Six years ago, you'd have to work hard to find a decent car CD player priced at under $150. And any CD player in that price range offered the following features: CD playback, AM/FM reception, bass and treble controls, and, if you were really lucky, a remote control. Period. But factory audio systems in new cars keep getting better, so car stereo manufacturers are trying to make their lower-priced models more attractive to buyers.

To give you an idea of how much the basic car stereo has changed in the last six years, we'll take a look at some inexpensive CD players from four popular brands: Pioneer's DEH-2800MP, Kenwood's KDC-MP232, JVC's KD-G320, and Sony's CDX-GT200. In addition to the features listed above, each of these four car stereos offers:

• a suggested price of under $130;
• playback of CD-Rs and CD-RWs, including discs loaded with MP3 and WMA music files;
• extensive equalization options, including preset EQ curves;
• connections for outboard amplifiers.

The laundry list

I'm not going to compare signal-to-noise ratios, slew rates, or other esoteric specs in this article. Instead, I'm looking for the little things that you take for granted when you own a well-designed car stereo, but can drive you crazy on a daily basis if they aren't there. Here's my laundry list:

• Control panel: Do I have to move my hand around a lot to make audio changes? Can I access basic tone changes without a lot of effort? Is there a loudness button for quiet listening? Can I pause a CD if someone's talking on a cell phone?
• Learning curve: Can I figure out most of the features on this stereo just by looking at it? Are important functions labelled clearly so somebody else can play music without too much effort?
• Music file playback: Can I figure out how to move from folder to folder and file to file just by looking at the display? And, when I'm looking for one particular song, can I keep my eyes on the road most of the time?
• Radio: Can I make my way easily from one strong station to the next? Doesn't sound like much to ask, but it can be challenging on some stereos.
• Connectivity: Will this stereo allow me to expand my system later? Can I add a CD changer or satellite radio? Can I listen to a portable player or some other outboard source through this stereo? Will it work with my iPod?

If you haven't guessed yet, I hate manuals. It really irks me when I can't access a function or make an adjustment on a car stereo without resorting to a manual. I'm not being technophobic, I just think that ease of use is important to most people buying an inexpensive car stereo. I appreciate the thought that goes into creating a car stereo that you can use day after day without getting irritated. So I vowed to check out each of these stereos without cracking open a manual, and I judged them in great part on that basis.

The procedure

I went through the same procedure as I tested each CD player:

1) With all tone controls set at zero and EQ curves set flat, I played a couple of familiar tracks to get a feel for the quality of the built-in amplifier: Pump Me Up, by Krosfyah, a very cool track from a great band from Barbados, and Straight to Hell, a barnburner from Hank Williams III. I turned up the volume until my speakers started to distort, then checked with a decibel meter to see how much clean power (headroom) each stereo offered.
2) I played a disc full of MP3 files to check out the stereo's ability to navigate through the folders and files efficiently.
3) I tuned the stereo to two strong local AM and FM stations, then to two weaker distant stations.
4) I checked out the remote control, if included, to see how easy it was to operate. Then I tried to find the buttons with my eyes closed.

Here's what I found.

Pioneer's DEH-2800MP

Appearance: Functional, with a small, but easy-to-read display — the Plain Jane of the bunch. You'll find no knobs on the Spartan exterior, as all adjustments are made with buttons.

CD Playback: The Pioneer read my CDs a little more quickly than the other three stereos, taking only a couple of seconds to pull up the first track. With tone controls set flat, the Pioneer has a full, warm sound, noticeably less bright than the other three. I wonder if Pioneer intentionally voices the stereo with a little more bass and a little less treble so it sounds better next to other stereos in a retail store display case.

Pioneer rates the built-in amp at 22 watts RMS per channel, but this is not a CEA-2006 compliant rating. Cranked up, the Pioneer continued to display plenty of low-end muscle but lacked a little bit of sparkle and spaciousness in the higher frequencies — nothing that a little tone adjustment wouldn't cure, though. It's easy to find the "Pause" button, an often overlooked but very convenient little feature.

