Pioneer DEH-P8600MP Car CD / MP3 Player
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Similar in In Dash Receivers
- MP3 / WMA Playback: MP3 Playback
- Additional Features: Animated Display
- Anti-Theft Protection: Detachable Face Panel
- Player Type: CD
- Controlled Devices: CD Changer
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Great stereo, although not as pretty as web photos.
Pros
Competition-quality sound, cool features, AutoEQ/TA, decent sized clock display.
Cons
Unimpressive color display.
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
This is a stereo with great sound and high-end features. For those who don't need Auto EQ and time alignment, the DEH-P7600MP may be a better buy.
I bought the DEH-P860MP which is the Premier version of the 8600MP. It is basically the same, but with higher voltage preouts (6.5V vs. 4V) and addition of a PRO mode that lets you use it in a bi-amplified configuration (one set of preouts for high only, one set for mid only, and another set for sub only).
Color Screen
I will have to admit, I bought this stereo for its color screen. However, don't buy this ONLY for its color screen because the screen is really less impressive than I expected. The OEL display is actually a bit less bright than the monochrome versions (i.e. DEH-P7600MP). It is also only capable of 3 colors: orange, cyan (blue green), and white. Each pixel only has 2 subpixels, orange and cyan, which mixes into white. This limits the "color" display to different shades of orange, cyan, and white. If you want a real color display, buy one of those TFT Sony's. The built in animations and spectrum analyzers are pretty cool, but I find myself leaving it on the animated clock display. The clock, however, is a decent size and can be read at a glance from my driver's seat. The display is only slightly more interesting than the monochrome versions. To its benefit, the display is larger than the lower models (7600 and 6600) so it packs quite a bit more information on the display at one time.
Ease of Use
Ergonomics are quite good. There are very few buttons, thanks to the multi-function control. The left knob is the volume control and changes between tuner/CD when pressed in. The multi-function control works as a 4-way controller if it's pressed up, down, right, or left. It works as an ENTER key when pressed straight in. It can also be rotated to scroll through lists. Operating basic features is very simple, and finding more advanced audio tweaking features just requires playing with the multi-function control. I have not yet had any reason to use the wireless remote, but it may come in handy for those who like to hang out in the rear of their vehicle and still have control of the stereo.
Audio Features
The features are what's the most impressive about this deck. It has digital time alignment and an AutoEQ. It comes with a little microphone that you plug into it, place it in your listening area, and then initiate the AutoEQ and AutoTA. It will then play some tones through your speakers and automatically adjust the equalizer for the flattest frequency response possible. It will also configure time alignment for your listening position. I really like the AutoEQ feature, the resulting EQ curve it came up with definitely sounds better than a flat EQ curve. Time alignment is an interesting feature that adjusts timing of the stereo channels so that the sound source seems to be just in front of whichever seat you choose. It seems to work well, but reduces the "fullness" of the sound.
Sound Quality
I found the sound quality of the built-in 4-channel amplifier to be quite good... good enough that I don't plan to use an external amp for the main speakers. However, a subwoofer and sub amp are recommended if you want to be able to hear the full range of sound. I was really impressed with how AutoEQ tailored the sound to fit my vehicle. FM tuner reception is very good in my area, it also picks up distant stations with no trouble at all. I have had zero static listening to my favorite local stations. It seems to be able to decompress the dynamic range of FM broadcasts so that it is close in sound level to CD. In fact, the stereo has a setting where you can match the sound level of the tuner to CD so there's no change in volume when switching from one source to another. CD and MP3 sound quality is, of course, excellent.
CD/MP3 Player
As a CD/MP3 player, it's FAST. It loaded my MP3 CD-RW very quickly. It supports ISO9660 Joliet CD-ROMs, so it recognizes long filenames. Pressing the DISP button toggles between folder/filenames and ID3 tags. Skipping between tracks and even to other folders is nearly instantaneous. The multi-function control allows scrolling through a list of MP3's and even browsing MP3's in other folders while the current one is playing. A quick press of multi-function control causes the selected MP3 to play. One nice feature is CD's can be ejected after the ignition is turned off.
