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Best BlueTooth Car Unit

Now that the Nexus One Car Dock is out and it is confirmed that it does indeed support BT pairing, how about some recomendations on some good compatable car stereos to go with it?
In my case, I would like a Double-Din unit. If I want BT, and Satelite, most dealers are trying to sell me a base unit with each feature as an add-on. That would make working with these systems awkward as they are not fully integrated into the unit. Is there such a thing as a unit that does all of this:
Double-Din
BlueTooth
Satelite Radio
HD Radio
Ability to control the music playback on the Nexus

thm92630 said:
Now that the Nexus One Car Dock is out and it is confirmed that it does indeed support BT pairing, how about some recomendations on some good compatable car stereos to go with it?
In my case, I would like a Double-Din unit. If I want BT, and Satelite, most dealers are trying to sell me a base unit with each feature as an add-on. That would make working with these systems awkward as they are not fully integrated into the unit. Is there such a thing as a unit that does all of this:
Double-Din
BlueTooth
Satelite Radio
HD Radio
Ability to control the music playback on the Nexus
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Satellite and HD radio are generally going to require add ons, but Bluetooth is often an integrated solution.
My head unit review is here
How on earth are we going to decide what's best? I like mine, but I am quite sure it's not the absolute best.

Alpine FTW!
I always use Alpine headunits. I believe this one will work meet all of your requirements. You may have to purchase an additional bluetooth control unit, but that is pretty much the norm. This one also is compatible with Alpine's imprint technology which is AWESOME! If you don't know you should check it out.
http://ikesound.com/alpine_iva_w505
Here is the imprint module:
http://www.alpine-usa.com/product/view/pxa-h100
Also found the Bluetooth module:
http://www.alpine-usa.com/product/view/kce-400bt

ccunningham83 said:
Also found the Bluetooth module:
http://www.alpine-usa.com/product/view/kce-400bt
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Click to collapse
Has this been tested with the Nexus One, which is pretty picky about what Bluetooth Devices it will pair and work with? A positive report would be really cool.

Ok, instead of 'best' how about most reasonable? This setup is over a grand! If there isn't a unit with these features integraged, I will prefer to go with a bluetooth device first and add the rest later (on a side note, couldn't these extra units interface thru bluetooth as well?)
A feature that I see advertised a lot is an 'iPod adapter' that allows the head unit to control an iPhone and display track information as well. Would a bluetooth connection to the nexus provide this feature?

thm92630 said:
Ok, instead of 'best' how about most reasonable? This setup is over a grand! If there isn't a unit with these features integraged, I will prefer to go with a bluetooth device first and add the rest later (on a side note, couldn't these extra units interface thru bluetooth as well?)
A feature that I see advertised a lot is an 'iPod adapter' that allows the head unit to control an iPhone and display track information as well. Would a bluetooth connection to the nexus provide this feature?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are right, this setup is expensive, but it is a very nice setup. I personally don't have it, but I do have experiance using high end alpine products. I did read that when paired with bluetooth, the album information will be displayed. I don't know if that includes streaming Pandora or not though.
I didn't think it would be crazy for someone who spent $530 on a phone to get the best phone out would mind spending the money on a high end radio. If you want to make it cheaper I would suggest getting a single DIN radio, they are substantially cheaper and you can get the same features, plus a storage area above or below in the existing space.

I'm in the same boat as the OP. Tracking....
Sent from my Nexus One using the XDA mobile application powered by Tapatalk

I personally despise that Pioneer unit. I bought it originally from Amazon but ended up hating almost everything about it. It beeps every time you do ANYTHING, it is bright blue like a comet even at night and lights up the whole cab, the menus are a mess to use, and the iPod support seizes control of the iPod while the head unit iPod controls aren't even very good at all.
I sent it back and bought a JVC double DIN http://www.amazon.com/JVC-KW-XG700-Double-Receiver-Expandable/dp/B000R3G86K . It has no iPod support or bluetooth though (even though I still consider it to be superior just on a usability basis). There is no bluetooth in it though, so now I am looking at buying a $100 bluetooth adapter for it. I see that JVC is going to release a new model any day though, the XR810. http://www.crutchfield.com/p_105KWXR810/JVC-KW-XR810.html?tp=5684&avf=N At first I was afraid because it too has blue backlights, but it turns out that all of the lighting is completely customizable. This thing seems to do everything the way I want it to such that I'm thinking of upgrading even though my receiver works fine. Since it has bluetooth built in, its only $200 more than just buying a bluetooth adapter.
That said, if you're looking at buying aftermarket and you dont care about what it sounds like or amplifiers or custom speakers, there are probably cheaper units that still offer bluetooth connectivity.

