Cheap vs Expensive Car Stereos - TESTED
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- čas přidán 2. 06. 2020
- The stereo in the miata is an actual piece of trash. This week on Money Pit, Zach decides to test three different 7” touchscreen head units at three very different price points. Whichever fits the bill the best gets to stay!
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50 dollar unit: weighs nothing
People who remove their back seats and carpet to lower weight: WRITE THAT DOWN!
They just remove the entire unit
@@mixup2216 yup
Mixup 221
But they have to have their flex music, yknow, to flex their weight savings.
money pit!
Tom Lake Charles nope you care that much about weight you got no sound system except your exhaust
0:38 Zach: let's make some noise...
3:12 Birds: no problem 🐦
Those are the beautiful parrots of southern california
That was so funny how he reacted lolllll
Just upgraded my own car's stereo, literally the first ever modification I've ever made to a car and it was surprisingly easy.
2 months done anything else ?
the sound system is also fairly simple
Just spent five hours upgrading my car's stereo and speakers.... I wouldn't call it easy, but it's nice to not owe Car Toys $300 for labor lol.
@@danielhebard1865 Speakers are more of a pain in the ass than just doing the stereo, depending on the car of course. The satisfaction when everything is in and youve done it yourself is great though imo.
Only works if your speakers aren't shit
I worked in car audio for over a decade. I left the field in 2011. It’s amazing how much double din video units have dropped in price since then. In 2011, a $500 unit would’ve been a trash heap and the top of the line Kenwood, Pioneer or Alpine was $2000.
I bought a "cheapie" Jensen VM-9313 flip-screen DVD stereo back in 2009 for my chevy van (was a 1.5 DIN) for $300. I got the bluetooth adapter. I figured I wasn't going to get but a few years out of it being it was dirt cheap, but was amazed how good it sounded with the JBL GTO629's I put in it at the same time. That deck still works to this day going strong! My only gripe is it doesn't have a screen dim mode for nighttime.
Paid $100 for my used JVC from Marketplace
Honestly, it blows my mind seeing the price of these things. We're living in an age where you can get some amazingly pixel-dense screens, some badass processors, and even $50 Amazon tablets with bigger screens rock better resolution than what you can find on most modern $500 units. Finding capacitive touch is way harder than it should be, and the resolution of the cameras you can attach is downright laughable.
I should be able to get 720p no problem for that balance of resolution and hardware demand, yet most of them are sitting at like 480p or less. When you get out of a modern vehicle with a modern backup camera and go into an older car with a headunit retrofitted, it's a downgrade unless you drop like $1,000 on a high-res head unit. And that's nonsense.
Furthermore, bootup times are awful. Either you need a current-sucking mode that fast-loads, or you're looking at somewhere in the 30-40 second range for a bootup. I don't want to wait 40 seconds to be able to use my backup camera, and I don't want to have a dead battery if I go on vacation for the pleasure of having fast-boot.
@@jackdedert2945 And? I bought a $3,000 item for $600 because someone didn't know what they had. Doesn't mean that you should suddenly expect that to be normal value or even think it can be compared to new costs.
@@rustler08 I rarely if ever buy medium to big-ticket items new. I'd rather spend a fourth of the money to get last generation stuff. I follow prices closely and buy when I can afford what I want, and snag things even below that price-point by being willing to wait. I dont have anything to prove.
Donut: spends over $1000 on radios
Me: shopping on FB marketplace for 500 dollar cars.
Why is this facts tho 😂😂😂
Me too bro, me too
It’s called money pit for a reason 😂
Just be thankful your shopping for a car...you gotta start somewhere and it's better than public transit. Also every trip in a 500 dollar car is an adventure.
Buy old civic. Best choice for 500$
came here for the stereo comparison, left with the desire to purchase a miata
Ew🤢
Pioneer stereo with kenwood sub 💯
Having worked for Mazda for 6 years mx5s (miata in the land down under) and they aren't fun to fix
Everybody knows that Blaupunkt is best for a Miata! czcams.com/video/ivDkluAdvts/video.html
Do American cars not come with a sterio inbuilt?
That 1000-yard stare when the birds started squawking killed me. Another banger of a video; I always learn so much from these ones. Luh u Donut and Zach
Went with the pioneer from the video a couple months ago when I got sick of not having Apple CarPlay in my truck (my work vehicle spoiled me, when you use it regularly it’s so hard to go back) and man I couldn’t be happier. The sound quality is great, never had an issue with calls, and it’a super responsive. It sucks that most vehicles made in the past decade or so ditched the din system, it looks kind of ugly but that ability to upgrade every once in a while is awesome
Zach: Blasting music
Birds 🐦 : YOU THINK YOU CAN MAKE MORE NOISE THAN US?
