I installed the X920BT and noticed a few problems, though I expect many will go away after I install the firmware update.

1. I barely see any street names on the maps, only if I zoom in to the closest setting (.1 I think) will I see the occaisional street name, and that zoom level is close for my comfort.. I prefer a few levels up so I can see the surrounding streets and their names. My AVIC N3 did this just fine, is this be design on the X920BT or is there a setting I need to change somewhere?

2. Musicphere is downright confusing. I thought once it analyzes your library and you click the refresh button it's supposed to populate the playlists. I did this but nothing showed up in the playlists. I clicked on a single playlist, clicked the refresh button, and it populated that one playlist. I tried it on a second playlist, and the same thing happened. Are we supposed to click on each playlist one at a time just to populate them all?

3. The sound quality seems to be inferior to the Avic N3 when playing music from XM or my ipod, it almost sounds like I'm listening to poorly encoded MP3s with a low bitrate. Is the amp quality of this unit lower quality than the one that was in the Avic N3? (I made sure the polarity was correct on all the speakers so I know it's not a phase cancellation issue)

Other than the issues above and the fact that I obviously need to get used to it, it seems like a great unit. #1 is really throwing me off though.

-Keith

Ok, an update:

I contacted Pioneer to ask about why it isn't displaying the street names for the majority of the streets around me when my Avic N3 did so, they told me this "functionality" is intended and there's no way to change it. That's a dealbreaker to me, what's the point of purchasing a GPS unit which doesn't show you street names? That's like buying a compass that just has unlabeled lines with no indicator on which direction is north.. I know the streets are there, I need to know what their names are. Very disappointing, especially since I already modified the harness to perform the bypass trick. I doubt I can return the unit to Amazon now, I may bite the bullet and purchase a replacement harness just so I can send the unit back and buy a different brand.

I know this is a Pioneer forum, but does anyone have any suggestions on a unit that's in the $1000 range that has an ipod interface which lets you access music as easy as the X920BT but also displays the street names?

-Keith

Ok, an update:

 

I contacted Pioneer to ask about why it isn't displaying the street names for the majority of the streets around me when my Avic N3 did so, they told me this "functionality" is intended and there's no way to change it. That's a dealbreaker to me, what's the point of purchasing a GPS unit which doesn't show you street names? That's like buying a compass that just has unlabeled lines with no indicator on which direction is north.. I know the streets are there, I need to know what their names are. Very disappointing, especially since I already modified the harness to perform the bypass trick. I doubt I can return the unit to Amazon now, I may bite the bullet and purchase a replacement harness just so I can send the unit back and buy a different brand.

 

I know this is a Pioneer forum, but does anyone have any suggestions on a unit that's in the $1000 range that has an ipod interface which lets you access music as easy as the X920BT but also displays the street names?

-Keith

Nope - that's why I paid far less at Amazon. As far as the complaints, I agree that it seems a bit weak that these things aren't revealed, but on my Garmin portable, which has been the best nav I've ever owned, not ALL street names are revealed either.

The best way to hope for change is to write Pioneer USA AND Japan and tell them it's your last Pioneer product and why. It's all we've got - doesn't do much good to gripe here (although I have as well). Call and write - that's what got the Bluetooth and VR update delivered. If they put enough ram in the unit, then adding streets shouldn't be a problem.

The thing I want more than anything are "Speed Limit" signs. A bunch of nav companies are including that now. It's a total bonus to know when a speed limit changes on a road your travelling, or what the interstate speed limit is - cuts down on lots of tickets, and is a safety feature. Hope they add that - it's what I called and wrote them over.

Ok, an update:

 

I contacted Pioneer to ask about why it isn't displaying the street names for the majority of the streets around me when my Avic N3 did so, they told me this "functionality" is intended and there's no way to change it. That's a dealbreaker to me, what's the point of purchasing a GPS unit which doesn't show you street names? That's like buying a compass that just has unlabeled lines with no indicator on which direction is north.. I know the streets are there, I need to know what their names are. Very disappointing, especially since I already modified the harness to perform the bypass trick. I doubt I can return the unit to Amazon now, I may bite the bullet and purchase a replacement harness just so I can send the unit back and buy a different brand.

 

I know this is a Pioneer forum, but does anyone have any suggestions on a unit that's in the $1000 range that has an ipod interface which lets you access music as easy as the X920BT but also displays the street names?

-Keith

 

Nope - that's why I paid far less at Amazon. As far as the complaints, I agree that it seems a bit weak that these things aren't revealed, but on my Garmin portable, which has been the best nav I've ever owned, not ALL street names are revealed either.

The best way to hope for change is to write Pioneer USA AND Japan and tell them it's your last Pioneer product and why. It's all we've got - doesn't do much good to gripe here (although I have as well). Call and write - that's what got the Bluetooth and VR update delivered. If they put enough ram in the unit, then adding streets shouldn't be a problem.