The more people that check this out and add the better
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=660617
so far we have 4 headunits that work pretty well, if you find another one please place it into the list
-Charlie

bradsh1 said:
I personally despise that Pioneer unit. I bought it originally from Amazon but ended up hating almost everything about it. It beeps every time you do ANYTHING, it is bright blue like a comet even at night and lights up the whole cab, the menus are a mess to use, and the iPod support seizes control of the iPod while the head unit iPod controls aren't even very good at all.
I sent it back and bought a JVC double DIN http://www.amazon.com/JVC-KW-XG700-Double-Receiver-Expandable/dp/B000R3G86K . It has no iPod support or bluetooth though (even though I still consider it to be superior just on a usability basis). There is no bluetooth in it though, so now I am looking at buying a $100 bluetooth adapter for it. I see that JVC is going to release a new model any day though, the XR810. http://www.crutchfield.com/p_105KWXR810/JVC-KW-XR810.html?tp=5684&avf=N At first I was afraid because it too has blue backlights, but it turns out that all of the lighting is completely customizable. This thing seems to do everything the way I want it to such that I'm thinking of upgrading even though my receiver works fine. Since it has bluetooth built in, its only $200 more than just buying a bluetooth adapter.
That said, if you're looking at buying aftermarket and you dont care about what it sounds like or amplifiers or custom speakers, there are probably cheaper units that still offer bluetooth connectivity.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're right about bright blue. There are two way to deal with that - either turn the display off or wire it to the dimmable dash lights with an inline resistor to drop the voltage a bit more. The dash lights go right to most harnesses, so it's not a big deal. But if it gets 12v straight from the vehicle, it's going to be bright when it's on. I haven't had any issues with with mp3 playback with the N1 since the first day. I can use N1 playback, or I can use head unit controls, or I can use my factory steering wheel controls, which are by far easiest. Beeps? I don't care. They're soft and they don't bother me.

That is another reason I bought the uint I did, full customizable color scheme and (standard) dimming features when hooked up correctly.
its a pain because my vehichle VW GTI has the CAN system to power on the unit vs a standard 12v on source.
what are your best guesses for the video playback bypass for ebrake on a GTI?
-Charlie

dahui9 said:
That is another reason I bought the uint I did, full customizable color scheme and (standard) dimming features when hooked up correctly.
its a pain because my vehichle VW GTI has the CAN system to power on the unit vs a standard 12v on source.
what are your best guesses for the video playback bypass for ebrake on a GTI?
-Charlie
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If hooked up correctly, they all have dimming. However, the lights on these are generally far more efficient than the dash lights, which means by the time the dash lights are visible, the head unit lights are too bright. I plan to fix that with a resistor in line with power coming from the dimmer. It's a simple fix. The head unit does have a dimming adjustment, It just doesn't go nearly far enough.
Not sure why video bypass is required on the DVD players, but I have read that a lot of people do it. What is the situation that requires a bypass?

Wish I hadn't posted here. It was a double.

attn1 said:
If hooked up correctly, they all have dimming. However, the lights on these are generally far more efficient than the dash lights, which means by the time the dash lights are visible, the head unit lights are too bright. I plan to fix that with a resistor in line with power coming from the dimmer. It's a simple fix. The head unit does have a dimming adjustment, It just doesn't go nearly far enough.
Not sure why video bypass is required on the DVD players, but I have read that a lot of people do it. What is the situation that requires a bypass?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
so when your driving your surrounding peeps can watch music videos, dvd's, and or home made movie clips (no erotic pun intended ) if you don't do it no video will play while the car is in motion.
-Charlie

dahui9 said:
so when your driving your surrounding peeps can watch music videos, dvd's, and or home made movie clips (no erotic pun intended ) if you don't do it no video will play while the car is in motion.
-Charlie
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So there is a circuit the emergency brake is supposed to close that indicates it's safe to play video? Seems like that would be easy enough to circumvent right at the head unit. Easier than connecting the head unit to the emergency brake.

[Q] Why people prefer wired headphones vs. Stereo Bluetooth?

There are a lot of topics in the forum about people having trouble finding compatible headphones to work for music and "remote" control the phone playback.
the Bluetooth A2DP works perfectly fine in SGS for both Car Receivers and Stereo headset, and it switch transparently between music to phone calls and back without a glitch.
(i can't say the same for WM phones, another reason why i left WM platform, PalmOS was good, but is no longer produced)
There are lots of excellent Stereo BT headphones in the market now, both Studio like or simple 1 ear type, whatever ticks your fancy, the studio type offers the best audio quality even over BT.
yes it might consume more battery, but battery replacements are very inexpensive. (see accessories section)
I've not looked back to use a wired headphones since BT Stereo was invented, i used to have wired headphones for breakfast, it was a mass murder of headphones every time you get in the bus or subway, i've saved a lot of money since i moved to BT, so it's very surprising to still see people trying to work out the wiring problems with the headsets
I've been there before, every time i switched to a new phone, i needed to find another adapter to convert this to that, so that i can do something as simple as answer the phone on the headset, it was a major PITA.
so it'll be interesting to hear your side of the story to prefer wire over BT (other than "saving" battery and "better sound quality")

