Customer Reviews

PIONEER AVIC-N4 IN-DASH DVD w/NAVIGATION & TOUCHSCREEN

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

My Corvette has only a 1.5 din radio slot, so the 1 din AVIC N4 was the perfect solution to not being able to install a 2 din in-dash unit.

My problem: My Garmin was great, but in the Washington, DC area there simply are no clear FM frequencies that will allow communication with the radio. The AVIC N4 solves that problem, because the navigation is built into the unit. One of the cool things it does is to locate addresses by punching in a phone number. Since it is satellite radio ready, I also get no interference when I'm listening to XM Radio.

As to the CD player, it simply will play any format you can put onto a CD. The DVD player is just gravy.

One annoying aspect is that the vehicle must be stopped with the parking break on before a route can be programmed. Also, the map CD must be in the unit to program a route. Ejecting the map CD will put the navigator into memory mode so you can play your CDs.

Bluetooth allows you to make and receive phone calls through the unit without ever removing your cellphone from your belt. It allows you to store an extensive phone book of numbers.

I'm very happy with this unit.

Go the AVIC-N4 since I can only install a 1-din radio. I wanted a navigation system with mp3, dvd and usb capabilities.

Good: The unit looks nice and sleek. Most of the functions/features are for appearance. Ex: color of leds, color backround choice, etc.

Bad: The unit can do all the features it claims to do, BUT only when you purchase EACH additional add-on. Ex: For USB you need to buy the USB adaptor. For voice commands, the same thing. It assumed I was going East when I was really going West. The instructions where telling me to continue straight when I cold only make a left or right.

OH! And the compass for the navigation unit was incorrect. Requiring the DVD to be in the unit is a huge design flaw. Its a big inconvinience having to remember that and deal with it. Also, the USB add-on skipped songs, paused half-way through them, would stop being able to recognize some of the mp3s (the same ones it was playing about an hour ago). I was forced to re-connect the USB device.

Not sure if I had a defective unit, but I was truly disappointed after spending $1,600 + 2-add-ons + insurance + installation + tax + aggrevation. Not worth it in my opinion.

This stereo system is the best value I have ever seen. I am very knowledgable on all things audio, and this has always surpassed my expectations. For anyone who is new to advanced stereo systems; this system consists of two pieces, the-head unit and a hideaway unit. The head-unit is the flipping LCD screen used to control the system, and the hideaway unit is a small computer used to process most of the systems functions. The hideaway unti is most often mounted under the passenger seat. I have a compact sports edition BMW with completely electricly adjusted seats, and I do not have any problems with the hideaway unit being mounted under the seat, even with my car's limited space. I have not had any problems with the stereo, and it still surprises any passenger in the car when it flips open and with all of its capabilities. The GPS comes standard with this system, but I have not purchased any of the add-ons. Without the add-ons I still can play music, or hear phone calls through my speakers, with a simple audio jack, and I directly connected my sirius sattelite radio into the unit's radio. There is absolutely no interference between the GPS's sattelites and my sirius' sattelites, along with zero radio interference. There is also a built in equalizer, subwoofer controls, staging, fading, etc. If you still have not seen my point, this is an absolutely incredible value and will impress any audio enthusiast.

I like that it's a single-din unit, with a decent screen, but it has quite a few shortcomings.

The navigation could be better - on the freeway, it will frequently tell me to exit then get back on. Also, menu design and response time aren't great. When I'm on the highway and I search for a gas station/coffee shop/etc, it will list ones that I've already passed - this should be an option I can enable per-search. Overall, it's just not well thought-out.

The iPod integration is deplorable. There's no search function at all, so if you want to hear an artist whose name starts with an "N", you've got to tap the screen like fifty times, each time with the characteristic lag - not easy to do while driving. The only saving grace of this interface is that you can use your iPod-based playlists, and video(if you ground the green wire). Considering the fact that you have to go out of your way to buy the ipod cable for this, I'd suggest just using an audio cable.

Overall, I'd say this is a loser, but I don't keep up with audio equipment trends and such, so I couldn't give a recommendation for a better one. I'd recommend doing more research than I did, and look for one that you can actually try outside of "demo mode".

SUPER DEAL FROM THE FACTORY, JUST LIKE MY OTHER ONE, WE ALL LOVE IT & USE IT DAILY