The thing I want more than anything are "Speed Limit" signs. A bunch of nav companies are including that now. It's a total bonus to know when a speed limit changes on a road your travelling, or what the interstate speed limit is - cuts down on lots of tickets, and is a safety feature. Hope they add that - it's what I called and wrote them over.

where do you call and write? to voice our opinions for pioneer USA/Canada (I am in Canada).

but on my Garmin portable, which has been the best nav I've ever owned, not ALL street names are revealed either.

Same with all of the Kenwood units.

but on my Garmin portable, which has been the best nav I've ever owned, not ALL street names are revealed either.

 

Same with all of the Kenwood units.

so then there's nothing wrong with the Pioneer then

but on my Garmin portable, which has been the best nav I've ever owned, not ALL street names are revealed either.

 

Same with all of the Kenwood units.

 

so then there's nothing wrong with the Pioneer then

I think what the original poster is trying to say is, that there isn't as MANY street names revealed compared to other gps devices... I have just received my z120bt in the mail yesterday, and I am hoping that the navi is somewhat useful and gets the job done for the most part....

Thanks, yes that's exactly what I'm saying. The X920BT doesn't display nearly as many street names as my AVIC N3 used to. I can't imagine what perceived benefit drove Pioneer to make that change.

-Keith

Oh there are several changes with the navi that they made with these new units that have had a lot of us scratching our heads.

Yeah the maps in these new ones don't show the names of the surrounding streets like they did with older AVICs, especially on 3d view.

I just drove home in the wife's VW Jetta, which has a killer nav/audio system. And, just like the Pioneer, it only displays maybe a third of the street names, maybe less. I know that this has alot of people miffed, so that's why I checked out her nav tonight. After a while, it fails to bother me that much. I guess it bothers more people. There are so many other things I like about the unit, this just doesn't seem that important after a while, at least to me.

Ok, an update:

 

I contacted Pioneer to ask about why it isn't displaying the street names for the majority of the streets around me when my Avic N3 did so, they told me this "functionality" is intended and there's no way to change it. That's a dealbreaker to me, what's the point of purchasing a GPS unit which doesn't show you street names? That's like buying a compass that just has unlabeled lines with no indicator on which direction is north.. I know the streets are there, I need to know what their names are. Very disappointing, especially since I already modified the harness to perform the bypass trick. I doubt I can return the unit to Amazon now, I may bite the bullet and purchase a replacement harness just so I can send the unit back and buy a different brand.

 

I know this is a Pioneer forum, but does anyone have any suggestions on a unit that's in the $1000 range that has an ipod interface which lets you access music as easy as the X920BT but also displays the street names?

-Keith

 

Nope - that's why I paid far less at Amazon. As far as the complaints, I agree that it seems a bit weak that these things aren't revealed, but on my Garmin portable, which has been the best nav I've ever owned, not ALL street names are revealed either.

The best way to hope for change is to write Pioneer USA AND Japan and tell them it's your last Pioneer product and why. It's all we've got - doesn't do much good to gripe here (although I have as well). Call and write - that's what got the Bluetooth and VR update delivered. If they put enough ram in the unit, then adding streets shouldn't be a problem.

The thing I want more than anything are "Speed Limit" signs. A bunch of nav companies are including that now. It's a total bonus to know when a speed limit changes on a road your travelling, or what the interstate speed limit is - cuts down on lots of tickets, and is a safety feature. Hope they add that - it's what I called and wrote them over.

 

 

where do you call and write? to voice our opinions for pioneer USA/Canada (I am in Canada).

Isn't Pioneer Canada's number and address right on the manual?

I think what the original poster is trying to say is, that there isn't as MANY street names revealed compared to other gps devices... I have just received my z120bt in the mail yesterday, and I am hoping that the navi is somewhat useful and gets the job done for the most part....

It's certanly at least "somewhat useful and gets the job done for the most part...." - it's not the best nav on the market, but it's not nearly as bad as some would have you believe, IMO.

I put the Z120BT in my new minivan, and after 2 weeks, I liked it enough to put an X920BT in my other car.

yup, that's about what my feeling was - it wasn't my Garmin portable, but in conjunction with all the other cool things in the unit, that wasn't the ONLY reason I bought it. If navigation is your primary reason to own a Pioneer, then I think you're missing the point. My reason was iPod, FM, DVD and Bluetooth phonebook upload.

My D3 showed all the streets. Also a little disappointed that the splash screen can no longer be displayed when the hide feature is enabled.

 

The best way to hope for change is to write Pioneer USA AND Japan and tell them it's your last Pioneer product and why. It's all we've got - doesn't do much good to gripe here (although I have as well). Call and write - that's what got the Bluetooth and VR update delivered. If they put enough ram in the unit, then adding streets shouldn't be a problem.

 

Another idea is to THOROUGHLY review the product on every website you can and call attention to the deficiencies...but in the simplest, clearest way possible. If Pioneer sees people publicly reviewing and rating these units in places that potential customers see it, it's far more likely to stir improvements.

After all, you're ALREADY a Pioneer customer...they've gotten some of your cash already. Threaten their bottom line with a public review, and they'll take more note than a phone call from someone who's ALREADY bought a particular unit...trust me.

Amazon, CNET, Yahoo Shopping, and a ton of popular sites are good places to review these things.