MP3 Playback: It was very easy to navigate through the files and folders on my test disc. Without looking at the manual, it took me a minute or two to switch the display so I could read folder and song titles. The relatively small readout is limited to displaying just a few characters at a time. The Pioneer offers a couple of processing options: compression and BMX. The two compression settings actually seemed very useful — I could listen to a folder that contained quiet and loud songs without having to adjust the volume up and down. Without the manual, I couldn't figure out how to activate the BMX settings which "control sound reverberations to give your music a fuller sound." But maybe that was for the best.

AM/FM: AM reception was good, and it seemed as if the Pioneer's slight high-frequency deficiency served to eliminate some of the static on the distant station. FM reception was excellent, especially impressive on the distant station, and getting from one station to the next was a breeze with the Pioneer's control setup.

Ergonomics: I love the Pioneer's control setup. Audio adjustments are not made with the volume control, so you can switch to the audio menu, make an adjustment, and then turn up the volume immediately without having to work your way through the menu first. Very nice. Audio controls are split left and right on the faceplate, which means you have to move your hand to make adjustments — not a huge deal, but slightly annoying when you're driving.

The built-in EQ curves are way too dramatic, but once you change an EQ curve, it stays changed. That means you can come up with several usable variations that work for you, including one for CD and one for radio. Unfortunately, Pioneer doesn't include a remote control with this model.

Connectivity: The worst of the bunch. This stereo does not have a changer port, so it's not compatible with any Pioneer add-ons. You'll find one set of preamp outputs for hooking up an amplifier.

Kenwood's KDC-MP232

Appearance: A very sharp-looking stereo that features a decently large display, a huge volume knob on the left, and a unique joystick-style control knob on the right.

CD Playback: The Kenwood took a little longer to read a CD than the other three stereos, as long as 5 or 6 seconds — a minor point, but one that can become annoying over time. With the tone controls set flat, the Kenwood's sound is brighter and a little less full than the Pioneer. Kenwood rates the built-in amp at 22 watts RMS per channel, but this is not a CEA-2006 compliant rating. It sounds great, but bring up the volume and you can tell that the Kenwood doesn't have quite as much power (45 watts peak) as the other three. The amplifier sounds a little bit harsh when it's pushed really, really hard.

The Kenwood's EQ curves are really well-voiced, much less dramatic and more usable than those on the other three stereos. And that's a good thing, because when you change an EQ curve, it reverts back to the factory setting once you leave it. Maybe there's some way around this, but I sure didn't want to open up that manual to find out. You have to push the volume knob in order to access the audio menu, not exactly intuitive. The "Pause" button is also well-hidden — it's incorporated into the joystick control — but it works great once you find it.

MP3 Playback: It took some experimenting to find my way through the files and folders in my disc. It turns out that you navigate with the joystick control, and it works very well once you figure that out. I could not figure out how to get the stereo to display folder and song titles.

AM/FM: AM and FM reception are both very good, and the little joystick knob really worked great for getting from station to station.

Ergonomics: Audio controls are split right and left, so you have to move your hand across the faceplate to make changes. The audio menu is accessed through the volume knob, so once you make a change, you have to continue all the way through the menu to adjust your volume again. Annoying. I could never figure out how to access the loudness feature, even after I broke down and opened up the manual.

The joystick control works very well, but it's a little tough to make fine adjustments when you're bouncing down an interstate at 70 mph, and I worry about its long-term durability. The remote control is the best of the bunch — it's easy to use and it boasts a full number pad. I will say, after looking through the manual, that this Kenwood has a lot to offer if you're willing to spend a little time getting to know it. I found a bunch of useful features mentioned in the manual that are not visible on the faceplate.

Connectivity: The strongest of the bunch. The KDC-MP232 works with a CD changer, HD Radio™ tuner, SIRIUS and XM satellite radio, and an iPod® interface. You'll find one set of preamp outputs for an outboard amp, and you can also buy an adapter that converts the CD changer connection to an auxiliary input.

JVC's KD-G320

Appearance: The most striking of these four stereos. Two big control knobs, a large display, and a bright silver exterior.

CD Playback: The JVC reads discs very quickly, and the built-in amplifier produces a clean, clear sound with lots of definition and detail. JVC rates the built-in amp at 18 watts RMS per channel, CEA-2006 compliant. When I brought the level up, the JVC really hung in there, with enough headroom to stay focused at high volume. There's no midrange control on this stereo, which can be a hindrance when you're listening to bootlegs or poorly-recorded CDs. And you won't find a "Pause" button on this stereo, just an "Attenuation" button that drops the volume instantly.

