Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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44 of 44 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Bluetooth Receiver!, July 12, 2006
While certainly not a cheap unit, this device is worth every cent. It basically has all the high-end features you expect in a Premier deck, but it also has Bluetooth! So I won't bother talking much about the awesome sound quality, great color LCD that is very easy to read in ANY lighting condition, or the many extra audio features. :)
Since Bluetooth is of course the feature that sold me on the unit, let's talk more about that. (If you want more info on non-Bluetooth stuff, check out the P7800MP).
I have it paired with my Sprint PPC-6700 PDA phone (latest firmware), and it works great. First thing to note that is your BT phone may not support all the features available. For example, the signal meter, battery level, and phone book transfer don't seem to be supported with my model. Also keep in mind that the manual does indicate that almost all of the "extra" Bluetooth features may or may not work on your particular phone. This is typically the result of your phone not supporting all the bluetooth "protocols" it uses.
The PDA paired up just fine, and once "registered," the P9800BT will remember your phone. It also has an "Auto Connect" feature, that when enabled, will always look for your phone and happily connect to it when it's in range (typically within about 10-20ft).
So here is what happens when you get a call:
1. The phone rings through your stereo (you can pick a few built-in ringers) and the music is muted for you.
2. Caller ID is displayed on the bright/clear LCD (phone number only - unless you programmed or transferred a phone book)
3. You press the handy "Multi-Function" button to answer your call (there is an "auto-answer" feature available) and you are Live with your caller.
4. When the call is over, you may hang up yourself, or wait for the caller to hang-up.
5. Then the music starts playing where it left off.
My friends still can't get over how cool that is. :) But what if you want to make a phone call? You've got a few more options!
1. Dial the number on the remote.
2. Use the built-in phonebook (if you transferred or created one yourself) to pick the number to dial.
3. Use call history to dial a previous number
4. Or the way I prefer - use voice recognition! I simply press the Telephone button and then hold down the "Band" button. Then using the voice recognition already programmed in my PPC-6700, say the caller's name, and it dials for you.
So if you've used a hands-free ear-piece with your BT phone, it's rather similar.
This unit is installed in a 2000 Z71 Tahoe with exhaust and big all-terrain tires. So this isn't exactly a "quiet" environment. Which is why I've been very pleased with the call quality. No static, no echo, and both myself and caller can hear each other just fine. If there is an echo, it is because I have the volume turned WAY up (and only the caller hears the echo.) The mic is mounted on the sun visor, but can be mounted anywhere that works in your vehicle (dash, steering column, etc).
And to wrap things up, here are a few pro's/con's regarding the unit as a whole.
Pros:
- Has all the awesome features of a loaded pioneer head-unit (WAY too many to list here, check out the online manual)
- Excellent sound quality with any source (Thanks to 24-bit D/A converter and DSP w/ 16-band EQ)
- Mini-Jack (1/8") stereo connection on back of receiver (in addition to the typical pioneer proprietary connection for auxiliary sources).
- Impressive color LCD that can be easily read at night or in direct sun-light
- Bluetooth works surprisingly well... and reliable!
- Auto connection feature for Bluetooth phones
- Included mic works great
- Rather cheap considering all the features you get (about $400 at time of review).
Cons:
- Won't work with a typical GM/Pioneer wiring harness (must be hard wired)
- Doesn't work with some of the "minor" extra Bluetooth features on my phone (probably my phones fault there).
- The new "Multi-Function" button takes some getting used to.
- There have been a few rare instances where BT wouldn't automatically pair up with my PDA. Could be the PDA and/or receiver though.
- People will think you are crazy talking to yourself while driving.
Overall, *most* of the initial setup is straight forward - just keep the manual handy for the BT stuff. :) I've tried many other "portable" hands-free units; none worked nearly as well as this one. So if you've got BT and want hands-free, I highly recommend this unit!
