Pioneer FH-P8000BT Double-Din In-Dash CD/MP3/WMA/AAC Receiver with Built-In Bluetooth, iPod Control, and Rear USB Input
by Pioneer Mobile
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Pioneer FH-P8000BT Double-Din In-Dash CD/MP3/WMA/AAC Receiver with Built-In Bluetooth, iPod Control, and Rear USB Input
Customer Review: Stereo Bluetooth Disappointment
Summary: 4 Stars
I've had this unit for almost a year now. I primarily purchased this head unit to use its bluetooth features. Unfortunately, the built-in stereo bluetooth does not work very well. The mono bluetooth works fine, but the stereo portion is not able to consistently connect to my stereo bluetooth-enabled smartphone (BlackBerry Storm 9530). If I had the input (on the Pioneer head unit) on anything other than stereo bluetooth when my car starts up, it would not connect to my smartphone via stereo bluetooth (A2DP). This is odd because the mono bluetooth would connect just fine regardless of the input I had the head unit on. The only way to get the stereo bluetooth to connect is to have the input already on stereo bluetooth (on the Pioneer) when I start my car. Otherwise, I'd have to change the input to stereo bluetooth on the head unit and then restart my car. This is extremely aggravating after extended use--I can't be start and stopping my car in traffic. Now you may think the issue is with my phone but my phone works with every other A2DP (stereo bluetooth) device I own just fine (pairs with 3 different devices perfectly), and I also had a BlackBerry Curve 8310 that behaved the same with with this head unit.
I tried calling Pioneer tech support and they were completely useless. The tech I spoke to said that the way it's malfunctioning is "impossible." What do you mean it's impossible? It's happening with my unit!
So if you're buying this to use with your stereo bluetooth device, be aware that this unit is not fully compatible with all A2DP devices, especially with BlackBerry devices (I have tried with Tour 9630 and Storm 9530). This is a shame since BlackBerrys are very popular. I also checked with Pioneer before I posted this review to see if they had a firmware update after all this time, but to no avail.
The USB feature is also very limited. There is a bug where it will play only one folder over and over though it's set to shuffle the entire volume. The USB port is also very picky as to what type of device it will support. It won't support most USB hard drives, even the smallest ones. I tried 6 different types. The only USB devices it seems to support are media cards like SD connected with a USB to SD card reader. And even then, the GUI for navigating the SD card is archaic.
However, if the A2DP/stereo bluetooth feature had worked correctly, I would have been really happy with this unit since the sound quality is pretty nice. With the way it's behaving badly, it's quite frustrating.
Edit: Oh, also the navigation knob does indeed get scratched very easily, and it's sometimes not the easiest thing to use.
Update: Since switch to the Motorola Droid, I have a lot less problems with Bluetooth, perhaps because of the Bluetooth version 2.1 support on the Droid. Though it still has occasional BT connection issues, I have update the rating to reflect it's better performance with other handsets.
Customer Review: Fantastic headunit but it's just missing something.
Summary: 4 Stars
The Pioneer FH-80000BT really is a fantastic headunit for those who just want something better in their car. It's stock-like appearance, quality construction and capabilities make it more than worth it's price point.
Capabilities:
A2DP Bluetooth streaming is a big plus for those who wish to stream from their portable devices (Android phone, iPhone, Blackberry) gone are the easily snag-able wires and frustration once a connector shorts out, gets dirty or completely wears out from use. Audio quality through Bluetooth is not fantastic but it is certainly enjoyable (I used my Motorola Droid to base my opinion). Added bonus is the ability to seek and skip forward/back through the headunit's controls. That way you are not fumbling around with your phone trying to hit just the right spot on the screen to skip a song you hate or repeat a song you really enjoy.
Rear Mounted USB. This seems to be a personal opinion on where it is mounted. Personally I do like the USB to be mounted in the rear of the headunit. It's just so nice to have a nice dash without a sync cable or flash drive hanging out of it just waiting to be broken by your hand as you turn up the volume on your favorite song.
