Eclipse AVN726E DVD/GPS receiver

CNET editors' review

• CNET editors' rating: 4.0 stars Excellent
  Detailed editors' rating
  Design : 8.0
  Features : 8.0
  Performance : 9.0
  Overall score: 8.3 (4.0 stars)

• Reviewed by:
  Antuan Goodwin
• Reviewed on: 06/11/2009

The AVN726e, Eclipse's newest double-DIN DVD/navigation receiver, was making a name for itself even before it was released to the public, as it was named Best of Innovations at CES 2009 in the In-Vehicle Navigation/Telematics/ITS product category. We were too busy being wowed by its sibling, the Eclipse AVN4430, to take notice.

However, after spending time with the AVN726e, we find there's a lot to love about this navigation receiver, including its bright LCD, snappy response times, and beautiful 3D navigation maps.

Design
It's no wonder we almost overlooked the AVN726e. Its physical appearance is remarkably similar to just about every other double-DIN touch-screen unit on the market today. When installed in the vehicle's dash, all that is visible to the user are the 7-inch WQVGA (480x272 pixel) color touch screen and 10 illuminated buttons along the bottom bezel.

The screen features crisp visuals for GPS maps and DVD playback, with bright, saturated colors that don't wash out badly in direct sunlight. The viewing angle is quite wide, for clear viewing from the driver's or passenger's seat. Touch controls are responsive, with only the slightest lag between touch and execution.

Physical buttons on the faceplate include buttons for telephone mode, AV mode, navigation mode, and the main menu. There's also a skip rocker, a volume rocker, a mute button, and an eject button. Hitting the eject button brings up an onscreen menu from which users can adjust the screen's tilt or slide down the motorized faceplate to expose the DVD slot and SD card slot for navigation data.

Features
Navigation map data is stored on 2GB of internal flash memory and can be updated via an SD card. Because the data is flash-based, as opposed to hard-drive-based or DVD-based, maps are rendered quite quickly and with a surprising amount of detail. Graphics are smooth and easy to read at a glance. Maps can be displayed in either 2D with heading up, 2D with North up, or a 3D map view with three selectable angles.

The 3D view displays basic elevation changes for roads. For example, highway overpasses are raised and pass over other roads on the map, which is helpful for visualizing the road ahead. In certain major cities, the AVN726e displays 3D-rendered buildings and landmarks.

An external GPS antenna aids in quick satellite acquisition, and a memory function stores the vehicle's last-known location for quick reacquisition on start-up. Custom points of interest, favorite destinations, and routes can be saved to the AVN726e's flash memory for easy retrieval. As a bonus, the flash memory keeps your presets safe, even if your vehicle's battery dies.

Street names are read aloud using a text-to-speech function. Traffic data is provided via Sirius Satellite Radio and requires a Sirius add-on module and subscription.

A built-in Bluetooth wireless transmitter allows for hands-free calling and adds A2DP audio streaming to the list of audio sources. An external microphone is placed near the driver's head during installation and provides clean audio for hands-free calls. Sound quality will ultimately depend on your vehicle's speaker. In our test car, calls made at highway speed with the windows up were quite clear.

Available audio/visual sources include the single-disc CD/DVD slot with non-DRM MP3/WMA/DivX playback capability, a USB pigtail with mass storage and iPod connectivity, AM/FM radio, Bluetooth audio, and an analog AV input (oddly labeled Video Tape Recorder) with pass-through for rear-seat entertainment.

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Where to buy

Eclipse AVN726E DVD/GPS receiver: $699.95 - $856.94

store	price	in stock?	rating
	$799.99	Yes
	$749.00	Yes
Amazon.com Marketplace	$856.94	Yes
PacificStereo.com	$699.95	Yes

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Compare prices for Eclipse AVN726E DVD/GPS receiver

	Crutchfield	$799.99
	Onlinecarstereo.com	$749.00
	Amazon.com Marketplace	$856.94
	PacificStereo.com	$699.95

Recent user reviews

• Average user rating: 2.0 stars out of 5 reviews
• My rating: 0 stars Write review

• Showing 3 of 5 user reviews

• 3.0 stars

  "GREAT PRODUCT BUT IT CAN BE IMPROVED"

  by rbaram on January 23, 2010

• 0.5 stars

  1 out of 1 people found this helpful

  "Greaat features but has serious Nav issue"

  by ubugarrity on January 8, 2010

• 3.0 stars

  1 out of 1 people found this helpful

  "Unit provides quality sound and navigation features"

  by AVN726E on December 8, 2009

• See all 5 user reviews Write review