rockthebeef Posted December 1, 2014 Report Share Posted December 1, 2014 After all the debating with myself on whether to get an AR4 or the Alpine unit, I decided to stick with Pioneer. I Installed it yesterday. Swapping over from an AR2 made it a very easy swap since I used all my old cables and wiring. The 6.2" screen is totally fine and it looks quite good installed in my car. CarPlay is fantastic and Siri works with my "push to talk" steering wheel button (Axxess ASWC) - I didn't even have to program it. I'm glad I went with the AR4 since it will stream bluetooth if I don't feel like plugging in my phone for a short drive. Even without the phone, the AR4 is a very capable multimedia center. The Alpine is just as dumb as the AR2 in that regard. One note: I made a video bypass with a TR7 and a relay for my AR2, but it isn't working with the AR4. The AR4 does "see" that the parking brake is grounded, but I don't think it ever sees the double pulse to perform the bypass. I think it takes a little longer for the AR4 to boot up and I have the TR7 programmed to start after 3 seconds. I could go back in there and reprogram it, but I'm going to go ahead and install a microbypass to clean up the mess inside my dashboard a little bit. In all reality, I could probably be OK without a bypass since CarPlay functions so well as-is. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
meall Posted December 1, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2014 I also think that an upgrade to AR4 is a more logical thing to do than switch to Alpine. I may be wrong, but from what I read the AR4 is more capable than the Alpine for less money. The BT play is something that I think the Alpine can't do. And upgrade from AR2 is a snap. Still looking for a deal... With my AR2 I bought an extended warranty with exchange if it breaks. If it could just stop working that would be a great way to upgrade for free... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rockthebeef Posted December 1, 2014 Report Share Posted December 1, 2014 I was looking for a great deal also. I saw a price of $454 at one point, but that particular vendor has been dicking around with prices almost every day! They're currently selling for $499, but it went above $500 at one point also. I bought my AR2 when they came out at about 25% off retail so I was shooting for a similar deal with the AR4 ($450). After monitoring prices for weeks they seemed to have stabilized. There were no significant Black Friday sales. I don't think they'll go much lower until AR5 is on the horizon. I ended up paying $465 shipped and without tax. I could've paid less, but the sales tax would've put me over the top. I didn't want to wait around for an additional $15 in savings when I could be enjoying it sooner rather than later. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
meall Posted December 1, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2014 Where did you buy it? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rockthebeef Posted December 2, 2014 Report Share Posted December 2, 2014 eBay from the same retailer that sells it on Amazon for more money. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JJJones Posted December 2, 2014 Report Share Posted December 2, 2014 I have the Appradio 4. Great unit. My only problem is that ive owned iphones all my life. I hate Apple, really hate Apple. Only stuck with iphones because i didnt like how most Android phones were so big. Anyway, currently own the iphone 5. CarPlay works great with the AR4. My problem is that i feel like now im stuck with an iphone because the AR4 is more suitable for IOS devices than Android because of the CarPlay. This is the only thing stopping me from buying a new Android phone now. And with Android Auto being released in the not so far future... i kind of regret my purchase now. I can only hope that the AR4 will also be firmware updatable to include Android Auto but thats highly unlikely. Anyway, AR4 is great for what it does. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
meall Posted December 4, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 4, 2014 eBay from the same retailer that sells it on Amazon for more money. Looking at eBay and they are available at the same price as the retail price if not more. You were lucky maybe... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rockthebeef Posted December 4, 2014 Report Share Posted December 4, 2014 Looking at eBay and they are available at the same price as the retail price if not more. You were lucky maybe... It looks like the seller I bought from has sold out and the cheapest one now is $499 (still $100 off retail) . I know they had several units. There was also a California shop that had them for $459 with free shipping. I didn't use them to avoid sales tax. Just keep your eyes peeled on Amazon and eBay every day and something will pop up. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
