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.
