Pioneer Car stereos & accessories

Beeman · 12th January 2006, 12:52

As far as i know i have always had a pioneer head unit and speaker systems in all of my cars. However over the last few years the flooding of the market with fake chinese products has made it harder to buy this brand.
Now my question is apart from trusting the shop that we buy the stereos from what are the other ways to distinguish a original speaker or stereo from Pioneer?
ALso what is your favourite brand when it comes to car stereos?

mohit · 12th January 2006, 13:06

Quote:

Now my question is apart from trusting the shop that we buy the stereos from what are the other ways to distinguish a original speaker or stereo from Pioneer?

Buy a set that comes with warranty! Pioneer now comes with a two year warranty. The sets are more expensive than what you get in grey but you are assured of a genuine unit. Same goes for speakers and amps.

mclaren1885 · 12th January 2006, 13:14

well u need to look at the fit and finish of the fakes , trust me on careful observation u can make out ..

secondly coming to the favourite brands for the HU its got to be alpine(will buy one someday) .. speakers and subs has to be hertz and alpine .. amps again got to be alpine , audison & JBL ... This is what i have felt are good at a higher budget .. though for a decent budget i vouch for JBL speakers ...

Beeman · 12th January 2006, 13:17

i just love the deep base tones a JBL system can produce. Ouch!! forgot to put that brand in my poll!

Buffetfan · 12th January 2006, 16:37

[SIZE=2]are JBL Head Units available in India...never heard of one...I have a Pioneer 7750 With a JBL CS 50.4 and JBL GTO 301.1 amp with JBL speakers all around in my car.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]Yes..the sound has a good depth[/SIZE]

Beeman · 12th January 2006, 16:38

sorry buffetfan was just talking about the component speaker system for cars.

nitrous · 23rd January 2006, 16:14

Pioneer is the undisputed king of Value-for-money Car audio equipment.
Its easier to source spares.Give a lot of features for its price and can live for the car's lifetime.
I've experimented with kenwood,sony xplod HUs too.But,they didnt treat me good.Then, pioneer all the way. I have Pioneer HUs, pio subs,pio amps, pio tweeters,pio 6x9s, pio this and pio that.My next plan is to switch to JBL speakers+Pio HU and check the difference.

karthik247 · 23rd January 2006, 23:27

Alpine all the way. I just can't think of another brand thats gonna beat it in terms of sound quality.
Even if the speakers, subs, amps etc are not Alpine...the HU just has to be one

Beeman · 24th January 2006, 13:24

Wonder if a pioneer and Jbl sound system would gel an alpine hu gets along decently with pioneer speakers but no vice versa

CaliforniaKnight · 24th January 2006, 16:55

any ideas on the bluetooth enabled car audio from Pioneer?? model number and approx cost of the same??

Beeman · 25th January 2006, 16:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaliforniaKnight

any ideas on the bluetooth enabled car audio from Pioneer?? model number and approx cost of the same??

What do you mean by bluetooth enabled?!

SoundManiac · 27th January 2006, 14:39

I can only speak of the systems i've tested. Sony, Pioneer, JVC, Kenwood for Head Units. - Pioneer Rocks!!! So many features!!!

As for speakers - I've heard, Sony, Pioneer, Kenwood, Soomoku, Auzo (has anyone heard of it?) and of course JBL. And My choice is JBL!!!
JBL 606 Components speakers are way superior to anything I've heard. And, their 6x9 ovals rock too!

P.S. One factor I've found making a huge difference to the sound quality is the bitrate of MP3's. (with most cars boasting of MP3 stereos and music.) Besides enlightening me about the finer points of a system setup for the car, this forum also educated me about the bit rates of MP3 music. And, i was shocked with the sea of difference. There is a sea of difference between a 128kbps recording and 328 kbps one/WMA/losless formats. Previously an MP3 was and MP3 and I knew nothing about the bitrates!! But now I hate to listen anything below 328. Anything less than 256 is a strict no no!!!! So, if anyone is comparing the music systems, it has to be with the same CD - only then we could say authoritatively.

And having done such testing or rather comparsion -of the brands that I could listen to- I would go with Pioneer HU and JBL speakers anyday.
!

