[jinu_joseph]

my primary aim for changing the head unit is because the current head units bluetooth is horrible. So primary aim will be a head unit whose bluetooth module supports an external mic and has some form of noise cancellation

[jinu_joseph]

Researching over the weekend has successfully managed to confuse me further. I found that none of the head units have a concept of active noise cancellation. They mostly have external mics that have noise reduction.

Another unit i found that has good BT support is the Alpine CDE 154BT, but unfortunately could not find this online in India.

And so my research continues.

[pillaian]

Originally Posted by jinu_joseph

Researching over the weekend has successfully managed to confuse me further. I found that none of the head units have a concept of active noise cancellation. They mostly have external mics that have noise reduction.

Another unit i found that has good BT support is the Alpine CDE 154BT, but unfortunately could not find this online in India.

And so my research continues.

Hi Jinu_Joseph - Since you are from Bombay please connect with ramie2400, he can suggest the right HU for your car (in your budget), procure it, as well as install it correctly, I have done up my polo from Ramie and he is a pro.

His contact # 9821134304

Thanks - Anish

[DerAlte]

Originally Posted by COUGAR

... general nani-ma's gyaan around is that Pioneer HU's handle Indian music better ...

Whose "Nani-ma's gyan" is that? Wrong. It should be "Indians who go with the general dhoom buy Pioneer". None of the HUs from any brand are predisposed / designed to handle a particular genre of music.

Originally Posted by jinu_joseph

... none of the head units have a concept of active noise cancellation. They mostly have external mics that have noise reduction. ...

Wrong expectation. Noise reduction / cancellation is not required, and hence not provided. Positioning of the mic is important. The best location is right side of the driver-side sun-visor, near the ceiling, angled towards the driver. In this position, traffic noise is minimised, and there is no wind-noise even if one is driving with window open.

[COUGAR]

Originally Posted by DerAlte

Whose "Nani-ma's gyan" is that? Wrong. It should be "Indians who go with the general dhoom buy Pioneer". None of the HUs from any brand are predisposed / designed to handle a particular genre of music.

You are right!

The reference is to the general perception - get to hear it more times than you can imagine!

[vinj14]

Looking for the cheapest option for a double din system with bluetooth and reverse camera feature.

Any suggestions. This is for a honda city 2011.

[rohin4110]

Through the experience of having used Sony, Blaupunkt, JVC and Pioneer, I would recommend the Pioneer, anyday!

The reasons for that are many.

1. Rich on features.
2. MIXTRAX is an amazing feature, while using the car audio for outdoor parties. You get the awesome DJ-like transition between songs.
3. Display theme is very good.
4. Rich on sound and clarity. Throws out good quality sound across frequencies.
5. Bluetooth clarity and convenience of use is by-far the best.
6. Pioneer after sales service (hope not required) is best amongst the HU manufacturers.
7. Option of putting the strap-on steering remote control for a seamless and convenient use, with controls on fingertips.

Sony is a strict NO for a lot of reasons, primary of all being the lack of depth in sound.

In case you are looking at the 2 phone BT connectivity to be put to a lot of use, then it may make sense to go for JVC, while not at par with Pioneer, you can still live with it.

My recommendation: Shut your eyes and go for Pioneer. You will enjoy it forsure, as long as the HU lasts

Hi.

I would suggest Pioneer 2690BT, which will cost around 17k, but is an excellent value for money.

These systems are built to go the distance and even though a bit expensive, they can be transferred onto your next vehicle, when you upgrade.

Suggesting Pioneer for the following reasons:

1. Can save a background picture of your own in themes.
2. MIXTRAX is an amazing feature, while using the car audio for outdoor parties. You get the awesome DJ-like transition between songs.
3. Default display themes are very good.
4. Rich on sound and clarity. Throws out good quality sound across frequencies.
5. Bluetooth clarity and convenience of use is by-far the best.
6. Option of putting the strap-on steering remote control for a seamless and convenient use, with controls on fingertips.

Originally Posted by vinj14

Looking for the cheapest option for a double din system with bluetooth and reverse camera feature.

Any suggestions. This is for a honda city 2011.

[DerAlte]

Originally Posted by COUGAR

... get to hear it more times than you can imagine!

Originally Posted by rohin4110

... My recommendation: Shut your eyes and go for Pioneer. You will enjoy it forsure, as long as the HU lasts ...

LOL And immediately @rohin4110 provides proof of that!

@rohin4110: everyone enjoys any HU as long as it lasts. Some last a long time, some a few months. One can't enjoy it once it expires, na!

Originally Posted by rohin4110

Through the experience of having used Sony, Blaupunkt, JVC and Pioneer, I would recommend the Pioneer, anyday! ...

Your post is quite 'Pioneer fan-boy'-ish. Please do take time to use other HUs before posting like that. All HUs have pros and cons - there is no perfect HU make/model.

Originally Posted by rohin4110

... The reasons for that are many.
1. Rich on features. ...

