Pioneer DEH-P980BT Car CD / MP3 Player

I switched to Pioneer after I got tired of Alpine's current line of head units. I didn't want IMPRINT.  I wanted a head unit that would give me the main tuning features I needed built into the head unit itself without separate equalizers or other add-on modules. Alpine refused to do it so I found it elsewhere.

Sound quality: With 5 volt low resistance RCA outputs, the pioneer puts out chrystal clear, rich sound.

Features: The 16 band graphic equalizer in itself really makes it worth it for me. There are pre-programmed Equalizer curves such as 'vocal', 'powerful', and 'natural', and then there's room for a couple custom equalizer settings to be programmed in and saved.

In addition there are a number of other DSP features, many of which I haven't really even played with yet. Sound level adjustment can program different volume levels depending on the music source. Different EQ curves can be assigned to different music sources.

Pioneer's BBE sound processing feature can be adjusted in levels, automatically boosting and cutting certain frequencies as needed to bring a more lifelike quality to the music. My reading indicates it works on the old school V or U-shaped equalizer curve principal, progressively boosting frequencies at the upper and lower extremities of the frequency ranges that the human ear is less sensitive to. Results can be mixed. Various sounds in instrumental selection begin to sound more natural and lifelike, but at the same time imaging seems to be thrown off the more aggressive you are with this feature. This is the hazard of DSP-type systems. In judicious amounts they can tweak our sound just right. But if they are used too aggressively or coupled with other equalizer adjustments you simply trade one set of sound quality problems and dilemas for another by over-processing the sound. I find this feature works best on jazz selections, adding a richness to the double bass, a sharpness to the kick drum, and a shimmering quality to cymbals that can give you that live in concert fealing.

For those who like 'fluff' there is a number of different graphics for the colorful display, ranging from a moving helicopter to a digital tachometer. You can actually program the digital tach on the head unit to match your engine's RPMs. If you like bling it should impress you but I can't help but think what other useful features there would have been space for if Pioneer hadn't bothered with these things.

The Bluetooth works perfectly in terms of reliability and clarity of the connection, but as with most aftermarket setups, be aware that not all phones will allow you to make use of all features. My Samsung will not auto-pair right now so it has to be manually paired with the head unit, but I know there's other phones that will. Once paired, you can easily scroll through the phone book using the head unit and dial numbers without touching your phone.

The IPOD connection is what I would consider inferior to Alpine's. It's more playlist dependent and not as easy to jump from one artist or song on your list straight to another in a different category. Alpine gives you a quick search feature that let's you speed through your whole library alphabetically to specific songs. This Pioneer's setup is more cumbersome and you will find yourself backing out of one playlist and then selecting another and going through more steps more often. And no matter what I do my overall song list won't come up in alphabetical order like it did on the Alpine. Doesn't seem like a big deal but can get frustrating if you sometimes want to jump straight to another song by a different artist in a completely different genre. For best results, do lots of playlists.

It has a sort of auto-tuning feature. Unlike Alpine, you don't have to pay 150 bucks more for an IMPRINT module to get it. You just plug in the microphone that comes with the unit, position it as per the owner's manual, get out, close the doors, and set it to do it's work. It will tune the auto-EQ and do the time alignment. The shortcoming is that with IMPRINT you have several times the EQ bands to work with, I think nearly 500. Meanwhile this is just shaping the 16 band curve.

It comes with time alignment for front, rear, and 2 sub channels. Also a featuer I really wanted in a head unit. You can use factory default settings or set it up manually. I find in my 09 Tundra it works best with the default setting geared toward both front seats or all four seats in the vehicle. With just the front seats the sound stage is more precise but slightly flat. With all four, there is more of a sense of intimacy between me and the singers and instruments but the imaging is slightly less precise. When I set it up around just the driver my soundstage gets too narrow. But it is quite intriguing to see how flipping this setting literally moves the soundstage around your vehicle to your preference.

Userfriendliness: The biggie. I don't like the Pioneer's toggle switch setup, accessing so many different features with just the one toggle button. In fact I use my head unit's remote almost exclusively as it seems easier to work with than the faceplate. With the remote and while barely looking at the head unit I can navigate a CD, IPOD, radio, or make phone calls using the bluetooth. For some reason when I try to use the faceplate it takes longer.

At the end of the day this isn't a BAD head unit. Sound quality is excellent and it comes loaded with alot of features, many useful, some not so much. It just isn't as userfriendly without the remote and it's missing something important that you normally find in its price range: The ability to run speakers actively.

The 16 band equalizer, 5 volt pre-amp outputs, and time alignment made the deal for me. But there are head units out there with these features plus the biggie, active capability, for the same or not much more money. The 980BT's major selling point is that it has a better Bluetooth setup than many of them and some nice flashy graphics. It's a high end head unit geared more towards those who like gadgets and gimmicks than pure sound quality. It is better than alot in its class and all of the cheaper stuff you'll find in low end chain stores, but not worth the money when compared to the more dedicated source units out there.