Pioneer FH-P8000BT Double-Din In-Dash CD/MP3/WMA/AAC Receiver with Built-In Bluetooth, iPod Control, and Rear USB Input by Pioneer Mobile
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List Price: Our Price: $240.98 You Save: $128.02 (35%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $219.00 (click here) Category: Car Audio or Theater See more digital camera details and other models |
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Digital camera reviews of Pioneer FH-P8000BT Double-Din In-Dash CD/MP3/WMA/AAC Receiver with Built-In Bluetooth, iPod Control, and Rear USB Input
Digital camera Review: Great Unit for the Price
Summary: 4 Stars
Recently purchased an iPhone, so i was looking to upgrade my car's stereo to be able to both use the phone and listen to music. This unit both had ipod connectivity and bluetooth telephone(which my current stereo does not), and is also double din (as is my car). i've recently installed, so i've only had a couple days with it, so this is a first impressions review.
Install: easy and straightforward if you purchase a wiring harness specific to your vehicle (available at retailers such as walmart and crutchfield). it was installed in a 2005 scion tc.
operation: i'll admit, this is not the most simplest of units to operate, and i have to refer to the manual frequently to learn how to perform specific functions (such as saving a pre-set radio station), which is where it lost one star for me. the multi-function dial allows for "agile" maneuverability through the unit's controls though.
USB/IPOD: the unit's USB connectivity allows you to control your ipod (iphone in my case) straight through the unit. allows you to search by album, artist, playlist, etc- just as you would on the ipod itself. it also has the option to change the controls back to the ipod, if thats what you're more comfortable with. it also has an AUX input for other devices you may wish to listen to through the unit.
bluetooth telephone: i paired the unit through my phone, and that was done seamlessly. calls are clear for you, and as far as i know (only used once or twice so far), its clear on the other end as well (i've asked those i've called). the unit allows you to download your contacts from the phone to the unit itself, so you can dial straight off the unit. has recent calls, and a "speed dial" list for you to choose from, in addition to selecting any contact on your phone. has the ability to handle call waiting and refusing calls as well.
other: the unit comes with many audio adjustments (including the 7 channel equalizer- with several presets and 2 custom settings). with the proper adjustments, music sounds great through this unit. You can also "label" CDs, so the album name will display every time you insert that CD. my only complaint is that the display is TOO bright at night, but that can be remedied by the dimmer function (tho doesnt seem to work in my vehicle...not sure why yet), OR, you can turn off the illumination completely, which will re-illuminate if you change a setting (change track, volume, source).
overall, i'm very happy with my purchase and would recommend this if you're looking for bluetooth and ipod capabilities, without going into the DVD/Navi arena. the price was too good to pass up!
Digital camera Review: Great Unit, some minor issues
Summary: 4 Stars
I purchased this unit for my 2004 Subaru Forester. What I was looking for was a head unit that would (1) allow me to pair my iPhone to make calls and (2) allow me to play music through the iPhone or any other iPod.
On these two items, the unit delivers fantastically.
Installation was very easy, and I only had to systematically look for the best place to put the microphone for optimum sound quality.
Only (minor) negatives are the following (why I only gave it 4 stars):
- When the iPhone is plugged into the USB port, and you make a phone call, there is a lot of interference. This only happens when the phone making the call is also connected to the unit through the USB. If another iPhone or iPod is connected to the unit, the noise is completely gone. Basically, I remedy this by unplugging the iPhone prior to taking a call.
- Menu navigation is a bit cumbersome at first, but quickly makes sense.
- Old iPods (I also have an iPod mini) will not work with this unit.
Pros:
- Easy connectivity through bluetooth (no other problem).
- Connectivity through the USB allows for full control of the iPod using the head unit: Just plug your iPod in (I have it wired into the armrest), and forget about it.
- Good music sound quality.
Overall, this provided me with everything I needed. A quick note: when I contacted the Pioneer folks about whether my iPhone would work with this unit, they said I'd need a different cable to connect through the head unit. They don't know their own products: You can use the CD-IU50 or the USB cable that came with your iPhone/iPod with no problem. This technically frees us the serial port for a CD changer, but you probably will never need one of these again.
Digital camera Review: Great except for...