He must have the nicest neighbors. Or they are building birdhouses in his home and sending out invites to that local parrot population.
*Finally, a worthy opponent. Our battle will be legendary*
@@tenthyukillme2049 if you posted this at r/memes you would have gotten 10k upvotes
I think those wild parrots left my neighborhood for his.
Those birds wake me up every morning, I know that noise anywhere. Stupid green parrots.
I love how every episode always starts in the morning and ends late at night
In true car guy fashion of course. the "30 min job" always turns into a few hours.
Yeah, I don’t know why my friends and family bother to ask me how long a job is going to take anymore. My estimate is always wrong. Every time.
Carl Anthony
“After this bit the rest will be a breeze!”
2 hours later
“Now this is the last hard bit left, and the rest will be a breeze”
2 more hours later
Repeat
the dedication xD
P
Speaker loudness could also be associated with the speakers designed to be used with the unit. If the $700 unit is designed to work with different speakers, the $300 unit might sound louder with the same speakers, but potentially reduce speaker life or give the opportunity to blow them at max volume.
Noo i’ve had Kenwood before and the sound quality is not even close to that of Pioneer, i use to install stereos also and have compared many brands, Pioneer has the best sound quality over the others, and thats a fact.
Installed 2 pioneers radio`s. One was a single din where a display would pop out with android auto support. Thing still works, now I have a double din pioneer radio. And works like a charm. Never had any problem and even when I had a question there was always a nice answer from their support page.
"IS HE DOING IT AGAIN HONEY?"
"YESS, HE TALKS TO HIMSELF AT HIS GARAGE AT THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT"
Lol
at 11:55 "took a little bit of figuring out" it was daylight when he started and got dark by the time his phone connected lol
To be fair, wireless carplay is a huge pain to set up first time. Even in new Audi's that I've driven it has been difficult. Hard to tell if this is kentwood's fault, or apple.
It wasn’t car play it was simple Bluetooth 🤣
I like these comparison videos. They're really helping me better figure out what to buy for my car to keep it running and to make it more useful.
I’m definitely not a fan of touch screens. But in my car I have a pioneer DEH-X6600BS and I love it! It sounds amazing and I have never cranked it to max power because it pushes my speakers too far. I have spent many hours making tiny adjustments to the ridiculous amount of sound settings to get the exact sound I’m looking for. That combined with a 10” sub, makes for an epic sound system.
3:20 Zach is boutta take the head-unit off some mfing birds
that got me
I love how Zach starts every money pit thinking "hey this gonna be quick" and then films until midnight
To be fair, that's working on cars in a nutshell
@@jenmarklevin96 haha no kidding, something you think might take an hour or two turns into an 8 hour night 😂
Yup, that’s par for the course
working on cars 101 lol
I put a midpriced double din headunit in my '01 F250, gave me the same features as the Sync system the newer Ford trucks had. (Bluetooth, GPS, USB, hands free calling, reverse camera, etc.) Worked pretty good.
I've been binge-watching Money Pit in preparation for buying a 2011 Crown Vic P71, and I am learning a ton and making decisions about what I want to upgrade. Thanks for the awesome content!
How’s the build going bro?
Money pit is my new favorite series since Hi-Low is over, I’m pretty sure this is the only thing getting my through quarantine
Quentin Frohling there’s part 2 of hi low on Facebook
@@alexgrant6965 and they've confirmed a new season with new cars! hopefully some time this year
When I saw the thumbnail I thought it was hi low honestly. I was just re watching some yesterday and I thought it was recommended based off that. Prob still was but diff video than I thought it would be! Glad too.
galactic dolan damn what do you think the cars should be? I say Mini Cooper S.
@@leanmeangreenbeanmachine3347 a volkswagen beetle.. I think it would be hilarious.
My mans out here spending 500$ on a head unit with stock cardboard speakers
probably they ll gonna spend on speakers too
Ha! It already has some alpine type-e speakers that sound pretty good. I talked about them at some point, but it didn't make the edit!
@@Donut dang now all you need is some amps lol
@@Donut *cough* wing/spoiler next? *cough*
Donut Media
Why can’t anyone see my comments?
"There goes the stool" got me lol.