MP3 Playback: The control knob made folder and file navigation a breeze on this stereo, and the title information showed up clearly on the large display. I was able to get the titles to scroll on this unit immediately, something that took a little experimenting with the other stereos.

AM/FM: I thought the KD-G320 did the best job with AM reception — it offered a little brighter sound with better suppression of static. FM reception was also exceptional. It hauled in stations on a par with the other three, but to my ears the sound quality was a shade better — more highs and totally free of static and interference when tuned to a strong station.

Ergonomics: The best of the bunch. The two control knobs are on the left hand side, so the driver can keep his or her hand in one spot, making adjustments by feel, not by looking over at the faceplate. You access the audio menu through the smaller control knob and the volume through the larger, so it's easy to make adjustments on the fly. The loudness feature is easily accessed. The preset EQ curves are the worst of the bunch, but you can adjust each one to your taste permanently. The little keychain remote works well, but it doesn't have a number pad.

Connectivity: The JVC offers good connectivity, as it's compatible with XM and SIRIUS satellite radio, an iPod interface, and a CD changer. You'll find two sets of preamp outputs for hooking up your amplifiers. Plus, you can set the rear outputs to "Subwoofer" mode, which lets you adjust crossover point and level from the stereo — very convenient if you have a powered sub. You can also buy an adapter that gives you a rear auxiliary input.

Sony's CDX-GT200

Appearance: Very nice looking receiver, with a large volume knob/select button. Also, the Sony's the only one in the lot with a front panel auxiliary input, a wonderful feature if you want to listen to an outboard source like an iPod through your car stereo.

CD Playback: The Sony read my CDs quickly, and the sound was great — very full bass and great detail in the high frequencies. Sony rates the built-in amp at 17 watts RMS per channel, and this is a CEA-2006 compliant rating. It was a close call, but I'd say that the Sony's built-in amplifier was the most impressive of the four. The midrange control comes in handy if you listen to a lot of off-the-wall stuff (bootleg live recordings, for instance), but there is no loudness feature in this unit.

You'll find a subwoofer level control in the audio menu, very convenient if you're using a powered sub. For the most part, the built-in EQ curves work well, and you can change them to your taste permanently. The CD mechanism was a little noisy, but who's going to hear that in a moving vehicle?

MP3 Playback: The Sony seemed to be the most MP3-friendly. The controls are so easy to figure out that I didn't have to think for a second to find my way through a bunch of files and folders. The readout displayed track information effectively, and scrolled full song, artist, and album title information without much effort on my part.

AM/FM: AM reception was the worst of the bunch, dull-sounding but with excellent static rejection. FM reception, however, was excellent — very clean and static-free, and close to the JVC in terms of sound quality. Surfing through stations was also especially easy on the Sony.

Ergonomics: All audio controls are on the left, a big plus if you're driving. The Track Up and Down buttons live right next to the big volume knob, which is very convenient, but you have to use the volume knob to make audio adjustments, which can be a little rough when you're in a moving vehicle. Over and over, I found myself changing the tone when I thought I was adjusting the volume. The EQ curves were a little dramatic, but you can change them to your taste permanently. The remote works very nicely, and offers a "1-6" number pad.

Connectivity: The Sony doesn't have a CD changer port, so it doesn't offer much in the way of connectivity. But I love the convenience of the front panel aux input, and the single set of preamp outputs can be switched to "Subwoofer" mode so you can tune your powered sub through the stereo's audio menu.

The desert island test

I had a blast playing with all four of these versatile stereos, and it's really hard to pick a favorite. I invited four friends to check them out, and each picked a different model as a favorite. I thought that the Sony did the best job with MP3/WMA discs, and its front auxiliary input is a big plus. If you plan on building a system, the Kenwood offers the most options for expansion. The Pioneer was a jack-of-all-trades, performing very well in every job category but not scoring a knockout in any one of them.

But, if I had to drive on a desert island until the end of time with one of these stereos, I would choose the JVC. It looks great, it offers great built-in power and good connectivity, it grabs onto radio stations like a rabid dog, and it's so simple you can run the thing in your sleep.

But folks, here's the good part: at under $130, you just can't lose with any of these remarkable machines. Ain't capitalism great?