Other Features
It also has the wired remote jack that can be controlled by many wired remotes by Pioneer, and also compatible with the RM-X2S/X4S from Sony which I found surprising. That means if you can get ahold of a (now discontinued) Soundgate GMSW1, you can interface factory steering wheel controls to the stereo without using an infrared solution. The animated clock also has an unexpected feature in that it beeps on the hour and the display freaks out with fireworks for a couple seconds. Very cute!
Conclusion
Overall, a great stereo with excellent sound quality and a huge list of features. However, if you can live without AutoEQ, AutoTA, and the multi-function control, it may be worthwhile to spend less money to get the DEH-P7600MP.
Color Screen
I will have to admit, I bought this stereo for its color screen. However, don't buy this ONLY for its color screen because the screen is really less impressive than I expected. The OEL display is actually a bit less bright than the monochrome versions (i.e. DEH-P7600MP). It is also only capable of 3 colors: orange, cyan (blue green), and white. Each pixel only has 2 subpixels, orange and cyan, which mixes into white. This limits the "color" display to different shades of orange, cyan, and white. If you want a real color display, buy one of those TFT Sony's. The built in animations and spectrum analyzers are pretty cool, but I find myself leaving it on the animated clock display. The clock, however, is a decent size and can be read at a glance from my driver's seat. The display is only slightly more interesting than the monochrome versions. To its benefit, the display is larger than the lower models (7600 and 6600) so it packs quite a bit more information on the display at one time.
Ease of Use
Ergonomics are quite good. There are very few buttons, thanks to the multi-function control. The left knob is the volume control and changes between tuner/CD when pressed in. The multi-function control works as a 4-way controller if it's pressed up, down, right, or left. It works as an ENTER key when pressed straight in. It can also be rotated to scroll through lists. Operating basic features is very simple, and finding more advanced audio tweaking features just requires playing with the multi-function control. I have not yet had any reason to use the wireless remote, but it may come in handy for those who like to hang out in the rear of their vehicle and still have control of the stereo.
Audio Features
The features are what's the most impressive about this deck. It has digital time alignment and an AutoEQ. It comes with a little microphone that you plug into it, place it in your listening area, and then initiate the AutoEQ and AutoTA. It will then play some tones through your speakers and automatically adjust the equalizer for the flattest frequency response possible. It will also configure time alignment for your listening position. I really like the AutoEQ feature, the resulting EQ curve it came up with definitely sounds better than a flat EQ curve. Time alignment is an interesting feature that adjusts timing of the stereo channels so that the sound source seems to be just in front of whichever seat you choose. It seems to work well, but reduces the "fullness" of the sound.
Sound Quality
I found the sound quality of the built-in 4-channel amplifier to be quite good... good enough that I don't plan to use an external amp for the main speakers. However, a subwoofer and sub amp are recommended if you want to be able to hear the full range of sound. I was really impressed with how AutoEQ tailored the sound to fit my vehicle. FM tuner reception is very good in my area, it also picks up distant stations with no trouble at all. I have had zero static listening to my favorite local stations. It seems to be able to decompress the dynamic range of FM broadcasts so that it is close in sound level to CD. In fact, the stereo has a setting where you can match the sound level of the tuner to CD so there's no change in volume when switching from one source to another. CD and MP3 sound quality is, of course, excellent.
CD/MP3 Player
As a CD/MP3 player, it's FAST. It loaded my MP3 CD-RW very quickly. It supports ISO9660 Joliet CD-ROMs, so it recognizes long filenames. Pressing the DISP button toggles between folder/filenames and ID3 tags. Skipping between tracks and even to other folders is nearly instantaneous. The multi-function control allows scrolling through a list of MP3's and even browsing MP3's in other folders while the current one is playing. A quick press of multi-function control causes the selected MP3 to play. One nice feature is CD's can be ejected after the ignition is turned off.
Other Features
It also has the wired remote jack that can be controlled by many wired remotes by Pioneer, and also compatible with the RM-X2S/X4S from Sony which I found surprising. That means if you can get ahold of a (now discontinued) Soundgate GMSW1, you can interface factory steering wheel controls to the stereo without using an infrared solution. The animated clock also has an unexpected feature in that it beeps on the hour and the display freaks out with fireworks for a couple seconds. Very cute!
Conclusion
Overall, a great stereo with excellent sound quality and a huge list of features. However, if you can live without AutoEQ, AutoTA, and the multi-function control, it may be worthwhile to spend less money to get the DEH-P7600MP.