I had that pioneer 1500nex for months and I freaking love that head unit. I've had alot of different brands over the years and that one was excellent for the price.
this show is legendary
Ahya728 so is Lando Norris’s
So much has changed technology wise since I was putting stereos in cars in highschool, but what apparently hasn't changed is Kenwood charges way too much for too little 😆
Yes and they fail on a regular bases. Their after sales service is appalling.
Best sound quality tho
I had one and i instantly returned it to get my $$$ back after trying it out, their interface is terrible when it comes to being user friendly, i bet they try to force you to play music with spotify
I used to install car audio and alarms and crap back in the day and Pioneer was always my preference. Solid MOSFET transistors and just an overall good build quality, user interface and reliability
While I dont have the exact one in the video, I have the one without the dvd, dmx907s. It is a little cheaper than one in the video at $650 but it's worth every penny. It was an unfair comparison, cause they really didnt go through a lot of the stuff that makes it expensive.
the stool escaping was probably one of my favorite parts of this video ngl.
I put a Double DIN Android Auto head unit from, Boss Audio (Audiovox, one of the oldest, yet cheapest/affordable stereos around) to replace the Pioneer single DIN that was in my car. And for the price, it sounds great. I found with a lot of stuff nowadays, you're only paying for a name over quality.
Until the end of this series, this *Miata* will become a legend...
what
Hope so
Yes
looks like this car will be on dirt 5
Built engine witb a turbo making 350whp?
I DEMAND IT TO BE WEDNESDAY EVERYDAY!
I second that
@@joaquingarciaherrera7068 I third that
@@joaquingarciaherrera7068 I don't!!
That's a big mood. This show is what I look forward to every week.
Third that
I was big into Pioneer back in high school. My best buddy and I got the same DEH-P3000IB installed in our cars at circuit city right when they came out. Kenwood makes a fantastic unit. Alpine is the best in every sense. You do get what you pay for. I've been installing car audio for 16 years. I have to have a CD player in mine, because yes we are in 2021, but I own hundreds of cds and I still buy cds.
The MAIN grievance I’ve always had with stereos is the U.I. It’s almost as if none of them have enough “RAM” and they always lag or aren’t as responsive if they’re touchscreen.
Zach-Buys 1000$ miata
Also Zach - spends 1050$ on radios
THANOS: prefectly balanced, as all things should be
If that's a $1000 Miata I'll take 2
thats why its called money pit
“The only thing left to do is...” see how the return process is with these companies !
I was expecting that too lol.
Amazon. No hassle
TrackSol but will he have to send it back or get to keep it?
@@bagelbandit6076 How is it a return if he gets to keep it?
This is freaking fantastic. The most honest review I have seen in a long while. I love the birds making noise
I was installing Pioneer back in the 70s (anybody remember Supertuners?). Was always the best bang for the buck. Their home stereos back then were great as well...kind of went to shit--along with practically everything else--in the 80s; although I think their car stereos were still superior even then.
My father bought a Pioneer cassette deck in 1985 and installed it himself in his '85 S-10 Blazer, it proudly displayed "Phase Lock Loop (PLL)" tuning near the LCD, and it did receive amazingly-well for early digital tuning. Pretty robust deck, you could crank it quite a bit before it would distort, I accidentally glued the transport mechanism to itself in '97 after a head adjustment. I should have just left the head adjustment screw uncovered...
Replaced it with a detachable-face Pioneer cassette deck, it worked for about a week before the slightest bump or button press would make the display blank out. My father ended up wedging cardboard shims all around the faceplate. I don't think he ever forgave me for destroying the original deck, and to be honest, I've never forgiven myself either.
My grandma has the Supertuner III in her stratus
I still own a Pioneer Premier KEX-M900 SuperTuner IV, with the CD changer. Had multiple older units in the 80's as well.
Been a Pioneer fan for a long time! My first car, i bought in 1990, a 1978 Honda Civic, had a Pioneer KE7200 installed in it. The KE7200 had an LED screen on the cassette deck door. A shiny chrome deck with Dolby and auto-reverse. Solid deck that sounded great. I bought a 1988 Chevy van in 1996, and I bought a Pioneer Premier KEH-P7700. Top of the line cassette deck, and got the 12-disc CD changer. I still have that setup to this day, but don't have a vehicle for it right now...used that system for 12 years in that vehicle before I sold it. That van would rock!
Remember? Did they stop making them? Have a few supertuner 3s in garage 😂
This series is dangerous for me. Every episode I just think "I could use a new one of that for my car". And I'm still saving up for wheels and tires!!
I’ve literally been looking for a decent way to start looking for head unit. But I’ll be dumb and buy the 700 dollar one only because of the wireless car play. I’ve been wanting that for awhile.
