RCA
inputs are ideal for permanent installations, while the front AV minijack
(3.5mm) input will come in handy for quick connection of a portable audio/visual
source.
Note: The unit includes a 16" AV minijack-to-composite/stereo RCA
adapter cable.
Video Output: The VX401 is equipped with a single composite
video output for connecting a rear monitor.
Camera Input: The Camera Input consists of a Composite video
RCA jack for connecting an optional rear-view back-up camera. This RCA input
enables you to connect a rear-view camera to display the area behind your
vehicle. The increased view encourages and facilitates safer driving. When an
optional rearview camera is connected to this unit, the rear view image is
displayed on the screen when your vehicle is placed in reverse gear
(purple/white wire of harness must be connected to reverse light wire of
vehicle).
Navigation Ready: The optional Clarion NP401 hide-away navigation
system (020NP401, sold separately) can be connected to the VX401 directly and
controlled through its touch panel, allowing to upgrade this multimedia station
to a car navigation system at any time. The NP401 add-on navigation system
offers voice & visual guidance messages, along with high-resolution map displays
to assist you safely to your destination.
Bluetooth/Remote Control
Built-In Bluetooth: The
Clarion VX401 features built-in Bluetooth
Technology Bluetooth Ver 2.1+EDR). Bluetooth wireless technology enables voice and data to be sent via
a short-distant digital radio link (2.4GHz) up to approximately 33 feet. The
following Bluetooth Profiles are supported - HFP, HSP, A2DP, and AVRCP. With built-in
Bluetooth, you can wirelessly connect your Bluetooth capable mobile
phone to listen to calls through your car's audio system. You can also stream
audio from a Bluetooth enabled audio player. You can only pair (register) one
Bluetooth enabled device.
- Hands-free Communication (HFP/HSP): The VX401 supports wireless hands-free
communication for your Bluetooth enabled mobile phone. The VX401 allows you
to carry on a phone conversation from your Bluetooth enabled mobile phone
using the head unit's built-in microphone and your car audio speakers (the
head unit also features a microphone input for connecting an external
microphone: RCB-199, sold separately). The VX401 utilizes a Noise Canceller
feature to reduce noise generated during hands-free conversation. The
multimedia VX401 allows you to answer the call manually from the head unit or automatically. You can make a call from the VX401 using the
unit's on-screen 10-keypad, your transferred Phone Book, or a call history
data log of dialed and received calls. The unit also feature a redial
function.
- Audio Streaming (A2DP/AVRCP): The VX401 supports wireless music streaming
for transferring stereo music audio data that is processed as a steady and
continuous audible stream from your Bluetooth enabled phone or audio player
to the Clarion head unit and your car's audio system. You can listen to and
control music stored on your Bluetooth enabled phone or audio player. The
VX401 lets you control the following playback functions from your Bluetooth
compatible phone or audio player - Play, Pause, Stop, Track Search, Fast
Forward and Rewind.
Note: Not all Bluetooth enabled mobile cell-phones and
devices will be compatible with the VX401. Visit
Clarion Bluetooth Support for list of
current compatible cell-phones.
Wireless Remote Control: In addition to the unit's touch-panel
and hard-key controls, the VX401 comes supplied with an IR remote control for
wireless operation of the multimedia player. The remote control operates off of a
single CR2025 Lithium-cell 3V battery (included).
OEM Remote Ready: The unit also features an OEM steering
wheel remote control input on the rear of the unit to allow you to keep your
vehicle's radio steering wheel remote controls when used with the optional PAC
SWI-RC Steering Wheel Control Interface Adapter (541SWIRC,
sold separately); or the optional Metra ASWC Steering Wheel Control Interface
Adapter (120ASWC,
sold separately).
Note: Please consult Crutchfield's
Outfit My Car to see if your vehicle is compatible.