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...

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

sounds like an epic fail for Pioneer

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

Yea just be aware there are issues with the Kenwood as well. Especially one as old as the 8120.

where's Doctor Who when you need a good old-fashioned phone box to make a call from

Yea just be aware there are issues with the Kenwood as well. Especially one as old as the 8120.

I had a DDX812 which was even older and had no complaints at all. This DNX-8120 has a LOT of features over the Pioneer plus I paid even less than I paid for the X920BT so I'm not concerned. It has Garmin and the hands free works... those are the two most important things to me and the two biggest shortcomings of the Pioneer unit. I don't care if it has the best iPod interface or the best voice recognition on earth because I don't use those and the two features that I do use flat out suck. I've had several Kenwood nav decks going back to the KVT-911D w/add on nav unit (retail value on the two was over $5k) when they first came out and have always had good luck. I had older Pioneer units and they were... eh. Alright but nothing to write home about. The nav was sufficient and the decks themselves seemed decent. That was when they had iGo which is night and day better than this excuse for navigation they have now. I got this one because of the deal and regret doing so now. Yours works for you and that's fine but I'm allowed to have a bad experience and from the sounds of it I'm not alone.

Welp, good news and bad news.

The bad news is that in Pioneer's infinite wisdom they utilized a 2.5mm mic jack in an effort to buck the industry standard. This means that not only was I unable to test the mic to rule it out as the problem but I had to pull the mic and run yet another mic behind me dash, up the A-pillar and across the head liner to the over head console. So there went some more time of my life and I can't even report if the mic was the issue or not. From the sounds of it though I'm not alone so if it is the mic then Pioneer is supplying bogus mics to save a few pennies which is just as bad as sending out faulty units as far as I'm concerned. Either way, I will never buy another Pioneer based on this experience.

The good news is my Kenwood is now installed and it's fantastic! Having to put up with this crappy X920BT unit for as long as I did gave me a true appreciate for all that the Kenwood offers over the Pioneer. I didn't have it in for too long to be thoroughly test differences but I was able to make a few phone calls to people whom I had called several times with the Pioneer unit to test out (I didn't dare call anyone I wasn't real familiar with as the call quality was offensive) and the feedback was unanimously positive. With the Pioneer the fastest I was driving was 35mph (windows up, no HVAC running) and even sitting still it was awful. I made three phone calls, all while moving and the people I called said it was substantially better than the previous (Pioneer) calls. The first even commented that it sounded like I wasn't even on a hands free (was just pulling out of my neighborhood so speeds were low) and the second one was a highway speeds (60mph+) and they also commented on how good it sounded overall. I even put the mic in the exact same location as the previous one to rule out as many variables as possible.

Conclusion: This Pioneer deck sucks. Who wants to buy it? lol

Great. Now its time to head over to kenwoodforums.

I wouldn't be surprised that the 2.5 tiny mic and cable get damaged during installations more often than not. Save a few bucks on 6' of wire - lose it all when the customer returns the $700 unit.

Beancounters - geesh

Great. Now its time to head over to kenwoodforums.

That was the plan until I saw you were over there too.

I wouldn't be surprised that the 2.5 tiny mic and cable get damaged during installations more often than not. Save a few bucks on 6' of wire - lose it all when the customer returns the $700 unit.

Beancounters - geesh

The mic and cable appear to be roughly the same size as the Kenwood piece. I would say the cable uses the same caliber wire inside so I'm not sure where the cost savings would be unless it's just a cheaply manufactured mic which is quite possible. It just seems like a stupid idea to put a 2.5mm port on the back of your deck and utilize the same mic. I would say it's so one doesn't confuse the mic w/the audio output jack but the Pioneer doesn't even have one on the back like the Kenwood does. It uses the cables so of would be hard to mix those up. I don't understand it but in this economy I'm sure it was cost savings if even only a small one.

I wouldn't be surprised that the 2.5 tiny mic and cable get damaged during installations more often than not. Save a few bucks on 6' of wire - lose it all when the customer returns the $700 unit.

Beancounters - geesh

 

The mic and cable appear to be roughly the same size as the Kenwood piece. I would say the cable uses the same caliber wire inside so I'm not sure where the cost savings would be unless it's just a cheaply manufactured mic which is quite possible. It just seems like a stupid idea to put a 2.5mm port on the back of your deck and utilize the same mic. I would say it's so one doesn't confuse the mic w/the audio output jack but the Pioneer doesn't even have one on the back like the Kenwood does. It uses the cables so of would be hard to mix those up. I don't understand it but in this economy I'm sure it was cost savings if even only a small one.

well, it's good Pioneer doesn't make cell phones.

any idea why NO power would be getting through to my recently installed x920? Yellow and red connections, and external fuse on unit seem good.

I really think the issue is that the Pioneer (for reasons that made sense to someone at some point) turns up the microphone level when the volume is turned up... and turns down the microphone level when the volume is turned down.

I've played with this a lot by calling the answering machine in my house and I became convinced that the microphone is actually very good at picking up low level sounds... what seems to be causing the problem is if I talk too loud (or if what I believe is the invisible microphone level adjustment is cranked too high).

If you turn down the volume (which somewhat stinks because you want to hear the person at the other end of the call) and speak softly - the thing seems to work ok (not sure I would say it works well).

Try calling an answering machine and turning up/down the volume you hear audio on. The higher the volume the more likely the distortion. Setting it in the middle is a good start.