Aux-In. Again mounted in the rear. I have yet to test this feature.
Radio Quality: It's great even with my rear windshield mounted antenna. Sound is nice and clear with only a slight fuzzing of the AM band when I got stuck under an overpass on the freeway.
CD Player: I never tested this feature. Based on my experience with using MP3 files through a flash drive I imagine it works pretty good.
Advanced sound retriever technology: Works great. Two levels of scavenging you get back your highs and lows from your compressed media files pretty accurately.
Bluetooth Phone: Connects quickly, downloads your phonebook quickly and the sound quality is very good. Echo cancellation works like a charm and the noise isolation is pretty flawless.
Control Interface: This is where the unit lost a star. While the multi-function dial is the best I have seen in a Pioneer since they started with them the menus are a bit clugy and fractured. Some menus like equalization settings are somewhat buried and others just aren't available in some profiles. This unit could use some preset buttons as well.
Display: I really don't understand Pioneer's thinking on just having a 3 line alpha-numeric display on this headunit. They really should have gone with some sort of dot matrix display on this one.
All in all this really is not a bad headunit. It would just take a few simple upgrades to make it a great headunit without going to a full touchscreen interface. So, again if you are just trying to replace a failed stock headunit this is a darned good one to go with.
Customer Review: Good stereo but minor annoyances annoy you in daily usage.
Summary: 4 Stars
Good:
Sound quality is good, but I'm not as picky as some are. It has lots of options for sound so if you are picky, you can customize it to your set up and speakers.
The interface is driven mainly with the big knob. It takes a little time to get used to, but it does make sense. I recommend that after getting it, sit in the car in your driveway and just go through the manual.
It works with my iPhone. It paired via bluetooth and downloaded my address book. When I get a call the music/radio stops and then shows the number and caller on the iPhone and stereo display. Audio quality is a little better than that of the speaker phone. I have my phone mounted on a arm attached near the stereo. I can still use the other portions of the iPhone while playing music through the stereo.
It's also cool that you can turn stereo ipod control off and use the ipod/iphone itself as controller. I can turn my iPhone towards my wife in the car and play a video podcast that she can watch and I can hear.
There are some things that I think pioneer made a mistake on this unit.
Bad:
There is NO play/pause button on the unit itself. You have to go to the remote and there it's not labeled play/pause but "pgm." So you have to go looking for the remote when you go through the drive-thru at a fast food joint. I think that any car head end that requires the use of the remote is poorly designed. What is funny is that this unit isn't cramped for space so it could have easily have one.
The random function is quirky. If you're already in a playlist on the ipod or in folder of mp3s and you press the random button it takes you back to the root level and randomly plays from there. You then have to navigate back to your playlist where the songs them play randomly.
Also it always switches to iPod/usb when you plug the the iPod in. Sometimes I just want to charge my iPhone and listen to the radio.
Sound Retrieve mode, It's supposed to make compressed audio (mp3/aac files) sound better. The only difference to my ears is that the song sounds like it has more low end. The EQ can do that as well. I didn't buy it for that feature so I's not a big deal either way. It doesn't make it sound worse. But there is no reason that it should have a button on the interface. Either you want it on for your mp3 or you don't. You wouldn't constantly be turning it on and off. It's already in the audio menus where it should be.
I wish I could remap its function to be a play/pause.
These are minor things but you run into them everyday and they mar what would be an otherwise outstanding stereo.
Customer Review: Great Unit for the Price
Summary: 4 Stars
Recently purchased an iPhone, so i was looking to upgrade my car's stereo to be able to both use the phone and listen to music. This unit both had ipod connectivity and bluetooth telephone(which my current stereo does not), and is also double din (as is my car). i've recently installed, so i've only had a couple days with it, so this is a first impressions review.