meall Posted December 5, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 5, 2014 It looks like the seller I bought from has sold out and the cheapest one now is $499 (still $100 off retail) . I know they had several units. There was also a California shop that had them for $459 with free shipping. I didn't use them to avoid sales tax. Just keep your eyes peeled on Amazon and eBay every day and something will pop up. The fait is that as a canadian, when i account the exchange rate and shipping it end up at almost the same price except that I may save a tax or 2, which I'm not even sure of. Basically not worth it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mdelvecchio Posted December 12, 2014 Report Share Posted December 12, 2014 I also think that an upgrade to AR4 is a more logical thing to do than switch to Alpine. I may be wrong, but from what I read the AR4 is more capable than the Alpine for less money. while that may be true, how many times do you want to get burned by Pioneer? im tired of their shitty implementations and crummy UI decisions. getting rid of physical buttons is a bummer, too. when i take out my AR3 i think i may go the Alpine route. tho i do agree -- for a carplay-only device the alpine 007 is too expensive for not even doing bluetooth. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
meall Posted December 12, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 12, 2014 while that may be true, how many times do you want to get burned by Pioneer? im tired of their shitty implementations and crummy UI decisions. getting rid of physical buttons is a bummer, too. when i take out my AR3 i think i may go the Alpine route. tho i do agree -- for a carplay-only device the alpine 007 is too expensive for not even doing bluetooth. You can also get burned by Alpine. Really for $200 more than an AP4, you get a Radio that does nothing if you do not connect an iPhone to it. I'm not even sure there is a hand free function via Bluetooth if you do not connect the iPhone. If it was $350-400 for the Alpine I would say your point would be acceptable. But I'm not going to pay more for less... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rockthebeef Posted December 13, 2014 Report Share Posted December 13, 2014 What is Alpine's history with firmware updates, etc? Any better than Pioneer? I'm totally happy with my AR4 and all that it can do. I just discovered something. I was listening to a podcast via CarPlay earlier. When I got back to my car it was a short drive home so I didn't plug my phone in. I toggled the mode button on my steering wheel for Bluetooth and the podcast resumed. Can't do that with the Alpine! HOWEVER, the AR4 has many different ways to do the same thing. The user interface can be a little confusing. That's the beauty of the Alpine unit - its simplicity. That is the head unit I'd put in my wife's car. She wouldn't want to fiddle around with different modes, etc. she just wants music, podcasts, text, and phone (in that order). Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mdelvecchio Posted December 16, 2014 Report Share Posted December 16, 2014 You can also get burned by Alpine. Really for $200 more than an AP4, you get a Radio that does nothing if you do not connect an iPhone to it. I'm not even sure there is a hand free function via Bluetooth if you do not connect the iPhone. If it was $350-400 for the Alpine I would say your point would be acceptable. But I'm not going to pay more for less... not seeing the $200-more; actual pricing is the same: http://www.crutchfield.com/S-46IfxYuqkIE/p_130SPDA120/Pioneer-SPH-DA120-AppRadio-4.html http://www.crutchfield.com/S-FS4WidwQdqH/p_500ILX007/Alpine-iLX-007.html ...same price, and the alpine has a bigger screen and physical buttons. from the reviews ive seen it has an edge in screen responsiveness and sound. seems a trade-off for losing stand-alone bluetooth. w/o an iphone the alpine is still a terrestrial radio, which i listen to quite a bit (we have good radio here). true, i dont have experience w/ alpine, but Pioneer as a company has really gone out of its way to alienate me as a customer -- forcing upgrades w/ every iteration of the AppRadio line due to one reason or another, yet same sluggish responsiveness, weirder & weirder UI "design" and whacky apps... latest bug -- my AR3's display image is shrinking. i think im burned out on them. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mdelvecchio Posted December 16, 2014 Report Share Posted December 16, 2014 She wouldn't want to fiddle around with different modes, etc. she just wants music, podcasts, text, and phone (in that order). hey im an enterprise software developer so im used to complication, but when im driving i dont want to fiddle around with that crap either...simple is good. lack of bluetooth is mildly annoying, but since i always plug in when i want to use nav in order to charge, im doubting this will be much of an issue. since my AR1 i installed a permanent phone dock (ProClip USA), so i usually dock as a matter of course. yeah, maybe ill try the alpine this iteration and report back. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rockthebeef Posted December 16, 2014 Report Share Posted December 16, 2014 hey im an enterprise software developer so im used to complication, but when im driving i dont want to fiddle around with that crap either...simple is good. lack of bluetooth is mildly annoying, but since i always plug in when i want to use nav in order to charge, im doubting this will be much of an issue. since my AR1 i installed a permanent phone dock (ProClip USA), so i usually dock as a matter of course. yeah, maybe ill try the alpine this iteration and report back. I also use a ProClip mount with lightning connector attached. It makes docking the phone very easy. I'm already more satisfied with the AR4/CarPlay than I ever was with my AR2 and AppRadio mode. CarPlay has some bugs, but I feel better that Apple is responsible for those fixes rather than Pioneer. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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