Pioneer DEHP6100BT CD Receiver with LCD Display USB Direct Control for iPod and Built-In Bluetooth
From Pioneer
In-Dash CD/MP3/WMA/AAC/WAV Receiver
- Amazon Sales Rank: #87 in Car Audio or Theater
- Brand: Pioneer
- Model: DEH-P6100BT
- Dimensions: 2.40" h x 18.00" w x 10.80" l, 4.70 pounds
Sick of listening to static? The Pioneer DEH-P6100BT CD Receiver with LCD Display, USB Direct Control for iPod, and Built-In Bluetooth is the next best thing to live. CD Players improve sound quality and add features like Bluetooth and iPod control that your built in factory stereo might otherwise not have. Expand your system with digital radio options like HD Radio, XM Satellite Radio or Sirius Satellite Radio.
 The Pioneer DEH-P5100UB CD Receiver with Full Motion OEL Display and USB Direct Control of iPod. |
Fed up with your Bluetooth headset?
Here's a better hands-free solution. Enjoy the convenience of having Bluetooth built right into the unit, with no additional hands free car kits or other accessories needed. The unit acts like a speakerphone, channeling the sound through your car speakers which makes the call sound better. It also automatically mutes your music so that you'll never miss a call.
Use your iPod in the car, without the added headache
It's easy! Simply plug your iPod directly into the unit using the included cable, and you are ready to rock and roll. Listening to an artist that you just can't get enough of? Now you can hold the "List" button down and it will pop up folders containing that specific artist, album, or genre. You can also have your passenger control your music directly from the iPod.
 Dual USB for multiple iPod or USB Devices. |
 Wireless remote control and microphone. |
Advanced Sound Retriever
This year you can hear the detail, warmth, and clarity the way the artist intended it, from all of the highly compressed MP3, WMA and AAC files playing on your CD player. By restoring data that tends to get lost in the digital compression process, we can make your music sound close to CD quality.
What else does this model have to offer?
The DEH-P6100UB also includes these additional features like built-in AUX input for your media devices and Advanced Sound Retriever to restore your mp3s to near CD quality. Features that are designed to expand your system, customize your experience, provide superior sound quality and easy operation.
- Remote Control included
- LCD Display with 13-character Text
- Advanced Sound Retriever to restore your compressed media to near CD quality
- AUX input to easier plug in your portable media devices
- USB input (Front)
- HD Radio, XM, and Sirius Radio Ready
- 3 RCA Hi-Volt preouts for adding on external amps and speakers simplify system expansion.
- Two-Way Crossover with separate High and Low Pass settings.
- Built-in MOSFET 50 W x 4 amplifier for excellent sound quality, minimal distortion and efficient power handling.
- Supertuner IIID advanced analog and digital processing assure superior imaging, less distortion and noise, and stronger, smoother broadcast signal reception.
- Amplifier Off Mode
- Display Off Mode
What's in the Box
Pioneer DEH-P6100BT CD Receiver, wiring harness, wireless remote control, installation hardware, operation manual, installation guide, warranty sheet
Great sound, UI needs work
Note- I own the "Premier" version of this, which I believe is identical except for the faceplate branding.
If this unit had a dedicated play/pause button, then I would have no problems giving it 5-stars. It makes my (mostly) factory speakers sound incredible. The iPod integration is intuitive and works with both my old classic iPod and my iPhone 3GS.
Bluetooth was easy to configure with my iPhone. Once the two were paired, it automatically retrieved my contacts list for dialing and the phone switched to using the bluetooth audio output device. Unfortunately, the BT audio on the iPhone doesn't sound very good ("crunchy" is how I would describe it), but I think that its an issue with the phone and not this unit as I've seen lots of other complaints around the 'tubes about it. Its certainly good enough for talk-centered podcasts and audiobooks, however, and I expect Apple will improve the sound quality down the road.
The really ugly thing about it is the lack of a dedicated pause button on the front panel. It takes at least three clicks with the multi-function wheel to pause, and could require selecting the pause function if it wasn't the last menu item that was used (which would require looking at the display). This seems dangerous to me. There is a dedicated mute button, but I would strongly prefer if it could be configured to pause instead. Also, the "PGM" button on the remote is apparently set to operate the pause function by default, but who wants to fumble with a remote control while driving?
I haven't used the CD player or flash memory features, but according to the manual they work similarly to the iPod control.
To summarize:
PROS: Great sound quality, BT easy to configure, intuitive iPod integration, can display clock full-time
CONS: "multi-function" wheel can be fiddly, lack of one-press pause on front panel.
Best option for the Nokia N97
I used this to replace a DEH-P7000BT that I had previously installed in my car, because that one would not work correctly with my new phone, a Nokia N97. Even after a Nokia-specific firmware upgrade from Pioneer, which had solved some issues for my "old" N85, it would not pair with my new one in "Bluetooth Audio" (A2DP/AVRCP) mode, only as a "Bluetooth Telephone" (HSP).
