PDA

View Full Version : Good double din Nav...



srtga
06-10-2010, 08:36 AM
Not one of those flip up deals.

Looking for:

BT (not a deal killer)
Decent nav. (I understand the Kenwoods use Garmin)
Vid inputs that work in motion and allow music playing at the same time.
Ipod integration with controls.
XM
Budget around $800 preferably lower. I'm not THAT into car audio.

Any suggestions from you stereo guys? I have a plan...

aa2033
06-10-2010, 08:54 AM
always loved my pioneer

srtga
06-10-2010, 09:02 AM
always loved my pioneer

What did you love about it? I stopped by a BestBuy to play with some (No DDs on display :rolleyes:) and the guy there was steering me towards Pioneer. They only had Alpine and Kenwoods in stock
so maybe it wasn't a sales pitch...

aa2033
06-10-2010, 09:07 AM
pioneers seem to be a little bit more pricey, but i've never had any issues with the 3 pioneer units i've had. i've had two regular BT radios, and now i have a double din nav. i LOVE it.

The lower end ones have a nice scroll wheel that moves smoothly, or you can use the touch screen. The higher end ones are fully touch screen.

The bluetooth is awesome, the speech recognition is awesome, always a solid connection. I have a cable going to my glovebox for my ipod, and another cable for my iPhone. When i first got it, i got it for the warranty because i never had a lot of faith in this aftermarket crap.

I'll probably never go away from pioneer again, they LOOK sexy, they're reliable. and they're easy and fun to use. The navi is spot on too.

I'm pretty biased though, maybe someone can pitch in about kenwood or alpine.

srtga
06-10-2010, 09:10 AM
What model do you have? I would prefer to have a knob instead of all touchscreen.

aa2033
06-10-2010, 09:17 AM
This is what i have

Pioneer USA - AVIC-Z120BT - Flagship In-Dash Navigation AV Receiver with DVD Playback, Built-In Bluetooth and 7" Widescreen Display (http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Products/CarAudioVideo/In-Dash/GPS-Navigation-Systems/AVIC-Z120BT)


This is the one with the nob i'd suggest, it's over your budget (999)
but i have a buddy that has this

Pioneer USA - AVIC-X710BT - In-Dash Navigation AV Receiver with CD Playback, Built-in Bluetooth and 5.8" Widescreen Display (http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Products/CarAudioVideo/In-Dash/GPS-Navigation-Systems/AVIC-X710BT)

and i like it a lot.

this one is 1200

Pioneer USA - AVIC-X910BT - In-Dash Navigation AV Receiver with DVD Playback, Built-In Bluetooth and 5.8" WVGA Touchscreen Display (http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Products/CarAudioVideo/In-Dash/GPS-Navigation-Systems/AVIC-X910BT)

but the only difference between the 999 and the 1200 is that the 1200 can play DVDs. but IMO, you'd never use the dvd player ( you can't play dvd's while the car is in drive, unless you change some simple wiring around)

category4
06-10-2010, 11:48 AM
I have an AVIC F700BT I picked up for about $300 a few months ago. With the newest sofware update it's a pretty good unit. I have no complaints.

srtga
06-10-2010, 04:29 PM
I have an AVIC F700BT I picked up for about $300 a few months ago. With the newest sofware update it's a pretty good unit. I have no complaints.

Is that the one you had to pull out because of problems? I remember you having some radio trouble.

I'm guessing the 700BT is GM/Bose friendly?

The plan is to run the FLIR into the backup cam input or something like that.

category4
06-10-2010, 07:10 PM
I have an AVIC F700BT I picked up for about $300 a few months ago. With the newest sofware update it's a pretty good unit. I have no complaints.

Is that the one you had to pull out because of problems? I remember you having some radio trouble.

I'm guessing the 700BT is GM/Bose friendly?

The plan is to run the FLIR into the backup cam input or something like that.

I pulled it and returned it, turned out it was the PAC adapter from the GM system to the Pioneer nav unit and not the Nav unit.

I took it out 3 or 4 times until I found the problem. Turns out the chip in the adapter was not turning on the Bose amp. I hard wired it so the Pioneer turns on the amp and no problems.

TQUILL
06-11-2010, 12:18 PM
I have an older Kenwood and it's great. Garmin navigation, DVD player, and USB port to play music from my flash drive. I have a second screen that I put the DVD on while listening to music or nav on the main screen. I got it used off ebay for 400 bucks (perfect condition).

Getting it to play DVDs while driving is very easy.... just ground the parking brake wire and you're good to go.

DrCoke
06-11-2010, 08:40 PM
I bought an old Kenwood doubledin Touchscreen unit for $250 from fleabay mint with box and had no issues.(customer return) This was during the time when these things top $1,000 for the cheapest units new. I dont think you can go wrong with pioneer, kenwood, or alpine.

Güero
06-12-2010, 12:38 AM
First of all, I'm REALLY into car audio. My favorite all around brand for everything (amps, head units, speakers, and subs) is Pioneer. Outstanding quality for the price. As a matter of fact, I have about 8 grand worth of Pioneer equipment in my daily driver.

