The wealth of in-dash CD receivers currently available to the car audio shopper is truly staggering. Crutchfield alone carries over 150 different head units, ranging in price from just over $100 to over $2,000. To make choosing a single receiver even more challenging, most of the models within a given price range tend to offer comparable features and performance that can make it difficult to choose between them.

So, when Blaupunkt's San Francisco CD72 arrived on my desk, my first question was, "What makes this head unit stand out from the rest of the pack?"

A high-end receiver
The San Francisco CD72 is Blaupunkt's top-of-the-line model, selling for $549.99 — designed to compete against the best that other manufacturers have to offer. In that ballpark, you'd better show up with your best game on, or you won't last long. Initially, I was disappointed to learn that the San Francisco does not play MP3 files; but, after spending a week with it, it's clear that this receiver has most of the bells and whistles you'd ever want (plus a few you probably never thought of):

• a powerful internal amplifier that cranks out 33 watts RMS per channel, more power than any other receiver in its class;
• Digital Sound Adjustment — utilizes four equalizers and an included microphone to evaluate your vehicle's acoustics and adjust the sound contour to match your interior. You can then fine-tune the settings with a 4-band parametric EQ;
• Dynamic Noise Covering (DNC) — boosts or cuts frequencies affected by increased speed or road noise;
• TwinCeiver digital AM/FM radio tuner system;
• six built-in EQ settings (Vocal, Disco, Rock, Jazz, Classical, and Linear); 5 sound effects (Cathedral, Theatre, Concert Hall, Club and Stadium); and a couple of stage effects that manipulate the soundstaging from left to right.

Powerful guts
There's a lot of power and sound-shaping muscle here. Ordinarily, I have more than enough power in my 1996 Ford Ranger to satisfy even my most violent urges. Once I installed the new receiver, I put it to "The Test" — Rage Against the Machine's first album. Believe me, I was extremely happy with the power as the first raucous riff of "Bombtrack" exploded in my ears, and there was plenty of clean headroom left on the volume knob.

Softkeys
The intelligent layout of the display makes it easy to navigate through menus and tweak the sound. The multipurpose "Softkeys" eliminate the clutter of lots of little buttons designated for separate functions. Each button takes on a new function as you drill down through the menus. The result is a sleek, sophisticated appearance that understates this receiver's prodigious capabilities.

I had my EQs set and the radio configured before I cracked the instruction book (always a good sign). The Softkeys allow you to access a wide variety of sonic controls. My first move — pump up the level on my sub to maximize the power of guitarist Tom Morello's and bassist Timmy C.'s gutty riffs!