All HUs are 'rich on features', some of which are practically useful, the others are just bells & whistles

Originally Posted by rohin4110

... 2. MIXTRAX is an amazing feature, while using the car audio for outdoor parties. You get the awesome DJ-like transition between songs. ...

Well, well, well!!! 99% of the people do not have that need!

Originally Posted by rohin4110

... 3. Display theme is very good. ...

Originally Posted by rohin4110

... 1. Can save a background picture of your own in themes. ...

All 2DIN touchscreens provide this, and it is very subjective.

Originally Posted by rohin4110

... 4. Rich on sound and clarity. Throws out good quality sound across frequencies. ...

Sure, all of them do. Depends more on the speakers one uses.

Originally Posted by rohin4110

... 5. Bluetooth clarity and convenience of use is by-far the best. ...

Very debatable, considering the HU is hardly doing anything in this.

Originally Posted by rohin4110

... 6. Option of putting the strap-on steering remote control for a seamless and convenient use, with controls on fingertips.

If one has controls on the steering wheel, one should use that through an after-market adapter.

[joybhowmik]

My Pioneer 8490 BT unit is a little over 2.5 years old. No gripes yet, but am in the mood for a change. Would like a unit that allows the use of phone apps of Android... the 8490BT does this with iphone 3/4 - but I dont have those phones.
What I am looking for is a way to check my email/launch internet by launching the relevant app through the touchscreen.

Any ideas?
Also - what would a 2.5 year old Pioneer HU in excellent condition fetch on the market?

[rohin4110]

Wow!!! Impressed with the critical review of the post, which was only intended to help people seeking suggestions:

1. What is stated above is basis my experience with multiple brands of HU over the last 15 years or so, thus there is nothing right or wrong there!
2. I am not a Pioneer salesman, thus if I vouch for Pioneer, it is only because they come with features, which are user friendly, practical (for my use, like MIXTRAX, as we do indeed party outdoors many a time by some river-side during office/family outings).
3. As mentioned in the first para itself, I have indeed used other brands and the overall package in a Pioneer does suit me the best and that's why maybe my post looks like a Pioneer fan-boyish post!
4. Sony HUs leave a lot to be desired and have had some nasty experiences with their after-sales service, with one of my earlier units. The features too are nothing great to write home about!
5. Blaupunkt has had its issues with the quality of product for the last few years and that's the reason that their sales have dropped with time. While these issues have been checked lately, but again, they are not offering anything better/different/unique.
6. Kenwood: Well, haven't tried one and thus to be fare, no comments there.
7. JVC: Had a 7 inch EXAD series touchscreen HU for 1.5 years and it developed a snag which the JVC service team were not able to fix, while the HU was under warranty and they even refused to replace the unit, despite confirming a snag, which was a manufacturing defect. While this was one instance where the HU went bad, the other JVCs that I have had, worked very well for a few years till they went with the cars when sold.
8. We have an SX4 Celebration ZDI in the family, which comes with the steering mounted controls as OE, and the latter are driving the Pioneer 2690BT through an adaptor. However, the only controls you get on a OE steering control are volume, track up/down, mute and source change, which again ain't good enough for me. The strap on steering remote for Pioneer has more functionality than the OE remote, where again, it is a personal liking that I have the strap remote on the wheel.
9. As for the sound, well, a Focal/Hertz component, will not sound great with an OE Head-unit, as they would with a aftermarket HU. Thus it is established that for sound, the HU does play a critical role and can not just be left to good speakers alone! They both need to fire together

Guess there is nothing wrong in expressing opinions basis individual experiences. It is these opinions only, which the fellow members relate with, as a story close to their's, and thus are enabled to take an informed call on what suits their requirement the best...

Originally Posted by DerAlte

LOL And immediately @rohin4110 provides proof of that!

@rohin4110: everyone enjoys any HU as long as it lasts. Some last a long time, some a few months. One can't enjoy it once it expires, na!

Your post is quite 'Pioneer fan-boy'-ish. Please do take time to use other HUs before posting like that. All HUs have pros and cons - there is no perfect HU make/model.

All HUs are 'rich on features', some of which are practically useful, the others are just bells & whistles

Well, well, well!!! 99% of the people do not have that need!


All 2DIN touchscreens provide this, and it is very subjective.

Sure, all of them do. Depends more on the speakers one uses.

Very debatable, considering the HU is hardly doing anything in this.

If one has controls on the steering wheel, one should use that through an after-market adapter.

[DerAlte]

Originally Posted by rohin4110

... critical review of the post ...

No, just clearing the air that it is not only Pioneer which implements what you talk about.

Originally Posted by rohin4110

... which was only intended to help people seeking suggestions ...

Originally Posted by rohin4110

... Guess there is nothing wrong in expressing opinions basis individual experiences. It is these opinions only, which the fellow members relate with, as a story close to their's, and thus are enabled to take an informed call on what suits their requirement the best...

