Customer Reviews

Pioneer FH-P8000BT Double-Din In-Dash CD/MP3/WMA/AAC Receiver with Built-In Bluetooth, iPod Control, and Rear USB Input

5 star:		(47)
4 star:		(31)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

Length:: 2:01 Mins

This video shows the basic operation of the unit, since it's hard to explain.

The biggest pro for me is the sound. My stock speakers sounded good with the factory head unit, but they sound like brand new high end speakers with the Pioneer.

A close second is the feature set. The iPod integration is the best that I saw in any unit, and it sure beats the axillary input mod kit that I was running beforehand. The sound from the iPod is great. Also keep in mind that it's a USB input, not just an iPod input. Plug in an external hard drive or thumb drive and you're in buisness, too. The addition of the Bluetooth connectivity was a major selling point, and it delivers a great convenience that I would really miss now that I'm used to it. I can leave my phone out of reach (in the trunk even) and I can still answer it if it rings.

The biggest con is the user interface- it does take a bit to learn the ins and outs, but once you do, very few times is it a bother (the 'pause' option is buried in the function submenu, which is annoying, but since the unit automatically pauses the music for incoming / outgoing calls, it's only a problem in, say, drive thru's).

The pros VASTLY outweigh the cons, and the price is far below what I would expect for a unit with this feature set. That gets this unit a 5 Star rating - iPod, Bluetooth, CD, HD & Satellite Radio ready- there really aren't any features left for you to want!

I purchased it with the wiring harness and the dash kit for my 2005 Mazda3 and it looks quite nice. Check out the video!

Recently purchased an iPhone, so i was looking to upgrade my car's stereo to be able to both use the phone and listen to music. This unit both had ipod connectivity and bluetooth telephone(which my current stereo does not), and is also double din (as is my car). i've recently installed, so i've only had a couple days with it, so this is a first impressions review.

Install: easy and straightforward if you purchase a wiring harness specific to your vehicle (available at retailers such as walmart and crutchfield). it was installed in a 2005 scion tc.

operation: i'll admit, this is not the most simplest of units to operate, and i have to refer to the manual frequently to learn how to perform specific functions (such as saving a pre-set radio station), which is where it lost one star for me. the multi-function dial allows for "agile" maneuverability through the unit's controls though.

USB/IPOD: the unit's USB connectivity allows you to control your ipod (iphone in my case) straight through the unit. allows you to search by album, artist, playlist, etc- just as you would on the ipod itself. it also has the option to change the controls back to the ipod, if thats what you're more comfortable with. it also has an AUX input for other devices you may wish to listen to through the unit.

bluetooth telephone: i paired the unit through my phone, and that was done seamlessly. calls are clear for you, and as far as i know (only used once or twice so far), its clear on the other end as well (i've asked those i've called). the unit allows you to download your contacts from the phone to the unit itself, so you can dial straight off the unit. has recent calls, and a "speed dial" list for you to choose from, in addition to selecting any contact on your phone. has the ability to handle call waiting and refusing calls as well.

other: the unit comes with many audio adjustments (including the 7 channel equalizer- with several presets and 2 custom settings). with the proper adjustments, music sounds great through this unit. You can also "label" CDs, so the album name will display every time you insert that CD. my only complaint is that the display is TOO bright at night, but that can be remedied by the dimmer function (tho doesnt seem to work in my vehicle...not sure why yet), OR, you can turn off the illumination completely, which will re-illuminate if you change a setting (change track, volume, source).

overall, i'm very happy with my purchase and would recommend this if you're looking for bluetooth and ipod capabilities, without going into the DVD/Navi arena. the price was too good to pass up!

NOTE: I've owned this stereo while using the iPhone 3G, then iPhone 3GS, then iPhone 4. The comments below are in chronological order, with subsequent iOS firmware releases.


========iPhone 3G ownership========
I installed this stereo to work with Sirius, an iPod through the USB/iPod connection, miscellaneous items through auxiliary input, bluetooth handsfree, and to stream audio via bluetooth with my iPhone running 3.0 firmware.

CDs and iPod audio sounds wonderful on my car's stock speakers. To my surprise, the bluetooth audio connection sounds just as good. It was very easy to pair, once the A2DP bluetooth profile was made available for iPhone 3.0. Prior to that, pairing with my two different phones was simple. It would pick up a phone conversation as soon as one came in, switching away from whatever other input I was listening to, and then switching back to it once the call had ended - very nice. It will also continue a phone conversation from your phone to the car once you enter the vehicle, or once you exit it will continue the conversation to your phone - also very nice to not have to wait to exit/enter the car.

I see what Pioneer was trying to do with the one-button system to feel like an iPod and I can see why some people were confused, but it didn't take very long to get used to. The display is also very nice, with indicators when bluetooth handsfree and bluetooth stereo are connected.

Amazon's price was almost 20 percent less when I ordered four months ago - it's odd how prices fluctuate.

For sirius users, do not lose the remote control if you plan on storing saved channels! The manual states that you must use the remote control in order to store sirius stations. Also the display when listening to sirius radio is odd. You can view three lines of text. Line one consists of the input, band, and preset number. Line two is the sirius channel number. Line three is your choice of artist, song, channel name, genre, etc. The odd part comes when you want to see the time. If you press the time/toggle button, you now have only TWO lines of text - the first and third. The middle is gone and the third displays time. Basically, this means that you can't view the artist and time at the same moment - stupid. I usually leave the time display enabled, but find myself toggling when I want to see the name of the artist playing.


========iPhone 3GS ownership========
EDIT: I'm at the 11 month period of ownership with this stereo. In that time period, I've since upgraded to the iphone 3GS model, and the stereo still connects to it without any trouble. Bluetooth pairing, handsfree phone use, and audio streaming all work very well. I've noticed that the audio with my stock car stereo sounded better than with this stereo. I'm not sure if it's because I need to upgrade the speakers as well, but that should be noted.



========iPhone 4 ownership========
EDIT: I've just upgraded to the iPhone 4 running iOS 4.0. While it paired without any issues just like my iPhone 3GS had, the A2DP stereo bluetooth profile does not seem to be recognized. I'm currently listening to music off my iPhone using the USB connection, but hope to get the A2DP wireless bluetooth profile working with some fiddling.

EDIT: You can stop driving yourself crazy trying to get this stereo to work with your iPhone 4. There is a deeply documented issue with Bluetooth on the iPhone 4. I can't post the link here, but just search the Apple support forums for Bluetooth muffled, and you'll find related info. Bluetooth devices are just not pairing properly with iPhone 4.

EDIT: I'm on iPhone 4 iOS 4.1 with zero improvement with A2DP stereo bluetooth profile. I've contacted Pioneer requesting the latest firmware for this stereo, but I'm not holding my breath.

EDIT: I'm still on iPhone 4, but now with iOS 4.2.1. With every software release, I'm hopeful that A2DP stereo bluetooth will again magically work. Unfortunately, it still doesn't work with iOS 4.2.1 on my iPhone 4. The wireless handsfree profile pairs just fine, though.

I need to mention one oddity, and it's that the stereo will sometimes just shut itself off out of nowhere. This happened maybe a dozen times so far, and I've yet to figure out why. I can usually just switch back to the desired input and it starts playing again, but a couple of times I had to park and completely stop power to the car.

On another note, I'm now at the 2 year ownership period of this stereo, and it still works very well. Buttons are still responsive, auxiliary input and satellite radio connections are strong and come through properly. The plastic screen bezel has some noticeable scratches, even though I'm gentle with it - I figure this is unavoidable.

EDIT: I'm still on iPhone 4, but now with iOS 4.3.3. Still no dice getting bluetooth audio to connect properly. Perhaps iOS5 will have some magical fix for this issue.

I have a Pioneer BT8000 (with HD) in my 2003 Subaru Forester with the upgraded Subaru speakers and sub woofer. I also added the ipod cable for my daughter.

The good news is; Bluetooth phone capabilities (used with a Motorola V9M) are excellent and well behaved, call quality excellent, radio audio also excellent. The radio switches to phone if a call comes in, switches back afterwards. HD, when you get it, can sound great.

The bad news is that it is very hard to use. There just are not enough controls. Each major control has numerous uses but only one use per control is listed. Setup is very difficult. No on-off switch (function is in another button and hidden). You try to raise the volume and you change the frequency or the preset. Tuner sensitivity on AM is poor at least with the HD tuner. The steering wheel remote is hard to mount, even harder to use without looking at it. Even worse, the manual is one of the worst I've ever gone through. Too many things are made too complicated or are not even covered. The quick setup is even worse.

I'd give this 4 stars if only the documentation were decent.

Update - not long after I posted this review, I started to get complete loss of audio, sometimes with the screen going blank. I can usually clear this up by turning the unit off, then back on again. Sometimes, though, it requires the car to be shut down and started up again. It happens randomly, and sometimes when controls are accessed. Pioneer has suggested I do a RESET of the unit (basically clearing all setup info, etc.). I am considering this.

One somewhat good thing; one can originate bluetooth calls from the radio when it is connected to my Moto Droid. Voice dialing gets prompted for by the phone. Only catch is remembering the button sequence on the radio to make it happen. Also, some Android phone users have a problem; when a bluetooth call ends, the phone music player (randomly chosen) starts up. This radio does not seem to have that issue. When a call hangs up, the radio goes right back to whatever it was doing, typically AM or FM radio. As I recall, it will also resume playing my choice of Android based music player if I'm using the BT Audio input. One note; BT Audio is also the way to get Google Nav instructions to come over the car radio. Unfortunately, that precludes use of the radio when navigating.

Seriously, who needs a dvd player in their dash? All you need is a good unit that plays your music, and this one plays it all. It will handle all the standard CD, CDR, mp3, WMA, AAC files along with iPod. The iPod controls are excellent. iPod is the only mp3 player I have tried and I suspect others won't work, at least not well. I was also able to play mp3s from my cell phone via bluetooth. Speaking of bluetooth, cell phone integration is a snap. I'm using a Sony phone with mine and it works perfectly with it. The contacts download to the unit so I never have to look at the phone. I also tried an iPhone and a Samsung SGH-A737. The iPhone worked great but the Samsung would not allow the the contacts to download.

The main reason I chose this one over other double dins is the clean, simplistic look this one has. This is easily the best looking one available. While many cd players of this size can have twenty or more buttons this one has ten plus a center control knob. The knob serves many functions much like an ipod click wheel. The navigation through the menus is not perfect but is still just as good or better than most other units. It has a ton of features to please almost anyone. High pass and low pass filters with sub controls and multiple settings for more complex systems yet it's simple enough for a drop in replacement for a factory radio.

My biggest complaint is the fact you have to buy separate hardware to enable HD radio. This will cost you an extra $80-$100 if you want this feature. It would have been nice to have but I don't think it's worth that much.

I haven't bought anything but Alpine in years. Unfortunately, with most of the Alpine decks, you can only control the iPod from the deck. This proves difficult and frustrating, especially with large libraries. Since the iPod Touch has such a great interface, it's simple to control. This Pioneer deck allows you to easily choose if you want the iPod to be in control or the deck. Plus, when the iPod is in control, you can still track forward and back with the deck.

Another nice feature is the built-in Bluetooth. It paired with my phone, copied my address book to the deck, and auto-connects whenever I get in the car. Also, it mutes the music when a call comes in. The supplied microphone lets you choose the best placement for your car too.

The display is bright. However, I discovered a useful feature. You can easily set the display to turn off after a few seconds. Very nice.

I purchased this unit for my 2004 Subaru Forester. What I was looking for was a head unit that would (1) allow me to pair my iPhone to make calls and (2) allow me to play music through the iPhone or any other iPod.

On these two items, the unit delivers fantastically.

Installation was very easy, and I only had to systematically look for the best place to put the microphone for optimum sound quality.

Only (minor) negatives are the following (why I only gave it 4 stars):
- When the iPhone is plugged into the USB port, and you make a phone call, there is a lot of interference. This only happens when the phone making the call is also connected to the unit through the USB. If another iPhone or iPod is connected to the unit, the noise is completely gone. Basically, I remedy this by unplugging the iPhone prior to taking a call.
- Menu navigation is a bit cumbersome at first, but quickly makes sense.
- Old iPods (I also have an iPod mini) will not work with this unit.

Pros:
- Easy connectivity through bluetooth (no other problem).
- Connectivity through the USB allows for full control of the iPod using the head unit: Just plug your iPod in (I have it wired into the armrest), and forget about it.
- Good music sound quality.

Overall, this provided me with everything I needed. A quick note: when I contacted the Pioneer folks about whether my iPhone would work with this unit, they said I'd need a different cable to connect through the head unit. They don't know their own products: You can use the CD-IU50 or the USB cable that came with your iPhone/iPod with no problem. This technically frees us the serial port for a CD changer, but you probably will never need one of these again.

Overall I really like this unit. I replaced a stock head unit in my 2004 Subaru Forester. It sounds great, tunes in stations clearly, and most importantly it connects with my Blackberry Curve 8320 via bluetooth. Usually. The hands-free phone connection over bluetooth is flawless and works every time. It connects automatically and works and sounds fine.

However, and this is part that takes some effort, this unit also supports stereo and av control connections via bluetooth but getting this unit to connect as effortlessly is something I have not yet figured out. I have to disconnect using my phone after it fails and then initiate a connection from the head unit (three button presses) first, then, after it connects BT audio I switch to the hands-free phone connection on the unit and initiate a connection there. This method works every time but it requires a minute or so of sitting in the car fiddling with the stereo to get all connected.

I have also used the USB connection successfully but you don't get the AV controls through the unit, you have to skip tracks using the phone. I was able to upload my contacts from the phone (400 numbers anyway as this is the maximum) and can search using the headset but it's easier to use the phone for finding a number.

I have also used the AUX input headphone jack to play, but again, you don't get the controls.

If I remember right, to create a station preset you have to tune to your station, press the list button, rotate to the number you want it be and press and hold the knob for a few seconds.

As in previous posts:
- The knob scratches easily and I am contemplating something I can glue over it but so far it's not that bad.
- It's bright but there is a setting that dims it a little bit and another setting that kills the display all together. I was careful to be sure to connect the dimmer wire correctly but it seems to have no effect.
- Controls take a little getting used to but once you are over that hurdle it's pretty intuitive.

After living with this unit for the past month or so, I am scratching my head as to why Pioneer blundered what could have been an absolutely terrific unit. The 8000BT is not a failure by any stretch, but it simply has way too many flaws to be usable on a daily basis by a regular person.

Pros: Good reception, awesome built in Bluetooth that actually works great, plenty of inputs/sources, excellent XM integration, reasonably large display characters that can be read even in sunlight (for the most part)

Cons:
INSANELY complicated user interface with the multi function dial that makes it hard to know where you are while navigating the features.

Absolutely microscopic buttons and labels on the front panel to navigate settings, some of the most important functions are NOT backlit, so you simply cannot see them at night.

Presets are ridiculously difficult to navigate to. Radio or XM presets are just a massive hassle to get to and select while driving.

Sounds lousy (yes, you read that right), not sure why, but the factory head unit sounded better, clearer, more punch, and better highs... this unit sounds muddy, even when I upgraded to Pioneer speakers and amps. Even after fiddling with the Eq settings, crossover, Subwoofer, etc, I cannot coax a decent sound out of it.

Strange display characteristics... The song information scrolls all data about the song ONLY on CD, but NOT on XM/Sirius (so you have to push a zillion buttons to figure out what you're listening to!) I've tried lots of combinations in the setup menus to get this to work, but as the manual points out, scrolling ONLY works with CD. What were they thinking

USB source connection VERY flaky/picky about how the USB device is formatted and set up. If you sync your USB stick with Winamp or Windows Media player, it won't read it half the time (yes, you read that right)

All in all, an expensive mistake on my part. I find that living with this unit day to day is just awful. I am a gadget guy for the most part, and I usually like Pioneer products. This unit is totally ILL conceived... its clear it was designed from the outside in, rather than inside out. Instead of making the most of the double height real estate, they tried to make it pretty and sleek, while making it hard to use on a day to day basis. I suspect that a software update would help some of the dopey features/flaws be a bit more usable, but all in all, I'm totally disappointed.

This is a fine unit, but it needs a firmware upgrade to reduce the illumination when you turn on your headlights. There is very little dimming going on. The user manual is not very friendly but after you learn your way around the joystick type control it works OK. I'm happy with the sound quality and especially the hands-free capability with the noise canceling mic. I would prefer that it was easier to control and search for contacts when making a call. The price was good.