Rockford Fosgate RFX9000

...I would still recommend Rockford Fosgate as a brand to consider. Their products are generally a bit more expensive, but overall I am pleased with the quality, especially of the sound. However, I hope the problems with the MP3 playback (clicks and clipped intro) have been improved, as the technology has become more mainstream.  ... more

Installation

The player is a standard "DIN" size, so was easy to fit. It was also necessary to buy a DIN adaptor cable for my car. The player "snaps" into position and requires a metal key to remove it. There is also a removable control panel for security, however, the documentation doesn't state that this is uniquely paired with the main unit.

Quality (appearance, build)

The quality of the unit is generally high. The display is nice and smart, having a fairly non-distracting sound level indication (nothing too fancy), and nice deep red and blue colours, rather than the washed-out colours of some cheaper units. Unfortunately the quality is a bit let down by the very light and plasticky volume control (which after about 2 years has become a bit unresponsive). It can sometimes be a bit awkward taking off and removing the front panel, but is OK after some careful practice. CDs do occasionally get slightly stuck on the way out - they should come out to the half-way point, but often only come out by about an inch - this means you need to pull them and will inevitably touch the bottom of the CD.

It has a smart drop-down mechanism for accessing the hidden slot for inserting/removing a CD. Although this isn't a flashy motorised system, it nearly always gets an "ooh" from my passengers!

Quality (sound)

Sound quality from the CD player is very good, likewise from the radio. However, a very bumpy road can occasionally cause the CD player to repeat the last second.

The player includes a sound booster "punch" mode, similar to a loudness button. However, even with my relatively quiet tastes, the sound output is a bit feeble without this switched on. It is more than adequate with it, however. In addition, there are the usual volume, bass, treble, balance and front/rear fader controls, which are remembered separately for radio and CD/MP3.

The main reason I bought this unit was because, at the time, it was one of the lowest cost, highly rated in-car MP3 CD players. The MP3 playback is generally good, and never skips on a bumpy road. Occasionally, I have heard slight clicks during the playback, especially of MP3s I have created using the "LAME" encoder - this seems to improve if the checksum option is enabled. However, the clicks are not present when the MP3 is played on a PC, so the CD player would appear to be at fault here. Additionally, the first second of each MP3 is clipped - if there is a second of silence or a slow fade in, you won't notice, otherwise this can be annoying.

Ease of use

The control panel is generally intuitive and easy to use, following general conventional interface design. Unlike many in-car players, there are ten numbered preset buttons, although the presets 7-0 are accessed via a "shift"-style button, these buttons having other purposes otherwise. In addition, most of the buttons have a different action depending on whether you briefly press them, or hold the button down.

Recommendation?

I would have recommended this to potential buyers at the time I bought it, but this model is no longer available new. Also, there are now units that support other formats, such as WMA, and DVDs for additional storage. I would still recommend Rockford Fosgate as a brand to consider. Their products are generally a bit more expensive, but overall I am pleased with the quality, especially of the sound. However, I hope the problems with the MP3 playback (clicks and clipped intro) have been improved, as the technology has become more mainstream. 

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