I find the bluetooth headsets to be kind of douchie personally. I also don't like the idea of keeping a radio transmitter attached to my head for extended periods (same goes for stereo bluetooth). Whilst I don't particularly believe in the freaks who claim they are radio sensitive, we don't really have any way of knowing how safe they are.
Extra convenience perhaps? Not for general usage. I work unpacking boxes all night and I use hardwired headphones, and it has never gotten in the way (so why bother coughing up a lot of extra money for a technology with potentially worse sound quality and negligible benefits).
IT also chews through battery as you mentioned, but i'm also learning to fly. You never know when you regret sucking up the battery earlier in the day for a technology whose only benefit is no cord.
There are benefits for Bluetooth, such as integrating with a car stereo, some flight headsets have bt built in, transferring files and connecting to special adapters which normally would need USB (such as NMEA GPS or OBD2 devices). But realistically, replacing hardwired headphones with bluetooth seems to be a case of doing so because some people think it gives them an identity. There are very few I believe who actually benefit. But that's only an opinion....

More battery consumption on both the phone and the headset. Which means more cost and more responsibility (buying or keeping batteries charged). Worse sound quality is present with bt than what you'll get in high end headphones, I am always using either high end buds or noise cancelling headsets.
I find the bt thing a bit like nutrasweet, it might sound like a good idea, I just don't want to touch the stuff.

I'd have to buy a stereo Bluetooth headset, as I don't own one, and then I'd have to remember to keep it charged and carry it with me.
I'm sure it would work okay, but I don't have a problem with a wired headset, so a Bluetooth one would only really cost money and make me liable to forget to charge it.

Interesting post AllGamer. Care to point me with some recommendations on good stereo bluetooth headphones?

i replied back to some other topic with that info in the accessories section, i'll need to dig it out
here is the topic i was posting on the reviews
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=7611857&postcount=4
+1 vote for Motorola HT820, it is simply the VERY BEST! of them all; in funtionality, ease of use, sound purity, and comfy level.
other ones i've and still using but don't like are:
Jabra BT8010 (good but always breaks the earloop)
Sony HBH-DS980 (too much wire, it defeats the purpose of bluetooth)
Sony DRBT21G (pales in comparison to Moto HT820, but it's passable, not comfy though)
BlueTake BT420Rx (Gen1 bluetooth, no A2DP, limited features, very comfy, good sound, but it looks like princess leia specially if you have the white version)
Plantronics Voyager 855 (pure garbage, no A2DP)
Motorola S9 (dies easily with sweat dripped into the device, bad design, it's a total failure compare to its big brother HT820)
my top 2 choices for sound are:
HT820
BT420Rx
my top choice for formar work/fun mix
BT8010
unfortunately the BT8010 is very prone at breaking the earloop even with careful use, i went through 3 sets of it already.
luckily enough when you buy these they come in pairs with the stereo side, so i always use the stereo side of the earloop to replace the main headset, as i seldomly use the stereo side of the headset, i mostly just use the single side of it.
for real stereo i'll much prefer to use the HT820
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
and some related one for car
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=726403&highlight=bluetooth

I have a Jabra BT8010 and it's an amazing piece of hardware. Excellent battery life, rich bass, equalizer, comfortable and great sound quality.
In my opinion, BT headsets are a convenience, and I sincerely disagree with being related with "douchebaggery" or "looking for an identity".
Sent from my toilet.

Hi,
Used the Sony Ericsson HBH-IS800's before when I had a SE phone and they work a treat on the Galaxy S too. There are no controls, but I like to use the phone as the "remote" which is fine.
I find them convenient for listening to music on the tube when packed in and shouldering a bag. Sounds good enough to me, though I am not an audiophile.
BTW: I noticed on the 2.2 test frimware JP3 that the eq effects worked across BT unlike current version that says you need to plug in headphones.
In terms of battery I manage approx 3 hours a day which does my commute to and from work. They also work quite good with Galaxy S when watching videos too.
Cheers,

well for the galaxy s its simple ... the 5.1 audio enhancement says enough for u to use wired.
I got 3 sony stereo bt headsets and the only reason why i use it is for the convenience during commute. I dont want my phone getting tangled up somewhere in the metro and end up falling out being damaged or lost because of my headphone cord.
I feel much safer knowing its deep in my pocket without fear of it accidentally slipping out.
But when I am at work by my desk i use wired ... saves battery as well.

