Out of all the double-din head-units I have had the chance to play with the Pioneer AVH-P8450BT has to be my favourite so far! The first thing I noticed was how straight forward it was to use and also how fast the touch screen worked. Most touch screen double din head-units have a slight delay but not the AVH-P8450BT, it was very instant which makes things a lot nicer/easier to use especially in today’s no-time-to-wait world we live in now!
The sound quality of this unit is nothing short of amazing, I spent a good half an hour playing with the HPF (High Pass Filter), LPF (Low Pass Filter) and EQ till I had the sound I was looking for and was just blown away buy how easy it was to adjust the EQ. You can literately run your finger over the screen to adjust the EQ or just tap the screen to place the EQ bars where you want them.
There is the option of the Auto EQ feature that monitors and analyses the acoustics inside of your car and uses the measurements to automatically adjust your audio equalisation levels, an additional/optional microphone is needed for this function though.
The 7″ touch screen is very stunning in looks and lay-out with all the icons on the screen being very self explanatory to their uses. Selecting songs/albums is made easy by touching the song/album name on the screen and it instantly brings up your music selection.
I also found out that you could customise the display colours to match your dash lights if need be or to random colours if you are that way inclined. I couldn’t help myself changing the screen saver to a different photo every morning too which is a very cool option, even though some people might find this function gimmicky I found it a nice touch instead of seeing the same old display that we are all used too!
My favourite feature of the AVH-P8450BT has to be the App Control, even though an extra/optional iPod/iPhone cable (CDIU201S) is necessary to take advantage of the App Control I feel it is a very worthwhile investment considering all the extra options it allows the AVH-P8450BT to use!
Here is a small list of the App’s the AVH-P8450BT can use:
- Google Maps
- Calendar
- You Tube
- Photos
- Internet Radios (Aupeo, StreamS HiFi, Livio Car Internet Radio)
- Navgate Drive AUS & NZ ($99)
- Navfree AUS & NZ
- Extra Mile
- Dash Command
Equipped with Pioneer’s brand new music management software, MIXTRAX, the AVH-P8450BT will create new music playlists every time you hop in the car.Much like a DJ performing live, MIXTRAX creates the ideal playlist from your portable music library, including which songs should be mixed together, as well as the best transition point for each song.
I found the EZ-MIXTRAX button not to bad in the short time but found MIXTRAX to be a lot better once I had downloaded the free MIXTRAX software for PC. With the ability to choose the songs wanted to be in a mix unlike the EZ-MIXTRAX that would mix every song in your playlist. Once I had done this, it become a completely different head-unit!
Like all NEW Pioneer Bluetooth units the AVH-P8450BT has the built-in Parrot hands-free kit. It can store your phone-book with up to 1000 phone numbers for up to five different users making it very easy to call up contacts by a very easy touch of the screen and has a microphone included for crystal clear sound while making phone calls.
Yet again my favourite part of the Bluetooth function is the audio streaming. The AVH-P8450BT streams music flawlessly and even has App Control/Passenger Control so if a friend wants to play there music they can do so without the need of touching the head-unit once there Bluetooth is sync’d with the AVH-P8450BT.
Like most double-din head unit’s these days the AVH-P8450BT has a Reversing Camera Input which is a must in my opinion with all the blind spots on modern car today, the reversing camera screen was very clear and mated with a night-vision camera made it a breeze to reverse down my driveway at night.
Another very cool feature of the AVH-P8450BT is the Dual Zone feature. Which enables your rear-seat passengers and you to enjoy different AV sources at the same time. For example, while you and the front passenger listen to the radio, the rear seat passengers can watch a DVD on optional screens. Making this unit very good for entertaining the kids while you still get to listen to your favourite band while on a long drive!
My overall view on the AVH-P8450BT is that it must be one of the best double-din head-units on the market, if not the best! It seems nearly flawless so far and after the week or so I got to use it I didn’t want to go back to the unit in my daily driver. The removable face is a handy option but I never carry a bag on me so it only got removed at night thus making this option pointless most of the time. Apart from that, the sound quality is just beautiful. The hands-free is nice and clear, Bluetooth streams smoothly and the fact it has 3 Pre-Outs makes it a perfect head-unit for audiophiles that must have amplifiers to run their speakers and subs!
I want this head-unit and don’t be surprised if I buy one for myself in the near future!