Premier DEH-P860MP
06-21-2004, 11:28 PM
#1
0 Watt CAFz'r
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 15
Does anyone have any feedback on this deck?
http://pioneerelectronics.ca/pna/pro...544643,00.html
Someone is selling it for $600cdn new, and I was wondering how good is it in regards to SQ? Anyone with personal experience? I was considering buying the Clarion 745 (cause it's quite cheaper), but if it's really worth the difference in price I'll have to definitely reconsider.
And I don't really care about the gimicky color screen stuff. I'm more concerned about the quality and reliability.
http://pioneerelectronics.ca/pna/pro...544643,00.html
Someone is selling it for $600cdn new, and I was wondering how good is it in regards to SQ? Anyone with personal experience? I was considering buying the Clarion 745 (cause it's quite cheaper), but if it's really worth the difference in price I'll have to definitely reconsider.
And I don't really care about the gimicky color screen stuff. I'm more concerned about the quality and reliability.
06-22-2004, 03:56 PM
#4
0 Watt CAFz'r
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 37
I have one of these decks.
I have had it for around 3 months now. Overall, I am very pleased with the SQ and features. The manual is very well written except for the information about time alignment - IMHO, Pioneer seems to breeze by this section without going into much detail.
The trim ring is rather large and rounded. It is not possible in some vehicles to have it flush mounted with your dash time. The unit itself looks very sleek and subdued - blue LED halos outline the main control buttons and the large screen provides a multitude of information.
The two button control system is very easy to navigate, though there was a small learning curve at the beginning. Navigation through screens is good and is fairly quick. If you can operate a videogame touchpad, you will not have any problems using this unit. I have not encountered any "software" problems or the unit locking up.
There is a small cooling fan on the back of the unit. Some faint whirring can be heard with if you listen to your system with the engine turned off.
The OEL display is quite good, but in bright sunlight with sunglasses on, it still can be a bit hard to see, even at it's highest brightness setting. I have it set to one of the B&W displays for maximum info and clarity. There are two display fonts you can choose from - I have stuck to the regular font. I haven't tried the software program which enables you to customize screens. In terms of screen clairity, the new Biolite display (B&W only) on the 9835 is superior.
The cd player loads discs very quickly - regular or MP3. Using a CD-RW is just slightly slower. I have compared the loading to Alpine's 9835 and it is noticeably faster.
The SQ of the cd player is excellent. The soundstage is slightly forward, but there is exellent detail, and resolution. The highs don't appear strained. IMHO, I feel the D/A conversion is better on this unit than the 9835.
The SQ of MP3s is excellent. I do listen to MP3s in addition to CDs and record them using EAC (Exact Audio Copy) and the LAME MP3 encoder software at VBR (variable bit rates). If you take the time to record MP3s properly, you will be rewarded with the fruits of your labour.
I am using the unit in "Pro Mode" or "Network mode" which is fully active. The active crossovers appear to work well with a useful selection of crossover points in addition to phase for each point: Low (low pass), Mid (high pass and low pass), and High (high pass).
For time-correction, one simply picks a listening position (driver's seat, front passenger seat, both seats, etc...) and programs the distances in cm (or inches) from your listening position to each speaker. You cannot choose the delay times, only distances. I am still experimenting with the time-correction.
The rated 6.5V outputs appear quite good - very clean and the output appears strong. Three RCA output pairs attach to the main unit via a single plug in which branches off into the 3 pairs.
I don't use the onboard equalization so I can comment sufficiently on that. However, just altering one band (12 Khz), degradation of SQ could be noted.
The removeable head unit is very easy to remove and re-attach with one hand.
The unit retails for around $850 CDN. I purchased it for considerably less and I am quite pleased with my purchase.
I hope this mini-review helps!
Cheers,
Dennis
I have had it for around 3 months now. Overall, I am very pleased with the SQ and features. The manual is very well written except for the information about time alignment - IMHO, Pioneer seems to breeze by this section without going into much detail.
The trim ring is rather large and rounded. It is not possible in some vehicles to have it flush mounted with your dash time. The unit itself looks very sleek and subdued - blue LED halos outline the main control buttons and the large screen provides a multitude of information.
The two button control system is very easy to navigate, though there was a small learning curve at the beginning. Navigation through screens is good and is fairly quick. If you can operate a videogame touchpad, you will not have any problems using this unit. I have not encountered any "software" problems or the unit locking up.
