Since Bluetooth Head-Units are becoming something of a norm today in most peoples daily drivers I came to the conclusion we should compare four of our biggest sellers with a 101 On Bluetooth Head-Units.
We will start this off with comparing their RRP (Retail) Prices:
- RRP: $349.95
- RRP: $399.99
- RRP: $399.95
- RRP: $449.00
Bluetooth Hands-Free:
Ok, this is where it starts to get a little harder to compare the four units here.
The Sony MEX-BT4050U has a built-in Microphone which makes it a way easier unit to install but the downfall is usually where a head-unit is placed in a car isn’t the most optimal location for a microphone. Lucky enough you can install an external microphone (XA-MC10) and it now comes with it with at no extra cost.
The call quality (with an external mic) was excellent, you could also access the phone’s contact list and it was very straight forward to use.
The Panasonic CQ-RXBT490W comes with a external microphone, was relatively easy to use, had caller ID, the option of importing your phones contacts but the downfall was it had a slight echo.
I was in a large space so this would of been playing a part in the echo, I am sure in a smaller cabin this wouldn’t be an issue though.
The Alpine CDE-133EBT comes with a external microphone, is very easy to use and has built-in Parrot which in my opinion is brilliant! The Parrot functions like any normal Parrot Hands-Free Car-Kit with all the same features.
The clarity of the Parrot is just amazing and having the option of being able to update the software makes it that much more worthwhile in the long run.
The Pioneer DEH-4450BT comes with a external microphone and also has Parrot just like CDE-133EBT. Having the option to pair up to five phone’s is also a nice feature and I found the Hands-Free to be very clear and extremely easy to use.
Calls could be made and answered via the remote control too, which made it a lot easier for myself to take a call while driving down the road. I found this Head-Unit the easiest to use and on the clarity side it was clearer than the Sony and Panasonic but on a equal level with the Alpine.
Bluetooth Streaming:
The Panasonic CQ-RXBT490W streamed music via Bluetooth fine once I figured out I had to press 4 to put it into iPod mode when the source was on Bluetooth. A small problem that would of been sorted easily if I had read the manual, but part of the test was to use the units straight out the box and this unit was by far the hardest to use.
Once that issue was sorted, it was very basic to use and sounded fine at low to medium volumes.
The Sony MEX-BT4050U streamed music via Bluetooth fine, was easy to pair and select the Bluetooth Streaming function too. The sound quality was quite nice but the only let down is that you can not use the ZAPPIN I love so much on the Bluetooth Streaming function. This unit also displays the Bluetooth devices battery level, signal strength and if you have received a text message.
Apart from not being able to use the ZAPPIN feature, streamed music sounded nice at low to medium volumes.
The Pioneer DEH-4450BT streamed music via Bluetooth fine, was very easy to connect and use. You also have the option to change the Bluetooth devices volume so it can match the volumes of other devices (CD etc).
This has excellent sound quality and the streamed music sounded very good at all levels!
The Alpine CDE-133EBT streamed music via Bluetooth fine, was very easy to connect and use. The unit displays the Bluetooth devices battery level and signal strength. Bluetooth streamed music also shows song tag information displayed on screen.
Excellent sound quality and the streamed music also sounded very good at all levels too!
Display:
The Panasonic CQ-RXBT490W display is very basic and has a LCD display with 7 changeable colours. Its a nice change from the older Panasonic units but I am not a fan of bright colours for backing colours on a head-units displays, so most likely would just stick to the basic blue.
The Alpine CDE-133EBT display is quite basic but this is the norm for Alpine head-units. The up side to this is that everything is very easy to see and everything that is seen is very functional.
The Sony MEX-BT4050U display is basic but boasting the option of 35,000 illuminated colours and again is very functional. I found the blue illumination to be nicer on the eyes at night but the red looked more in place with modern dash layouts.
The Pioneer DEH-4450BT again has a very basic display that is easy to see and not harsh on the eyes. It also has an option of turning the display off so it doesn’t distract the driver during night driving which is an option all head-units should have!
Audio & EQ:
Alpine CDE-133EBT
50w x 4 Power Output
3 Band Equaliser (EQ3)
1 Pre-out (2V)
Pioneer DEH-4450BT
50w x 4 Power Output
3 Band Equaliser (EQ3)
2 Pre-out (4V) Front. Rear/Sub Switchable
Panasonic CQ-RXBT490W
50w x 4 Power Output
3-Band Equaliser (EQ3)
2 Pre-out (5V) Front, Rear/Sub Switchable
Sony MEX-BT4050U
52w x 4 Power Output
7 Band Equaliser (EQ7)
3 Pre-out (4V) Front, Rear, Sub
Overview & Opinion:
RRP Price:
Price wise the Pioneer DEH-4450BT had the best RRP (Retail Price) by far undercutting the closest price by $50.
Bluetooth Hands-Free:
Again the Pioneer DEH-4450BT came out on top but was very closely followed by the Alpine CDE-133EBT, the deciding factor in this was being able to answer and make calls via the Remote since both have Parrot Hands-Free and sounded amazing call wise.
Bluetooth Streaming:
This time it was the Alpine CDE-133EBT that had the advantage followed by the Pioneer DEH-4450BT, the advantage here was that the Alpine displays the battery life of your Bluetooth device and its signal. The sound quality of the two units was very close as well.
Display:
The Pioneer DEH-4450BT was the winner here, with a basic, easy to read no nonsense display with the option to turn the display off for night driving being the swaying point here.
Audio & EQ:
The Sony MEX-BT4050U dominated here with having a slightly higher output of 52w x 4 channels, 3 High Volt Pre-out’s and a 7Band Equaliser.
Overall:
My overall choice bang for buck wise would have to be the Pioneer DEH4450BT! It has the cheapest RRP Price and tested highly on most of the test’s I did, the only down side is that it has only a 3-Band EQ but apart from that it is a brilliant unit!
All these units would make good entry level Bluetooth Head-units and do the job very well but after calculating all my deciding factors the Pioneer DEH-4450BT stood above the rest.
**These are my own personal opinion’s and the speakers used on all test’s were done on JBL GTO638 6.5″ Speakers and JBL GTO938 6×9″ Speakers.