Hands Free Bluetooth poor sound quality

[Tar Heel Fan]

First of all, I'd like to thank everyone for recounting their experiences in this forum. It has been very useful. I installed a Z110BT in my 2010 Tacoma w/JBL a few weeks ago. The system performed flawless, except that everyone I spoke to over bluetooth told me I sounded as if I were caught in a snowstorm. The factory JBL bluetooth was always crystal clear.

 

So, this is not news to all of you. I wrote Pioneer support. They asked me to replace the microphone. I did, with no change in sound quality. I wrote back and they have asked me to send the entire unit back to the service center.

 

The question I pose to the group is: Has anyone ever sent their Z in for repair and had it returned with the bluetooth issue resolved? From what I have been reading, this appears to be a design problem. If it is, then checking to see if the mic connector is soldered correctly (their explanation via e-mail) , will not fix this problem. Also, I don't want to be riding around with a hole in my dash for the next six weeks, or however long it takes them to return the unit.

 

At this point I am ready to give up and simple buy a Blueant S4 and leave it at that, because the Z110 bluetooth is simply unusable. However, I thought I would give it one last chance and ask if anyone has had luck with a factory repair for this issue before I throw in the towel.

 

Thanks,

Chris

[robthebuilderer]

Crutchfield sent me a new mic and when I called them back they told me the noise I was hearing was normal for BT hands free receivers. I got the same response as you from Pioneer...I'm with you when it comes to having a 'hole' in the dash for 2 months. I would be interested to hear if anyone has gone this route.

 

In the meantime I am also considering the BlueAnt option but have questions...

 

1. differences between S3 and S4?

2. what about making a call (outgoing), won't the receiver automatically pick it up...I can't wrap my head around how you'd toggle that?

3. incoming calls I kinda get, I would just have to manually mute the unit when I pick the call up with the BA?

 

Keep us posted with your progress, especially if you send it in to Pioneer!

 

Thanks.

[vkolli]

Is there a way to force a recall of these units? Pioneer feigns ignorance on this issue. We have to find a way for Pioneer to acknowledge this problem. This got to be a design issue as the newer units also seem to be having this problem. They keep sending the replacement microphones as a solution even though that is not doing anything to fix the issue. I am so mad for having sunk over $1500 on this unit and installation.

[Tar Heel Fan]

Rob,

 

Let me answer your questions and then I will give you an update on my progress.

 

1. S3 vs. S4 See http://www.marketnews.ca/Hands-onReviews/Hands-onReview:BlueAntSupertooth3vs.BlueAntS4.html , but, in short, the S4 is true hands free device that accepts a bunch of voice commands.

 

2. and 3. I have been unable to pair the phone with the Pioneer and the S4 at the same time, so these questions are irrelevant.

 

So, before I yanked the head unit out of my truck and sent it off to Long Beach, I called my friend who has two PhDs (one in Physics and one in Electrical Engineering) and builds lasers for a living. I thought a car stereo would be a tinker toy for him.

 

Here is what he came up with:

 

1) The noise the callers are hearing is not "wind noise" or "echo". It is from an electrical field. It is technically not interference since the source of the noise is most likely the unit itself. Since the VR commands run through the same voice circuit, the same poor quality is "heard" by the unit.

 

2) In his opinion, it is absolutely a design flaw. The fact that poor call quality exists when the vehicle stationary and the engine is not running rules out all potential external interference. The big question is, why would Pioneer release a unit like this?

 

3) Well, he told me these things happen more often than consumers realize. The engineers receive a directive from corporate that they cut the unit cost by a certain amount (e.g., 11 dollars). The engineers start pulling off capacitors and other components and test the unit to see what degrades. QC can't test every condition, and a "faulty" unit goes into production.

 

At the end of the day, even if I sent the unit for "repair" and they replicated the problem, if they don't have a known fix, it could take a very long time (or never) to fix the unit.

 

Based upon his advice, I bought an S4 which works flawlessly. It really is a hands free device and I can simply say "Answer" when it announces a call and it picks up. Callers immediately noticed the sound quality difference and commented on the improvement in quality without solicitation on my part. So, for now, the Pioneer Bluetooth is disabled. It is a shame that I cannot stream music (Pandora) from my phone, but that may be solved by getting an iPhone in January.

 

I think the least Pioneer can do is reimburse us for the Bluetooth speakerphones that we have to buy to repair their faulty design.

 

Thanks to all who have posted on this topic. And, Rob, I hope I answered your questions.

 

Chris

[Rhonda]

I just installed the X920BT in my 2001 Subaru Forester and I love everything except the quality of the Bluetooth Speakerphone.

 

I am cheap when it comes to my cell phone which is a Tracfone LG600g. I did verify the Bluetooth audio is crystal clear when paired with my plantronics headset so I think I can rule out the cell phone as the device with poor quality.

 

The incoming voice sounds muffled with a lot of base as do I to them. Like a bad head cold!

 

The call volume was all the way up before I paired this with the AVIC which was mentioned in this thread but the phones I have used, do not have the ability to adjust the volume of the Bluetooth signal level.