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a fine unit, but it needs a firmware upgrade to reduce the illumination when you turn on your headlights. There is very little dimming going on. The user manual is not very friendly but after you learn your way around the joystick type control it works OK. I'm happy with the sound quality and especially the hands-free capability with the noise canceling mic. I would prefer that it was easier to control and search for contacts when making a call. The price was good.Digital camera Review: Great integration with iPhone 3GS with bluetooth A2DP stereo profile. No A2DP stereo on iPhone 4, though
Summary: 5 Stars
NOTE: I've owned this stereo while using the iPhone 3G, then iPhone 3GS, then iPhone 4. The comments below are in chronological order, with subsequent iOS firmware releases.
========iPhone 3G ownership========
I installed this stereo to work with Sirius, an iPod through the USB/iPod connection, miscellaneous items through auxiliary input, bluetooth handsfree, and to stream audio via bluetooth with my iPhone running 3.0 firmware.
CDs and iPod audio sounds wonderful on my car's stock speakers. To my surprise, the bluetooth audio connection sounds just as good. It was very easy to pair, once the A2DP bluetooth profile was made available for iPhone 3.0. Prior to that, pairing with my two different phones was simple. It would pick up a phone conversation as soon as one came in, switching away from whatever other input I was listening to, and then switching back to it once the call had ended - very nice. It will also continue a phone conversation from your phone to the car once you enter the vehicle, or once you exit it will continue the conversation to your phone - also very nice to not have to wait to exit/enter the car.
I see what Pioneer was trying to do with the one-button system to feel like an iPod and I can see why some people were confused, but it didn't take very long to get used to. The display is also very nice, with indicators when bluetooth handsfree and bluetooth stereo are connected.
Amazon's price was almost 20 percent less when I ordered four months ago - it's odd how prices fluctuate.
========iPhone 3GS ownership========
EDIT: I'm at the 11 month period of ownership with this stereo. In that time period, I've since upgraded to the iphone 3GS model, and the stereo still connects to it without any trouble. Bluetooth pairing, handsfree phone use, and audio streaming all work very well. I've noticed that the audio with my stock car stereo sounded better than with this stereo. I'm not sure if it's because I need to upgrade the speakers as well, but that should be noted.
========iPhone 4 ownership========
EDIT: I've just upgraded to the iPhone 4 running iOS 4.0. While it paired without any issues just like my iPhone 3GS had, the A2DP stereo bluetooth profile does not seem to be recognized. I'm currently listening to music off my iPhone using the USB connection, but hope to get the A2DP wireless bluetooth profile working with some fiddling.
EDIT: You can stop driving yourself crazy trying to get this stereo to work with your iPhone 4. There is a deeply documented issue with Bluetooth on the iPhone 4. I can't post the link here, but just search the Apple support forums for Bluetooth muffled, and you'll find related info. Bluetooth devices are just not pairing properly with iPhone 4.
EDIT: I'm on iPhone 4 iOS 4.1 with zero improvement with A2DP stereo bluetooth profile. I've contacted Pioneer requesting the latest firmware for this stereo, but I'm not holding my breath.
EDIT: I'm still on iPhone 4, but now with iOS 4.2.1. With every software release, I'm hopeful that A2DP stereo bluetooth will again magically work. Unfortunately, it still doesn't work with iOS 4.2.1 on my iPhone 4. The wireless handsfree profile pairs just fine, though.
I need to mention one oddity, and it's that the stereo will sometimes just shut itself off out of nowhere. This happened maybe a dozen times so far, and I've yet to figure out why. I can usually just switch back to the desired input and it starts playing again, but a couple of times I had to park and completely stop power to the car.
For sirius users, do not lose the remote control if you plan on storing saved channels! The manual states that you must use the remote control in order to store sirius stations. Also the display when listening to sirius radio is odd. You can view three lines of text. Line one consists of the input, band, and preset number. Line two is the sirius channel number. Line three is your choice of artist, song, channel name, genre, etc. The odd part comes when you want to see the time. If you press the time/toggle button, you now have only TWO lines of text - the first and third. The middle is gone and the third displays time. Basically, this means that you can't view the artist and time at the same moment - stupid. I usually leave the time display enabled, but find myself toggling when I want to see the name of the artist playing.
On another note, I'm now at the 2 year ownership period of this stereo, and it still works very well. Buttons are still responsive, auxiliary input and satellite radio connections are strong and come through properly. The plastic screen bezel has some noticeable scratches, even though I'm gentle with it - I figure this is unavoidable.
Digital camera Review: Great product
Summary: 5 Stars
I've been using this stereo for a few weeks now. It connected up to my IPOD nano without any problems. I also use the bluetooth for phone calls frequently. That is my favorite feature because it automatically connects to my phone when I get in the car and the reception and mic work great. Very happy with purchase.