Is it just me?
I find this user interface to be quite convoluted. I am OK with all kinds of tech stuff but this sure seems to be a pain. The unit has a lot of nice features all in a compact 12V form factor, so I really WANT to like this thing. Yesterday I finally broke down and opened the manual and sat in front of it for 20 minutes poking buttons. The first thing I figured out was that the "Quick Use Guide" (dtd 6/123/2007) is for a different system - mine has no "FNC" button and the button that acts like "FNC" (mode) has no "aux" option...
The next issue is that the outside speakers are considered the "Front" zone and the front is the default - the UI keeps reverting to front when left alone. There is no way I've found to mute one zone (mute does both) so the only way to turn off the outside speakers (neighbors appreciate that) is to set the front zone to AV2 or to set the volume to zero. However, when the unit reverts to front zone it will complain of no video input instead of giving you info on the rear zone (eg title/artist info on the mp3) OR... you run the risk of changing the volume back up on the front zone (outside) by mistake next time you use it.
The UI seems to be designed to frustrate almost by intent! It's such a shame since the unit has plenty of buttons and an LCD to work with. You'd think they could have designed something very nice and intuitive... There are buttons that only work in combination with other modes, modes that revert automatically too quickly, and in general a bunch of disjointed functions that are hard to find.
Other than the rant... one question here -- it looks like I can switch the front and rear zones by just reversing two pairs of RCA jacks into the amp. Wouldn't that make more sense than fighting with the external speakers all the time?
I find this user interface to be quite convoluted. I am OK with all kinds of tech stuff but this sure seems to be a pain. The unit has a lot of nice features all in a compact 12V form factor, so I really WANT to like this thing. Yesterday I finally broke down and opened the manual and sat in front of it for 20 minutes poking buttons. The first thing I figured out was that the "Quick Use Guide" (dtd 6/123/2007) is for a different system - mine has no "FNC" button and the button that acts like "FNC" (mode) has no "aux" option...
The next issue is that the outside speakers are considered the "Front" zone and the front is the default - the UI keeps reverting to front when left alone. There is no way I've found to mute one zone (mute does both) so the only way to turn off the outside speakers (neighbors appreciate that) is to set the front zone to AV2 or to set the volume to zero. However, when the unit reverts to front zone it will complain of no video input instead of giving you info on the rear zone (eg title/artist info on the mp3) OR... you run the risk of changing the volume back up on the front zone (outside) by mistake next time you use it.
The UI seems to be designed to frustrate almost by intent! It's such a shame since the unit has plenty of buttons and an LCD to work with. You'd think they could have designed something very nice and intuitive... There are buttons that only work in combination with other modes, modes that revert automatically too quickly, and in general a bunch of disjointed functions that are hard to find.
Other than the rant... one question here -- it looks like I can switch the front and rear zones by just reversing two pairs of RCA jacks into the amp. Wouldn't that make more sense than fighting with the external speakers all the time?