 

Now I have tried the Mic in the upper left windshield position but the best all around performance has been on the center console just above the rear view mirror. I know some of you swear the windshield position is the only place for this Mic but the visor gets in the way.

 

I do have Version 2.03 firmware installed on my unit but it does nothing to enhance the bluetooth quality.

 

I believe the only option we have, if we keep the units, is to hope Pioneer will address this problem and do something about it!

[robthebuilderer]

Chris,

 

Right on and thanks.

 

For now I enjoy streaming music (source: BT Audio from my BB) more than I make phone calls, so I will continue to push calls into voice mail and call back when I'm not connected.

 

HOPEFULLY Pioneer will grow some and be accountable for this blatant defect and issue some kind of recall on the unit(s).

 

 

 

Is this class actionable yet?

[dianebrat]

 

HOPEFULLY Pioneer will grow some and be accountable for this blatant defect and issue some kind of recall on the unit(s).

 

Is this class actionable yet?

Only one group ever gets any benefit from a class action suit, and that's the lawyers, besides, no one has come to any harm from these units, they're just badly designed.

[RonS]

It's not much consolation for us, but I've noticed in various high end car forums (BMW, Porsche) that people looking to upgrade factory units are turning away from Pioneer due to the bad street talk about their BT. Most, although initially favoring the Z1x0-BT series, have turned to Kenwood.

 

I hope Pioneer is listening. You can only dazzle people with bling (the new whiz-bang iPod interface) for so long.

"Can't hear on the phone? never mind - just watch the shiney Sphere spin. Kool huh." It's not working. People have figured it out!!!

[06JettaTDI]

06 TDI VW Jetta..... everyone complains I am in a wind tunnel when my blue tooth is hooked up.... Mic is located up by front dome lights/sunroof switch..... 3rd mic and went from a d to the z120bt.... nothing has worked.... any ideas?

[Skammer]

Just found this forum once I had my 920 installed. BT calls suck, and it appears to have no solution. Great. What a waste.

[TxFire]

All you had to do is read.... I know I've mentioned it several times in this thread alone....

1)mic placement is crucial.... some people are just hard-headed and want to put it in their car's factory spot or any other spot they "think" is good

2)before you ever pair anything up,<--again, people are hardheaded, and quickly jump to get things connected,

turn the BT volume all the way up on your phone(some phones call it handsfree or headset volume)... turn the BT volume all the way up on the Avic.... and only once you've done this, should you try to pair your phones.... the volume when connected(on a call) is entirely different than the volume in the BT settings menu...<--nobody gets this...

 

 

If you have an IPhone.... the ONLY way to turn the BT volume up, is to be connected(on a call) and then use the volume rockers on the IPhone to turn it's BT volume all the way up.... If you pair it to the Avic prior to doing this... then you will need to make a call, and during the call, turn the BT volume up.... then you will have to do a full reset of the Avic... then pair the phone again...

 

I understand the bluetooth on the phone volume, but are you saying to turn the "phone volume" up under the volume tab on the Avic? I have an Avic x920.

[MPTonyT]

I had this issue and here is what i did to fix it. It sounds 100% better and im not as "loud" on the other end as people were complaining that it sounded like i was yelling at them.

 

I placed a ring of electrical tape around the vents on the side... (one loop worth)

I placed a square of electrical tape over the face of the mic. (just big enough to cover the face of the mic)

I places a Windscreen from radio shack over the tape that i applied on the face of the mic.

 

I suggest people to try this. I drive a diesel truck and i thought my biggest hurdle would be engine noise. My cabin also has about 100 ft^2 of sound deadener in it.

[castellscl]

I had this issue and here is what i did to fix it. It sounds 100% better and im not as "loud" on the other end as people were complaining that it sounded like i was yelling at them.

 

I placed a ring of electrical tape around the vents on the side... (one loop worth)

I placed a square of electrical tape over the face of the mic. (just big enough to cover the face of the mic)

I places a Windscreen from radio shack over the tape that i applied on the face of the mic.

 

I suggest people to try this. I drive a diesel truck and i thought my biggest hurdle would be engine noise. My cabin also has about 100 ft^3 of sound deadener in it.

 

 

Could you post a picture of this?

[z110BT_in_a_Honda]

For those wondering about returning the unit to Pioneer - I tried that to no avail.

 

Although this seems to work fine for some people I have the muffled sound problem which also means lousy voice recognition. I have tried everything in this and other forum entries, phones, microphones, location, 'OK' button, bits of tape etc. The only test I have not been able to do is try the unit in a different vehicle (it's in a 2005 Honda Pilot). I get much better call quality if I just use the speakerphone built in to the phone.

 

I sent it back to Pioneer and they returned it about two weeks later with a note to say that the Navi Unit was replaced.

 

I had no change in the problem at all. I've given up now.

[Ikyo]

Both my fiancee and I have the same problem. It is pretty sad that her previous Kenwood didn't have any of those issues, but it had others. I guess it all comes down to what can you live with and what can't you. I am wondering if this has something to do to the noise floor on the bluetooth. For those that don't understand what I mean, connect an iPod and pause a song. Once it is paused, turn the volume up until you can hear static. This is the point at which the noise floor has been reached. I will do some playing and see if I can get any changes.