Pioneer DEH-P3500 Car CD Player
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Similar in In Dash Receivers
- Anti-Theft Protection: Detachable Face Panel
- Player Type: CD
- Controlled Devices: XM Ready
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595
Simple car stereo? Simple CD Player? Nah!
Pros
Awesome sound, less distortion than JVC unit, solid build
Cons
No MP3 playback, boring design does not match well with most cars
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
If only it would play MP3s, it would have been perfect!
I purchased yet another Nissan Sentra, but this time it's a year older than the one I have. The last owner left the stock speakers and a Pioneer DEH-P350, and I was researching it to see if it would be a keeper, if I was going to have to upgrade.
I was very pleasantly surprised that it was a higher end "Premier" model, which has a 2 year warrenty instead of the usual "one year" for the others. As far as how much it retails for, survey says.... $240 (or at least that was what the M.S.R.P. is from Pioneer's own site).
Only thing that held me back... this unit does NOT play MP3 or WMA CDs. :( It was a complete bummer, as the unit itself seems so highly reguarded. It looks like a cheap aftermarket head unit to boot. I am surprised at the MSRP! On the surface, it was just another CD Player for me.
However, I didn't let that stop me from using it inside out (until I took the JVC KD-SH99 out of my other Sentra - which is now totalled).
Description
It's not sleek, but it doesn't look half bad. It stands out too much in the 2000/2001 Sentra's dash, what with the green illumination and colorful and busy display and all. It's a set LCD-type of flourecent display - no dot matrix, so no words scrolling by. Think "digital clock". On both sides of the display, there is a real functioning UV level meter. Most of the time, they get saturated anyways (all the way up), but they are real monitors because during one of the song's passage, an instrument was playing only on the left side... and the UV level meter reflected that.
The display/buttons faceplate is a manual one - there is no motorized ejecting mechanism. You just hit a physical "open" button, and the faceplate drops down. You can now hit the eject button hidden by the faceplate on the actual unit itself to eject the CD. You just pull the faceplate out as is. It feels less refined than the JVC KD-SH99 unit in this respect.
There are many things I've learned about the Pioneers that will make me purchase one when the times comes. So far, my JVC unit is happily serving me.
Lesson One: (Setup)
Well, I didn't install it, but I sure took it out. It's not any harder or easier than other head units I've installed. But, with this Sentra, there was a Greddy boost gauge (looks like a electronics box) attached to the harness. After carefully extracting the wires off the harness, I reattached it to my JVC's harness. They all have the standard screw holes where you will always find a spot to fit.
The other part of the setup was the clock and the radio. The lesson learned (from the seller) was that in order to change certain settings (like the clock, line-in availability, face-plate removal reminder, etc), you must turn off the unit. You must then hold FUNC button until the configuration options show up on the display. Then use the directional pad to move around and set (up/down, left/right). It's literally like the D-pad found on a Playstation 2's Dual Shock 2 Controller!
One of the things you can set is the ability to shut off the "faceplate warning" beep. The unit beeps after you shut off your car to remind you to remove the faceplate. A nice feature, actually. I'd leave it on.
The other is that there is a line-in back there. I found out that you need a seperate (optional) box or converter that will allow you to add a line-in mini-jack (like for an Apple iPod or another kind of MP3 player).
Lesson Two: (Usage)
After a while, I got a bit more used to using the stereo. I was ejecting the CD, skipping tracks, and changing volume like a pro. But of course, there were more to it than that! I found that hitting the EQ button quickly allows you to cycle thru different EQ settings, such as Rock, Pop, Powerful, etc. The EQ EX button allows extra oomph in certain frequencies (high, mid, and low).
It took me a while to find out that "DISP/SCRL" allowed me to switch from viewing the CD track play time (or radio station) to the clock. I always want the clock to come up, but for some reason, it only does that randomly. I found out that I can manually switch between the two with this button. Don't laugh... the button is real small, and the markings were barely readable - especially when driving! Add to the fact that the markings are NOT LIT UP at night makes for a fumbling experience.
Luckly, the SRC and the BAND button are visble (translucent buttons that also get lit up at night). They are located on the left and right of the faceplate respectively. The SRC changes from CD to radio. If you set up a Line-In (thru the configuration option), you will cycle thru that as well. To turn off the radio, just hold this button. The clock will show up on the display (a feature I wish the JVC would have - their screen just goes completely blank!).
The BAND button is obvious: it allows you to change bands - AM/FM1/FM2/FM3. The FM1 FM2, and FM3 are the same FM band, but allows for more presets. If you have XM, it is XM ready, and will work thru this button as well (treated iike a different band).