Arkymedes said:
In my opinion, BT headsets are a convenience
.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Explain convenient.. What exactly is so convenient for them over normal headphones, which deliver better quality sound for cheaper? There are some people who do get benefits by using them (at work), where they need to free their hands and cant really have cables swinging around, such as computer technicians, but most people seem to use them whilst they are simply walking around..

quality wired headphones cost as much, if not more than a stereo bluetooth headset.
for example Sennheiser HD 448 (average $100)
those $30 ones just doesn't cut it, you need the base, the sub.
but if you go up the next level Audio-Technica ATH-M50 (average $150)
and if you go higher Sennheiser HD 800
but it's too big for my head, and wallet too (almost $1500)
in the past i broke a lot of those $100 entry level headphones
another down side of using headphones, you can't talk/answer the phone with them, you have to unplug, remove the headphones then talk.
with bluetooth it is just a simple click of a button in the ear

Using a sony DR-BT21G. Loving it so far. Only downside is the massive charger. Kinda wish it can run on usb charger instead. It only needs 3V after all.

AllGamer said:
another down side of using headphones, you can't talk/answer the phone with them, you have to unplug, remove the headphones then talk.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Expect mic adapters to be released with a 3.5mm jack. That's how sony ericsson did it..
You can get quality for cheap, if you know where to look...

andrewluecke said:
Explain convenient.. What exactly is so convenient for them over normal headphones, which deliver better quality sound for cheaper? There are some people who do get benefits by using them (at work), where they need to free their hands and cant really have cables swinging around, such as computer technicians, but most people seem to use them whilst they are simply walking around..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You answered your own question. In MY case, is convenient and a personal thing. I absolute HATE cables of all sorts. I have a wireless headset in my PC, wireless KB and mouse and use a wireless printer. I also use a wireless home theater at home (ok, not 100% wireless but it's 2 cables less...)
Everything that I can do to have wireless I do because it's convenient. It's more organized and as I said before, a personal choice.
I agree that wired headphones AT THE MOMENT offer better sound quality for the price, but since I'm not an audiophile, I'm more then happy with what I have now.
The convenience is the easy to setup, the easy access and safety. As some people pointed before, it's very common for the wires to entangle somewhere in your clothes or other things and you risk damaging both your hedphones breaking the cable or even pulling away your phone and losing/breaking it.

Arkymedes said:
You answered your own question. In MY case, is convenient and a personal thing. I absolute HATE cables of all sorts. I have a wireless headset in my PC, wireless KB and mouse and use a wireless printer. I also use a wireless home theater at home (ok, not 100% wireless but it's 2 cables less...)
I agree that wired headphones AT THE MOMENT offer better sound quality for the price, but since I'm not an audiophile, I'm more then happy with what I have now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the only cable i have in my Wireless Home theater is the long arse 1080p HDMI cable going from the PC Receiver to the projector
if and when they come out with a good wireless 1080p HDMI i'll definitely have everything wireless.
for audiophile or not, i'll recommend the Sony DRBT50
as an extension of what i already listed before, for sports fan the Samsung SBH500 is better suited for the task
those 2 are excellent alternative if you can't find the Motorola HT820
the Sony DRBT50 has better bass/base than the moto ht820
there is one that is 100% audiophile but it lacks the handsfree profile for phone calls
it's the Sennheiser PX210BT, that one is guaranteed to sound like the regular wired Sennheiser headphones

I wish I could use my BT headphones. So far I've tried S9-HD, HBH-IS800 and Nokia BH-504 and all of them have horrible sound quality with SGS.

seriouser said:
I wish I could use my BT headphones. So far I've tried S9-HD, HBH-IS800 and Nokia BH-504 and all of them have horrible sound quality with SGS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the hbh ds 205 and it sounds awesome.
I decided to get a new version of it and purchased the sony mw600 and it sounds awesome. Especially now that froyo was released we could use the 5.1 sound enhancement with our bluetooth devices.

One reason why I don't use my bluey headset is the damn thing blinks a blue led all the time . Its like a signal for everyone to look at me. I've taken a marker and coloured it black a few times. Another reason is I tend to forget to recharge the thing as it only has about 12hours play time.

I have a DS980 an MW600 both from Sony Ericsson. I seldom use them now.
I'm not that satisfied with the sound quality of the DS980 & the earphone cannot be replaced.
For the MW600 the short earphone that came with the device also does not sound great, so when I use my personal earphone the sound is great buy the cable will be very long...

