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: Decent try, but flawed execution
Summary: 3 Stars
After living with this unit for the past month or so, I am scratching my head as to why Pioneer blundered what could have been an absolutely terrific unit. The 8000BT is not a failure by any stretch, but it simply has way too many flaws to be usable on a daily basis by a regular person.
Pros: Good reception, awesome built in Bluetooth that actually works great, plenty of inputs/sources, excellent XM integration, reasonably large display characters that can be read even in sunlight (for the most part)
Cons:
INSANELY complicated user interface with the multi function dial that makes it hard to know where you are while navigating the features.
Absolutely microscopic buttons and labels on the front panel to navigate settings, some of the most important functions are NOT backlit, so you simply cannot see them at night.
Presets are ridiculously difficult to navigate to. Radio or XM presets are just a massive hassle to get to and select while driving.
Sounds lousy (yes, you read that right), not sure why, but the factory head unit sounded better, clearer, more punch, and better highs... this unit sounds muddy, even when I upgraded to Pioneer speakers and amps. Even after fiddling with the Eq settings, crossover, Subwoofer, etc, I cannot coax a decent sound out of it.
Strange display characteristics... The song information scrolls all data about the song ONLY on CD, but NOT on XM/Sirius (so you have to push a zillion buttons to figure out what you're listening to!) I've tried lots of combinations in the setup menus to get this to work, but as the manual points out, scrolling ONLY works with CD. What were they thinking
USB source connection VERY flaky/picky about how the USB device is formatted and set up. If you sync your USB stick with Winamp or Windows Media player, it won't read it half the time (yes, you read that right)
All in all, an expensive mistake on my part. I find that living with this unit day to day is just awful. I am a gadget guy for the most part, and I usually like Pioneer products. This unit is totally ILL conceived... its clear it was designed from the outside in, rather than inside out. Instead of making the most of the double height real estate, they tried to make it pretty and sleek, while making it hard to use on a day to day basis. I suspect that a software update would help some of the dopey features/flaws be a bit more usable, but all in all, I'm totally disappointed.
Customer Review: Was Great until Pioneer Stopped Caring About The Customers
Summary: 2 Stars
I bought this unit not long after it was released for quite a bit cheaper than you can find it most places now. Truth is, if I had to decide now, I would look somewhere else.
This unit was awesome for a long time- the ipod controls rocked and it was much easier than connecting it via a 3.5mm jack and controlling it from the iPod itself. The sound was also really nice- it's amazing what a quality head unit can do for stock speakers. The unit wouldn't pair with the Helio Ocean I had when I got it but once I got an iPhone it paired very easily. I do receive quite a bit of interference during bluetooth calls but I'm not entirely sure that it is all the headunit's fault- AT&T's service is awful as well.
The unit is fairly complicated when it comes to easy stuff- I've never had to look in the manual to find out how to set the time on any gadget and I shouldn't have to. I've had this unit for a couple of years and still don't know how to do everything on it. To add to the confusion you do not receive a proper manual but rather a pdf file so you have to view it on the computer unless you print it out yourself.
My biggest complaint is that, as other reviewers have noted, the unit simply will not play nice with iOS4. I have a 5th generation iPod as my primary source of in car music, but on occasion I like to hook up my iPhone to the car and now I can no longer do that with ease. It used to hook up just fine, but now I cannot use the interface on the head unit without receiving an error that requires me to disconnect and then reconnect the iPhone. I'm not sure but this problem may have to do with the iPod-Out feature in iOS4. I used to be able to stream any audio from my iPhone- youtube, iPod, etc, to the unit via bluetooth but now that is gone as well.
The biggest non i-something related problem I have with this unit is the lack of a built in HD radio tuner. Instead you have to buy a separate unit for even more money. Something like that should be included in the cost of the receiveer.
If Pioneer ever decides to update the unti (perhaps with an update that you can put on a usb stick and then plug that into the unit) I will update my review. But until then I can't help but feel that Pioneer is making false claims about the iPod controls and giving their customers the middle finger by not updating the unit.
Customer Review: Good sound, great BT
Summary: 4 Stars
Bought this unit to replace a Sony because of the Double Din and the BT function. Very satisfied with the purchase. The one complaint I have is that the face is VERY bright at night and the dimmer does not interface well with my GMC Sierra - can't tell any difference in brightness when the headlights come on.
