rockthebeef

I totally agree. It looks like I'm preaching to the choir here, but dynamics are what music is all about! Compressed recordings of today sound awful, especially when you A/B them with a good recording. Unfortunately, most people think "louder is better". Sure, louder gets noticed more easily, which probably equates to more sales, but the overcompressed sound is downright fatiguing to me. This stuff should be regulated (isn't that happnening now?).

Got it. You do sound reinforcement for large live situations. I was imagining something along the lines of theater/auditorium/lecture hall type of stuff where things can be a little more predictable.

I can't offer much for your specific needs, but I do know about this product. It might be what you are looking for... http://maestro.idatalink.com/

The fact that Pioneer says the AR4 has different screen construction than the AR2/3 lead me to believe that they have improved the screen and maybe even know about the failures we've been experiencing. I'm probably going to give it one more shot with the AR4 since the Alpine unit is kind of an unknown quantity at this time.

Thinking out loud here... Lots of glass in that Vette. Perhaps the Pioneer is picking up reflections, leading it to think that your speakers are farther away than they are? It may have to set up the speakers as if they were 100" away in order to get everything as in phase as possible. More importantly, how does the processed sound compared to unprocessed? I'm sure that your commercial sound applications take place in well-controlled environments compared to a car. Would covering your windows with absorptive material during the TA procedure help at all, or is "tricking" the Pioneer a useless ex

No, unless I'm not understanding your question. The RCA preamp outputs put out a signal that is before the amp, or "pre-amp". If you use these outputs, you will not be taking advantage of the built-in amplifier.

My trial ended. I find it difficult to pay $9.99 for what used to be free. While I still had the trial I noticed that skip no longer worked either. I didn't even try switching genres. In the end I deleted the app rather than pay for car mode.

I contacted Pioneer over my concern of whether or not the AppRadio 4 will exhibit the same screen issue as several AppRadio 2 users have demonstrated. I mentioned all the recent capacitive touch screens (AppRadio 2, 3, 4 and NEX8000). Their reply was, "Thank you for your inquiry and feedback on the SPH-DA100. The construction of the screens for the newer models are different that [sic] that of the prior AppRadio models. Including the AVIC8000NEX." What do you gather from this? It sounds like the AR4 is definitely constructed differently, but the way the response is worded is confusi

I'm in the U.S. but I think the same applies. I think you have it right. Aupeo's "CarMode" is now $9.99, when it used to be built-in for free. It is what allows you to control the App from your head unit. I went to settings > account management > upgrade or change service and checked the CarMode Trial for $0.00. I don't know when the trial ends, but when it does I probably won't pay the fee since I may go to CarPlay soon and Aupeo isn't even supported on CarPlay (yet?).

Thanks JJJones. That is exactly the sequence that the AR2 requires (parking brake on-off-on). it looks like if I want to swap out my AR2 for an AR4 then it will plug & play. That's a reason to stick with Pioneer over Alpine. I have to figure out this rear monitor thing because I want to be able to play a video for the back seat passenger(s). Alpine might not even allow that (need to check).

Mine is spreading fairly quickly! Do any of you know if this only happens with the capacitive touch screens? I'm looking at either the 8000NEX, 4000NEX (resistive touchscreen), AppRadio 4, or Alpine iLX-007 for a replacement. I might stay away from Pioneer if it's a common issue and take a chance with the Alpine. But I like the fact that my car is basically prewired for an AR4 since I already have an AR2 installed... Sooner or later my screen will be too ugly to use.

Do you know if the old relay+TR7 bypass will also work on the AppRadio 4? I assume the microbypass does the same thing, only smaller? I have an AppRadio 2 with the relay/TR7 and if I can swap out for an AppRadio 4 without rewiring anything (including my steering wheel control), that is an incentive to stick with Pioneer over the new Alpine unit. Also, can videos be fed to an external monitor (back seat) while driving without a bypass at all? Curious if you know the answer to that. Thanks.

