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Boss 820UA In-Dash CD/MP3 Receiver with Front Panel AUX Input, USB, SD Card Not as good as it should have been. – Vanessa E. Ezekowitz – Joplin, MO USA
When I bought this head unit, I did so with three things in mind: It must have the features I want, it must be made by a reputable company, and it must be relatively inexpensive. The 820UA seemed to fit those requirements, and when I first received it, it did indeed to seem to be just what I wanted. I bought it as an upgrade, as my existing head unit, while perfectly operational, lacks any ability to play MP3s or interface with memory cards, USB, etc.

It wasn’t long before I found out how wrong that first impression was.

The good:

* The FM radio receiver was decent. It is about on par with other radios I’ve used – nothing too fancy, but it works well enough.

* The CD player worked okay, again about on par with other CD players I’ve used before, but see below.

* The MP3 playback was generally good, but see below.

* Thanks to the single-DIN standard mount, the unit was easy to install.

The bad:

* The back RCA connectors, like many head units, are embedded into the back panel instead of being placed at the ends of short “pigtail” cables. It should have been designed with such cables instead, as plugging high quality RCA cables directly into the back adds a few extra inches to the apparent length of the head unit, by virtue of the cables having to stick directly out the back, which is a problem in cramped spaces. Using separate pigtail cables means they can be folded down against the back, reducing this to maybe half an inch.

* Despite VFAT file systems having existed since the mid 1990’s, this head unit still has problems with very long filenames. When it shows one at all, it doesn’t show the entire name.

* The overall output power is not adequate for use in any environment where there is a significant amount of ambient noise, such as driving with the windows open. My previous head unit had no problems in this area.

* The head unit does not have good enough bass response – even with “Loud” turned on. My previous head unit had better bass response than this one.

* The volume knob was poorly made – it has wide steps when turned, which takes too much movement to effect a change, and it feels loose, like it is going to fall off.

The ugly:

* One channel (front-left) was producing low quality audio that resembled an 8-bit sample file, regardless of what source or music was playing. At first I wrote this off as a bad speaker, but all four speakers worked just fine with the head unit this was meant to replace, and are working perfectly with the head unit that replaced this 820UA.

* Upon receiving it, I noticed that the two screws that should hold the CD mechanism firmly in place for shipping were not screwed down properly (one was almost unscrewed entirely). I was afraid this would affect the quality of the CD player, and it may indeed have: A few days after receiving it, the CD player started ejecting and inserting rather slowly. A week after receiving it, it lost the ability to eject entirely, rendering the player useless. It could still play the disc that it hung on to, with a little coaxing.

* I formatted a 2GB SD card and placed a properly organized collection of music on it for this head unit. I define “properly organized” as a dozen or so subdirectories in the root, each containing 10 to 20 MP3 files and perhaps additional subdirectories. Navigating through such a collection on this head unit is a real PAIN. There are no real menus, the search-by-name function is a nightmare to use, and skipping through the directories one by one doesn’t even bother to show the directory names (it just shows numbers, which as it turns out, are track numbers relative to the whole card).

* The head unit is designed in such a way that you must completely remove the faceplate to get to the memory card. I don’t mean just flip the face down, I mean remove it from the head unit. If you do so while the head unit is turned on, it forgets what track it was playing. Forget trying to change the card while driving: it means taking your eyes off the road for way too long.

* The design of the multi-pin connector between the faceplate and the head unit is such that after just a few days, some of the pins were already bent, despite my using the utmost care with this head unit. Use it long enough and those pins would have eventually bent themselves out of contact with the faceplate.

* The display is not bright enough to be particularly useful on anything brighter than an overcast day. Forget trying to read it in direct sunlight.

Summary:

BOSS may normally make good products, but as is so often the case with “known good” brands over the last several years, this model suffers from rushed design, and poor quality control during manufacturing. BOSS might be good, but the 820UA is junk. I returned mine a week after receiving it (when the D player died). Don’t bother buying this model.
Boss: 820UA Boss 820UA In-Dash CD/MP3 Receiver with Front Panel AUX Input, USB, SD Card Boss Audio’s 820UA is a great way to upgrade your single-DIN OEM receiver. Play back your favorite CDs and enjoy MP3 playback from CD-R/RWs, USB devices or SD Cards. An auxiliary input is also provided for connecting your MP3 player or other devices.

Add a CD receiver with MP3 playback to your vehicle. Click to enlarge.

Front-panel USB and auxiliary input.

Wireless remote included.

Drop-Down Detachable Control Panel
Take your front panel with you for added security. The control panel features an oversized, active black mask display and illuminated control buttons.

AM/FM Radio
Enjoy your favorite radio programming with the PLL-synthesized tuner, featuring 24 station presets for instant access to your preferred stations, and switchable USA/Europe radio frequencies.

Auxiliary Input
The convenient front-panel auxiliary input (3.5mm mini jack) is a great way to enjoy audio from your iPod, MP3 player, or other external audio devices.

CD Player
Play back all your favorite CDs, including burnt CD-R/RW discs. The ESP anti-skip mechanism ensures your music isn’t interrupted by any bumps in the road, and playback features such as a mute function, repeat mode, or intro scan are all included.

You can also enjoy your favorite MP3s, burnt to CD, with full ID3 tag display of artist/track info.

USB and SD Connectivity
The 820UA features a front-panel USB port and SD Card jack, so you can instantly switch out USB thumb drives or SD cards with a fresh batch of MP3 tunes/podcasts/etc.

Plenty of Power
The 820UA provides 80 Watts through four channels, and a 5V RCA preamp output.

Remote Included
A wireless remote control is included for convenient control of the system.

What’s in the Box
Boss 820UA Receiver, Remote Control, Mounting Hardware, User’s Manual
Boss 820UA In-Dash CD/MP3 Receiver with Front Panel AUX Input, USB, SD Card

• Boss Audio KIT-2 Complete 8 Gauge Amplifier Installation Kit