Pioneer Premier DEH-P310UB Description

Sick of listening to static? CD Players improve sound quality and add features like Bluetooth and iPod control that your built in factory stereo might otherwise not have. Expand your system with digital radio options like HD Radio, XM Satellite Radio or Sirius Satellite Radio.

Pioneer Premier DEH-P310UB Customer Reviews

Excellent item with good deal, June 15, 2009

By Abraham T. George

Pioneer Premier DEH-P310UB with sepakers are excellent items and was a good deal. Received the material before what I expected!!

Buy Pioneer Premier DEH-P310UB CD/MP3/WMA/AAC Car Receiver at Amazon.com

Pioneer DEHP3100UB Description
Sick of listening to static? CD Players improve sound quality and add features like Bluetooth and iPod control that your built in factory stereo might otherwise not have. Expand your system with digital radio options like HD Radio, XM Satellite Radio or Sirius Satellite Radio.

Pioneer DEHP3100UB Customer Reviews

Really enjoying this radio, June 26, 2009
By Stacy Tolliver

I actually brought this product from Best Buy and paid about 35 dollars more for it with tax and all. Plus I got it installed by the Geek Squad for another 100 dollars (which I recommend for anyone who is not or doesn’t know someone who is savvy about installing such things) but anyway the product works great. The sound is absolutely wonderful and clear with a nice bass. I got it so I could play my iPod Touch in my car and the USB port makes this easy. I had actually had a cheaper Pioneer in my car for about a week that only had the AUX port, but I quickly found that driving and trying to pick up my iPod and control it was a hazard…actually worse than me trying to text while driving…so I exchanged it for this one…but anyway some people don’t like that it disables your iPod but the great thing about this radio is it gives you the option to control your music through the radio or the iPod. If you are like me and want to control the iPod through the radio you should sit in your car for awhile with your manual to play with the buttons, because like others have said the controls are a bit confusing and take some getting use to. Also it might help some people to create a few playlist and get everything ready before you drive so that you’re not constantly fidgeting with the iPod and the controls and so you can sit back and just enjoy the amazing sound of your music.

pioneer dehp3100ub, June 11, 2009
By Eric M. Thompson “cracked” (memphis)

Bought stereo after searching around to find best price. Ordered it and received it in three days. Fast shipping from seller. Love being able to listen to my Ipod through the stereo and also able to control it.

so far so good, May 29, 2009
By Erik R. Stevens “elrik” (redondo beach,CA)

installed a week ago and as of now have no complaints.for the price the unit is very flexable.did alot of research and this receiver delivered.as stated above, the one knob does it all can be tricky but after 10 minutes you’ll figure it out.using the remote simplifies adjusting sound for me.I love the usb.put all music into 8gb flash drive plug it in and no more mess!

Buy Pioneer DEHP3100UB SCD Receiver with USB control and LCD at Amazon.com

Pioneer DEH-P5000UB Description

Hear the detail, warmth, and clarity–the way the artist intended it–from all of your highly compressed MP3, WMA, and AAC files stored on USB memory device, iPod, and portable digital players. By restoring data (especially higher frequencies) that tend to get lost in the digital compression process, Pioneer’s Advanced Sound Retriever technology enhances audio reproduction nearly all the way up to 20 kHz frequencies. When Advanced Sound Retriever is “ON,” the high frequency range is compensated to match the frequency response curve of the original sound.

Pioneer DEH-P5000UB Customer Reviews

Nice but the the knob is a pain, February 22, 2008
By John Mulvaney

I really like this stereo and the price I got on it here from the Amazon merchant Globazar. It works great with my iPod Touch, keeps it charged and pauses the song when the ignition is turned off. The best part for me is the option to give control over to the iPod and making selections from there. Because, you see, the multi-wheel on this thing is more than a little difficult for me.

In an effort to make a sleeker product without a multitude of buttons lining the edges Pioneer gave more control to the multi-wheel (the big grey dial on the left side). The wheel can be turned, pushed on AND pushed on along the edges (top, bottom, left, right) sort of like a joy stick. It is very difficult (while driving) to make that middle push to navigate (for instance) to the EQ section and I constantly accidently hit too far to the edge selecting something I didn’t mean to and have to start over. It’s a frustrating experience that makes me sorry I bought it.