I have this unit running with a 4 chnl 520W amp, Polk Audio separates in the front, coaxial rears and a 10 in. sub. Two channels bridged for the sub, two channels for the fronts, head unit amp for the rears. Sound is crisp and clean, though it doesn't have quite the "presence" that the Sony did (I haven't had a chance to fine tune the audio adjustments and it may be that I had become accustomed to the way the Sony sounded). The interface using the multi-control knob is somewhat cumbersome and navigating through the menu can be challenging at first. It certainly isn't something you want to do while driving. The BT interface is excellent and I had no problem pairing my cell phone. My phone did not have the proper chip to download my contact list to the receiver, but I was able to transfer each contact separately via BT and then assign a speed dial number to the ones I wanted. Receiving calls is very easy and the microphone seems to work well. My wife said she could hear some road noise. I was driving 65mph (that's my story and I'm staying with it) with studded snow tires so some noise is understandable. The noise didn't interfere with the conversation and sound quality coming to the receiver was very good. Making a call is fairly simple, with only a couple menu items to go through. The information displayed on the unit is very readable and the letters are nice and large. I wear glasses for reading, and don't have to use them while driving- I can read the display fine without them.
The USB connection is on the back of the unit, and a USB extension cable is included that easily routes to the glove box.
Instructions come on a CD, so you have to print the portions you want to do the initial setup and learn to navigate the menu. The written "Quickstart" guide is not detailed enough to actually get you started.
I'm very pleased with this purchase and recommend it to anyone wanting an excellent cd player with BT connectivity built in at a good price.
Customer Review: Sophisticated meets subtle.
Summary: 5 Stars
this is such a sopisticated deck, it does way more than i thought it would be able to do. First off, dont be thrown by the comments of the display being too bright. if you have ever had a pioneer deck then you are already accustomed to the blue hue. If you havent, it still isnt that bright as people make it out to be. its actually quite pleasing. The screen isnt as big as it appears in the photos, but that is something that you will quickly get past once you start using it. There are quite a few things that you can do with this deck, so reading the directions will really help you. If your like me tho, eff taking the time to read them, ill figure it out by just playing with it. Some things you will need step by step directions for. For instance, syncing the blue tooth on your phone to make hands free phone calls, and playing music from your library on your phone. Sound quality isnt the super best while making calls, but just the fact that your talking without having to hold anything, plus that its in stereo is hella nice. when a call is incoming, you can start and end the call by pressing buttons on the remote...no need to mess with the phone. There is caller id..but only the number shows up. You can sync your phone book with the deck which is nice, but i havent had time to do so, so i cant say how well that works. when playing music from your phone the quality is actually not that bad. just turn the volume up all the way on your phone for best quality. You can hook up an external hard drive or geek stick and play music that way as well. Only complaint i have there is if you leave it attached when turning off the car, then go back and turn it on, sometimes it wont read the information causing you to unplug and replug until it works. The equalizers and presets allow for some serious tuning of your system. its also got this thing where it optimizes whatever music your playing to make it sound its best. Cant remember the name of it, but factor that into your tuning and your system will bang. This isnt a real flashy deck, so if your looking for something to compete with a touch screen, or something with fancy graphics, then this isnt for you. But if you want something that has serious functionality and still looks good, then i highly recommend this to you. Well worth the money.Customer Review: Best electronic device I've ever purchased compared to price
Summary: 5 Stars
This is not a review about installation. I had the Best Buy Geeks do it and they were great; placed the microphone exactly where I wanted.
My worries about the promise of the unit's feature set just melted as the installer hooked it up and quickly set the migration of my iPhone 3G phone book, the hands-free bluetooth telephone, the stereo bluetooth audio playback, the iPod control via USB (from iPhone) and the AUX input hidden in the glove box. Aside from a wiring harness, no additional parts were needed. I supplied the Pioneer iPod interface cable (though you can use a good spare one) and a Monster 3.5 mm stereo mini-jack to mini-jack cable.
As others have reported, when you plug in the iPhone 3G via USB the phone display will show a message about compatibility and that you can switch iPhone to Airplane mode. Ignore or say no and your iPod control works perfectly. Additionally, the iPhone charges when connected this way though other users have had varied results. I keep an additional Griffin charger plugged into the dash's 12V power port and use it when I have the iPhone playing in bluetooth mode. The sound via stereo bluetooth is nearly as good as via the USB dock connector. You'll never get any compatibility message on your iPhone display when you're in bluetooth audio mode.
My unit was manufactured in May 2009 (this information is located on the unit or box). This was before iPhone 3.0 software was released. The manufacturer does not promise 3G hardware or 3.0 software compatibility so one should not be too annoyed with the brief display message. It just works otherwise.
There's a small guide provided to get started. The full user guide is downloadable. I printed it at FedEx Kinko and put it in a binder in a storage area behind the passenger chair. If I need to I'll pull off the road and have fun reading about some obscure feature. The controls aren't too difficult. I mean, the installer got it up and running without ever having installed this unit beforehand. Much of what folks find too hard or frustrating should be done while parked off the road.