Entered CNET Catalog: 04/12/2006
SKU: VM9511TS
Manufacturer: Audiovox Corporation
Manufacturer description
Audiovox became a pioneer in the wireless industry, selling its first vehicle-installed wireless telephones in 1984 as a natural expansion of its automotive aftermarket business. Its extensive distribution network and its long-standing industry relationships have allowed Audiovox to benefit from growing market opportunities in the wireless industry and to exploit niches in the consumer electronics business. PRODUCT FEATURES: AM/FM/CD/DVD/MP3/WMA/SD card/TV Receiver; iPod, Navigation and XM Ready with fully motorized 7" wide touch screen display; Made for iPod - watch videos, view photos, playback music and charge your iPod from the radio; Media Module - input adapter for TV antenna, XM Radio, iPod and Navigation; 240 Watts peak power (60 Watts x 4); Multi-Zone / Dolby Digital 5.1; Front, RearCenter and Subwoofer Pre-amp outputs; 1-Pair of A/V inputs; Underdash jLink adapter (Included) - quick connection adapter for your iPod; Back-up camera input with reverse override; TV Tuner and TV Antenna (Included); Navigation Ready.Product summary
The good: The Jensen VM9511TS is an all-singing, all-dancing head unit that gives myriad media-playback options, including MP3, WMA, DVD, satellite radio, and a cool dedicated iPod interface.
The bad: The VM9511TS's manifold capabilities don't include USB-compatibility, and users must deploy the screen for anything more complex than tuning the radio. The lack of a removable faceplate makes it more vulnerable to theft.
The bottom line: With its wide selection of media source inputs, the Jensen VM9511TS is a high-water mark for aftermarket stereo head units. Its separate media module takes up a lot of space, and at $800, it's pricey for an off-the-shelf system. Still, it blows factory-installed options out of the water in terms of value.
CNET editors' review
- Editors' Rating: 8.0
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 07/10/2006
User opinions
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User Rating: 
9/10
I loved my VM9511TS unit / TV Tuner was great for emergencys and when the power was outages 4 weeks
Pros: The TV Tuner helped me out through the Hurricanes, power outage for 2 months, while traveling the local accidents that block local road ways. even had a hook to my house from it.
Cons: that i dont have one in all my cars and owed a few more of this units.
User Rating: 9/10
sound quality is way better than the alpine that i use to have.
Pros: love the touch screen, u can change the tilt, built in tv tuner and a bypass code so no toggle switchs
Cons: you have to open the screen to make adjustments
User Rating: 
7/10
Great All-N-One Unit!!
Pros: iPod integration/ TV tuner built-in/MultiZoning for front/rear passengers
Cons: The Jensen NAV100 (optional Navigation add-on) is discountiued. No CD changer compatibility
User Rating: 9/10
Great Stereo packed with features!
Pros: Media compatability, $Price$, Ease of Installation, XM Ready, iPod Ready, Good power, User Friendly U/I, Remote Control, Nice Display, Hackable Brake Wire Codes available,
Cons: Non-detachable faceplate, iPod interface only plays back alphabetically, length of media cable for installation in trunks!
I think these units are abolutely stellar for the price range and actually offer much more than comparably featured units with much higher price tags.
I have installed this radio into my Alfa Romeo Spider with a 1200 watt 5 Channel Amp, 1 - 12" Subwoofer, 2 - 6x9 Sony Speakers and 4 - 5.25 Sony Speakers and could not be happier with its performance. I also added the XM radio for about $60 + $200 for the subscription.
The unit is very nice and the screen is very sharp and vibrant! The touch screen controls are very well laid out and sensitive to touch commands. The response times (probably due to fewer clock cycle speeds of the actual processors) is a little sluggish at times but from what I have read about other much more expensive models they are all about the same anyways. This technology is far from perfect and I suspect that all cars will be standard with something like this by 2010. Expect drastic improvements in touch screen controls over the next few years.
There are a few things to learn and I wouldn't try learning to manipulate any controls while driving. I don't want my kids (or yours) to get hit by a driver that was paying attention to their radio over the safety of people in the streets. Go sit inside your garage, grab a beer, and learn your new radio BEFORE you drive around showing it off...because there is a lot to learn!