If you try this thing out at a big box store, be sure and stand a little to the left of it and reach out to try to simulate making selections while driving.

Worked great!, July 17, 2008
By Magnus Mike (Roanoke, VA USA)

Great value for a receiver, mine has worked well.
Don’t worry about not being able to use it while driving, like that other review says. There is one control that you can’t use properly while driving, but it only controls the audio settings like balance and EQ, which you shouldn’t be messing with while you’re driving anyway. Everything else is actually easier to change while you’re driving than on most other radios because there’s only one big knob you have to find.
It worked really well with my iPod touch, until I updated the iPod to the 2.0 software, and now it still works, but you have to turn on your iPod before you connect it. Before it would turn it on for you and work fine, but now if you plug it in while the ipod is still turned off it will give you an error message. Not a show stopper, but it had me confused for a while. Sometimes it will give you an error message anyway, you have to unplug the ipod, start playing music on it, then plug it back in. This is an issue with Apple’s software and not this receiver, but it’s something you need to be aware of if you have a new ipod or iphone that you want to use with this.
I have never had a problem with this receiver itself, it’s a great buy.

Pleased, January 1, 2009
By Chris (Somerset, MA USA)

I purchased this to replace the stock radio in my 2006 F150 4×4. I read the reviews here and elsewhere and was a little bit concerned about the interface in regards to it being non-intuitive and the knob flimsy. I disagree on both counts. The interface is very intuitive once you learn it, and the knob is by no means flimsy. Also, there were comments regarding the lack of presets – this is not a problem at all – when the radio is in tuner mode one only needs to push up or down on the knob to advance to the next preset. There was another complaint regarding the clock – all I can say to that is, read the manual!

My stock radio had very good AM reception but poor FM reception. I was afraid I would lose good AM reception with the new radio, but the AM reception is just as good if not better.

I use this radio with my iPod Touch 2nd generation and again, no complaints. I am a mild audiophile and the output sounds very clean to me in all modes.

I do agree that there should be a mute or pause button on the radio itself in case the remote is not handy. Other than that, this is a great product for the price.

Buy Pioneer DEH-P5000UB In-Dash CD/MP3/WMA/iTunes AAC/WAV Receiver at Amazon.Com

Sony CDX-GT330 Description
The Sony CDX-GT330 6-CD Receiver MP3/WMA Player features a 45-degree maximum mounting angle, allowing it to be used in virtually any custom or unusual installation. Best Tuning Memory is a function that seeks out up to 18 of the strongest stations in the area and sets them into the tuner presets. Tweak your EQ3 to help maximize the sound within your car. The auxiliary input is built right into the face of the head unit, so all you need to do is plug-n-play. MP3 ID3Tag Indication (Title/Artist/Album) MP3/WMA Playback SSIR-EXA tuner, 18FM and 12AM presets Low/Mid/High Adjustments Red key illumination 9dBf FM Usable Sensitivity 67dB FM Signal to Noise Ratio 120dB Signal to Noise Ratio 35dB at 1kHz Stereo Separation 2V Preout Max Voltage HD Radio Tuner iPod Interface For UniLink Dimensions – Depth 7 x Height 2 x Width 7

Sony CDX-GT330 Customer Reviews

Sony CDXM50IP Description
Bring your music to life even when you’re out in the water with the Sony Xplod CDX-M50IP Marine CD Receiver. You can play store-bought and recordable CDs, including with MP3, WMA, and AAC files on it. Or use the built-in connection and controls for your iPod. Connect another MP3 player into the front-panel auxiliary input. And add optional HD Radio tuner or satellite radio for more options, or hook up a Sony CD changer for extended disc playback. The built-in amplifier will carry the music over the noise of wind and waves. The 3-band equalizer tailors the output for the perfect blend of lows, mids, and highs. Add some kick by connecting amps or a powered subwoofer to the two sets of preamp outputs. Compatible with Sony’s iPod adapter, satellite radio tuner, CD changer & HD Radio tuner 30 pin Direct Control for iPod 2 sets of preamp outputs with selectable rear/subwoofer output Detachable Faceplate with Front Panel Aux In 52W x 4 High Power (17 watts RMS) EQ3 Stage 2 – 7 preset tone curves & a 3-band equalizer DS02 soundstage enhancement Coated circuit boards, UV- and salt-resistant paint 24-Bit D/A Converter BTM (Best Tuning Memory) – finds up to 18 of the strongest stations in the area 45 maximum mounting angle for a custom installation Ergonomic wireless card remote (RM-X151) Optional Marine Remote Commander(R) (RM-X11M/RM-X55M) Clock SSIR-EXA tuner, 18FM & 12AM presets 9/10k Switchable tuner Tel/Nav Attenuation WxHxD – 7x2x7 inches 2 lb 11 oz 10-20kHz, +/- 1dB Frequency Response 30-15kHz FM Frequency Response 35 dB@1kHz Stereo Separation 120 dB S/N Ratio 67 dB FM S/N Ratio 9 dBf FM Usable Sensitivity 75dB Selectivity (400Hz) 1-year Manufacturer warranty

