The first time I laid eyes on this marvel I was awestruck. If you’re a fan of Bluetooth technology and don’t mind changing the stereo deck in your automobile, you could be completely hands free as fast as you can say, “Parrot Rhythm n’Blue!”

Made by the folks who know their Bluetooth, Parrot has been at the forefront of pioneering devices centered around Bluetooth technology. With this new stereo receiver you can play MP3s, CDs, listen to the radio, and even make hands free phone calls all from one unit.

Installation

After receiving the unit, I decided to install it on my own, feeling technically savvy enough for the job. However, if you feel safer with a professional installation, most places will install it for around $50 to $100.

Installation wasn’t too difficult once I got the proper wiring harness, taking approximately 90 minutes. Once installed and powered up, the first things I noticed were the detachable face, remote control, and the telephone keypad right on the faceplate.

Bluetooth Setup

Using the receiver was a breeze from the very start. After playing around with the settings and reading the manual a bit, I was ready to transfer the phonebook from my Treo 700p to the receiver. The menu interface on the stereo was self explanatory, and pairing the Treo and receiver works the same as with a typical Bluetooth headset.

Transferring the phonebook from the Treo to the receiver was completed by transferring each category (personal, business, unfiled) one at a time. After this was done, my entire phone directory was synced with the stereo receiver. You can add up to 150 voice tags as well, which should cover all of your most important contacts.

If at anytime during setup you have difficulty, refer to the owner’s manual or Parrot’s website for comprehensive help.

Features

One of the features that most impressed me with the Parrot Rhythm n’Blue receiver was the ability to have calls initiated by voice. Each contact is setup with voice tags, and will give you the ability to select locations such as home, work, or mobile. These voice tags can be easily initiated by pressing the green call button on the receiver and speaking the name and location of individual. This is a major plus due to the fact that while driving; being able to tap one button and speaking your commands makes for less of a distraction.

When using the radio function the Parrot Rhythm n’Blue offers RDS (Radio Data System) which will give you information on the stations in your local area such as station id, artist, and song where available. This is a nice feature that can be appreciated the most by those who travel a lot.

When playing your compact discs you are no longer limited to the standard discs you purchase. You can use the music you have burned to disc which is, in my opinion, a must have on today’s receivers. Your stereo will also give you song and artist information on any compact discs that have ID3 tags as well.

Audio Settings

The audio settings are very simple and offer what comes on most factory radios: treble and bass settings to adjust your highs and lows, and controls to adjust the fade and balance as well. There are a few preset equalizer settings in the form of pop, rock, and classical, but I personally didn’t care much for these. I would like to have seen Parrot include a graphic equalizer with this unit to better control the sound clarity according to whatever genre of music you’re listening to. With that being said, the audio quality is comparable to most automobiles while playing music from either your cd or radio. If you’re really into having a high quality stereo system you may want to look elsewhere, but if standard factory style settings are good enough for you then the Parrot Rhythm n’Blue will fit the bill.

Call Clarity

Making or receiving calls on the Rhythm n’Blue is where this gem earns its keep! When a call comes in on the receiver the display will become animated and give you the caller id information or just the number if the caller isn’t in your phonebook. Answering the call is as simple as pressing a button. While on calls most callers couldn’t believe I was talking hands free. Once in a while I would get a bad connection which caused some distortion, but calling back always corrected the issue. All your speech comes directly through your speaker system and makes conversation very easy to understand. The echo cancelling microphone that comes with the stereo receiver is of superb quality and picks up your voice, as well as cancelling out any background noise from the caller’s end. This gives you a crystal clear call that is sure to impress anyone.

Miscellaneous Features & Specs

Another key feature of interest is the ability to change the display color. You can select from seven backlit colors: red, amber, white, blue, green, sky blue, violet, and yellow. This is a great feature as so many automobiles use various colors in their instrument panels. You can adjust your backlight and match your factory instrumentation. Smart thinking Parrot!

For those wondering about wattage, the receiver plays at a max of 4 speakers by 45 watts. If you use an external amplifier the Rhythm n’Blue comes with one RCA preout. A total of 18 FM or 12 AM presets can be set for the radio giving you the ability to save all your favorite stations. With the assistance of a Bluetooth enabled laptop, users can also update the receiver’s software via Parrot’s website.

Conclusion

After using the Parrot Rhythm n’Blue for a few months I am thoroughly enjoying this Bluetooth marvel. With features such as voice tags I feel much safer making calls from my automobile. Being somewhat of a stereo enthusiast, I do feel Parrot could do a better job on the audio by adding a graphic equalizer, but for those with standard factory radios, you won’t be able to tell the difference. In the end this feature rich receiver will give you a healthy convergence of music entertainment and Bluetooth functionality to make your driving experience much more pleasant. You can purchase the Parrot Rhythm n’Blue for retail price of $349.95, but with a little searching you should be able to find it for no more than $250.00.

Pros

• Hands free Bluetooth functionality.

• Ability to store and use 150 voice tags.
• Detachable face.
• Multiple backlight choices.
• Easy installation.

Cons

• No graphic equalizer.

Related Links

Buy a Treo Smartphone

Buy Parrot

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