I went through several car receivers (both buy/return and in store) to get one that actually worked:
* A Sony MEX-BT2700 (works fine, but inferior sound and also inferior handsfree pickup),
* A Clarion CZ509 (complex controls, had to download the user manual on my phone right in the store in order to figure out how to pair it; would only work in "Blueooth Audio" mode and NO SOUND would come through in handsfree mode)
* An Eclipse CD5030 (nice unit, good sound, but same problem as the DEH-P7000BT: No A2DP/AVRCP with my phone)
I had previously also tried out other solutions, including a Kenwood unit along with the KCA-BT200 Bluetooth adapter. The main issue with these was that there was a delay from when Bluetooth Audio were initiated from the phone until it was heard over the speakers. This may seem like a nitpick, but I also use my phone as my GPS/navigation system - and the result was that instructions like "In 400 yards, turn left" would become "n left". No dice. The Pioneer unit, at least, did not have this problem.
At this point, I had resigned to using my original factory stereo along with a cassette adapter to get music through the stereo (turns out that this setup worked OK as well, my phone is mounted close enough to the driver's seat that its built in microphone picked up my voice better than e.g. the Sony above). But as I came across the DEH-P6100BT in a store, I figured I would try it anyway - despite the issue with the older Pioneer unit.
Finally we had a winner! Not only does the Pioneer units have excellent sound (good dynamic range/bass/treble, good FM receiver, and very nice handsfree pickup using the supplied microphone mounted in my center ceiling console) - but this unit is also more accessible than the DEH-P7000 with front auxillary and USB inputs as well as an exposed CD slot, rather than a face plate that folds down.
In short, I am very happy with the DEH-P6100BT so far - though it, too, DOES have a couple of issues:
* The controls are not very userfriendly. The sole rotating knob is overloaded with functions: it can be turned, pushed in, or pulled up/down/left/right, for different functions. The gestures are not always intuitive: Rotating the knob usually goes to the previous/next menu item, pushing left/right sometimes chooses sub-items (e.g. equalizer low/mid/high), other times confirms; pushing up/down sometimes chooses among different settings (bass up/down, source level adjustment up/down, etc), pushing it in sometimes (but now always) toggles a selection, etc. Plus, because the knob is smaller than the DEH-P7000BT, it is much harder now to perform the right action (especially if your car is moving). If you try to push it straight in, you will invariably push it up/down instead.
* Although this unit behaves better with the N97 than most of the others, there is still one issue: Each time it connects, it initially gives me only "handsfree" functionality (not stereo audio). I need to manually go into the menus EACH TIME and enable A2DP and AVRCP (quite cumbersome), OR start playback from my phone (in which case A2DP, but not AVRCP is enabled automatically). In other words, getting my steering wheel controls to do what they are supposed to do - control the playback - is usually more hazzle than it's worth (except for longer trips).
UPDATE: I have since replaced my N97 (for a lot of other reasons as well) with a Sony Ericsson C905a; the unit performs much better now. When initially pairing the phone with the unit, I *did* have to select "Hansdsfree phone" rather than the default "Other phones" in order to get AVRCP setup correctly - but now it works fine: Play/Stop, Prev/Next, etc do what they should.
* On the topic of steering wheel controls: As I mentioned in my DEH-P7000BT review, I don't care much for the Sony/Pioneer standard for remote control signalling. Using a SWI-PS steering wheel interface from Pacific Audio, if I map my "previous/next" buttons on the steering wheel to "previous/next track" on the Pioneer (for CD, USB and Bluetooth modes), then those will become "seek up/seek down" in tuner mode (not preset up/down). Likewise, if I map them to "preset up/down" for the tuner, they would be "previous/next disc" in CD mode, "previous/next folder" in USB mode, and nothing at all in Bluetooth mode. :(
All this said and done, this unit still offers the best ratio of features/sound over annoyance/price -- especially for "problem phones" such as the N97.
Great unit - dangerous interface
I've had it installed for a couple of weeks now.
This thing makes my factory speakers sound great.
It blutooths to my BB Storm really easily and people tell me my voice is very clear in phone calls.
Just a couple of problems:
Performing basic operations is very difficult on this unit. Changing the station is pretty easy unless you hit the (very slipper) knob wrong. Then you get stuck in a settings mode and have to dig your way out of it. This is only an issue if you're driving and can't spend a few minutes just staring at the stereo. I've managed to wipe out all my saved stations once so far....
The multi control knob is small and slippery. I'm not a guy with big or clumsy fingers and this thing messes me up half the time. When adjusting the volume I have to grab the thing so tightly that I usually wind up putting myself into some weird settings mode(disconnecting my phone from Bluetooth occasionally). Seems like I can fix this with a little grip tape like we use on baseball bats(redneck it up a little).
Advice to Pioneer; Just put memory presets on the front of the thing and an easier to grip multi control knob and this sucker is the greatest thing since sliced oranges. Those two problems make me rank the unit much lower than I would otherwise -- for me it's a safety issue because this thing requires too much of my attention while driving.