Install: easy and straightforward if you purchase a wiring harness specific to your vehicle (available at retailers such as walmart and crutchfield). it was installed in a 2005 scion tc.
operation: i'll admit, this is not the most simplest of units to operate, and i have to refer to the manual frequently to learn how to perform specific functions (such as saving a pre-set radio station), which is where it lost one star for me. the multi-function dial allows for "agile" maneuverability through the unit's controls though.
USB/IPOD: the unit's USB connectivity allows you to control your ipod (iphone in my case) straight through the unit. allows you to search by album, artist, playlist, etc- just as you would on the ipod itself. it also has the option to change the controls back to the ipod, if thats what you're more comfortable with. it also has an AUX input for other devices you may wish to listen to through the unit.
bluetooth telephone: i paired the unit through my phone, and that was done seamlessly. calls are clear for you, and as far as i know (only used once or twice so far), its clear on the other end as well (i've asked those i've called). the unit allows you to download your contacts from the phone to the unit itself, so you can dial straight off the unit. has recent calls, and a "speed dial" list for you to choose from, in addition to selecting any contact on your phone. has the ability to handle call waiting and refusing calls as well.
other: the unit comes with many audio adjustments (including the 7 channel equalizer- with several presets and 2 custom settings). with the proper adjustments, music sounds great through this unit. You can also "label" CDs, so the album name will display every time you insert that CD. my only complaint is that the display is TOO bright at night, but that can be remedied by the dimmer function (tho doesnt seem to work in my vehicle...not sure why yet), OR, you can turn off the illumination completely, which will re-illuminate if you change a setting (change track, volume, source).
overall, i'm very happy with my purchase and would recommend this if you're looking for bluetooth and ipod capabilities, without going into the DVD/Navi arena. the price was too good to pass up!
Customer Review: Great Double DIN with Wonderful Features
Summary: 5 Stars
I purchased this receiver almost six months ago and it has been nearly perfect during that time. This was my first installation of a receiver, yet the installation was quite simple and the Double DIN nature makes a perfect fit for my 2004 Chevy Silverado pickup.
There are only a couple of flaws that I have encountered, so let's get them out of the way first:
-- This stereo has a little difficulty in cold temperatures. In North Dakota, winter temperatures get to the -20 degree range, causing the receiver to instantaneously turn on and off. Electronics aren't meant to work well in extreme temps, but thought this was worth mentioning.
-- The blue lights on the receiver do not match any of the blue on the dashboard (not even the air conditioning blue). The light is not too bright, but it does not match up.
-- Pairing the set up with a Motorola Adventure phone was a bit of a hassle the first go-around, but with persistence it can be done and it works great.
-- When playing the iPod, there is no option to have the time displayed while having the artist's name and song displayed on the screen.
Now, on to the list of positives:
-- Looks sleek and sexy
-- Makes factory speakers sound rich, clear, and full.
-- Almost infinite amount of audio tweaking. There are so many levels of audio to adjust, you can spend an hour getting the sound just right. However, the sound with the pre-made audio settings sound great right out of the box.
-- Sound Retriever is a great feature for use with an iPod.
-- Navigation with the center wheel is intuitive beyond belief, especially iPod navigation. I bought this stereo for this function and it does not disappoint. You can scroll by letter, making it easy to find bands in the M and N category.
-- Hands-free quality is wonderful and people on the other end tell me it sounds clear.
Additional Comments:
-- I see many are frustrated by the lack of a "Pause" button on the face of the unit, but there is a remedy: If you want to pause a song, simply hit the telephone button, which will pause your track. Hit it again and it will resume, doubling as a pause feature.
This unit looks sleek, has great features, tons of options, navigates an iPod seamlessly, handles Bluetooth calling without effort, and is a great value. I recommend this head unit for anyone in the market for a Double DIN receiver. The negatives are pretty nit-picky and the positives of this unit far outweigh any minor flaws.