Sony CDXM50IP Customer Reviews

Best deck money can buy, May 17, 2008
By Ralph Pero

What else does anyone need? This is the best stereo Deck I’ve ever purchased. The ability to hook up to an iPOD, any other MP3 player or aux source plus have RCA outputs for two sub channels and two fronts is amazing all-in-one. VERY satisfied with this deack and would recommend it to anyone.

nice unit, February 19, 2009
By Todd H. Stephens (Miami FL USA)

It is just a good quality unit, good power, removable face plate, and has a place to plug in an ipod.

Buy Sony CDXM50IP Marine CD Receiver Slot with iPod Direct Connection at Amazon.com

Pioneer DEH2100IB SCD Receiver with iPod Control

SCD Receiver with iPod control

Pioneer DEH2100IB Customer Reviews

Pretty sweet. Excellent iPod integration, March 25, 2009
By R. Deba (USA)

This is a pretty legit stereo, it’s not amazing but it’s good for the price range. I’ve had some stereos before that feature an iPod interface, but usually it turns out to suck really bad. Like it will default to listing all tracks, rather than by artist or album first. I was very pleased with the way this one works – it leaves all settings on the iPod the same, and gives you the ability to control the music via the iPod directly, instead of using the controls on the head unit. My only complaint is that the display is extremely difficult to see on sunny days. Overall, I would recommend this unit for its price range – I would buy it again.

Great radio, for good price, April 18, 2009
By Boston1986 “Boston1986″ (Boston, Ma)

I really like this radio. No need for CDs or listening to radio stations. I am presently driving around with 2911 songs that I like and dont have to listen to twice. The fact that its connected to the Ipod is alot of help, providing the variety, it plays everything in your ipod, including PodCasts… I heard people complain about the screen in previous versions, but i have a sunroof, and i can still CLEARLY see the song title on the radio. Sound quality is really good, and there is barely a delay when switching songs. Overall, like the product.

My only complaint is the following… i wish it was easier to browse through the ipod. Once connected, the ipod is disable, and all operation is from radio, which is clearly a plus. But if i want to listen to an artist whose name starts with a W, Im going to have to sit and scroll for a very long time. I wish you could scroll through the first letter, than slower if you want to find someone within that category.

Overall good radio, and since it includes the connection cable, it is also a really good deal!! I have my ipod hidden in the drawer and noone can see any cables in my car…

Also, since all the controls are on the headunit itself, no need to use the remote, if you dont want to.

So close to 5 stars…, May 18, 2009
By Y. London (MA)

I got this stereo to replace the stock cassette player in my 98 Mystique. The difference is far beyond night and day! Paired with my new Pioneer 6×8 speakers, the sound quality and volume is very impressive. Installation was pretty straight forward and the included wiring diagram is sufficient.

The only complaint I have about this stereo is the inability to scroll through the ipod menus quickly. If you’re browsing your songs, and you have 1000 of them on your ipod, you literally have to scroll 1000 times. Yes, you can browse by playlist, genre, etc. but the slow scroll speed gets annoying sometimes.

The menus take some getting used to, but they make sense once you get the hang of them. The included remote is useful for quick audio adjustments and tuning. Radio reception is much better than before, and the volume and SQ is excellent. Highly recommended!