Hahaha same bro
Uh uh I hope you're saving for that some gooooooooooood Volk!
hey bro i did the same thing, stick to it! i installed coils and wheels in one setting and now i love my car 1000x better.
I've been tempted to snatch a miata.. been seeing them on the road a lot more lately, is that your fault, Mr. Jobe?! Makes me want to put more money in my B16... Last year I upgraded my speakers and head unit to a Pioneer AVIC-W8600NEX from my stock navi Nissan radio... Worlds different!!!
it's weird that the cheapest one has the ONE thing I want the most in a head unit(other than the obvious)...a manual knob to turn for volume/channel etc. I hate not having a physical way to change volume/channel/song select, and I think it makes driving just a bit more dangerous, since you have to look AT the head unit, at least until you get used to it, in order to do anything at all. I liked the Pioneer the best, there's no reason to spend more than $300 for a car stereo, the rest of that money could be spent on speakers, insulation, better wiring, amp, etc.
I agree with you. I have a pioneer double din installed on my car and while I love it, I don't like how it doesn't have a volume knob. That said, it's not a big issue for me because I use the steering wheel to change the volume and radio stations. Most of the double dins I saw at Best Buy didn't have a volume knob, with the exception of a Sony that only had apple carplay (I use Android).
The newest pioneers have a touch pad version of volume buttons. While I would MUCH prefer a volume knob, the touch function is a little nicer than physical buttons Imo
omg this, I love my Sony 2din unit, but I miss my volume knob, despite having steering wheel controls. There is a trend in removing wheels for volume adjustment on things, I even find hard to get a wired keyboard with a volume knob on it! WTF
@@dild0sled I had the bigger version of that screen in my car for a few months, the boss BE10ACP-CFT. It looked ok, and it sounded ok. Overall for the price it worked pretty well. But there were a lot of bugs. The resolution on the screen wasn't great, but that doesn't really matter a whole lot. For the things that did matter, like power output, it didn't have a ton of power. Had enough to work the stereo, but not enough to make it sound like "effortless" power. It SOUNDED like it was having issues keeping up. Also for the last few months of me having it, it gave me a lot of issues such as crashing randomly, not connecting to android auto, freezing, etc. But all those were only once and a while. 95% of the time they never showed up. But the one thing that REALLY made me mad was it had a glitch that when it booted up it would glitch to full volume and you wouldn't be able to turn it down. For someone like me who has a significantly large stereo in my car, it caused some panic and scared me out of it. I didn't need to damage the hearing of someone else in my car if they ever were in it at the wrong time
I don't know what application your using it for, but if you have a full stereo set up, this head unit isn't going to allow you to get the full potential out of the stereo.
BUT If you just wanted to do the head unit, you'll be just fine, just be aware, there are a few small bugs. But like I said earlier, for the price, you definitely can't beat it.
@@RyanCorner2001 I'll have it outputting to an amplifier and all new speakers. Android auto is touchy, my WRX has a pioneer and android auto has never worked on my phones for more than an hour. My wife's and family's android phones all work perfectly on it. I have a pixel 5 too. I'm hoping it works better on this one.
@15:55, the Kenwood is still labeled as the DMH-1500NEX which was the Pioneer.
I use to always put Kenwoods in my cars back when I was using single DIN. When I first went with the double DIN I followed suit with the Kenwood, but tried a friend's Alpine which I thought was nicer. But the big thing thats I've noticed is going away and it frustrates me is the lack of physical buttons. They should all have a preferably a knob for volume but and up and down button is fine, a back and forward button for radio channels/skipping tracks, and a mute button. The other button I think is a super important to have as a hard button is a screen off/black out button. I know most of them have a setting on screen but there should be a quick button to be able to push instead of going thru menus.
Good video, probably end up with a Pioneer next time. That was the best screen response I've seen on aftermarket.
This video is awesome, thank you! Especially the making the phone call part. I have Miata and this helped me.
Next episode: my roof was cut open and head unit was stolen - hardtop roof install
Can't have shit in Detroit
No no, it should be "how to use 50 dollar unit as decoy cover for the high end one"
Money pit is one of the high points of my week! I love working and having it on, thanks for the great videos guys, Zach explains things in a fantastic understandable way
Being completely honest, its a part of whats driving me to maybe go back to school/take some online classes and learn more about mechanics just because its so interesting and cool!
@@Tschafthuizen That's the kinda stuff I love to hear!!
This video provides a helpful comparison between cheap and expensive car stereos. It's great to see both options tested side by side so viewers can make informed decisions about their audio needs.