I just have been through myself a headphone buying hassle, and had to send back 2 BT sets to refund due poor music quality. The first was Jabra Halo for around £60. It looks cool, and the most comfortable headset I've ever used, but the sound quality is just not there. It's clear, okay, but it's also quiet, and has absulutely no noticable bass.
Ordered a Nokia BH 504, which is a £10 cheaper, but sound quality is almost the same. Still quiet(not usable in traffic), still no bass, maybe a bit more clarity compare to Jabra. Sent back for refund as well.
Next one was the previously mentioned Motorola HT820(got the geniune one), it cost way less then it's friends(£25), and has much better sound! Maybe it's not as clear as the rest, but definetely has better bass, and louder as well. Through Pc it's somehow still not the best! The range is fine(just like others), the battery life is incredible(got it for 2 weeks, use it every day, but haven't charged yet). The mic is also good via phone, tho i had problems via pc skype, and msn call. It's not as comfortable as the previously mentioned ones, you can't really lay down with this thing on your head, and also after 30 min use, it cuts the top of my ears(big ears maybe?). Still not the best quality I've ever had, but definetely worth £25!

fm transmitter kit

as far as I am aware there is no fm transmitter chip in samsung galaxy s therefore please share all news about available car kits -------------------

there are tons over at DealExtreme
http://www.dealextreme.com/search.dx/search.fm
they all good, i was using one with my old WM phone

If you can though, it would be better seeing if you can add Aux support to your headunit.

andrewluecke said:
If you can though, it would be better seeing if you can add Aux support to your headunit.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that is like asking him to buy a new head unit

Not really... Aux can easily be added to some (and I had NO car experience, and discovered it was easier than I thought with my car to wire in a new headunit). Head units cost a ridiculous amount of money for what they are.
Sometimes if you are willing to try to do the work yourself, you will find that adding aux support costs less than some good FM transmitters.

Cheers guys _ going to search net based on yours ideas and update with my choice when purchased and tested.
Over and out.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk

andrewluecke said:
Not really... Aux can easily be added to some (and I had NO car experience, and discovered it was easier than I thought with my car to wire in a new headunit). Head units cost a ridiculous amount of money for what they are.
Sometimes if you are willing to try to do the work yourself, you will find that adding aux support costs less than some good FM transmitters.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm gonna have to disagree with you on this. Although the difference between good and bad fm transmitters is unknown to me, you can get workable ones for under 5 bucks on amazon without shipping.
Even assuming anything that price never works, you can pick up a bluetooth speakerphone/fm transmitter for like 30-40. To me, that beats the hell out of taking wire strippers to your car stereo. Especially since you can take an fm transmitter with you when you are in someone elses car at no extra cost.
My preferred fm transmitter is a Jabra SP700. The trick is finding a clear channel, and if you travel more than an hour in any direction, be prepared to retune as you run into new stations. Normally you'll be able to find a frequency that's clean for their daily use. I found that having my SP stock to the dash instead of to the sun visor greatly increased sound quality and reduced interface, so if you cant get perfect reception, try that.
I get near CD quality, although there is some fuzz on the very end (high cymbals hiss rather than crash).
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App

Protip: You rarely need wire cutters or strippers. I'd be surprised if any cars didn't use a wire harness which allowed you to simply connect the module in between (unless the person who installed your stereo is an idiot, or its a poorly designed unmaintainable car). Many simply connect through the CD stacker jack.
FM tuners work, but, every new car I've seen these days ships with an aux jack anyway. So it's a better option long term, if it's possible. An FM tuner can be easier to install though, if you don't want to learn anything. But messing with the head-unit of your car is something every guy should do once in their life

I bought this one from play.com for only £3 (although its gone up to £4 now).
edit: cant post links but if you type in Wireless FM Stereo MP3 / Ipod Transmitter you should find it.
It works well, the battery life is great. the quality is not perfect but definitely listen-able. (looses some bass).
as a budget transmitter it definitly gets my approval and you don't have to wait weeks for delivery like dealextreme.

Cassette Adapter

Any thoughts/recommendations on a cassette adapter to link the phone output to the car stereo? I'm interested in audio from apps (navigation), music/podcast playback, and streaming audio.
From the reviews of various options I've seen, the quality of the adapters is highly variable, but the Phillips adapter here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Philips-USA-PH-62050-CD-MP3-MD-To-Cassette-Adapter-Brand-New-Free-Shipping-/370582468700?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item56486fb85c#ht_1621wt_1396 seems reasonably priced.
This will be used in a 1996 Saturn. A quick and simple low end solution like a cassette adapter is desired vs. an expensive stereo upgrade.
Thanks!

Just a follow-up to my previous post. I ordered and received the listed adapter and it has working well for the first few days. Will see how longer term usage goes - it does not appear to be the most durable item I've purchased , but it should do the job if not abused.

I sure hope yours works better then the Chinese one I had a few years back...so crappy even the FM transmitter was better.

Honestly, I would recommend a new head unit for your car. They're very easy to replace and are something you will likely have for a VERY long time. I've had mine in all three different cars I have owned so far, and have never had any problems. You can pick up a cheap one with USB and aux inputs (and even bluetooth) for relatively cheap. The sound quality really is so much better than an FM adapter. They're an investment, but they're worth it.