I was provided a Jensen override code used by engineers to program the codes before the radios are shipped. Using it, I blindly hacked (meaning I never connected the infamous "Pink Wire" to my brake therefore had no screen to view any chages from) the radio's security features so that I can view DVDs driving down the freeway if I wanted to do so. The truth is, I only have that feature turned on so my passengers (uh, wife) can view a movie when we're driving because I certainly dont want to take my eyes off the road one second here in Ft. Lauderdale! Since I dont have a back seat to allow passengers to sit in the back and "legally" view a movie from another monitor, I chose to hack the system with a code sequence designed to bypass the programmed security feature. doing this changes the DVD Region code to ALL instead of just Region 1 (or whatever corresponds to your country). This means that I can play all the bootlegged DVDs from China too...if I had them, I mean! This system plays DiVX, AVI, and DVD. I was very pleased with the video...crisp, good sound, and good resolution.
I dont use the iPod adapter and probabaly won't because I can create a gigaDVD with all of the MP3's I want and be alright with that. From what I have seen on my sisters radio though (same model), the iPod plays all of the songs in a user-created playlist and sorts them in the U/I in alphabetical order even though they aren't set up that way in the iPod itself. Meaning, if you want to listen to a song that starts with a letter Z, be prepared to scroll through EVERY song title to get to it! Imagine going through 80GB of music manually! I feel they should shoot the engineer that came up with that stupid bit of code!
There is a separate "Brain" that accompanies the actual Single Din unit and it makes installation a bit more tedious, the unit a bit more bulky, and wiring a bit more complex (did I mention more expensive if you have someone else install it?) but is still very simple to do yourself. This additional brain CANNOT be mounted in the trunk or rear speaker box (if you have one like I do) because the media wire is just too short...and I even drive one of the smallest 2 seaters ever made! Most people install the brains under the dash or passenger seat due to this drawback but if you own a convertible, the first thing we do is PROTECT OUR STUFF so I knocked points off my review for Jensen's oversight. Its funny though, the universal XM tuner comes with a 20 foot cable but understand this...the XM box plugs into the Brain, which makes 19 feet of its cable useless.
Other noteworthy mentionables...these units are in severe need of detachable faceplates. I made a fiberglass cover to make it appear from the outside as if a faceplate was already removed so that when I exit the vehicle, I just place it over the existing face and it looks like the stereo is detached. My creation will be available on eBay soon for $30.00 as soon as I run off about 100 molds and sign/secure the necessary patents.
Also, the car industry is too locked into blue LED for everything now. I dont mind blue and actually like it but I like options more than a color and would prefer that the backlights of the radio come with more color options to suit the taste and theme of the car. I own a RED/Black car and the ONLY blue thing in it is this radio at night. Red/Green/White LED would have been a nice touch for almost little change in the cost of manufacturing or MSRP!
User Rating: 
8/10
Great Product!! Cant Beat The Options & Price!!
Pros: All the Different option .. Plays IPOD Great
Cons: No Nav Unit Yet!! As of 12/6/06
It has everything great for ipod.tv tuner works well. I can get 3 to 10 channels any given day. Look around on the Interweb to find how to "install" it is very helpful!!
As far as insatll couple hours just alot of wires and hinding the "brain unit" is a little tough but not bad. Everything on the Jensen VM9511TS works good I would recommened this to anyone looking for a a good product with alot of options.. NO USB though if your looking for that it does not have one though. But it does have AUX. RCA's. I give it a B only beacause the Nav Unit is not out yet. and the controls are a little touchy, bui i can live with it..
User Rating: 9/10
Great Unit
Pros: Nice Image, Nice sound
Cons: Instruccion not that easy to instal
Ipod works excelent, sound is Nice, Image is nice an clear im very happy to buy it and more fore the Price. I recoment this Item 100%
Manuel
User Rating: 
10/10
people leaving bad ratings
Pros: every one who has one likes it including me.
Cons: people who dont have one
User Rating: 
6/10
Hey zzzzed how can you be an installer if you cant spell the brand name right.
Pros: I think it looks like a good purchase
Cons: Havent bought one yet
User Rating: 9/10
Small Mighty Unit!!!
Pros: Plenty of features, Bang for your buck
Cons: Static on TV tuner when moving
User Rating: 9/10
What to get the 9511 or 9021
Pros: not sure which unit 9511 or 9021
Cons: 9021 screen is always up
is the 9511 better because you can tuck the screen away as opposed to the 9021 which you cant.
thanks for the help
User Rating: 10/10
EXCELLENT!!
Pros: IT HAS EVERYTHING I WANT , in a really good price,
Cons: SD card reader everytime u turn on ur stereo starts from the beginning
User Rating: 9/10
Both the VM9021TS and VM9511TS are outstanding
Pros: Support nearly every format and media, TV tuner and Ipod controll bundled
Cons: No Sirius tuner, main remote buttons too small
I prefer double-din installations so I ended up buying the VM9021TS. It offers pretty much what the VM9511TS does.