Well done mate going with The Pioneer thanks for the wonderful video this is going in my 2004 mercedes clk 320c
0:38: Zack:"let's me some noise"
Birds:**ohh baby I been making noise before you were even Born**
Imagine having a stereo system. Real OGs have a boom box duct taped to the side of the door
I bought a jbl boom box for $500 and keep it in my back seat so I didn’t have to spend 1400 to replace the speakers in my old jaguar
@@punguinzstudio Smart
@Dee Onreall nah there not the same lol and I'm only 16 and I think boom boxes are so cool lol
I also made that a year ago. A big Bluetooth Speaker on the backseat. Until I started Car-Hifi. I made the Front doors, New speakers on an amp. 4 speakers in the back. Also on an amp. And a Subwoofer on 1.100 Watts RMS.
Everything from Hifonics. It sounds a little bit better than the bt Box. Just a little bit lol
@chris colon It's a joke bud
I bought the budget Kenwood head unit about 7 years ago for around $450. It's moved through 3 vehicles and I've used it everyday. The calls are still clear and the Bluetooth works flawlessly. It's slow to react to touch, but that's expected from back then. 10/10 would recommend.
The pan over to the stool absolutely sent me 😂😂 I’m buying a celica soon and I’m so excited to install a new head unit :)
In my experience pioneer has always been a quality/affordable brand, so I'm not surprised with the results
Same. Bought a 700€ pioneer a couple of years ago and it's still out there with its features. Backup AND forward camera support, CD/DVD-changer built in, plenty of preouts...
Blaupunkt also very good
Ngl, my pioneer avic w8500NEX... is by far the nicest stereo I’ve ever had or seen in my 2006 magnum with Infiniti speakers and 2 lightning audio 12” subs and 5000W competition amp... it bumps. Lmao. That being said, as it was the flagship model... “affordable” isn’t really the case. Still happy with my purchase though!!!
I just got my Pioneer AVH-W4400NEX in the mail today. I haven’t been able to get it to work properly yet unfortunately. Sucks cuz I was excited to finally have it, hopefully I can figure out the issue soon.
Update: I got my radio working, the problem wasn’t with the unit itself rather my car using a data stream to power on the radio rather than an accessory power wire. Had to add my own by tapping into the internal computer wires. Really enjoying the unit so far, but haven’t spent too much time with it yet
Pioneer for fine audio, Kenwood for yups with cash to burn and just another label
7:55 he recognized it by the sound without looking. That must have happens so many times in his lifetime
Lol you’re right
Its like that moment when something breaks n its broken so often you immediately know what it is
I always come back to this video and remember ur comment every time that chair slides away
i came into the comments to see if anyone caught that. it was actually kinda cool lol
Back here in the comments....
best test in tube ever ! great work dude !
This test is a game changer for anyone shopping for a new car stereo! I never knew there was so much difference between cheap and expensive options. Thanks for sharing your findings!
"Do not use the unit in standard mode there goes the stool"
*shows stool making a break for it*
Comedy at it's finest
i laughed way too hard at this 🤣
Nick Brown seconded!
Loose stools are always good for a laugh.
Zach maybe my favorite of the new hosts, he didn't make me skip a second of this video because I was really interested. Cam score on this episode is def a 9.5-10
He’s definitely a worthy host and shows how much he enjoys being on TV or internet views. (:
I installed a Boss audio be7acp-c in my 2005 Lincoln town car. I was pondering more expensive head units, but I had $100 Walmart gift card so I figured hey I'll try this one. I was actually really surprised at how many features it has for the price. The built an amplifier wasn't all that great but my Lincoln's got its own amplifier which works through the factory harness. It also has two subwoofer lfe out which I pump both output straight into my kicker amplifier. Touch screen responsiveness is perfect, and there's still a lot of features in it that I haven't hooked up yet. $250, got it for 150, I can't complain.
I'm 60 yrs of age teenager & it's been Pioneer every time since 1980 and I got the NEW auto reverse cassette deck ! Lol Every upgrade since then has lasted 10+ yrs in my off road vehicle. (Avid stream fisherman) The deck I've had in 4 different trucks since 2001 has a 6 pack CD changer & everything still works flawlessly. I'll say it again, Pioneer every time !
next episode "is an ls swap worth it?"
*"Hey guys this is Austin, is the LS worth it?"*
Lmfaoo
Yes hell yes
SWAP IT
Yes
The mid-tier brand is always the best brand, everyone knows that.
