Swapping out Pioneer for Kenwood to test mic & Bluetooth

[Jer]

For those who have been following this saga I'm quite unhappy with my hands free calling via the X920BT's Bluetooth software and mic. I bought a DNX-8120 today and plan to install it and test it with the existing mic in the exact place that it's in right now. This should give us a pretty good idea (more so than testing different phone IMO) as to if it's the mic or the unit itself. If it sounds better than we know it's the Pioneer itself. If it's not any better I will swap out the mic too and see if it gets any better. I'm waiting for a few parts before I can install so it may be a bit I wanted to give a heads up. In the meantime I want to do the latest software updates to the Pioneer and test it again as they supposedly address some issues that Pioneer knows about concerning the BT specifically. Others have reported little to no increase in performance so I'm not expecting it to help but at least this way I can test it out and we can know once and for all how the compare.

 

One other thing the my install manager buddy and I were discussing is the roll that mobile carriers play in the whole thing. I have had NUMEROUS BT units in the past and never had a problem but I also was using T-Mobile and various phones over the years. I'm not using a Droid on Verizon and he said that they have had some issues specifically with Verizon. I don't know how much weight I put in this yet because I don't see how CDMA v GSM would be a difference in the data handles via BT but I don't know. All I know is this exact Droid works flawlessly in a few other hands free navigation units I currently own and several I've had since Nov when I got the phone. I haven't had a problem until this X920BT and thought something was defective with this specific unit but then I read online that others with the X920BT were reporting some similar issues. Leads me to believe Pioneer dropped the ball on their software side of production.

 

I'll have more to report before long. Stay tuned...

[cpkdude]

if you have the Kenwood mic, try it with the Pioneer before you swap out the X920. CDMA or GSM - which one is more prevalent around the world?

[Jer]

if you have the Kenwood mic, try it with the Pioneer before you swap out the X920.

 

Because of mic location it's going to be easier to swap out the deck than remove and run another mic. Even if the mic makes the BT portion of the Pioneer function I still don't like the navigation so I still wouldn't keep the Pioneer so there's not reason for me to do this. I'm going with the Kenwood either way so I'm just going to try to replace the deck and see if it works fine (which I suspect) and if it does it will save me from removing and running the mic again. Really I'm just trying to create the least amount of work possible but I plan to test and report my findings for anyone else who's interested.

 

CDMA or GSM - which one is more prevalent around the world?

 

The answer to your question is GSM but I'm not sure what that has to do with this.

[cpkdude]

If Pioneer sells this unit around the world, then maybe it performs better with GSM phones, aka, maybe that's where they spent more R&D - I too have T-Mobile GSM.

Sounds like you really dislike the unit.

For those of us who were leaning towards the Pioneer, the mic test would have been good, but I can see where you're at if you really have a hate-on for it.

[Jer]

If Pioneer sells this unit around the world, then maybe it performs better with GSM phones, aka, maybe that's where they spent more R&D - I too have T-Mobile GSM.

Sounds like you really dislike the unit.

For those of us who were leaning towards the Pioneer, the mic test would have been good, but I can see where you're at if you really have a hate-on for it.

 

Honestly, I don't have hate for Pioneer... at least I didn't before this particular unit. I just think this unit is a failure on Pioneer's part & I got a cheap price. I really feel for those who paid full price for this unit. If it weren't for the navigation & the Bluetooth I could probably live with it but either one of those is a deal breaker for me let alone both.

[cpkdude]

If Pioneer sells this unit around the world, then maybe it performs better with GSM phones, aka, maybe that's where they spent more R&D - I too have T-Mobile GSM.

Sounds like you really dislike the unit.

For those of us who were leaning towards the Pioneer, the mic test would have been good, but I can see where you're at if you really have a hate-on for it.

 

Honestly, I don't have hate for Pioneer... at least I didn't before this particular unit. I just think this unit is a failure on Pioneer's part & I got a cheap price. I really feel for those who paid full price for this unit. If it weren't for the navigation & the Bluetooth I could probably live with it but either one of those is a deal breaker for me let alone both.

 

not to mention MSN Direct. I am leaning towards one of these, primarily due to iPod and price, but I'm concerned that it's made solely for iPhone owners, which I will likely never be.

