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What is a good alternative to Pioneer?


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Pioneer dropped the ball on CarPlay, but for me, i did not buy my NEX for it. I wanted a quality head unit that would play video, music and had navi capability and iPhone compatibility. I got all this and more. Siriusxm, multiple inputs including, USB, HDMI, A/V Input via RCA, aux input via 3.5, rear view camera via dedicated RCA input, sdcard, and of course CD/DVD slot. My setup has Navi, Siriusxm, 480gb ssd with 200+ ripped dvds, 20000 songs in mp3, 1500 songs in FLAC, Digital TV Tuner, iphone6 on USB1for Pandora and AHA, rear view camera, Mac Mini computer on HDMI, along with AppRadio on HDMI via HDMI splitter. Now if i can just get that kitchen sink in there!

I installed all this myself in a 2007 Silverado and the only thing you see is usb to lightning cable to usb1 input mounted in dash where cigarette lighter used to be. Too many pros for the Pioneer that outweigh the con of waiting for CarPlay and updated Appradio app for ios8. But that is just my opinion.

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Since CarPlay is probably going to be vaporware for quite a while, what other brand would be a good choice? I would like Sirius/XM, nav, iPhone 6 compatibility and above all, easy for my wife to use.

Right now? Wait. Just honestly take the advice that all of us on this forum probably should have taken months ago. Just wait.

 

1. Alpine and Pioneer are not the only two brands that make aftermarket car audio products. Sony, kenwood, clarion, dual, and more also make aftermarket head units and CES 2015 is now right around the corner. Every one of those car audio makers currently makes a radio that supports Siri eyes free. There is a chance of expanded Carplay aftermarket partners in the future.

 

2. There are radios like the Sony XSP-N1BT that don't have a screen at all but instead make it super easy for your phone to control everything. This radio is timeless because the head unit is your phone. Any phone has a far better touch interface system, faster processor, and more advanced os than any car radio. Don't expect the Sony head unit to be the last in this category.

 

3. Alpine still has not officially announced their Carplay solution. Fact of the matter is that if you're hell bent on Carplay like I am, your non pioneer aftermarket solution is only guaranteed to come from alpine right now, and alpine is taking every page from pioneer's book and using it as a "what not to do". They have said nothing, and we will hear nothing until it is ready.

 

We have all waited long enough for Carplay. Don't go rushing into the first radio without a pioneer logo you see. Patience is a virtue.

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I'm honestly just thinking about getting the Sony Headunit. The whole point of carplay, or appradio mode was letting me control my phone in my car. Well screw the middle man, let my phone be my radio!

 

Let the iPhone do the stuff the iPhone does well. The user interface and the apps, from music streaming and car diagnostics to the plethora of mapping applications. 

 

Let Sony do what Sony does best. Radio can switch between FM, iPod, and CD player. It has a nice equalizer, and has 6 channel(3 RCA Pairs) output for sub and front and rear speaker control. Good enough for me.

 

That is a radio that won't ever be plagued by Carplay 2.0 not being compatible with the radio, or Pioneer forgetting to update the Head unit to be compatible with iOS 9. It will just work because it's stupid simple. And hey, if i want a bigger display, I just buy a bigger phone. Done. 

 

Yep, that's my choice. 

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For me it would be Kenwood. They are not doing Carplay but the audio quality is great, Garmin for Nav and great online features.

 

Everything the NEX should be doing.

 

And it is sloooow. I ditched them because of how much time they added every time I needed to use the navigation before I left anywhere, or wanted to pick music before driving off. With the Pioneer, I could at least use Siri while driving out of the parking lot to pick music without interacting with the touch screen. 

 

Honestly, I think I'm going to start my in dash iPad mini project, that's the best alternative

 

I almost went this route myself, and it is a good idea. I didn't do it primarily because I don't like trying to use an iPad at arm's reach in a car. The UI isn't really built for it.

 

I still miss my XAV-701HD at times though. At least as fast as the Pioneer to boot, more stable, and did have optional navigation. The catch there with the 701/712 is that TomTom is not nearly as good in the map department as Navteq, and I couldn't find an option to avoid u-turns. I pretty much lost my **** at the thing when it told me to keep making u-turns in crowded rush hour traffic when I made a wrong turn (my own fault) due to construction in the area.

 

But if navigation isn't a priority at all, I still recommend the 701/712 units if you want a double-din. 

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