Sam Kapasi · 27th January 2006, 16:28

I've voted. But honestly, every now and then we have a poll here on which brand is "better"
None are better boys. They are all good. Or all bad. Depending on which side of the wallet you speak from. Buy something you can afford, something that will work well, sound good and there's somebody to back you up if it gets buggered. Buss.

navin · 28th January 2006, 00:21

SM, try Speakers from Focal, Vifa/ScanSpeak , Infinity, Boston, Dynaudio, and Morel.

try VBR. Rip your MP3s using Exact Audio Copy and LAME Alt Preset Extreme (or Insane) -you'll find a sea of info on www.hydrogenaudio.org and www.freedb.org

Personally I look to a stereo for sound not features. At any price point more features = less sound. The company has to make a profit. They can either sell you button and lights or better DACs

SoundManiac · 30th January 2006, 13:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by navin

SM, try Speakers from Focal, Vifa/ScanSpeak , Infinity, Boston, Dynaudio, and Morel.

Quote:

Originally Posted by navin

try VBR. Rip your MP3s using Exact Audio Copy and LAME Alt Preset Extreme (or Insane) -you'll find a sea of info on www.hydrogenaudio.org and www.freedb.org

Personally I look to a stereo for sound not features. At any price point more features = less sound. The company has to make a profit. They can either sell you button and lights or better DACs

I would love to try all the brands you said Navin, but the moot point is their availability(at least in Hyderabad)!!!
Of the brands you mentioned, I've found onlyBoston available in one shop in Hyderabad. I wonder if any others are available - if they are, I at least am not aware.

As for Infinity, Sam's distributor in AP has no stock! He needs a confirmed order for procurement. Now, I for one would not confirm the order before listening to what any brand sounds like! Why Infinity, this fellow needs at least a week to arrange for even JBL Compos

Waiting for some real good retailer/distributor to come in and provide all the HIgh end brands in Hyderabad. Gunbir, may be, can do something about it.

Moreover, why I particularly mentioned the brands that I tried was to give a proper context to my statement - "My Choice is JBL & Pioneer." (i.e. My choice is JBL & Pioneer from the brands that i have tried). Any third person could infer it as my choice from the brands he (the third person) has tried. And the third person could have tried "n" other brands.
In case of audio experts like you an our other gurus, it is not much of a concern even if the said statement were to be misconstrued. However, in case of general visitor looking for "which brand is best?, which best brand to buy etc....etc...." the said statement could be misleading if not damaging! (Hope I've been able to communicate what I want to!!)

View Poll Results: Which is your favourite brand of after-market car stereos?
Pioneer	152	60.56%
Sony	26	10.36%
Alpine	60	23.90%
Any other (Pls specify in your post)	13	5.18%
Voters: 251. You may not vote on this poll

12th January 2006, 12:52	#1
Beeman BHPian Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Treasure island Posts: 335 Thanked: 2 Times	Pioneer Car stereos & accessories As far as i know i have always had a pioneer head unit and speaker systems in all of my cars. However over the last few years the flooding of the market with fake chinese products has made it harder to buy this brand. Now my question is apart from trusting the shop that we buy the stereos from what are the other ways to distinguish a original speaker or stereo from Pioneer? ALso what is your favourite brand when it comes to car stereos?
	() Thanks

12th January 2006, 13:14	#3
mclaren1885 BANNED Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Bangalore (the city of modded cars) !! Posts: 4,820 Thanked: 45 Times View My Garage Infractions: 0/1 (10)	well u need to look at the fit and finish of the fakes , trust me on careful observation u can make out .. secondly coming to the favourite brands for the HU its got to be alpine(will buy one someday) .. speakers and subs has to be hertz and alpine .. amps again got to be alpine , audison & JBL ... This is what i have felt are good at a higher budget .. though for a decent budget i vouch for JBL speakers ... Last edited by mclaren1885 : 12th January 2006 at 13:16.
	() Thanks

12th January 2006, 13:17	#4
Beeman BHPian Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Treasure island Posts: 335 Thanked: 2 Times	i just love the deep base tones a JBL system can produce. Ouch!! forgot to put that brand in my poll!
	() Thanks