Facts
Tell that to Rolls Royce
The Chad lol those things break
Alex Hunt and what immortal car do you drive sir?
I got the best one for my car.
Great comparison between cheap and expensive car stereos! I learned a lot from this test.
I have a $60 stereo from Amazon. Mine came with a microphone, apple car play, and a backup camera. It plays fine on the Home Screen. The touch screen works great and sounds great. I had to go with a cheap one because I did not have much depth to work with.
Kenwoods have always been difficult to navigate. Pioneer has always been the undisputed champ in this department. 💁♂️
Blaupunkt 💯
Alpine headunits are lots better than these
Alpine are nice with all the additional gear bolted on
Also kenwood can die for no reason and get stuck in protect mode
When you read this and you have a Kenwood
"By the way, I figured out what the mule function was..."
Me: Does it make mule noises?
"Mute."
Me: oh GOD D-
no, it's hollow so it can serve as a drug mule
Tiago Belo the unit is not very deep so I can actually see potential in one coming out with a lot of hollow space to hide things.... not that I’ve considered that 😂
nearly spit my soda out as he said that
Pioneer’s mid to high end head units are maybe the best money can buy. I have an “old,” still new to me, AVH-4200NEX and I still love it. I installed it in 2017 or 2018. I definitely want to get the newer version for the additional camera input option and wireless Apple CarPlay.
I have BOSS stereo equipment from Autozone in my truck, it's not bad, pretty clear and can be heard from 100' roughly away. Doesn't crackle at high volumes. 6" door speakers and 6x9 in the extended cab.
i love the smell of new electric equipment, Sometimes you can smell when something is seriously cheap.
I concur
Like that font that stinks out loud!
One of the best smells! I take those sniffs every time i open up new electronics🤣
Usually a burning smell if I’m the one installing it
Sometimes it's real good, other times you recognize that manufacturing-facility-somewhere-in-East-Asia smell. To be honest, they're probably all made somewhere in East Asia, but you know what I mean.
7:59 lol even the stool is bored of quarantine 😂😂
Man you guys are the best. Great video
your money pit miata videos have walked me through fixing my first miata!!
Damn harbor freight stools, always trying to escape
That stool probably knows he also bought the recalled jack stands and wants to GTFO before shit goes down - literally.
not from Harbor Freight... it still has all its wheels..lol
Even though they’re expensive Kenwood and pioneer are some of the best out there
Jvc owns Kenwood now and are the exact same as Kenwood.
Alpine my friend
Is there any better?
Agreed! My old head unit was a Pioneer (in my old car from 99), was reliable and sounded great! But I've heard Kenwood is just as good.
I've been really close to putting a Pioneer back in my new car, but they don't make any options that make putting an "aftermarket" radio in my car look nice. So I've stuck with my GM factory unit.
Alpine!
I own the kenwood and it is amazing, alot of features were left out, i love the wireless screen mirroring and the 13 band eq
Earlier in the summer (late spring actually) I had a new head unit installed in my Honda Odyssey Touring. Since I wanted all the rear cam, steering controls etc, I had a car stereo place so the job. Thankfully I did b/c the Nav system which intertwines with at least five separate components (the main 6disk changer, which has a screen that folds into itself to load CDs, a separate actual primary controller (looks like the average stereo), DVD player, a second ‘dvd’ player under drivers seat (was labeled DVD, but instead was a strange insertable cartridge that was NAV), an external amp (way over alongside and behind glove box) and a couple other doohickeys I can’t recall.
The first attempt was a JVC HU, that was in fact a Kenwood, and looked to be almost the same GUI. It was hard as hell to figure out. But sounded killer with my JL audio C2 (x4) speakers, but the user interface and phone stuff was so irritating I had the shop exchange for the same Pioneer HU you are using. Which I’m thinking must’ve been a 2020 product sold in ‘22.
The Pioneer is user friendly, controls actually 3 phones ( 2 simultaneously) b my as an very user friendly GUI, but unfortunately doesn’t sound as good as the JVC/Kenwood.
That’s something that really bummed me out.
The EQ in the JVC was fantastic. I could play a particular CD that when I bought it back in the 90s I couldn’t play (it was stuff I liked) because it was so “loud” every stereo I tried to play it on sounded f’ing awful. Too low bass notes. But on the JVC I could crank it and the JL speakers could handle it.
The same CD in the pioneer (actually a lossless file via iPod) needs to be EQd way different.
Killer video however. I’m running thru a couple of your vids tonight.
The strange cartridge is likely a DVD ram disk. They originally came in protective plastic due to how fragile they are.