The most amazing thing to me is the built-in amp is definately up to the task of powering full-range speakers well enough to keep up with amp powered subs. I guess CEA 2006 power ratings are more realistic. I have 2 MTX Thunder 4500 12" subs running off of a JL 500/1 and the HU has no trouble keeping the full range speakers up to par with them. I do plan on installing some MB Quart PSD216 6.5" components in the near future. At that point I'll install a 4-channel amp.
The most surprising thing for me is the sound quality is very good. The pre-outs have good output and provide a clean signal to the amps.
The HU controls are more than adequate and there are many things that are so much better thought out than any Pioneer or Eclipse system I have owned. The ability to establish a preset turn-on volume is one of those features. The multi-zone setup and source select screens are well layed out and easy to read. The MP3 screen is very informative. The iPod control is unprecedented. The ability to display Photos and Videos on the screen is a huge step forward in iPod to car integration. I really think that Audiovox has stepped it up a notch with the current Jensen line.
The only real complaint I have is the XM support is not nearly as good as the iPod support is. The text for song and artist does not scroll and does not show the full text. In addition, the preset text is too small and makes it hard to select the channel from the touch screen. A Sirius option would be good as well. I also think that Audiovox should have required Circuit City to offer the NAV100 as a package. As it is now, you have to get the NAV100 module from somewhere other than Circuit City.
In summary, I have to admit I was extremely skeptical of buying a Jensen product. They have been very bad for a long time. If Audiovox continues along the path they are taking Jensen right now there will only be good things to come. I challenge anyone to find a comparably priced system that matches the Jensen products feature for feature.
User Rating: 
4/10
Its Just Alright
Pros: the price was right, and thats it
Cons: it acts like its price, cheap
It also had very poor crossover options, i couldnt quite get it to sound as good as my pioneer. However it did sound good, but not great.
User Rating: 9/10
I like it!
Pros: Many options for inputs, good video resolution and very nice sound with my MB quart amp. Single din design is perfect for my car.
Cons: I wish it had a removable face plate!
User Rating: 9/10
Good product
Pros: Not too bad a learning curve required, many features.
Cons: Placement, FM stations, and the media module
User Rating: 7/10
So far pretty good system
Pros: under $1000
Cons: Can't find all componets, Remote quit working.
The DVD player shows clear, Cd plays fine. The remote is not working for some reason. I can't locate the XM or Navigation componets.
Can someone tell me where to find them? I would like to have the system working completely, then I could give a better review of the full system.
User Rating: 9/10
How many actually own this product?
Pros: Does everything I could want it to do.
Cons: People think its crap because its a Jensen and remote buttons are small.
The main thing that draw me too it was the price and that it supported the IPOD video. You can hook up your IPOD Video and watch all your videos through the ipod cable which is great. The screen is nice, the ipod integration is very easy to use and responsive, and it sounds good. The tv atenna doesnt really work that well as expected but you can always add a better antenna if watching tv is your deal.Ive had the unit for three months now and I couldnt be happier with it.
User Rating: 7/10
Please buy before reviewing
Pros: Lots of features
Cons: Potentially bad company, needs real reviews.
User Rating: 
1/10
Best ever? who is rating these things...
Pros: NONE... Cheep for your grandmother but only if you don't like her...
Cons: Ugly... Two remotes? why? Best ever should have one remote... and bluetooth..
I have been installing for awhile now, custom work too... also MECP certified...
I wouldn't sell this product to anyone.
User Rating: 
2/10
you get what you pay for.
Pros: aesthetics, flip screen, features
Cons: poor quality, make, service, audio quality
User Rating: 
3/10
Made by Monkeys
Pros: It's not made of wood.
Cons: It's still made of cheap stuff.
User Rating: 1/10
wrong!!!!!
Pros: ipod control
Cons: cheesy......
i just installed another one of these jokes, i forgot the other major gripe about it.....the screen does not slide out far enough on the bottom for the tilt mechanism to clear the dash above the radio in most cars....the end result is that the screen sits about vertical with the dash, not angled back so the driver can look directly at the screen....most good screen can adjust the "slide" in additon to adjusting the "tilt" .....please return to walmart......
User Rating: 3/10
I just lost all respect for CNETs car stereo reviews
Pros: Cheap, lots of features
Cons: Terrible quality
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