Panasonic CQ-VX5500
インテグレーテッド CD・MDレシーバー — Panasonic launched the CQ-VX5500 in April 2001 at ¥105,000, and the pitch was simple: stop making car stereos look like car stereos. Behind the champagne fascia sit two real analogue needle meters on amber glass with Pure Sound Style scripted between them — switchable to read either input level in dB or output power in watts — flanked by a pair of machined aluminium dials, rotary encoder on the right, self-return on the left. What's notably absent is a DSP. No sound fields, no nine-band EQ, no reverb presets. You get bass and treble at ±12 dB in 2 dB steps, balance, fader, loudness, and 45W × 4 behind it. Panasonic decided this deck's job was to look and sound like a good home separate, and left the light show to the cheaper models. CD Text and scrolling MD titles, CD-R/RW support, AUX-in, pre-outs, and control for up to two changers round it out. Restrained in a way almost nothing else from 2001 managed.
Amplifier has been tested successfully.
CD has been tested and is working successfully.
MD has been tested and is working however the ejector is working poorly, so you need to push / pull the MD out somewhat for use.
Aux out, doesn't seem to be working when tested via phone. It could need a pre-amp (sound too low to hear) or it could be another issue.
Harness Included.
| CQ-VX5500 — KEY FEATURES | |
|---|---|
| Media | CD (CD-R/RW compatible, CD Text display) + MiniDisc with scrolling title display — non-MDLP. Fascia carries the Digital Anti-Shock Memory marking |
| Tuner | FM/AM — FM 76.0–89.9 MHz (Japan domestic band), AM 522–1,629 kHz. FM usable sensitivity 12 dBf (S/N 30 dB), S/N 60 dB (mono), stereo separation 40 dB, selectivity 75 dB (±400 kHz). AM sensitivity 25 dB/µV, image rejection 65 dB |
| Power | 45W × 4 max output / 16W × 4 rated (1 kHz, 1% THD, 4 Ω), 1.8 Vrms pre-out (CD) into 600 Ω |
| Display | Twin analogue meters, amber-lit — selectable between input level (−40 to 0 dB) and output power (0–50 W) — above a scrolling dot-matrix FL readout |
| Tone control | Bass ±12 dB and Treble ±12 dB in 2 dB steps, balance and fader ±15 steps, loudness, volume 0 to −79 dB in 1 dB steps. No DSP or graphic EQ — by design |
| Controls | Machined aluminium twin dials — right-hand rotary encoder, left-hand self-return key. Joystick remote originally supplied |
| CD spec | 2-channel, 16-bit linear quantisation, 5 Hz–20 kHz, S/N 90 dB (IHF-A), wow & flutter below measurable limits |
| MD spec | 5 Hz–20 kHz, S/N 90 dB (IHF-A), wow & flutter below measurable limits |
| Expansion | AUX-IN (2 Vrms / 10 kΩ), pre-outs, external amp control (max 0.1 A), navi-mute, and CD/MD changer control for up to two changers via the CA-LA9D twin controller |
| Electrical | DC 12V negative earth (11–16V operating, 14.4V test voltage), 8.5A at rated CD output |
| Form factor | Double DIN (2-DIN) — 178 × 100 × 160 mm / approx. 2.4 kg |