[Jer]

If Pioneer sells this unit around the world, then maybe it performs better with GSM phones, aka, maybe that's where they spent more R&D - I too have T-Mobile GSM.

Sounds like you really dislike the unit.

For those of us who were leaning towards the Pioneer, the mic test would have been good, but I can see where you're at if you really have a hate-on for it.

 

Honestly, I don't have hate for Pioneer... at least I didn't before this particular unit. I just think this unit is a failure on Pioneer's part & I got a cheap price. I really feel for those who paid full price for this unit. If it weren't for the navigation & the Bluetooth I could probably live with it but either one of those is a deal breaker for me let alone both.

 

not to mention MSN Direct. I am leaning towards one of these, primarily due to iPod and price, but I'm concerned that it's made solely for iPhone owners, which I will likely never be.

 

But that's just it, I don't care about MSN Direct or iPhone functionality.

[cpkdude]

be sure to let us know how the final tests worked out

[Jer]

Update: I ordered one of the update MicroSD cards from Pioneer. It arrived and when I inserted it it would automatically launch the update. So far, so good. Then, at the 39/100 process it would error out, reboot and start again. Never ending cycle. I ordered another card and when it arrived I put the card in and it was the same result. I then downloaded the update, deleted the files from one of the cards they sent and loaded the downloaded files onto a card and started again. Worked the first time out w/o any issues. Pretty sad when Pioneer can't even send out a proper working MicroSD card with an update for their own system especially when given two chances.

 

Moving on....

 

After I successfully completed the update I was anxious to see if the BT update helped the phone calls. I placed a phone call to the few people I had attempted to call previously so they could compare the new update. To recap, when I first installed the deck with the mic painstakingly mounted in the stock location in a 2007 Audi A4 (quiet car) it was unusable. All of the people I called said that they couldn't even understand and hung up before I could complete the conversation. Trying to make it work I moved the mic to an open spot just above the rear view mirror completely unobstructed by anything and pointed directly at my face with distance about 1.5' total. At this point the people could understand a few words somewhat but anytime I tried to put together a complete sentence it would become inaudible after just a few words. Once again, I was left with not being able to use my handsfree because the few people I tested it on all said that, while slightly better, it was still awful. Now, with the update I placed calls to the same people and they all said it was slightly better but still not as good as past hands free kits I've had which have had the mics more hidden in factory locations. I have a feeling if I moved this mic back to the factory location it would be terrible again. As it sits it's somewhat usable but far from good. The update clearly made a difference but it's still a looong ways to go to compare to other units on the market. I'm still pretty certain that a simple switch to the Kenwood unit that I bought (DNX-8120) will make the mic function flawlessly regardless of if I move it back to the stock location or leave it exposed. Unfortunately I'm still waiting on some harness parts to install the Kenwood so I can't give a full report but wanted to update my findings on the firmware update for those interested. If you are using a Pioneer deck and having issues make sure you update to the for the new firmware update (2.003) as it seems to help the call quality... slightly. I don't imagine it will help everyone but in my case it did make a slight difference for the positive... just not enough.

[cpkdude]

sounds like an epic fail for Pioneer

[Jer]

sounds like an epic fail for Pioneer

 

That's kind of the conclusion I'm drawing. Some here would argue that it's perfect in just about every way however.

[VBLUE42]

For some people it is. That whole BT thing isn't consistent across all owners for some strange reason. When I had my 110 I had great BT clarity.

[Jer]

For some people it is. That whole BT thing isn't consistent across all owners for some strange reason. When I had my 110 I had great BT clarity.

 

Seems pretty consistent among X920BT.

[VBLUE42]

Which is strange still. The 110/120/920 essentially have the same software. Have you tried using one of the other mic alternatives people have had success with?

[Jer]

Which is strange still. The 110/120/920 essentially have the same software. Have you tried using one of the other mic alternatives people have had success with?

 

No & I have no plans to either. If it can't operate properly with the equipment supplied by the manufacturer then it's defective far as I'm concerned. To prove the point I plan to install the Kenwood using the existing Pioneer mic and I'm sure it will function properly.