So I've currently got the Alpine CDA 9884 in my Trailblazer and the 240SX, and I love having full speed iPod control + charging, etc. Until I bought one of these headunits a couple of years ago, I only would buy Pioneer HU's, but have since fallen in love with Alpine products. Well, now I'm looking at the Pioneer DEH-P610BT, and i like the features a lot, especially the built in bluetooth, but I don't like that the only usb port for my iPod is in the front. So I'm trying to see if anyone has any experience with this particular Pioneer HU, and their like, dislikes, quirks, etc. I've compared them on paper, and for the price, the Pioneer is a better value compared to the newest version of Alpine's HU, but for audio performance, thy're roughly equal, with a small lead going to Pioneer for the 4V vs 2V pre-amp outputs. Has anyone used this particular Pioneer HU before? Thanks guys!
u should be able to run the optional/additional pioneer cable through the back into the glovebox i use 2 different pioneer units currently and 1 of them has the big round circle controller on it...its not the best ergonomically and is a bit of a pain. i tend to use the remote instead. iirc, that unit is a premier piece with 6 pre-outs....do you need that many? the regular pioneer unit should be virtually the exact same with a slightly shorter warranty
This one doesn't have the port for an optional plug on the rear, it seems the ones that currently come w/ built in bluetooth lose that option. No, i don't need 3 pairs of pre-amp outs, I will need 2 pair though, and prefer the 4 volt ones because they give a cleaner signal. The two year warranty is just a bonus I went ahead and ordered the Pioneer instead of pulling the Alpine out of my truck, should be here later today.
I have a DEH-P400UB, which is a older (cosmetically different) version. I was happy at first, but over the Summer I've been getting really annoyed at the user interface. I'm replacing it with a avh-p4100dvd for a few reasons. 1) it only shows one line of text. So if a song comes on and you want to know the artist, it'll probably be showing song title and you'll have to scroll. It won't show both at the same time. 2) programming channels is almost impossible. You have to press the joystick directly in and hold it there for 2 seconds, which will NOT happen unless you're not moving. Then, you have to remember what preset station you want it to replace. This doesn't sound like a big deal, but I have XM so I am always changing my mind on stations. I gave up and remember "there's something good a few up from that..." 3) The sound setup is incredibly difficult to navigate! Although, you do have a ton of control. Frequency ranges and all sorts of stuff. 4) The BIGGEST reason... If you're using your iPod and you have a ton of stuff in it, the jog wheel speed is painfully slow and useless. So much so I just hit shuffle and hope for the best. So if you really want to listen to... lets say Michael Jackson, it'll take 2 minutes to scroll through the artists who start with A-M. If I were you I'd look for a different unit. I think Alpine's jog wheel is faster IIRC???
Alpine's wheel is very fast, sometimes almost too fast, haha. Thanks for the info, if I hate this thing after having it in for a while, I'll switch it out with the one in the truck