Valor - The Oppo of Car Audio

As many here know "Oppo" is the brand name for a Chinese company that makes extremely good, low cost, award winning DVD players. Valor as it turns out is a Chinese company that makes DVD mechanisms and also auto audio systems that also tend to be low in cost but high in features.

I just installed a Valor double-din NVG-670w in my old Lexus ES300. This unit has a built-in wide 6.5" lcd touch screen. The unit has built-in Navigation, AM/FM Tuner, DVD/CD Video/Audio Player, BlueTooth, iPod Digital and Analog interfaces (the latter both require optional cables but the interface is built into the unit). Inputs for SAT radio and a backup camera are also included. The Navigation system data is contained on a removable SD card - not on a DVD - so it is fast and easily updateable via the internet using a PC with a USB/SD card reader. I am told by tech support that system firmware updates will also be uploadable via online CD image as they become available.

The unit also has 5 amplified channels of audio output and a 5.1 channel Dolby Digital decoder used when playing DVD's. The sub woofer channel is not amplified.

Unlike the Pioneer all-in-one the security on the DVD unit can be defeated while the car is in motion since it is based solely on the handbrake switch. Pioneer's all-in-one sense motion from the Navigation and turns the fron zone DVD video off. The Valor unit has two separate zones also with remotes for each.

So far I am very pleased with the unit. From what I have read it will play all types of DVDs, SVCDs, VCDs, CD's, etc. I have yet to try out these options other than a standard DVD movie and a music CD. The navigation works fine as does the AM/FM radio which has three FM "bands" each capable of holding 12 channels. It does not have any program sensing option as of now. The AM band also holds 12 stations. I put in a backup camera and it works just fine. I also added a surface mount center channel speaker from Pioneer. It does help with the voice imaging on DVD's as does the same in a home theater.

The 5.1 scheme has fallen out of favor in the auto audio market. Many lines have dropped the option all together. I was told by the sales rep that a car was too small to notice the effect. Frankly that is BULL!!!! 5.1 sounds great in my four door passenger car. I think the reason why 5.1 has been pulled is because the young folks who the aftermarket car radio system is targeted simply don' want to pay for it. All they want to do is blast their subwoofer into the next dimension. They could care less about six channels of audio. They want one super channel of subwoofer!!!

That is too bad since it really does make movies sound great even in the confines of a car. Since I do not know how well the unit will hold up I don't want to say it is truly the "Oppo" of car systems but even the Oppo DVD players, while they function extremely well, are not the toughest built dvd player units. I have yet to see/hear a DVD or audio CD skip a track with the Valor so it does seem to be solid. I should add that while it has adequate power output with its five built-in amps, for those here who want to scorch their ear drums the unit does also come with five discrete channel outputs for use with external amps.

If any one else here has a Valor unit or does buy one feel free to post your findings here or perhaps we could even open a Valor specific official thread.

For more info on the company and its products check out their web site;
http://www.valormultimedia.com/

Price was certainly a factor for me too since I put it in a rather old vehicle but more importantly it was the features. There is a test report on Valor's web site taken straight from the trade publication "Performance Auto & Sound." At the conclusion of the article the author says that the ITS-710WT tested was the most feature laden unit he had ever seen.

I only have two complaints with the unit thus far. One is that when the LCD is turned down in brightness at night it is still too bright. The other is with the Bluetooth microphone pickup which is built into the unit and not a remote mic hung from the sun visor. The microphone works fine with my voice but it is so sensitive it also amplifies the air noise outside the car. As I go faster I have had folks complain that they are hearing a loud hissing noise and it is not coming from the A/C blowing on the mic which I have seen happen with other units.

I plan to call them on these two issues. I don't know if these are firmware fixable but other than those the navigation works great, as does the AM/FM radio. The iPod digital interface at this time won't handle iPod video but the analog iPod interface does. The backup camera is just way cool to have and the dolby digital surround sound is stunning when playing DVD's although it can be dangerous. I was playing a DVD when accelerating from a turnaround lane. Just when I went to accelerate a horn honking sound from a street traffic scene came out of the right rear channel. It sounded so realistic I momentarily deaccelerated looking for the source of the horn thinking it was from outside the vehicle. Yes the sound quality and separation is that good.

The unit is a keeper even with its flaws and the price isn't bad either. Why spend way more and get less.

As to the first year 30% failure rate... It has a one year warranty if purchased from an authorized (and not e-Bay) dealer so if it fails I get it fixed or replaced. The Oppo DVD players are not the best made units either but they are arguably the best DVD players out there for standard def DVD's. These Valor's are probably the best deals with the most features in the Auto Sound market.

I have one correction to make. The unit did come with the digital iPod cable. I had to only buy the analog cable for the iPod.

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