[Review] Best Nexus 4 accessory ever! Pioneer Car Stereo (WITH DETAILED PICS)

UPDATE1 All Android/Nexus 4 integration points I've listed in BLUE below to make it easier to avoid my rambling and see the actual integration touch points.
UPDATE2 2/1/2013 - Pioneer just released (as of 1/29/2013) a new Bluetooth AVRCP firmware update. My stereo was firmware version HW04-SW01.07.23 and the new update from Pioneer is HW05-SW01.27.20. I went ahead & flashed my radio today. Unfortunately this doesn't appear to have added any new functionality for android.
What it looks like during update...and update complete
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
Ok, while not strictly a 'Nexus 4' accessory, I'm tired of all the car stereo reviews for iPhone only. I've installed this unit in my 1998 4Runner and wanted to provide a review strictly for Android integration and in particular, our beautiful Nexus 4.
First, I purchased this off Amazon for around $130. The price bounces up and down quite a bit, its $169 today, but it generally stays in the realm of $125-$150. A great deal as this unit retails for $279.
http://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-DEH-P...F8&qid=1359043082&sr=8-1&keywords=deh-p9400bh
This is a fairly new unit, released in 2012 and is near the top model of the Pioneer head units.
Side note--I wouldn't waste time with the $100 "feature rich" no-name car stereos on Amazon..they're mostly crap. You want a good PIONEER or ALPINE, and feature for feature..this Pioneer DELIVERS.
Features (these blew me away..haven't had a new car stereo in ages..however i'm going to focus primarily on the android/nexus 4 integration.
AM/FM Tuner/HD Radio - Wow..who knew there were like 10 more stations on the FM dial that have CD quality and are all digital that I can now pick up on my radio?
XM/SIRIUS Satellite Radio Support - Don't know, don't care. It requires buying an add-on doodad for this radio and paying a monthly fee so I'm not interested.
Remote control - Kinda useless but could be handy if you're sitting on the tailgate of your car or something and need to quickly mute the radio.
CD/MP3 Player - It will play regular CDs as well as MP3 data CDs.
Bluetooth - OH MY, we'll get to this below.
AUX - Has 2 auxillary audio imput ports..I can't imagine needing to use these so I turned them off.
LED Multicolor display - you'll notice this in my pics below..i set it to 'random' so the color of the buttons and display are constantly changing.
USB - super cool! 2 USB ports (rear) that can handle USB sticks, charge your phone or allow the kids to plug in stuff. I ran one cord to the rear seats so the kids can get access to it, and the other one I drilled a 3/4" hole in my glovebox and bought a $10 USB adapter so I have a clean hidden install and at the moment have a 32GB USB stick plugged in with the majority of my music collection. BONUS, you can get firmware updates for your car stereo and flash it via this USB connection..cool!!
http://www.amazon.com/PAC-Cable-Mounting-Bracket-USBCBL/dp/B002MW6HRO/ref=pd_sim_e_4
***
Ok on to the meat of the review! The Android/Nexus 4 Bluetooth integration.
Bluetooth - supports up to 3 devices so I've actually paired this with my Nexus, my fiance's iPhone and my kid's LG MyTouch android phone. Very slick. You can see it showing "NEXUS 4", my Nexus battery %, BT signal strength and length of time connected all on the screen (below).
GPS - The voice-guided navigation comes through the speakers while music is playing..it fades the music down and the voice is loud and crisp. My phone can be off and sitting on the seat and I'm still getting my navigation instructions. So cool.
Music/Pandora - The radio supports Pandora or any music player app on your Nexus and its amazing! Pandora plays as soon as you start the car and the radio comes on (if its running in the background) and stops when you turn the car off. I don't have to touch my phone or anything. Very nice the way this works.
In addition, you can hit the down lever (or the control on my cheap $20 Pioneer IR steering wheel control) to move to the next Pandora song. UPDATE Just discovered I can also do the following from the head unit or my steering wheel control.
Next Track - Push lever down on head unit or click RIGHT ARROW on steering wheel control
Pause - Push silver button twice, or hit FUNCTION on steering remote and hit forward arrow
Resume Playback - Push BAND button on head unit or hit BAND button on steering wheel control
Of course muting the audio, etc. still work.
Also if you're using a different music player, you can do the following from your radio (or steering control) that work on the Nexus 4
Tap lever down (jump to next track)
Hold lever down (fast forward the song playing)
Tap lever up (jump to previous track)
Hold lever up (fast rewind the song playing)
Push down on the big silver knob (pause/play)
Android Phone - One of the slickest things! There's a little microphone that you mount on the back of your steering column. Super clear, everyone I've called says they can't tell I'm not talking on my phone! Not a single person can tell they're on speakerphone. You can also adjust the sensitivity of this microphone for the person on the other end on the fly by clicking the little lever up or down on the radio itself (or steering wheel control). I've never had to do this; the default sensitivity works great for me.
The person's voice you're talking to comes out of your car speakers and you can adjust the volume.
When you first pair your Nexus, it will download your phonebook...
...the last 50 dialed calls
...the last 50 missed calls
..and the last 50 recieved calls
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You can then scroll to any of these screens to select a person to call (will show you the phonebook)
Making calls
Simply use the radio (or steering wheel) control to find the person you want to call and click the big silver dial.
This is what the screen looks like when you're on a call.
In addition to muting any Pandora/music playing when making or recieving a phone call, the phone works whether you've selected the radio, CD, USB stick, auxillary or bluetooth! So no matter what you're listening to, when you need to make or recieve a phone call, the radio will pause (or mute) whatever music is playing and allow you to answer the phone.
From the head unit itself, it will control these things on your phone
Caller ID appears on the screen
tap big silver button Answer a call
hit little phone icon button Ignore a call
tap big silver button call waiting (switch to incoming call)
hit little phone icon button Cancel call waiting
hit the 'band' button on radio quickly switch the call off bluetooth and back to your phone (for private calls)
In addition you can set the head unit to automatically answer calls coming in and/or disable the ring tone coming from the car speakers.
In short, this cheap little Pioneer head unit is a very capable android-enabled radio! Its not perfect (no song tracks sent from android to the radio display for instance) but I think the android integration for a $100-ish radio is very good.
Oh, and this is a PIONEER..meaning on top of all the android stuff it is an AMAZINGLY GOOD SOUNDING RADIO.
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PS One final thought; I will point out ALL differences between "full" iPhone/Pandora support vs. Android/Nexus 4 Pandora support as it pertains to the radio head unit itself.
iPhone/Pandora - displays song title, 'thumb up/down', length of song on display Nexus 4 (see above) just displays "bluetooth"
iPhone/Pandora radio controls (play, pause, next track, 'select thumb up or thumb down', change pandora station) Nexus 4 (play, pause, next track)
That's about it. Not a huge deal for me, the main thing I would want to do with Pandora is skip tracks anyway. The 'switch stations' would have been a nice feature but I can live with doing that on my phone as I normally pick a station and stay on it while driving.
So don't be fooled into thinking the iPhone has alot more Pandora integration than Android. Those bonus features for iPhone are more gimmicky than useful (except displaying track name)