I've owned Pioneer, Alpine, Sony, and Clarion. I cannot speak about Kenwood, but here are my experiences with the above brands (as far as head units go)-

Pioneer
-Second Best Sound Quality (SQ)
-Excellent features
-Best designs
-Best Longevity
-Products in all price ranges

Alpine
-Third best SQ
-Not many features (Compared to the rest)
-So-so designs
-Good longevity
-Expensive

Sony
-Fourth best SQ (Best bass though)
-The most features
-Really good designs
-Excellent longevity
-Products in all price ranges

Clarion
-Best SQ
-So so features
-Nice, clean designs
-Excellent longevity
-Not many "high end" products

So, just a couple of notes. First, never ever buy from a retail store or custom audio shop, shop online. Also, the cheapest places online are SonicElectronix and OnlineCarStereo.

Secondly, most, if not all Alpine head units have the ability to do Nav, but they need an EXTRA (and costly) adapter.

Thirdly, check this link out (BTW, their customer service is phenomenal):

Pioneer In-Dash GPS Navigation | Car Stereos and Head Units | Car Audio | Car Audio, Video & GPS at Sonic Electronix (http://www.sonicelectronix.com/viewcat.php?manufacturer_id=25&category_id=321&sort_order=price_desc)

Güero
06-12-2010, 12:42 AM
Oh, BTW if you have GM and Bose with OnStar, you will need like $100 or more adapter, so save money on your budget for that.

category4
06-12-2010, 05:10 AM
Also check on the caddie forums about installation. Some of the caddies can be a bear with mounting!!!

Executive
06-14-2010, 12:48 PM
We have a Pioneer (AVIC 910) in the wife's car and a Kenwood (about the same price range) in one of mine. The Pioneer is by far the better interface and the nav in the Pioneer gives better instructions and alerts.

Bluetooth handsfree cellphone connectivity and sound-quality are both excellent. Both cars have inherently quiet cabins and it is easy to have a conversation.

Only gripe about the Pioneer is the amount of time it takes to boot up after starting the car.

srtga
06-15-2010, 11:34 AM
Thanks for the help guys!

I think I'm going with an AVIC. One of them (910 I think) has a feature that will allow the back up cam to run with the nav (For towing).

Nav, FLIR and tunes :p

There are some kits for the CTS:

http://i711.photobucket.com/albums/ww112/jhoff/ctsdd.jpg

sledhead1
06-17-2010, 12:35 AM
I have an Apline with a Blackbird nav. Only thing I don't like is that Alpine doesn't update their maps. Good unit, good screen.

Lucky225
06-17-2010, 08:28 PM
The one in my sig is pretty good, just no XM

th3 factory freak
06-25-2010, 01:45 PM
Not one of those flip up deals.

Looking for:

BT (not a deal killer)
Decent nav. (I understand the Kenwoods use Garmin)
Vid inputs that work in motion and allow music playing at the same time.
Ipod integration with controls.
XM
Budget around $800 preferably lower. I'm not THAT into car audio.

Any suggestions from you stereo guys? I have a plan...

I had the Pioneer F900 BT in my WRX and really liked it.

srtga
06-26-2010, 02:35 AM
I'm going with this one:

Pioneer AVIC-X920BT (avicx920bt) - Car Stereo In-Dash Receiver at Sonic Electronix - Sonic Electronix (http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_22424_Pioneer+AVIC-X920BT.html)

Is it basically plug-n-play with the PACOS2 deal? I'm guessing that the wires from the PAC thing are connected to the radio and it just plugs into the factory harness?

Anyone have experience with this radio?

category4
06-26-2010, 05:17 AM
I'm going with this one:

Pioneer AVIC-X920BT (avicx920bt) - Car Stereo In-Dash Receiver at Sonic Electronix - Sonic Electronix (http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_22424_Pioneer+AVIC-X920BT.html)

Is it basically plug-n-play with the PACOS2 deal? I'm guessing that the wires from the PAC thing are connected to the radio and it just plugs into the factory harness?

Anyone have experience with this radio?

The PACOS2 plugs into the factory wiring harness and into the Nav unit. You still have to hard wire some connections in between the two. It's pretty simple as the PACOS2 has pretty good instructions. The OS2 unit was what was bad on mine when I was having my problems, but everyone says it's the best unit available. When I called PAC and described my problem they knew exactly how to fix it, so no big deal for the fix. The hours figuring out it was the PAC unit was the killer.

srtga
06-27-2010, 06:03 AM
The PACOS2 plugs into the factory wiring harness and into the Nav unit. You still have to hard wire some connections in between the two. It's pretty simple as the PACOS2 has pretty good instructions. The OS2 unit was what was bad on mine when I was having my problems, but everyone says it's the best unit available. When I called PAC and described my problem they knew exactly how to fix it, so no big deal for the fix. The hours figuring out it was the PAC unit was the killer.

Thanks man! The last time I installed an aftermarket radio it had a tape deck :D