Speaking of presents, you get 6 physical buttons for each preset. FM gets more, as you can see (3x more than AM!).
There are two other buttons that I am not sure what they do. They are labeled "XM MODE" (on the top left of the faceplate), and "AUDIO" (on the near right side of the faceplate on top).
One thing nice about the volume control is that it is a knob. Yes, it seems trivial for most, but I rather have a knob instead of volume buttons. It just seem more natural and more intuitive. This knob adorns the left side of the faceplate. It also pops in and out to stay out of the way when not needed. All you do is push it in. If you need it back out, just push in again, and it pops out. It is NOT a physical potentiometer, so it clicks a bit in small intervals, and you can turn it 360, 720...whatever!
The right side of the faceplate that is literally the exact opposite side of the volume knob (for symetrical purposes) is the D-Pad I spoke of earlier. This allows you to select and set things. For example:
CD Player: UP - next track, DOWN - prev track, LEFT (nothing), RIGHT (nothing)
Radio: UP - next station seek, DOWN - prev station seek, LEFT - prev preset, RIGHT - next preset
This "D-Pad" is literally labeled on the pad itself "SELECT".
Lesson Three: (Sound Quality)
After listening to the radio for a while, I decided that it was getting old - I want my own tunes! And dang it, I left all of my CDs and MP3 discs at my other car (with the JVC unit!). So I bought a couple of CDs, including the new Slipnot release as well as an old Nirvana Unplugged in NY release. I cranked it up like nobody's business. I was rocking out until I just realized something... it's f*'in loud in here! And there was absolutely no distortion! Even with the stock speakers! Well, okay... it was much MUCH louder than my JVC unit without distorting, but it still distorted going higher. But I still attribute that to the speakers. However... going THIS high without distorting means that the speakers aren't the only limitation - my JVC unit was!
It was then I realized that the Pioneer OWNed (in "l33t terms") the JVC when it came to sound quality. But it wasn't just sound that Pioneer ruled in...
Lesson Four: (Build Quality)
The darn thing never skips! This other Sentra has a very hard suspension, as the laSt owner changed it, and the Pioneer just humms along. And I never knew why until today. I had to pull the unit out to reinstall the JVC unit. But after the fact, I just remembered that my Slipnot CD was still inside!!! What a man to do?
Well, I couldn't simply go back to my mechanic's place because it is now closed (and both of my cars are there - out of commision. Sad, I know). So instead, I decided to open her up.
The unit is solid like a rock! The top cover is just anchored down by tabs (surprisingly), and all I had to do was pry it up. After that was done, I removed several screws to get to the drive unit. Hmm... still no way for the CD to come out! It was literally caged up! For the life of me, I couldn't get it out without damaging the unit or the disc, so I decided to put it back together and wait it out (until I get access to my car).
When I was in there, besides caging the CD in, I also was pleasantly surprised that the whole thing was supsended with 8 springs! Two in each corner, one holding up, one holding it down! It was literally floating! I was very impressed with this designed.
My last lesson? My next head unit will be a Pioneer. :) Just not this particular model... I want my MP3s!
Last Words
After putting the unit back together, I am actually very surprised at the build quality of the unit. I am also stunned at the quality sound output! And I DO NOT HAVE AN AMPLIFER in the car! Although I miss my MP3s much more (so I still changed it back to my JVC unit), as soon as my JVC goes kaput, a new Pioneer that can play MP3s will be going back in.
As for this Pioneer DEH-P350's fate? It will probably be sold to someone else or on eBay.
If you are looking for a rock solid, high quality CD Player that is XM ready, this unit is it!
If you are looking for MP3 playback, the DEH-P760MP may be your bag (if you wanted the Premier version). A non-Premier version would be the DEH-P7600MP.
Oh, and least I forget to mention, the non-Premier version of the DEH-P350 is the DEH-P3500 (see! all they do is add another "0"! :) )
So far, the only difference I saw between the two version is that the Premier version has a 2 year warrantee, while the non gets shafted with only 1.
Here are some manufacturer's links to these units:
NOTE: The P360 seem to have replaced the P350. I cannot find a link for the P3500 and the P350 anymore.
DEH-P360 Premier MSRP $200.00
http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/pna/product/detail/0,,2076_4041_64485116_tab=B,00.html?compName=PNA_ProductDetailComponent
DEH-P3600 MSRP $190.00
http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/pna/product/detail/0,,2076_4039_49927926,00.html
DEH-P760MP Premier (MP3 player) MSRP $350.00
http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/pna/product/detail/0,,2076_4041_64496597,00.html
DEH-P7600MP (MP3 player) MSRP $330.00
http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/pna/product/detail/0,,2076_4039_63891888,00.html
Hmm... our other epinioner found one on the other review for this unit. Thanks, james318!
