[SA-G13B]

Originally Posted by vkhandelwal

What setup do you have in your other car with pioneer head unit ?

4x Focal Auditor Coaxials

(Basic setup, I know. But enough for Dad)

[kkashwin]

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Hi Folks,

A quick (and expensive) update:

Finally spent a bomb for the DMH-6350bt
Rationale:
- Went to multiple shops in Koramangala and Whitefield areas (Bangalore) and every single shop floor guy recommended Pioneer. None of them said anything against the Sony but it was never a first choice for any of the folks
- Sony HUs are not in ready stock anywhere (probably the reason for the above reco as well )
- This thread seems to be tilting towards a Pioneer as well
- Was not in the mood for doing more trips specifically to get a Sony

Rationale for 6350bt:
- Had anyways done a bit of digging beforehand and tilting towards 6350bt specifically for its capacitive touch and Wireless Android Auto
- This one also has a Capacitive Touch. My only grouse about the

Review after playing with it over the last Couple of days - would say mixed feelings (wouldn't say I absolutely love it nor am I sad that I went for this unit)

Remember I am coming from an old JVC HU which has a tiny display and tons of buttons to control everything

Pros:
- Wireless Android Auto is awesome (when it works). Get into the car and the maps come up on the HU Screen - quite nice and effortless!
- The 1080p display is really nice. Some elements like a Live Wallpaper the interface look even better
- Integrated Alexa (when it works) is really cool if you don't want Android Auto. Effortlessly plays songs from Amazon Music etc
- USB-C connectivity
- The audio quality is absolutely awesome!!! I have not changed Wiring, AMP or the speakers but the audio is perceptibly better. This could be because Pioneer is truly better at processing audio than my older JVC OR the whole setup was tuned again - maybe my last setup was horribly tuned over the years OR having spent a truckload, my ears automatically were tuned to love the music

Cons:
- Lack of physical buttons!! Touch Only interface coming from an old school Button only interface is horrible!!! Even the volume buttons are capacitive touch with no feedback! You definitely can't hit them without looking!
- Super sluggish UI! Maybe I should taper down my expectation, but the UI is really really slow (like swiping to open settings etc) - this is not really a touch response issue. But just don't use the HU as if you are using a mid-range smartphone!
- Android Wireless I guess is still not super stable. It disconnects frequently - although it reconnects automatically sometimes the audio doesn't restore. Phone will start playing music through its speakers (could be a phone issue too)
- Native Alexa and Android Auto Wireless definitely don't like each other. Alexa doesn't work when Android Auto is connected (as in not even in the Android Auto screen)
- Alexa requires Wifi connectivity to access Internet!!! This was a big bummer! I was under the impression that it would be pull its data through the Bluetooth connection to the phone. The Alexa Auto by Amazon I believe does just that. Unless you remember to turn on the phone's hotspot - you are not going to be using this feature at all!
- Significant glare under some conditions but manageable



Except for the crappy UI response none of the cons are dealbreakers but after spending a bomb I expected everything to be seamless (albeit unreasonably)

[vkhandelwal]

Originally Posted by SA-G13B

4x Focal Auditor Coaxials

(Basic setup, I know. But enough for Dad)

Just curious, as you felt that the SQ was superior in sony, did you also try pioneer head unit with your car setup ?
For comparison the setup should be identical with same audio source.

[vkhandelwal]

Originally Posted by kkashwin

[

Except for the crappy UI response none of the cons are dealbreakers but after spending a bomb I expected everything to be seamless (albeit unreasonably)

Congratulations ! wireless android is expected to get stable and better with coming updates. it is relatively new thing. wired should be more stable

Enjoy your music !

[eRajesh]

Planned on installing the Pioneer 5290 on my Toyota Fortuner but there's a lot of adaptor and other stuff required.

Pioneer Head unit - 20-23k
Harness + adapter for rear camera, steering buttons etc - 7-8k

[kkashwin]

Originally Posted by eRajesh

Harness + adapter for rear camera, steering buttons etc - 7-8k

What do you mean by "steering buttons"? Did you find any aftermarket solution for adding steering buttons?
Capacitive screens definitely require a solution - it's impossible to operate the screen without looking at it.

[eRajesh]

Fortuner has music control buttons on the steering. An adapter is needed to make sure the Pioneer HU works with the steering buttons. I need the buttons to work since as you said, very hard to operate touch screens while driving.

[SA-G13B]

Originally Posted by vkhandelwal

Just curious, as you felt that the SQ was superior in sony, did you also try pioneer head unit with your car setup ?
For comparison the setup should be identical with same audio source.

Unfortunately, no. Never got the chance to use my current set up with the pioneer HU, but now that you’ve said it, I’ve got an itch in my brain!

Will let you know if I ever do!

[straight6]

The audio buttons will work without the module. Only the call receive/hang up and BT buttons wont. This is as oer my experience with pioneer in dzire.

[vkhandelwal]

Originally Posted by SA-G13B

Unfortunately, no. Never got the chance to use my current set up with the pioneer HU, but now that you’ve said it, I’ve got an itch in my brain!

Will let you know if I ever do!

I have a feeling that If you use pioneer with setup in your car, you would change the statement that the sony has better SQ than pioneer.
you should check that out.

[Sankar]

The steering control buttons in my Crysta, including phone answer and hangup, work with my Pioneer AVHX8890BT without the need for an external steering control transcoder box. For audio control settings Pioneer has more options and a better implementation than Sony.

[shamanth]

Originally Posted by kkashwin

- Super sluggish UI! Maybe I should taper down my expectation, but the UI is really really slow (like swiping to open settings etc) - this is not really a touch response issue. But just don't use the HU as if you are using a mid-range smartphone!

I was thinking about going for DMH-6350bt, but as you say if UI is so sluggish despite being capacitive touch, then DMH-Z5290BT makes sense.

[SA-G13B]

Originally Posted by vkhandelwal

I have a feeling that If you use pioneer with setup in your car, you would change the statement that the sony has better SQ than pioneer.
you should check that out.

I’m looking forward to seeing the difference between them. After all, Pioneer has been a big player known for quality.

However, I never said that Sony SQ is better than Pioneer. I only said that Sony is very good

[pavi]

According to me pioneer is like VW/Skoda cars. No plethora of features, but they always get the basics right. Just like old platforms in these cars (In India), pioneer still go with resistive touchscreens. But the feel and quality of the audio is superb.

My current set up in 4th gen Honda city includes,
1. Pioneer DMH-Z5290BT
2. Rainbow DL 6.5 inch components on all four doors.
3. Infinity mono amplifier
4. Rainbow SL 12 inch enclosed sub woofer.

I play only FLAC songs, at times may use Spotify. The time alignment and stuffs provided by pioneer gives the set up a different dimension. I am not saying Sony is bad, but I always felt pioneer better.

[vkhandelwal]

Originally Posted by SA-G13B

Having used both in each of my cars, I’d strongly suggest the Sony.
Sound quality wise, it’s top notch.

I was referring to this statement of yours . It gave feeling that you had compared both.
To test the players you have to give them the same ground.