Buy Pioneer DEH2100IB SCD Receiver with iPod Control at Amazon.Com

Pioneer AVH-P4100DVD 7-Inch In-Dash Double-DIN DVD Multimedia AV Receiver with Widescreen Display

7-inch Touchscreen Double-Din DVD Multimedia A/V Receiver with Motorized Touch Panel

Pioneer AVH-P4100DVD Customer Reviews

Generally a good unit, but has a couple shortcomings, April 8, 2009
By D. Edwards (Nashville, TN United States)

I have had this unit for about a week now, and generally it’s a pretty impressive unit. I also purchased the Pioneer GEX-P10HD HD Radio Tuner for Pioneer HD Radio-Ready Head Units, the Pioneer CD-BTB200 Bluetooth Wireless Adapter, and the Pioneer Car CDIU200V 2 Meter USB iPod Cable for AVH-P4100DVD.

Installation:
Installation for the product was generally clear. I am using the unit in a 1999 Nissan Altima. Had plenty of room for all three pieces either below the stereo or below the steering column.

AUX Inputs:
You’ll need to buy an 1/8″ headphone extension cable if you plan to use the aux input to connect to a normal player since the AUX input is in the back of the unit. You can also use a normal RCA stereo to 1/8″ cable like for a home stereo as well. The unit accepts both and you can use them for different units, so you can have an ipod hooked up and another player at the same time.

Video Quality:
* Album covers from ipods are okay. A bit fuzzy, but okay.
* DVDs look awesome on this unit. Every bit of what you’d want. Plenty of control options. I have no complaints on this one.
* Color on the screen is bright and easy to read and selecting things on the screen is also easy. It’s a senstive touch, so I never have to press hard. Most of the text is very large, so it’s easy to read and select on the screen in a moving car. Has a clean look, will be impressive to passengers, but when off, nothing that makes it look fancy (in my ideal world hopefully that’ll reduce theft potential). If you go to the Pioneer Electronics website, they have many more images of the screens. And the unit looks just as good in real life as it does in those pictures.

Sound Options:
* EQ is parametric, only three bands, but it allows you to choose what frequency and how many frequencies on either side of that one are affected. Provides enough flexibility if you may be used to a 7 or 10 band EQ like I am.
* Also, for external players, the feature that compensates for MP3 compressed audio is great. Really helps improve the sound from ipods.
* The Loudness feature has three intensity levels–quite helpful since on some units the difference between it being on and off can be crazy.
* The sub woofer settings allow you to choose the sub frequency you want to accent or reduce–assuming you have one with an external amplifier connected.

* Clock is only military time with no option to change it to am or pm. And it has a “just” option that drops the minutes and rounds the hours up or not. At least in the U.S., why would someone want to know a rounded hour. Not sure how that helps with anything.

Radio:
* The automatic station presets (BSM) only work in each preset group. Each group only has 6 options. So, you can’t have it find the top 18 strongest signals. For example, if you use BSM setup for FM set 1, and then do the same for FM set 2, they have practically the same stations in them.
* HD radio is great, but when selecting presets, it doesn’t insert the name of the station like it does with normal FM. All you see is P1, P2, etc. And I have yet to find a way to manually add it in. I don’t expect to. If you use the HD unit, the normal radio functionality in the unit is disabled. You can still get the analog signals, it just works a little differently. It seems like they forgot to dot a few i’s. But it switches back and forth between the analog signal and digital signal pretty well. With strong FM signals, I really can’t tell much of a difference. Generally speaking, I probably wouldn’t buy this item again if I had the choice. Most stations don’t provide song title and artist information, plus most average stereos have that capability anyway. And on the display, what information is available from the station is really small and cluttered at the top while tremendous space is wasted in the main areas. Poorly thought out for such a excellently featured unit.
* AM stations don’t come in well. When they come in, they sound great. It basically acts like a digital signal, so it either comes in and out quickly so you can’t catch the words, doesn’t come in at all, or it’s on perfectly. When perfectly, it sounds much better than a normal stereo. My guess is that there’s a processor in the unit that tries to clean up the signal. But as a result, weaker signals are simply cut off. You can’t turn this feature off. Pretty tough since AM signals are so weak in the first place. My last stereo was much better. AM HD certainly sounds better, but it requires a stronger signal than the analog AM. So, it doesn’t help you either.