DEH-P350 Premier (THIS IS THE ACTUAL UNIT IN REVIEW)
http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/pna/product/detail/0,,2076_4041_38231_tab=B,00.html?compName=PNA_ProductDetailComponent
I was very pleasantly surprised that it was a higher end "Premier" model, which has a 2 year warrenty instead of the usual "one year" for the others. As far as how much it retails for, survey says.... $240 (or at least that was what the M.S.R.P. is from Pioneer's own site).
Only thing that held me back... this unit does NOT play MP3 or WMA CDs. :( It was a complete bummer, as the unit itself seems so highly reguarded. It looks like a cheap aftermarket head unit to boot. I am surprised at the MSRP! On the surface, it was just another CD Player for me.
However, I didn't let that stop me from using it inside out (until I took the JVC KD-SH99 out of my other Sentra - which is now totalled).
Description
It's not sleek, but it doesn't look half bad. It stands out too much in the 2000/2001 Sentra's dash, what with the green illumination and colorful and busy display and all. It's a set LCD-type of flourecent display - no dot matrix, so no words scrolling by. Think "digital clock". On both sides of the display, there is a real functioning UV level meter. Most of the time, they get saturated anyways (all the way up), but they are real monitors because during one of the song's passage, an instrument was playing only on the left side... and the UV level meter reflected that.
The display/buttons faceplate is a manual one - there is no motorized ejecting mechanism. You just hit a physical "open" button, and the faceplate drops down. You can now hit the eject button hidden by the faceplate on the actual unit itself to eject the CD. You just pull the faceplate out as is. It feels less refined than the JVC KD-SH99 unit in this respect.
There are many things I've learned about the Pioneers that will make me purchase one when the times comes. So far, my JVC unit is happily serving me.
Lesson One: (Setup)
Well, I didn't install it, but I sure took it out. It's not any harder or easier than other head units I've installed. But, with this Sentra, there was a Greddy boost gauge (looks like a electronics box) attached to the harness. After carefully extracting the wires off the harness, I reattached it to my JVC's harness. They all have the standard screw holes where you will always find a spot to fit.
The other part of the setup was the clock and the radio. The lesson learned (from the seller) was that in order to change certain settings (like the clock, line-in availability, face-plate removal reminder, etc), you must turn off the unit. You must then hold FUNC button until the configuration options show up on the display. Then use the directional pad to move around and set (up/down, left/right). It's literally like the D-pad found on a Playstation 2's Dual Shock 2 Controller!
One of the things you can set is the ability to shut off the "faceplate warning" beep. The unit beeps after you shut off your car to remind you to remove the faceplate. A nice feature, actually. I'd leave it on.
The other is that there is a line-in back there. I found out that you need a seperate (optional) box or converter that will allow you to add a line-in mini-jack (like for an Apple iPod or another kind of MP3 player).
Lesson Two: (Usage)
After a while, I got a bit more used to using the stereo. I was ejecting the CD, skipping tracks, and changing volume like a pro. But of course, there were more to it than that! I found that hitting the EQ button quickly allows you to cycle thru different EQ settings, such as Rock, Pop, Powerful, etc. The EQ EX button allows extra oomph in certain frequencies (high, mid, and low).
It took me a while to find out that "DISP/SCRL" allowed me to switch from viewing the CD track play time (or radio station) to the clock. I always want the clock to come up, but for some reason, it only does that randomly. I found out that I can manually switch between the two with this button. Don't laugh... the button is real small, and the markings were barely readable - especially when driving! Add to the fact that the markings are NOT LIT UP at night makes for a fumbling experience.
Luckly, the SRC and the BAND button are visble (translucent buttons that also get lit up at night). They are located on the left and right of the faceplate respectively. The SRC changes from CD to radio. If you set up a Line-In (thru the configuration option), you will cycle thru that as well. To turn off the radio, just hold this button. The clock will show up on the display (a feature I wish the JVC would have - their screen just goes completely blank!).
The BAND button is obvious: it allows you to change bands - AM/FM1/FM2/FM3. The FM1 FM2, and FM3 are the same FM band, but allows for more presets. If you have XM, it is XM ready, and will work thru this button as well (treated iike a different band).
Speaking of presents, you get 6 physical buttons for each preset. FM gets more, as you can see (3x more than AM!).
There are two other buttons that I am not sure what they do. They are labeled "XM MODE" (on the top left of the faceplate), and "AUDIO" (on the near right side of the faceplate on top).