There is a small cooling fan on the back of the unit. Some faint whirring can be heard with if you listen to your system with the engine turned off.
The OEL display is quite good, but in bright sunlight with sunglasses on, it still can be a bit hard to see, even at it's highest brightness setting. I have it set to one of the B&W displays for maximum info and clarity. There are two display fonts you can choose from - I have stuck to the regular font. I haven't tried the software program which enables you to customize screens. In terms of screen clairity, the new Biolite display (B&W only) on the 9835 is superior.
The cd player loads discs very quickly - regular or MP3. Using a CD-RW is just slightly slower. I have compared the loading to Alpine's 9835 and it is noticeably faster.
The SQ of the cd player is excellent. The soundstage is slightly forward, but there is exellent detail, and resolution. The highs don't appear strained. IMHO, I feel the D/A conversion is better on this unit than the 9835.
The SQ of MP3s is excellent. I do listen to MP3s in addition to CDs and record them using EAC (Exact Audio Copy) and the LAME MP3 encoder software at VBR (variable bit rates). If you take the time to record MP3s properly, you will be rewarded with the fruits of your labour.
I am using the unit in "Pro Mode" or "Network mode" which is fully active. The active crossovers appear to work well with a useful selection of crossover points in addition to phase for each point: Low (low pass), Mid (high pass and low pass), and High (high pass).
For time-correction, one simply picks a listening position (driver's seat, front passenger seat, both seats, etc...) and programs the distances in cm (or inches) from your listening position to each speaker. You cannot choose the delay times, only distances. I am still experimenting with the time-correction.
The rated 6.5V outputs appear quite good - very clean and the output appears strong. Three RCA output pairs attach to the main unit via a single plug in which branches off into the 3 pairs.
I don't use the onboard equalization so I can comment sufficiently on that. However, just altering one band (12 Khz), degradation of SQ could be noted.
The removeable head unit is very easy to remove and re-attach with one hand.
The unit retails for around $850 CDN. I purchased it for considerably less and I am quite pleased with my purchase.
I hope this mini-review helps!
Cheers,
Dennis
06-22-2004, 11:09 PM
#5
0 Watt CAFz'r
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 15
Wow, thanks a lot for that input. It's greatly appreciated when someone takes the time and effort to give a proper viewpoint of a product.
I'm still a little undecided, I'll probably need to listen to the unit in person relative to other units.
In regards to an ebay purchase, the exchange/shipping/taxes will be quite a bit more. Especially if I purchase for $600; It will be local.
I'm still a little undecided, I'll probably need to listen to the unit in person relative to other units.
In regards to an ebay purchase, the exchange/shipping/taxes will be quite a bit more. Especially if I purchase for $600; It will be local.
06-23-2004, 08:20 AM
#6
0 Watt CAFz'r
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 37
Aznbond:
No problem. I'm frustrated at times when I ask for an opinion on a product and the response is "it's great" or "it sucks." That really does not tell me anything about it.
$600 CDN is a good price.
If you are going to buy off eBay, make sure they ship it to you via USPS (US Postal Service) if that is an option. They do not charge brokerage fees and the cost of the deck should be less. Make sure they guarantee that they will take care of you if the deck arrives DOA. If the seller doesn't get back to you quickly with answers to these questions, don't fret as eBay has these decks for auction regularly.
Cheers,
Dennis
P.S. I compared the Premier deck to the Clarion DXZ945MP (roughly the same price point as the Premier) and I preferred the SQ of the Premier. I had been comparing decks with active crossovers and that generally entails higher end decks.
[ June 23, 2004, 09:26 AM: Message edited by: WK446 ]
No problem. I'm frustrated at times when I ask for an opinion on a product and the response is "it's great" or "it sucks." That really does not tell me anything about it.
$600 CDN is a good price.
If you are going to buy off eBay, make sure they ship it to you via USPS (US Postal Service) if that is an option. They do not charge brokerage fees and the cost of the deck should be less. Make sure they guarantee that they will take care of you if the deck arrives DOA. If the seller doesn't get back to you quickly with answers to these questions, don't fret as eBay has these decks for auction regularly.
Cheers,
Dennis
P.S. I compared the Premier deck to the Clarion DXZ945MP (roughly the same price point as the Premier) and I preferred the SQ of the Premier. I had been comparing decks with active crossovers and that generally entails higher end decks.
[ June 23, 2004, 09:26 AM: Message edited by: WK446 ]
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