iPod Controls:
* iPod controls work just like on the ipod except the scroll wheel action. In playlists, you can’t see title and artist together. It also truncates titles and shows only 5 at a time. It’s hard to find artists on the screen if you have a lot and scrolling is time consuming. There’s really nothing special with this feature. It’s better on the ipod because you can use the scroll action. The stereo allows you to use the ipod to select songs instead if you want. I didn’t find any significant bugs when using this feature.
* The unit allows you to play videos from your iPod or iTouch if you have video capability. I have a 5th generation ipod video (The stereo does have requirements as to what ipods can be used. Basically if you have one manufactured in the last two to three years, you’ll be fine.). I used DVDFab’s software on a PC to convert my DVDs to a format for the ipod. But for some reason, the videos wouldn’t play via the stereo like they should. I have the same problem on exercise units with the same feature. It’s probably a problem with my encoding. Just know you may have some adjustments to make. I haven’t bought a video from iTunes yet. I’d assume the videos would work just fine then.

Parked Requirement:
* I found a way around the parking brake requirement like a couple other reviewers. It is as simple as connecing the parking brake lead to a switch and the switch to the car chasis. The switch will have to be on (i.e. grounded) when you start your car. Then you’d switch it off and then on again. Most product descriptions on sites about this unit talk about it blocking DVDs, but if you don’t hook it up at all, it actually blocks other features in the unit as well, such as changing the display intensity and setting up the bluetooth module. Even after you engage the “parking brake”, there is a compliance screen prior to watching a DVD that requires you to press OK saying you’re parked. It’s good they do that. They shouldn’t be liable in an accident caused by us going around their system and watching a DVD or trying to dial a number while driving. By going around their system, we are certainly fully responsible for the consequences.

Bluetooth Capability:
* It allows you to dump your phonebook into the unit if your phone has that option. Wasn’t too hard to do that on my Treo 700p. The microphone sounded great on the piece and callers through the stereo sounded ok. I wouldn’t say it’s clear, but not much better than what you hear through your cellphone. The unit disables the EQ, however. So, you’re stuck with the default cellphone sound. The only thing you can do is balance the signal volume with the other equipment, which for the Treo is unnecessary since you can control that on the unit.

Backgrounds:
* The default set of background options are really good, except for the animated versions. They are very pixelated–very poor quality. The are still pretty cool, though. I still use one of them for some sources.

Summary:
Overall, I’m glad I bought the unit. The radio shortcomings and ipod clumsiness are pretty big ones for me. But considering the price here on Amazon vs. other options in the same price range, I still would have bought the unit again.

Buy Pioneer AVH-P4100DVD 7-Inch In-Dash Double-DIN DVD Multimedia AV Receiver with Widescreen Display Buy Pioneer AVH-P4100DVD 7-Inch In-Dash Double-DIN DVD Multimedia AV Receiver with Widescreen Display at Amazon.Com

Pioneer AVH-P3100DVD 5.8-Inch In-Dash Double-DIN DVD Multimedia AV Receiver with Widescreen Display

Pioneer AVH-P3100DVD 5.8-Inch In-Dash Double-DIN DVD Multimedia AV Receiver with Widescreen Display

Best car stereo I’ve owned, April 16, 2009
By Pen Name (Fairbanks, Alaska)

The Pioneer AVH-P3100DVD is a touch-screen Double DIN aftermarket car stereo. It has a 5.8″ full color widescreen face, front auxiliary port for connecting an Ipod or other device, a front USB port for connecting a USB flash drive, and it can play DVD-R/RW, CD-R/RW, DivX, MP3, WMA and AAC files. The Pioneer AVH-P4100DVD 7-Inch In-Dash Double-DIN DVD Multimedia AV Receiver with Widescreen Display is the same exact radio, except it adds a bigger screen (7″) by removing the physical buttons to the side, and it adds a subwoofer preamp output.