I'm getting the $50 headunit so i'll have the last laugh when a crackhead goes to steal it
🤣
Not cool man, I’m the crackhead that was gonna steal your radio.
based
Do you know if used aftermarket headunits are worth it? I already have a cheap one that came with my car, but I want to buy one for my mom since her factory radio wont play CDs anymore.
Problem is if the crackhead smashes your window and damages your dashboard just to steal a piece of crap that isn´t even going to use for himself :p
Kenwood head units have been "MEH" for about 10 years now, not a shock the pioneer was the "best performer" here.
Thats no fluke either. I put a top of the line Nav system similar into my wife's Jeep and just basic operation is garbage. tons of features with NO!! memory.
@@chads8267 is it a excelon one or not cause i been pleased with my older 9904
Pioneer or Alpine or nothing.
Sony ax1000 or whatever is p good
@@chads8267 I wish you could put the UConnect head units in other makes, Chrysler did a really good job with the UConnect system, features, sound, and quality wise.
thank you. i went in to a stereo place yesterday, and i had questions about the 3 different prices. and i didnt want to get ripped off, thank you for your service.
I have the avh2330nex pioneer and I love mine. Good review.
That thousand yard stare he does when he hears the birds KILLED me lmao
I’ve had the same look in situations where you’re talking and a random animal starts to interrupt you so I could totally relate 😂
"Mom can we have hi-low at home?"
"We already have hi-low at home."
Hi-low at home :
I got the notification and thought it was a new episode of hi-low 😂😂
@@franklyfettuccine4468 fr
@@franklyfettuccine4468 Pfffft-
We have a kenwood in suburban. Sounds great. Pioneer in Silverado. Both great and amazingly better than factory.
Pioneer for the win!🙌🏻
I've got a Benji Box 1989 EPI SLR-45 with an automatic cassette deck that i bought for $25. It has sub outputs already from the factory. It's fully wired complete with a Kenwood sub and amp inside a 1991 Geo Prizm. I'm happy 😊
Hell yeah, Jobe's listening to Justice!
Only the best
@@Donut Waters of Nazareth is up there with Phantom Pt.2 and Genesis, one of my favorite album.
It's a sign 🙏
Do A Mod That Lets You Wink The Headlights.
He just needs to double click the button fast enough and it'll do it
You just need to pull a fuse
U just unplug a headlight
Still wished the pioneer had a vol knob. I just installed a generic 100 dollar double din multimedia player in my truck and I'm living it. Touch is fine, sound is great, it has a vol knob, none of the subcription crap, and it plays DVD's. It may be the Crosley of multimedia players, but it's awesome to me. I will do some research and picking a radio for my challenger.
Your videos are pretty decent and you seem like an ok mechanic. Im always apprehensive with car videos.
In my first car I couldn't afford good speakers so I wired in a big pair of home stereo speakers in the back seat. Held in with the seat belts. Sounded pretty good in the 80's.
This makes me want to go modify my car each time I watch money pit
It often I watch a vid and am grinning the whole time. Cool vid, cool host. Cheers
Pretty much most Pioneer units (if not all) have generally much better audio processing than most any Kenwood. If you’re gonna get a Pioneer though, gotta go with the old and reliable AVIC..though I haven’t played around with the NEX line…some of the AVH are treat too.
i was literally just thinking about getting a new car stereo this is awesome. Thanks Zach!
You're welcome!
Day 20 of asking donut to do an b2b on their cars or maybe an up to speed
Up to speed on James' VW
Great idea
I'm down for this episode
Pls dont copy our bro's style (PaganiGaming)
Maybe ask in a differnt way
Lame
really helpful, thanks bro
I have that 50 dollar one 🤣. I recognized it when the music stopped when you went to the home screen.
I’m far from a pro, but I’ve been installing radios since roughly 2013 and feel slightly qualified discussing them. I’ve had boss, sound stream, SSL, pioneer, kenwood, jvc, and even the cheap o. IMO, kenwood was my least favorite. It had decent sound quality, but was a total pain to navigate. I’ve never had a pioneer let me down and even with their cheaper Walmart touch screen, the quality is great! The touch is responsive, call quality is great, very sturdy, and very simple. I love the audio quality of it, it can even make a low buck set of scosche speakers sound ok. Hands down my favorite head unit of all which I would love to see you try is the Sony XAV series. I’ve bought 2 and have ZERO issues with either. Simple interface, great layout, matte rubber bezel which matches OEM dashes really well as opposed to the glossy black bezel around the screen. Bluetooth connects immediately after initial pairing. It is a CarPlay/ android auto unit for under $250, and works perfect in that department. My only complaint(not a big deal at all) is when your listening to CZcams, there’s a slight disconnect when pausing a song and the radio catching that pause. It has a volume knob, it’s a single din with a double screen, and my most favorite feature which I have yet to see on anything else is the option to import your own wallpaper. For under $250, I don’t think your going to find a better unit with the same features. There’s a CarPlay dual for $200 which looks nice, but after 6 months in my daily the screen started to have issues going black. With a backup camera attached, it started to go black after the camera triggered off and the car had to be shut off to restart the unit.