Sure, everyone who writes on TBHP has the same intention. Unless we give a balanced presentation, we are doing others great disservice by losing objectivity. Mere opinions do not enable making an informed call. Please do read up on TBHP - most members do not express opinions, they present real experience.

Originally Posted by rohin4110

... there is nothing right or wrong there ...

There is seldom anything absolutely right or wrong, but there is a difference between fact and creative presentation, sir.

Originally Posted by rohin4110

... 4. Sony HUs leave a lot to be desired and have had some nasty experiences with their after-sales service, with one of my earlier units. The features too are nothing great to write home about! ...

There are very few here who are enamored with Sony

Originally Posted by rohin4110

... 5. Blaupunkt has had its issues with the quality of product for the last few years ...

You are describing the years that Blaupunkt redefined itself after moving out of the Bosch family. No, there has been very few, if at all, field failures of Blaupunkt equipment - their manufacturing quality is unimpeachable. One can't say that about Sony.

There is very little, other than sound quality, which is "better/different/unique" with any brand. While Pio 80PRS is considered a reference (not any other model from Pio), Kenwood generally has much better sound across the models. Blaupunkt, Alpine and JVC are close behind. Probably JVC's 2 phone BT hookup is unique, though I hardly find that useful. I find Alpine and Pioneer quite 'bright', a lot of others don't.

Originally Posted by rohin4110

... However, the only controls you get on a OE steering control are volume, track up/down, mute and source change, which again ain't good enough for me. The strap on steering remote for Pioneer has more functionality than the OE remote, where again, it is a personal liking that I have the strap remote on the wheel. ...

There was a dhoom for strap-on universal remotes for the last few years. The demand seems to have died off, possibly due to the bad look and feel of a strap-on, as well as the very limited angular range of the IR causing it to be temperamental (I didn't buy one for that reason). It is not personal liking, it is practicability. There are many like me who organize music before hand, and don't fiddle around with controls while driving. You must be different.

Originally Posted by rohin4110

... Focal/Hertz component, will not sound great with an OE Head-unit, as they would with a aftermarket HU. ...

And why would that be? That seems to be a prejudiced assumption. An external amplifier does make a lot of difference. Replacing an OE HU with an aftermarket one, the issue is of practicality of replacement. Many don't want to lose the OE get-up, yet would like to get a much better response than OE *speakers*. So, do you tell them "Change the HU first to get better sound"???

[zulfi hansi]

Originally Posted by jinu_joseph

my primary aim for changing the head unit is because the current head units bluetooth is horrible. So primary aim will be a head unit whose bluetooth module supports an external mic and has some form of noise cancellation

My 2 cents, I was using a single din Kenwood for 3 years in my Corolla which I sold [car & HU] in Jan this year. Cannot recollect the model number, and for sure it is discontinued by now. Bought it on recommendation by DerAlte, most thankful I am to him for that. It was the best HU I had ever bought, and it played excellent music, it could pair up with 5 numbers, the Bluetooth was flawless and that too it did not even have a external mic, not once I had clarity problems on my calls. It was very advanced for its times but since it was just the start of BT units, it could not play music on BT, but for calls it worked like a charm. I had paid Rs. 10800/- [MRP-11500]. Bought it from Sathy [EVO].

BTW a lot depends on the mobile you use, a basic crappy mobile will not give what the HU can support, I tested it too. Back then I was using a Nokia 6xxx and it was fantastic with it, tried it with a Rs. 1,500/- LG and I had to shout as much as the people siting in surrounding cars could clearly listen.

[phamilyman]

Speaking of which - have you evaluated standalone bluetooth speakers or the car kits by Jabra / Blaupunkt etc?

Looked at http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/produc...arrot-etc.html ??

[jinu_joseph]

Wow thanks a lot guys for your inputs. Pamilyman, not looking for a separate device for bluetooth calls as i don't want the hassle of charging repeatedly or running cables for charging. Having said that i have read good reviews of Jabra Tour and Freeway.

DerAlte I am surprised to hear your comments on blaupunkt. Majority opinion, including that of my installer was to stay away from blaupunkt. Personally i had a Blau system many many years ago in my Maruti 800 and loved it. But things seems to have changed since then.

I am not a big fan of Pioneer, because of all the jazz they put into their HU which is of no value to me. Also i have had pioneer units fail on me earlier.

Any idea if the alpine CDE 154bt is available in India. If so at what price? The USD price seems to be around my budget, not sure what will happen when it reaches India.

[COUGAR]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

Speaking of which - have you evaluated standalone bluetooth speakers or the car kits by Jabra / Blaupunkt etc?

Looked at http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/produc...arrot-etc.html ??

Never understood the point of having a separate Bluetooth kit in the car - especially when most modern HU's - even the sub-10k ones have decent BT.
One 15K HU has a Parrot based BT built in- but others are decent as well?

So why have another dedicated BT unit?