INSTALLATION AND DVD BYPASS: Double DIN means that it is roughly twice the size of a conventional car stereo, so before ordering, you need to make sure it will fit in your car. The best way to do this is to go to Crutchfield’s web site and determine if it will work on your vehicle. The unit itself comes with the receiver, mounting screws, manual, a stylus pen, front mounting cover, and a power cable. I found it fairly easy to install. The power cable it comes with just has bare wires coming out of it. In addition to the radio, you will want to buy a mounting harness and mounting bracket for your vehicle. The harness looks just like the one that comes with the stereo, but it is designed to clip into the factory harness that’s in your vehicle, to make it easy to remove the stereo. If you don’t have one, you’ll have to connect all of the wires by hand, and disconnect each one to remove. The mounting bracket is designed to make sure you radio fits correctly in your specific vehicle. I purchased both the harness and bracket from Crutchfield. My only problem with installation, is that it comes with a long green wire that is supposed to be connected to your emergency brake wire. This is necessary, because the unit has a safety feature that requires the emergency brake to be applied in order to play DVDs. My emergency brake wire was extremely hard to get to, and once I was able to finally remove the center console and find it, it was buried and almost impossible to access. I don’t suggest doing this, but if you have the same problem and want to get around this issue, or if you want to be able to watch DVDs without having to engage the brake, then you need to connect this wire to an auto relay switch. Go to Radio Shack and buy a momentary push button switch, part number 275-1548. Cut the green wire coming out of the radio harness from the receiver, close to the end of it, maybe 5 inches away from that red clip. Strip the wire, and run it through one of the holes on the relay switch. You can solder it or just wrap it with electrical tape. Buy a standard 16 gauge wire from Radio Shack and connect it to the other hole on the switch, then connect the other end of it to a grounded connection on your vehicle. I just wrapped mine around one of the mounting screws for the radio. I stuffed this wire out of site under the dash and pull it out when I need it. Alternatively, you can just cut the green wire directly in half, and use the half you cut instead of having to buy more wire at Radio Shack, but I wanted an extra long wire in case I ever want to move it. Now, when you play a DVD, the warning screen will come on. Just press the button on the switch and it will go away, since it tricks the receiver into thinking you have engaged the parking brake. Be sure to check with your local laws, as having the DVD player on while driving or bypassing this may be illegal in your area. It may also void insurance claims. I definitely do not recommend ever watching a DVD while driving.

FORM FACTOR: The radio itself is beautiful. It fit flush with my dash and looks gorgeous. There are only a few buttons on the left hand side, and I didn’t even realize they were buttons until I looked at them closely. They control volume, forward/backward, source, mute, and power. I like having these physical buttons, especially for volume and mute. If I get a phone call or need to hear something, I want to be able to instantly mute the radio without having to fool around with a touchscreen. It’s very nice to have a radio that doesn’t have 15 buttons all over it and looks cluttered. Customization is easy with the radio. You can select from several different colors, which will change the LED colors on these physical buttons and on the touchscreen menu buttons, so that it matches your car’s LED colors. You can also choose from seven factory background screens, three of which are animated videos. The animation on the videos is very subtle and doesn’t distract you. Plus, when you change the LED color, it actually changes the color of the background videos to match it, which is really cool. If you don’t like these, you can use your own image from a CDR or USB drive. The screen contains a dimmer option, so when you turn on your lights, it automatically dims. This is pretty nice, but can also be annoying. I like to use my lights during the day, and while the screen is still readable, it can be hard to see. Fortunately, you can completely adjust the dimmer options through the settings.

TOUCHSCREEN: The touchscreen is very easy to navigate and done very well. The menu system is very intuitive and set up a lot like a computer. There is a back button and an escape button to get you through the menus. Seeking through a song can be done in three ways. You can hold down the physical forward/backward buttons on the unit, you can do the same with the touchscreen forward/backward buttons, or you can use your finger to slide a progress bar back and forth, the same as you would do with a video file on your computer or with an Ipod. This is great because a 30 minute song can start, and I can just press the end of the progress bar with my finger and it will immediately skip to the end of the song (or whatever position I press on the bar). From what I can tell, it will scroll exactly like a computer and stop at the exact position you touch. A lot of touchscreens would have “segments” or 5-10 seconds, and stop on whichever segment you came close to. But with the AVH-P3100, it is segmented into 2 second increments, so you can have much more accurate scrolling. This is the only instance where I can see the stylus being of any use, but I have fairly large fingers and don’t have any problem with the scroll bar. My main gripe with the touchscreen navigation, is with the up/down scrolling. This is used when navigating radio/satellite stations, song racks on a CD, or file folders on a USB/Ipod. There is no page up/down feature, so if five folders are displayed and you press the down arrow on the scroll bar, or if you press anywhere below the current position on the scroll bar, it will move the list down by one, instead of down by five. This is a major oversight in my opinion, and will affect the way you setup your folders. I have one folder on my USB with 80 subfolders. That means if I want to scroll through every folder in the list, I have to press the down button 75 times. Now you can put your finger on it and simply drag the arrow down to move quickly, but it goes kind of fast, and paging through the list would be so much more convenient. Also, since it only displays five lines at a time, it means you have to scroll one time to view all six of your radio presets.

