Does the F90BT only have FR/FL, RR/RL, and Sub audio outputs on it (ie 4.1 audio)? From looking at the online manual, that appears to be the case, but would just like confirmation from those of you that have it. Are there other headunits with similiar features to this one that have 5.1 audio? Is it a big deal to not have the center channel speaker hooked up? I will be adding 2 amps to drive the speakers and need to know if I should get a 4 channel or 5/6 channel amp for the front, rear, and center (if it has a center channel). The other amp for the subwoofer.

Thanks for the info/confirmation.

It has no center output. Four channels + sub

Thanks Camel Towing for verifying that.

Do any of you use or know much about the DEQ-P8000? Is it compatible with the F-series units? Does it give true 5.1 audio from the source, or because there is no optical output on the HU, it would just do its best to mimic 5.1? After buying it and the HU, I'd pay about what the Kenwood 8120 sells for, which has 5.1 integrated. Anyone know how they compare? Kenwoods site sucks for information. In fact, it's almost non-existent with data/facts. And I have yet to find a good resource for the 8120.

I have been researching this F90bt 4.1 vs 5.1 surround issue for a while now, since I started looking at this head unit to replace the factory system in our new Outlook XR (which has built-in 5.1 decoder and a 9.1 speaker system). I finally decided to go for it anyway, knowing that I would be giving up the 5.1 surround sound.

A few things I found out along the way:

The unit has a digital output, that according to Pioneer's documentation "is intended to support future equipment and should not be used if you are using this product by itself."

However while consulting with Crutchfield about that same digital output, they stated that this digital output "is for connecting an external Dolby Digital surround processor."

So I decided to contact Pioneer directly and ask about this...This is what they replied:

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Thank you for contacting Pioneer Electronics, Inc. The optical output on this unit is not currently used. It is a connection they were hoping to use, but so far it is not.

Thank You,

Pioneer Support Group

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After going back to Crutchfield with this info, they ack'd that so far Pioneer has not come out with a compatible 5.1 decoder for this unit.

So, knowing that there is no chance to get 5.1 surround from this unit (at least for now), I am now trying to figure out a way to mux or sum a signal for my center speaker using the L+R front channels. These cannot be just cabled together, but with the proper hardware the signal can be generated. This would not give me true 5.1 surround, but would allow me to get some sound out of my center speaker.

I visited my local CarToys shop to ask a few questions about how they install the F90bt on a vehicle with a center channel speaker. As they explained it, they generate the center speaker signal from the front L+R signals. But when I asked them details about which hardware they use for this, they would not tell me...they just asked me if I was looking to do this installation with them or by myself....

It would be nice to know if anyone on this forum has already done this installation using a center speaker. I already have the rest of the hardware needed for the installation. Once I know what type of hardware I need to generate a center speaker signal, I'll be ready to complete the job!