to get spoiled by the great sound quality of
the HD Radio broadcasts. The difference is
quite dramatic, both in terms of sound qual-
ity and reception. If you have not heard HD
Radio, give it a try. These days it’s all I want to
listen to when it comes to local radio.
Of course, the tuner is just one section of
the CZ401’s playback capabilities. Naturally,
it will also play back CDs, recordable discs
and MP3 or WMA files, either on a disc or
stored in a USB drive. The CZ401 is “Made
for iPod/iPhone” and is fully compatible with
most generations of Classic, Nano, Touch,
or iPhone devices via the USB port located
discreetly behind a folding door on the front
panel. In addition to charging your Apple
device, the CZ401 will also display the title
information of the selected track via its easy
to read two-line, 10-character display.
For those who want more, the Clarion
CZ401 also provides the ability to directly
connect a Sirius SC-C1 satellite radio tuner,
with no additional interface required. An
auxiliary input jack also on the front panel
provides yet another input for other audio
devices. Regardless of what your connectiv-
ity requirements are, chances are this unit
will have you covered!
The front panel is removable for security
purposes, and for convenience, a wireless
remote control is also supplied.
So you’re thinking, ‘wow, this thing has
a ton of features for the price, they must
have really skimped on the audio section.’
Nope, that would be dead wrong.
In fact, the CZ401 has an audio section
that would make an audiophile proud. In
addition to the built in four-channel MOSFET
amplifier that is rated at 18 watts per chan-
nel into 4 ohms, the CZ401 also boasts front,
rear and subwoofer outputs, rated at 4 volts!
And they didn’t stop there. Also onboard
are Clarion’s fully customizable “Beat EQ”,
“Magna Bass EX”, and built-in adjustable
PERFORMANCE AUTO & SOUND – PASMAG.COM
72
R E P O R T
T
T
E
S
RECEIVER
CLARION
CZ401
TEXT AND MEASUREMENTS BY
GARRY SPRINGGAY
// PHOTOS BY
MANUFACTURER
ack when I was in retail, our store was an authorized Clarion dealer for many years. While we also carried sev-
eral other product lines, we always had great success and respect for the Clarion brand and their exceptional
products. You may not be aware of it, but the history of the Clarion goes way back to 1940, and is closely tied to
the history of the automobile itself. Clarion can claim the bragging rights to a great many innovations and technologies
over the years, including Japan’s first car radio and first car stereo. Nowadays they offer everything from budget-priced,
high-value basic units to some of the most high tech and best performing car audio products on the planet. For this review,
we’re going to take a look at a unit a bit closer to the budget end of the spectrum, the new Clarion CZ401, which has a full
list price of $229.99 here in the U.S. of A.
B
FEATURES
The Clarion CZ401 is a single DIN CD/MP3
receiver incorporating an HD radio tuner
and iTunes Tagging functionality. Clarion has
long been known for their excellent AM/FM
tuners, and now they have combined that
performance with the clarity and diversity
of HD Radio, along with the convenience of
tagging new songs that can be added to your
collection later.
Sidebar: If you’re not familiar with HD
Radio, it is a digital broadcasting system that
does not require a subscription and can easily
double or triple the amount of available sta-
tions you receive. With near-CD sound quality,
the ability to “tag” any song for later retrieval
via iTunes, Artist and Song Title info, and you
can see why the popularity of HD Radio is
growing quickly.
I listen regularly to the various HD Radio
stations available here in the greater Phoenix
area, and I have to say, it’s easy