USB/Ipod: Ipod menus look the same as the front of your regular Ipod and navigation is easy. It will also display a picture of the album. USB is the main reason I purchased this radio, and works well, with a few faults. First, it takes about 10 seconds when I start the car or select the USB source, for it to “read format.” This is possibly because I am using a 8Gb drive with over 1000 songs on it, so it’s acceptable to me. My main problem with the USB feature, is the way it organizes the folders. They do not appear alphabetically. I am not sure what method it uses, but like a lot of MP3 audio devices, it just seems to throw them up in the folder list in whatever order it wants. It will use the same order every time, but you can’t trick it by copying a folder you want to appear at the top first, or adding “01, 02, 03, etc” in front of your folders/file names.” There is probably a workaround for this, but I have no idea what it is. I think it would make more sense if it just listed the folders alphabetically. It does read ID3 information very well, however it cuts off anything after a certain character limit. It would be nice if it scrolled sideways through long song titles/artists to show you the full ID3 information, but for about 95% of people’s music, this won’t be a problem, and for the other 5% you should have enough of the title to figure out what it is. However if you don’t have ID3 tags on your music, it can be a problem. For example, if you have a folder with 10 songs in it labeled “DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince – Greatest Hits – Girls Ain’t Nothing But Trouble,” and there are no ID3 tags, it is only going to display the first part of the filename until it reaches the character limit. So your list on the screen will have 10 songs on it that all say something like “DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fr.” Additionally, the USB drive is going to stick out 3″ or so from the unit, so unless you remove it every time, you have to be aware of it and careful not to break it off. It doesn’t bother me at all though. The only other problem I’ve noticed with the USB playback, is that the progress bar is off. The bar shows time elapsed and time remaining at the same time. Time remaining is incorrect about 80% of the time. A song will start up and it will show that it has 6:22 remaining, when it is only a 4:00 song. Some songs are accurate, but the majority is off anywhere from :30 to 3:00.

DVD PLAYBACK: DVD playback is superb. The video quality is on par with any portable DVD player you would buy. You cannot tilt the screen, so application is limited, but if you’re parked somewhere you can easily enjoy a movie from any seat in the car. If it’s daylight and sunny, you won’t be able to see much however. The DVD onscreen menus are nice, and the scroll bar works well for skipping quickly through a movie, even better than a traditional DVD player. There’s a HIDE button for quickly removing all onscreen displays, so you don’t have to wait several seconds for the menus to time out.

SOUND: Sound quality is excellent. DVDs sound great. It has three loudness modes which really bring out the sound. I am using factory speakers with no amplifier, and the built-in Pioneer amplifier makes a huge difference. It has several pre-set equalizer settings for different types of music.

Overall, even if you don’t get it at Amazon’s current price (40% off SRP), I think this receiver is worth the money. It really is a beautiful and functional unit, and I always like showing it off to my passengers. It is too bad there doesn’t seem to be a way to update the firmware, because it would be a perfect unit if Pioneer just made a few small changes to the menus. The unit also does not come with built in Bluetooth, HD Radio, Satellite, or steering wheel controls, but you can add all of these from the products below. I realize Pioneer makes more money by adding these separately, and also keeps costs down on the unit from not including them unless someone wants them, but it would be nice to have built in HD Radio and Bluetooth at least. Stay away from the remote though, it’s worthless.

Pioneer CD-IU50V USB iPod Cable for Pioneer AVH-P3100DVD
Pioneer GEX-P10HD HD Radio Tuner for Pioneer HD Radio-Ready Head Units
Pioneer GEX-P920XM XM Satellite Tuner
Pioneer CD-SB10 – Sirius Bus Interface for use with Pioneer SAT Radio Ready Headunits and AV Receivers and SIRIUS SCC1 SIRIUS Connect Universal Tuner (you need BOTH of these to get Sirius radio)
Pioneer CD BTB200 – Cellular phone Bluetooth adapter
Pioneer ND-BC2 Universal Rear View Camera

Pioneer AVH-P3100DVD 5.8-Inch In-Dash Double-DIN DVD Multimedia AV Receiver with Widescreen Display