The Bluetooth features are pretty standard, I got them in my 4 year old Kenwood set.
But the price is cheap indeed.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium

hansoho said:
The Bluetooth features are pretty standard, I got them in my 4 year old Kenwood set.
But the price is cheap indeed.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks its all new to me..i feel like my 1998 car just jetted into the future. i went from having a crappy old radio to turning my car into an extension of my nexus 4 apps! love it! no cords! install was super easy..just match the colored wires.

i do the same thing with my sony head unit (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Sony+-+...Deck/4611353.p?id=1218497914606&skuId=4611353) in my 03 honda accord. i bought it just for the bluetooth. but it sucks when talking to people. lol people say it sounds like im in a wind tunnel.. but for music it works great. :highfive:

i think the microphone pioneer includes and finding the proper location is key. from all the reviews i've read its a very good mic and so far it seems to be doing a great job.
when i get out to my car, i'll take a pic of how i have it mounted

I am dieing to see this. My VW has bluetooth but its not stereo and has no options for the other stuff. I do have sirius built in which is nice but I can add that another way, if I even need to do that.

nyvram1 said:
i think the microphone pioneer includes and finding the proper location is key. from all the reviews i've read its a very good mic and so far it seems to be doing a great job.
when i get out to my car, i'll take a pic of how i have it mounted
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well my problem is, my mic is build into the stereo. so i cant move it anywhere. so i kinda wish i got one that didnt have it built in. they have head units with bluetooth but they arent build in so you had to buy the mic. but they wanted like 60 bucks for the mic. lol so i said screw that and got the one with build in bluetooth. now i regret it lol

Thanks for the tip of the HU. My car stereo is a very bad LG unit, and I'll probably take one of these pioneer's.
I really like the integration of the phone book, showing the incoming calls on the display (that way I won't need to take the phone out of my pocket).
Best regards!
Rodrigo
Enviado de meu Nexus S usando o Tapatalk 2

While I won't be putting this in my truck as it has stock BT and controls etc etc...this deck looks like a worthy contender for our old beater...thanks for the pics and review!
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

Sv: [Review] Best Nexus 4 accessory ever! Pioneer Car Stereo (WITH DETAILED PICS)
Nice review. Reviews are always good for the community.
... . -. - ...- .. .- - .- .--. .- - .- .-.. -.-

Pretty standard features to be honest, and you can pick up the lower end pioneer BT capable HU for ~$100 if you keep an eye out.
What's really cool is something like the pioneer appradio but only if it works with your specific device and of course every time there is an OS update it takes pioneer 6+ mos to get everything working again It's also significantly more expensive.

