Caliber RMD231BT

Radio was very easy to connect (without extra adapter) in a VW Polo from 2003. It has all modern connections such as SD card reader (behind the front), USB reader, aux in and Bluetooth. This version does not have a CD player, if you want one you have to buy the slightly more expensive model. Everything works very user-friendly and the sound quality is reasonable to good.

With bluetooth you can stream music from (for example) your phone, this is easy and fast. In addition, the controls on the radio work to start the next or previous track. During quiet moments, a soft noise can be heard, but this is only audible in a stationary car with the engine off.

The radio comes with an external microphone attached to a long cable (around 2.5 meters). You can connect this to the back of the radio (so not to the front as other reviews claim), after which you can also use the radio as a car kit. The quality of the car kit is good enough for calls, but don't expect crystal clear audio. With the buttons on the radio you can record and hang up an incoming call.

All in all, I think it's a lot of car radio for little money. I definitely recommend him!

We needed a new car radio for our Volvo V70 because I had lost the unlock code for my Kenwood.

After a quick look around the Coolblue website, I chose this Caliber.

My findings so far are:

RECEPTION CHANNELS I rarely listen to radio stations, but as far as I've been able to establish so far, the reception is fine. I do find it a drawback that the operation of the tuner part is not really user-friendly and that there is little in the downloadable manual.

SOUND DISPLAY The sound reproduction is -especially for this price range- just good. Although this of course depends on the speakers used, both the low and high are reproduced with the volume almost at maximum without distortion and tight. Incidentally, the sound settings can be adjusted sufficiently to personal preference. In retrospect, I would have chosen the slightly stronger brother (4 x 75 watts) of this radio because I like to have some excess capacity.

PLAYING AUDIO FILES (MP3) Playing MP3 files from USB and SD card is just great. Browsing folders / folders and files is easy to use and even better than countless MP3 players for the living room.

BLUETOOTH Connecting my I-Phone to the radio works great and is very easy to do. Hands-free phone calls are better than expected. In fact, I have to admit that the sound quality and sensitivity of the microphone are better than that of the Parrot in our previous car. I haven't tried playing music via the smartphone yet, so I can't judge that.

GENERAL The connection of the radio is (provided the car has an ISO connection) very simple. I do miss a few things in the manual. For example, I can't figure out how to turn off the operating tones, especially from the rotary knob.

CONCLUSION A great radio for little money, but I would still spend two bucks more and go for the Caliber RCD231BT!

When receiving it I connected the radio right away. The operation is self-explanatory and does not require a user manual. The quality of sound when you listen to music from the radio is acceptable, but a lot of noise was audible via bluetooth. There are only a few presets to adjust the sound, if you want to do this manually you have to settle for fader and bass. If I compare the radio with other radios I had, it is an attractive radio from a price point of view and suitable for someone who does not pay much attention to the quality of the sound. If you think the quality is important, I recommend spending a little more money for another radio.