Dual is crap.
Is android auto wireless on that Sony unit?
@@ivanraguz3103 Sadly, no
@@ivanraguz3103 I read some reviews about the Sonys earlier today and literally not one said they had a positive experience using Android Auto. Most said that it simply failed to work but Apple Carplay worked fine. Strange.
what do you feel about Dual?
TBH Pioneer is an absurdly well known and good Japanese brand. Still have my Pioneer headphones working perfectly.
I totally agree with that Statement, but when He looked at the Kenwood he named everything that doesn't matter! COMPLETELY Jumped Over the Most Important Feature! Hi-Res Audio!!!
Not Only CDs and DVDs but I'd be hoping it can Play Your SACDs in there being Hi-Res and All...But It IS WAV / FLAC / Vorbis Compatible at up to 24Bits and 196KHz! (not sure but it might even do 32Bits [what the specs said] but aside from DSD and DXD Sources which won't be read here I don't see much use for it yet...)
But Hi-Res Sources is pretty much a MUST Nowadays...For Music Lovers, it's sure worth a Try, though you might be disappointed or not even hear the Difference on Cheap Hardware, Especially Cheap Earphones!
Cheers!
Happy Listening to ALL Audiophiles! ;)
@@ohmmygod4963 found the audiofile
@@ohmmygod4963 ......PIONEER 80PRS......
Watching this was more helpful than tutorials that specifically show how to wire up an MX5/Miata.
I throughly enjoyed watching this video 😂
I literally installed the pioneer DMH-1500NEX a week ago into one of my cars, all I can say that it it totally worth $300. It has so much features and the android auto and apple carplay really makes the interior look modern. All in all I would highly recommend that unit.
I have the same radio as well and I love it. One major thing Zach forgot to speak about was for convertible owners we all go with the middle of the road anyways to keep good sound with wind noise and also how much easier it is to be stolen if someone wants to. I own a 300zx convertible and I made custom brackets where you have to remove the glove box, gauge cluster, and get up under the car near the trans to get out a few bolts that holds it in now
Crap thing about Android auto, it locks you out of your phone.
@@monroe2245 isn't that kinda the point though? To keep you from using your phone while driving
James Reeves exactly lol
@@monroe2245 I connect my phone via usb and I can use my phone without any issues, I did wire the e-brake wire to the chassis of the stereo so it's constantly grounded so the unit "thinks" that the brake it on lol
He spelled "Nolan's Score" (Nolan's Scroe) in the final evaluation 😂😂
Thought I was the only one that noticed that 🤣
On the song segment they also misspelled Media to Meida :) well they are hardworking guys
And starting @ 16:03 they left the Pioneer model number at the top of the screen instead of changing to the Kenwood model #.
and on the kenwood review part, they kept the pioneer model number xD
Should’ve went with one of the new Sony Headunits. I got the AX-5000, and it’s way better than any kenwood I’ve ever owned. Only have to turn the volume to 3 when I’m driving. Kenwood seems too clunky with their UI and try to talk their features up too much just to charge you more
got my headunit 2 week ago its a pioneer but a cheaper version of what you have in the video ( basicly the same but with out applecar play ) and its great also help my sound in the car since the old dident have eq or cut off so i couldent set it so the sub plays lows and rest play mids and highs so it really destryed the sound of the otherwise great speaker setup. although i have smaller car ( suzuki ignis) so when i say sub i really mean under seat subs (1 under driver and 1 under passenger seat) but that is only because my car is so small that a full sizes sub would be to much space to give away, but for under seat subs they really do sound great, not as great as a proper subs but much better then just the normal car speakers that is otherwise in the car :D
Just found this and noticed that the rundown of the models at the end shows the Pioneer model when rating the Kenwood. But hey can look that up. Great reviews though. I'm waiting for me to get off my butt and fix the broken crankshaft issue (perhaps a 3UZ might work better 🙄) then I can sort out the old stereo and my busted CAI. Missing my MX5/Miata