I was going to post a picture but I guess I don't have to because that's exactly what mine looks like, only less severe. I only have two of the "dots" and my "bars" are probably 40% of what you've got. Also two years old. Also SoCal. I'm OK for now because I have to look at a specific angle to really see it and I don't notice it while driving. But I know this radio's days are numbered. For now I'm waiting for price drops on Appradio 4 or Alpine iLX-007. I anticipate better prices around the Holidays.

Nice comparison. I agree that the Alpine is priced too high. After reading the few articles on this new unit, it seems that they justify the cost by having a larger screen than the $600 AR4, and also having a 7" capacitive display, like the $1400 8000NEX. I suppose that makes sense with an MSRP of $800, but really it should cost the same as the AR4 in my opinion. A $499 street price would make it really attractive. I do like the fact that you can use a 45w watt/channel power pack that simply plugs and plays with the Alpine head unit. That is a super convenient option that only costs a

Of course you'll be able to see a 6.2" screen during real-world usage. I'm thinking more of the overall aesthetic of the car's interior. Smallish in-dash screens look silly to me when the overall space can easily fit 7" (or more if double-DIN wasn't the limiting factor). Portable units notwithstanding - they will always look out of place, regardless of size.

Here's another image of the ILX-007 I found buried in the depths of the internets.

This is the difference. It's pretty significant in my opinion.

vietnight, did you initiate the video from the phone or from the head unit? Very curious how this all works. Thanks.

I know this sounds stupid at first but please hear me out. This is NOT about being able to drive while watching videos. I'm trying to understand the technical aspects of CarPlay. How does it handle video podcasts from the Podcasts app? Will they play (when parked). Are they not shown at all? Will it allow you to play back the audio only of a video podcast? Thanks.

And they messed up up by using a 6.2" screen on the AR4. That was a bad move in my opinion. To set them apart, they should have looked into cramming something larger than 7" if possible, maybe by using a bezel-free screen, but that may be too costly so I would have been happy with a 7". Luckily the Alpine will be 7", but it will also not have bluetooth, so you must have an iPhone with lightning and iOS8 to work. That could be trouble for multiple drivers with different phone models.

Yup, that's one of the images floating around the internet. This is supposed to come out by late this month...

Great competition for the AppRadio 4 - It looks like the Alpine ILX-007 will be $599.99 at Crutchfield. A Google search shows a Crutchfield link, but the link is broken. Luckily there is enough info to tease us. From what I've gathered, this unit will only be 3" deep, conveniently leaving enough space behind the HU for one of Alpine's little outboard amplifiers. That is also exciting. Here's a pic of the Google search results.

I noticed one mark just like that on my AR2 screen a couple of days ago. If you look closely you can also see a grid-like pattern developing in the screen. You'd have to look at it at a certain angle though. I have no reason to believe that Pioneer can do anything. Isn't the warranty something like 90 days? This radio is just over two years old and it's disappointing that the screen is starting to fail. Mine still works OK and you can only see the blemishes in certain light. I think it should live long enough for me to find a replacement. Just waiting for Alpine's new CarPlay HU and then

meall, I appreciate your concern and I actually AGREE with what you said. You completely misunderstood my questions so please, get off your high horse. To clarify, I just want to know if Carplay can TECHNICALLY play videos. I frequently watch video podcasts because I'm an intellectual who likes to learn about things. If Carplay can't even play videos at all (like when parked), then I'm not likely to want it. The question about if a bypass is needed/desired is hypothetical. Bypasses are openly discussed here. I just want to understand how Carplay works a little better. Curiousity is OK, is

I have a couple questions that hopefully you can help with. Thanks. Since Carplay is inherently made for using while driving, is the feature set identical whether you're parked or driving? Does anything get blocked out? Can you get any video playback, such as a video podcast while using Carplay? If not, does that change if you have the car parked? Is there any need/desire to have a bypass if all you want to use is Carplay?