12th January 2006, 16:37	#5
Buffetfan Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2005 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 1,128 Thanked: 195 Times	[SIZE=2]are JBL Head Units available in India...never heard of one...I have a Pioneer 7750 With a JBL CS 50.4 and JBL GTO 301.1 amp with JBL speakers all around in my car.[/SIZE] [SIZE=2]Yes..the sound has a good depth[/SIZE]
	() Thanks

12th January 2006, 16:38	#6
Beeman BHPian Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Treasure island Posts: 335 Thanked: 2 Times	sorry buffetfan was just talking about the component speaker system for cars.
	() Thanks

23rd January 2006, 16:14	#7
nitrous Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2004 Location: UAE/Lon/Madras Posts: 6,965 Thanked: 325 Times View My Garage	Pioneer is the undisputed king of Value-for-money Car audio equipment. Its easier to source spares.Give a lot of features for its price and can live for the car's lifetime. I've experimented with kenwood,sony xplod HUs too.But,they didnt treat me good.Then, pioneer all the way. I have Pioneer HUs, pio subs,pio amps, pio tweeters,pio 6x9s, pio this and pio that.My next plan is to switch to JBL speakers+Pio HU and check the difference.
	() Thanks

23rd January 2006, 23:27	#8
karthik247 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: BLR, HYD Posts: 2,710 Thanked: 30 Times	Alpine all the way. I just can't think of another brand thats gonna beat it in terms of sound quality. Even if the speakers, subs, amps etc are not Alpine...the HU just has to be one
	() Thanks

24th January 2006, 13:24	#9
Beeman BHPian Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Treasure island Posts: 335 Thanked: 2 Times	Wonder if a pioneer and Jbl sound system would gel an alpine hu gets along decently with pioneer speakers but no vice versa
	() Thanks

24th January 2006, 16:55	#10
CaliforniaKnight BHPian Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: IND + DXB Posts: 980 Thanked: 141 Times View My Garage	any ideas on the bluetooth enabled car audio from Pioneer?? model number and approx cost of the same??
	() Thanks

27th January 2006, 14:39	#12
SoundManiac BHPian Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 171 Thanked: 79 Times	I can only speak of the systems i've tested. Sony, Pioneer, JVC, Kenwood for Head Units. - Pioneer Rocks!!! So many features!!! As for speakers - I've heard, Sony, Pioneer, Kenwood, Soomoku, Auzo (has anyone heard of it?) and of course JBL. And My choice is JBL!!! JBL 606 Components speakers are way superior to anything I've heard. And, their 6x9 ovals rock too! P.S. One factor I've found making a huge difference to the sound quality is the bitrate of MP3's. (with most cars boasting of MP3 stereos and music.) Besides enlightening me about the finer points of a system setup for the car, this forum also educated me about the bit rates of MP3 music. And, i was shocked with the sea of difference. There is a sea of difference between a 128kbps recording and 328 kbps one/WMA/losless formats. Previously an MP3 was and MP3 and I knew nothing about the bitrates!! But now I hate to listen anything below 328. Anything less than 256 is a strict no no!!!! So, if anyone is comparing the music systems, it has to be with the same CD - only then we could say authoritatively. And having done such testing or rather comparsion -of the brands that I could listen to- I would go with Pioneer HU and JBL speakers anyday. !
	() Thanks

27th January 2006, 16:28	#13
Sam Kapasi Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Mumbai (but wat Posts: 6,997 Thanked: 2,378 Times View My Garage	I've voted. But honestly, every now and then we have a poll here on which brand is "better" None are better boys. They are all good. Or all bad. Depending on which side of the wallet you speak from. Buy something you can afford, something that will work well, sound good and there's somebody to back you up if it gets buggered. Buss.
	() Thanks

28th January 2006, 00:21	#14
navin Team-BHP Support Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 25,196 Thanked: 9,292 Times	SM, try Speakers from Focal, Vifa/ScanSpeak , Infinity, Boston, Dynaudio, and Morel. try VBR. Rip your MP3s using Exact Audio Copy and LAME Alt Preset Extreme (or Insane) -you'll find a sea of info on www.hydrogenaudio.org and www.freedb.org Personally I look to a stereo for sound not features. At any price point more features = less sound. The company has to make a profit. They can either sell you button and lights or better DACs
	() Thanks