I was thinking of getting this one.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Pioneer...Deck/6261628.p?id=1218725182932&skuId=6261628
Not the same one, hope it has all the bluetooth features though.

threeclaws said:
Pretty standard features to be honest, and you can pick up the lower end pioneer BT capable HU for ~$100 if you keep an eye out.
What's really cool is something like the pioneer appradio but only if it works with your specific device and of course every time there is an OS update it takes pioneer 6+ mos to get everything working again It's also significantly more expensive.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
doesnt the appradio just work with iphones? didnt seem like it was something useful for our nexus 4s.
and i looked at the other cheaper units like the 6400..but for $20-$30 more, the 9400 had loads more features and aside from the AUX and sat radio support, i'm using them all.

nyvram1 said:
doesnt the appradio just work with iphones? didnt seem like it was something useful for our nexus 4s.
and i looked at the other cheaper units like the 6400..but for $20-$30 more, the 9400 had loads more features and aside from the AUX and sat radio support, i'm using them all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They made an App Radio 2 that works with Android devices that support MHL and micro? hdmi. It's really not all that great of a head unit. If your gonna spend a lot of money on a pioneer go for their AVIC series.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium

About a year ago I bought a Kenwood KDC-X796 and put it in my 13 year old Hyundai Elantra. I felt the same level of excitement as the original poster. It was like I had a brand new car.
The Kenwood had an external microphone that the installers placed along the roof line above the rear view mirror. If it has cords they hid them well. It works perfectly. I use it all the time. No one has problems hearing me.
At the time, I had the original Nexus One with custom ROM (I forget which one).
I could press the giant volume knob and it would start up Voice Dialing on the Nexus One. I could say, "Call <Name>'s Mobile" and it would call their mobile phone. It worked beautifully.
Later I reinstalled the stock ROM and this feature no longer worked. Apparently, the stock ROM doesn't support the part of the Bluetooth spec that is needed for Voice Dialing over Bluetooth even though the hardware does support it.
When I got my Nexus 4 I thought I would get this feature back. But alas, it still doesn't support Voice Dialing over Bluetooth. This bugs me.

I don't have a thirdparty headunit, but my Civic has all this built in, plus it displays texts. I have never used bluetooth until I got my car, and I regret not playing with it earlier.

DarenTx said:
When I got my Nexus 4 I thought I would get this feature back. But alas, it still doesn't support Voice Dialing over Bluetooth. This bugs me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
exactly!! why is this? it seems a no-brainer android..and JB in particular would support google voice search over bluetooth.
i'm going to do some research on this. having google voice search working in your car is 95% of where i'd use it anyway (asking for weather updates, voice dialing, etc.)
surely there's a thread or app to take care of this..i would hate to have to root my phone and put a custom ROM on just for this one feature.

nyvram1 said:
doesnt the appradio just work with iphones? didnt seem like it was something useful for our nexus 4s.
and i looked at the other cheaper units like the 6400..but for $20-$30 more, the 9400 had loads more features and aside from the AUX and sat radio support, i'm using them all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Appradio 2 works with android and ARLiberator makes it far more functional.
I don't see "loads more features" but IMO they are both pretty basic units.

threeclaws said:
Appradio 2 works with android and ARLiberator makes it far more functional.
I don't see "loads more features" but IMO they are both pretty basic units.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just FYI, when i said "load more features" i was talking about the 9400 vs the lower end pioner cd-reciever head units. I've never owned an appradio so I can't speak to the features those offer. i like the slim profile of the 'normal' sized 9400 and although there is a new top-end 9500 available, given the deep discount I got on the 9400 it wasn't worth it to me to get the 9500.
ps just watched the 'arliberator' video and appradio 2...wow. that's definitely going to be my next car radio. too much to put into my 15 year old 4runner..but for well under $500 you can get a great functional command center that would improve the value of ANY vehicle.

nyvram1 said:
Just FYI, when i said "load more features" i was talking about the 9400 vs the lower end pioner cd-reciever head units. I've never owned an appradio so I can't speak to the features those offer. i like the slim profile of the 'normal' sized 9400 and although there is a new top-end 9500 available, given the deep discount I got on the 9400 it wasn't worth it to me to get the 9500.
ps just watched the 'arliberator' video and appradio 2...wow. that's definitely going to be my next car radio. too much to put into my 15 year old 4runner..but for well under $500 you can get a great functional command center that would improve the value of ANY vehicle.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The App radio won't work the our phones though since it requires HDMI or MHL.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium