Pioneer Deh-P6100Bt In-Dash Cd/Mp3/Wma/Aac/Wav Receiver

5 Comments

1. R. Wentz says:

   March 24, 2010 at 10:57 pm

   Note- I own the “Premier” version of this, which I believe is identical except for the faceplate branding.

   If this unit had a dedicated play/pause button, then I would have no problems giving it 5-stars. It makes my (mostly) factory speakers sound incredible. The iPod integration is intuitive and works with both my old classic iPod and my iPhone 3GS.

   Bluetooth was easy to configure with my iPhone. Once the two were paired, it automatically retrieved my contacts list for dialing and the phone switched to using the bluetooth audio output device. Unfortunately, the BT audio on the iPhone doesn’t sound very good (“crunchy” is how I would describe it), but I think that its an issue with the phone and not this unit as I’ve seen lots of other complaints around the ‘tubes about it. Its certainly good enough for talk-centered podcasts and audiobooks, however, and I expect Apple will improve the sound quality down the road.

   The really ugly thing about it is the lack of a dedicated pause button on the front panel. It takes at least three clicks with the multi-function wheel to pause, and could require selecting the pause function if it wasn’t the last menu item that was used (which would require looking at the display). This seems dangerous to me. There is a dedicated mute button, but I would strongly prefer if it could be configured to pause instead. Also, the “PGM” button on the remote is apparently set to operate the pause function by default, but who wants to fumble with a remote control while driving?

   I haven’t used the CD player or flash memory features, but according to the manual they work similarly to the iPod control.

   To summarize:
   
   PROS: Great sound quality, BT easy to configure, intuitive iPod integration, can display clock full-time
   
   CONS: “multi-function” wheel can be fiddly, lack of one-press pause on front panel.
2. Tor Slettnes says:

   March 25, 2010 at 1:46 am

   I used this to replace a DEH-P7000BT that I had previously installed in my car, because that one would not work correctly with my new phone, a Nokia N97. Even after a Nokia-specific firmware upgrade from Pioneer, which had solved some issues for my “old” N85, it would not pair with my new one in “Bluetooth Audio” (A2DP/AVRCP) mode, only as a “Bluetooth Telephone” (HSP).

   I went through several car receivers (both buy/return and in store) to get one that actually worked:
   
   * A Sony MEX-BT2700 (works fine, but inferior sound and also inferior handsfree pickup),
   
   * A Clarion CZ509 (complex controls, had to download the user manual on my phone right in the store in order to figure out how to pair it; would only work in “Blueooth Audio” mode and NO SOUND would come through in handsfree mode)
   
   * An Eclipse CD5030 (nice unit, good sound, but same problem as the DEH-P7000BT: No A2DP/AVRCP with my phone)

   I had previously also tried out other solutions, including a Kenwood unit along with the KCA-BT200 Bluetooth adapter. The main issue with these was that there was a delay from when Bluetooth Audio were initiated from the phone until it was heard over the speakers. This may seem like a nitpick, but I also use my phone as my GPS/navigation system – and the result was that instructions like “In 400 yards, turn left” would become “n left”. No dice. The Pioneer unit, at least, did not have this problem.

   At this point, I had resigned to using my original factory stereo along with a cassette adapter to get music through the stereo (turns out that this setup worked OK as well, my phone is mounted close enough to the driver’s seat that its built in microphone picked up my voice better than e.g. the Sony above). But as I came across the DEH-P6100BT in a store, I figured I would try it anyway – despite the issue with the older Pioneer unit.

   Finally we had a winner! Not only does the Pioneer units have excellent sound (good dynamic range/bass/treble, good FM receiver, and very nice handsfree pickup using the supplied microphone mounted in my center ceiling console) – but this unit is also more accessible than the DEH-P7000 with front auxillary and USB inputs as well as an exposed CD slot, rather than a face plate that folds down.

   In short, I am very happy with the DEH-P6100BT so far – though it, too, DOES have a couple of issues:

   * The controls are not very userfriendly. The sole rotating knob is overloaded with functions: it can be turned, pushed in, or pulled up/down/left/right, for different functions. The gestures are not always intuitive: Rotating the knob usually goes to the previous/next menu item, pushing left/right sometimes chooses sub-items (e.g. equalizer low/mid/high), other times confirms; pushing up/down sometimes chooses among different settings (bass up/down, source level adjustment up/down, etc), pushing it in sometimes (but now always) toggles a selection, etc. Plus, because the knob is smaller than the DEH-P7000BT, it is much harder now to perform the right action (especially if your car is moving). If you try to push it straight in, you will invariably push it up/down instead.

   * Although this unit behaves better with the N97 than most of the others, there is still one issue: Each time it connects, it initially gives me only “handsfree” functionality (not stereo audio). I need to manually go into the menus EACH TIME and enable A2DP and AVRCP (quite cumbersome), OR start playback from my phone (in which case A2DP, but not AVRCP is enabled automatically). In other words, getting my steering wheel controls to do what they are supposed to do – control the playback – is usually more hazzle than it’s worth (except for longer trips).

   UPDATE: I have since replaced my N97 (for a lot of other reasons as well) with a Sony Ericsson C905a; the unit performs much better now. When initially pairing the phone with the unit, I *did* have to select “Hansdsfree phone” rather than the default “Other phones” in order to get AVRCP setup correctly – but now it works fine: Play/Stop, Prev/Next, etc do what they should.

   * On the topic of steering wheel controls: As I mentioned in my DEH-P7000BT review, I don’t care much for the Sony/Pioneer standard for remote control signalling. Using a SWI-PS steering wheel interface from Pacific Audio, if I map my “previous/next” buttons on the steering wheel to “previous/next track” on the Pioneer (for CD, USB and Bluetooth modes), then those will become “seek up/seek down” in tuner mode (not preset up/down). Likewise, if I map them to “preset up/down” for the tuner, they would be “previous/next disc” in CD mode, “previous/next folder” in USB mode, and nothing at all in Bluetooth mode.

   All this said and done, this unit still offers the best ratio of features/sound over annoyance/price — especially for “problem phones” such as the N97.
3. R. James says:

   March 25, 2010 at 3:49 am

   I have to agree with most of the comments that have been made regarding the multi-control knobUI, but in my opinion the positives of this HU far outweigh any negatives here. The knob is the gateway to a myriad controls, so it therefore takes a little time to learn all the correct commands (inout, updown, leftright, rotate leftright). So, some measure of technical aptitude will be required to operate this unit. The biggest problem with the multi-control knob (IMHO) is that it’s too small and not very easy to turn. This is made worse if you are driving over a rough surface and getting bounced around even a little. It’s easy to initiate an incorrect command during these times. I also think the knob should be located on the far right side of the unit so as not to cause your hand to block the display while you’re using it. So, what is there to like? Well, for one thing, the sound is very good. It makes my factory speakers (2004 BMW 325i) sound much better. The Bluetooth is very good, as well. I’ve used both portable and factory Bluetooth devices previously, and I can say that the Bluetooth functionality in the DEH-6100BT is as good as factory, and way better than portable. And then there’s the front panel USB. I actually made a mistake in not noticing that the DEH-6100BT is absent a rear USB input – it’s on the front panel. So, I wasn’t able to hide my iPod away like I thought I would. However, as it turns out it’s not a problem. I have found the front USB input to be all I need. I bought an 8GB USB fob for $21 and put a ton of music (1000+ songs) on that thing, and it sounds great! Who needs an iPod!?! Finally, as far as the fussy multi-control knob, I’m going to install a Pac Audio SWI-PS adapter to interface with my steering wheel controls, which will greatly reduce the need to handle the knob (which is usually just to adjust the volume anyway). If you don’t have steering wheel controls, you can take comfort in the fact that the included wireless remote works quite nicely, should you also find the multi-control knob frustrating. In summary, the DEH-6100BT isn’t perfect, but at less than $200 delivered it’s damn good!
4. C. Bellew says:

   March 25, 2010 at 5:59 am

   I’ve had it installed for a couple of weeks now.
   
   This thing makes my factory speakers sound great.
   
   It blutooths to my BB Storm really easily and people tell me my voice is very clear in phone calls.
   
   Just a couple of problems:
   
   Performing basic operations is very difficult on this unit. Changing the station is pretty easy unless you hit the (very slipper) knob wrong. Then you get stuck in a settings mode and have to dig your way out of it. This is only an issue if you’re driving and can’t spend a few minutes just staring at the stereo. I’ve managed to wipe out all my saved stations once so far….
   
   The multi control knob is small and slippery. I’m not a guy with big or clumsy fingers and this thing messes me up half the time. When adjusting the volume I have to grab the thing so tightly that I usually wind up putting myself into some weird settings mode(disconnecting my phone from Bluetooth occasionally). Seems like I can fix this with a little grip tape like we use on baseball bats(redneck it up a little).
   
   Advice to Pioneer; Just put memory presets on the front of the thing and an easier to grip multi control knob and this sucker is the greatest thing since sliced oranges. Those two problems make me rank the unit much lower than I would otherwise — for me it’s a safety issue because this thing requires too much of my attention while driving.
5. PeoplePhobic says:

   March 25, 2010 at 8:18 am

   I use this deck in my 2004 Cavalier and it was installed by Geek Squad. I got this on their recommendation that it was the best for clear sounding phone calls. It is very clear. It has several other features that attracted me like the bluetooth music. The advanced sound retrieval sounds so good that I only use bluetooth music when I forget my cable. I am able to use either the receiver or my iphone/ipod to control the music. Iphone GPS App’s voices come through clear and clean. Phone calls are very audible through my car speakers now and everyone says that I sound nice an clear with little or no echo just like the geek squad guys said. I have not been able to figure out how to get my iPhone 3GS voice control to work through the deck yet. Other than that the deck is great. All i did was swap out my factory stereo for it and my car sounds better than it ever did.