radio shopping

[deamon3]

I'm currently stuck between two different radios and can't really decide which is best , as far as I can tell they're mostly the same

PIONEER DEH3200UB

JVC KD-R610


These are both roughly 130$. I got a 130$ limit including shipping. I'm wondering if there is any difference in sound quality with these vs the current lower end models they have.

Some of their 80-100$ units have the same mosfet 50wx4 (22w rms) spec on them in the 80-100$ range. I want to know , are the two I listed only that price because of the usb/satilite radio compatibility and other features? Because I would prefer their 80-100$ radios if they sound the exact same with less features. The only real feature I need is the aux input on the front.

 

[Joe Dirt]

The cheaper units with the same ratings will sound exactly the same...

I have a DEH-1100MP with the front input, and it is a great deck. I also wanted the front input for my mp3 player, works great.

 

[Anime]

Most of the inexpensive models are nearly identical, with the $10-20 differences due to the added features of USB, and the ability of the CD player to read MP3 files. There may be a difference in the amplifier, which you can check on the specs by comparing things like the THD and frequency range. I'd say you'd be pressed to notice much SQ difference in the units unless you had very good speakers.

If you only need a front input jack, you could go with the lowest end model, or even seek out the older models from a few weeks ago (Pioneer just refreshed their receiver lineup). I saw some Pioneer receivers for 50-75% off at Target not too long ago, the only reason I didn't pick one up was they didn't have USB. You can shop around online too, usually the clearance prices are in effect until the old models are gone, so you might still be able to get a deal if you were looking to save some dough.

 

[deamon3]

There was a feature I used to have on my old pioneer dash unit a few years ago. It was set up so I could connect subs to the rear speaker outputs and it would treat the outputs as sub outputs. You could go into the settings and control the rear speakers as if they were subs and adjust the bass levels very specifically.

This would be useful to have again as my subs are wired to the rear speaker hookups and all the door speakers are wire as the front (so I can just fade them and not blow them out). Does the deh-1100mo or deh-1200mp still have this?

 

[Joe Dirt]

Mine does not, but if you have them wired to a converter there should be a gain on the converter, no? Or are you looking for something you can modify per song on the dash?

I know if you go to pioneer's site you can look through the manuals, but I think the sub output level adjustment started with the DEH-3200UB

 

[deamon3]

Ok , I ultimately went through all of the old manuals on pioneer's website and searched for various models on ebay that supported both the subwoofer output , and a front aux port.

I ended up buying a used DEH-p3900MP for 65$. From what I read in the manual it supports the subwoofer option and has an aux jack. I'll let you know what happens when I get it thanks a bunch dudes!

 

[617ricky]

As far as sound quality, the only thing I would be looking at is RMS wattage per channel... This is in the fine print, and not the "peak" wattage in bold, which is a useless number.. Either way, it's not gonna be a big difference.