One thing nice about the volume control is that it is a knob. Yes, it seems trivial for most, but I rather have a knob instead of volume buttons. It just seem more natural and more intuitive. This knob adorns the left side of the faceplate. It also pops in and out to stay out of the way when not needed. All you do is push it in. If you need it back out, just push in again, and it pops out. It is NOT a physical potentiometer, so it clicks a bit in small intervals, and you can turn it 360, 720...whatever!
The right side of the faceplate that is literally the exact opposite side of the volume knob (for symetrical purposes) is the D-Pad I spoke of earlier. This allows you to select and set things. For example:
CD Player: UP - next track, DOWN - prev track, LEFT (nothing), RIGHT (nothing)
Radio: UP - next station seek, DOWN - prev station seek, LEFT - prev preset, RIGHT - next preset
This "D-Pad" is literally labeled on the pad itself "SELECT".
Lesson Three: (Sound Quality)
After listening to the radio for a while, I decided that it was getting old - I want my own tunes! And dang it, I left all of my CDs and MP3 discs at my other car (with the JVC unit!). So I bought a couple of CDs, including the new Slipnot release as well as an old Nirvana Unplugged in NY release. I cranked it up like nobody's business. I was rocking out until I just realized something... it's f*'in loud in here! And there was absolutely no distortion! Even with the stock speakers! Well, okay... it was much MUCH louder than my JVC unit without distorting, but it still distorted going higher. But I still attribute that to the speakers. However... going THIS high without distorting means that the speakers aren't the only limitation - my JVC unit was!
It was then I realized that the Pioneer OWNed (in "l33t terms") the JVC when it came to sound quality. But it wasn't just sound that Pioneer ruled in...
Lesson Four: (Build Quality)
The darn thing never skips! This other Sentra has a very hard suspension, as the laSt owner changed it, and the Pioneer just humms along. And I never knew why until today. I had to pull the unit out to reinstall the JVC unit. But after the fact, I just remembered that my Slipnot CD was still inside!!! What a man to do?
Well, I couldn't simply go back to my mechanic's place because it is now closed (and both of my cars are there - out of commision. Sad, I know). So instead, I decided to open her up.
The unit is solid like a rock! The top cover is just anchored down by tabs (surprisingly), and all I had to do was pry it up. After that was done, I removed several screws to get to the drive unit. Hmm... still no way for the CD to come out! It was literally caged up! For the life of me, I couldn't get it out without damaging the unit or the disc, so I decided to put it back together and wait it out (until I get access to my car).
When I was in there, besides caging the CD in, I also was pleasantly surprised that the whole thing was supsended with 8 springs! Two in each corner, one holding up, one holding it down! It was literally floating! I was very impressed with this designed.
My last lesson? My next head unit will be a Pioneer. :) Just not this particular model... I want my MP3s!
Last Words
After putting the unit back together, I am actually very surprised at the build quality of the unit. I am also stunned at the quality sound output! And I DO NOT HAVE AN AMPLIFER in the car! Although I miss my MP3s much more (so I still changed it back to my JVC unit), as soon as my JVC goes kaput, a new Pioneer that can play MP3s will be going back in.
As for this Pioneer DEH-P350's fate? It will probably be sold to someone else or on eBay.
If you are looking for a rock solid, high quality CD Player that is XM ready, this unit is it!
If you are looking for MP3 playback, the DEH-P760MP may be your bag (if you wanted the Premier version). A non-Premier version would be the DEH-P7600MP.
Oh, and least I forget to mention, the non-Premier version of the DEH-P350 is the DEH-P3500 (see! all they do is add another "0"! :) )
So far, the only difference I saw between the two version is that the Premier version has a 2 year warrantee, while the non gets shafted with only 1.
Here are some manufacturer's links to these units:
NOTE: The P360 seem to have replaced the P350. I cannot find a link for the P3500 and the P350 anymore.
DEH-P360 Premier MSRP $200.00
http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/pna/product/detail/0,,2076_4041_64485116_tab=B,00.html?compName=PNA_ProductDetailComponent
DEH-P3600 MSRP $190.00
http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/pna/product/detail/0,,2076_4039_49927926,00.html
DEH-P760MP Premier (MP3 player) MSRP $350.00
http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/pna/product/detail/0,,2076_4041_64496597,00.html
DEH-P7600MP (MP3 player) MSRP $330.00
http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/pna/product/detail/0,,2076_4039_63891888,00.html
Hmm... our other epinioner found one on the other review for this unit. Thanks, james318!
DEH-P350 Premier (THIS IS THE ACTUAL UNIT IN REVIEW)
http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/pna/product/detail/0,,2076_4041_38231_tab=B,00.html?compName=PNA_ProductDetailComponent