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
BLUETOOTH Bliss!, November 6, 2006
I have used Pioneer decks for the last twelve years, this being my sixth deck, and they just keep getting better. I replaced my DEH-P7400MP with the DEH-P9800BT. The main reason for the upgrade was mostly the Bluetooth hands free capability as well the iPod connectivity and control. I had previously taken a P-Bus Aux adapter and made a custom 1/4" panel mount jack on my dash for playback of any DAP that found its way into my ride, but typically used it for my 2G (6GB) iPod mini. I used the Belkin iPod cup holder to fix the iPod down and ran a ¼" audio cable to the dash connector. While that was a functional solution to playing digital music in my car, it never seemed to have a real finished look. This had the added bonus of using the iPod to control music and Pioneer to control volume.
The 9800BT is exactly what I was looking for two years ago. I left the P-Bus adapter with dash connector for any guest DAP's, then added the Pioneer iPod adapter as well as the CD-SR100 steering wheel remote. The reviews I had read online lead me to believe iPod controls were slow and phone calls would leave the caller hearing an echo on their end. I'm very glad I took the risk! While iPod controls can be a bit slow when searching for one song or artist, overall playback is very quick and beyond easy with the steering wheel mounted controls. If you don't like the shuffle feature the other option would be to use play lists to limit your time in the iPod menu. The best part is the iPod is hidden away in the glove box and the track title and artist display on the deck face. It charges the iPod as well as turns it on and off automatically. Plus I have two cup holders again!
When initially connected to my RAZR V3 (Cingular) phone, callers were indeed hearing an echo of their own voice. I was a little upset but figured this could be resolved over time with proper microphone placement. I ended up mounting the mic in the center of the dash next to an A/C vent. I was actually able to resolve all echo and interference problems by fading all sound to the rear speakers while in Telephone mode. Luckily this does not change the audio fade settings for any other audio mode. Callers no longer hear the echo and state the calls sound clearer than when I use the cell phone by itself!
The only cons with this setup are a result of the phone itself. When starting the car the RAZR will not connect to the Pioneer automatically, I must go into the Bluetooth settings and tell it to connect to the Pioneer hands free device. Not a huge problem, just not as autonomous as I had hoped it would be. I have also setup a Nokia 6682 with the 9800BT and it receives a prompt asking to connect to the deck when the car is started. Blackberry 7290 is the only phone I've used that connects automatically when the deck is turned on. At least I know it's possible and can start looking for a replacement to my RAZR.
Rating of deck features (scale of 1-10):
Bluetooth Functionality: 10
Bluetooth Sound: 10
iPod Controls: 9
iPod Sound: 10
Well done Pioneer!
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
DEH-9800BT Still needs work, May 22, 2007
Pros:
Feature packed, although you may not use them, EXCELLENT Bluetooth implementation, clear in and outbound audio, great integration to Pioneer 920 XM Tuner and really looks amazing!
Cons:
Amazing display, but highly glare prone, useless in the day, a major issue when the phone is ringing considering BT was my reason for purchase! Pioneer has to know about this and should offer a solution, a revision should be provided or I'm back to Sony. This is a hazard while driving if you have to bend over and down and use your hand to block the sun to see the display!
Next, as a sound engineer, design engineers need to scale back on the dependency of DSPs. You can't get GREAT sound without turning on most of the filters, the sound then becomes so over processed that it really doesn't sound that good anymore. I played with Time Alignment and even measured the exact distance from my speakers to my headrest, however it shifts the sound too far front for my taste.
The menus are not intuitive, if you're playing a CD and you're on track 35 and you want to see what is on track 50, the LIST mode starts you back at 1 so you have to dial all the way through to get to where you are and then to where you want to go, I have several MP3 CD's with 200+ songs and to have to go all the way to 1 each time is a total killjoy. One other thing about the CD interface, if you set to Random, the unit will play randomly, however if you manually skip songs, it goes to the next track, not a random track.
Finally a poor manual geared towards features and not function. Example, you can't assign a Custom EQ to the CD player and a Preset EQ to the XM, but you can assign Custom 1 EQ to both inputs and each can be customized to taste, this is not documented at all. and drove me nuts while trying to figure out why the curves were different when I switched inputs.
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