Does the unit have any sort of graphics when it is playing music? I know some other units from Clarion and Kenwood have a moving background that looks really cool. Hopefully someone has some screen shots I can see. Thanks.

George

I don't know if it is true or not, but the people that installed my Z1 said that a screen that large would be considered illegal to have an animated screen while the vehicle is in motion. My previous deck was a Pioneer deck that had spectrum analyzers and moving graphics but it was only a single din and wasn't as noticeable. For the Z1, it would be really cool, but I don't think the deck's firmware will allow it, though other decks do. But, I could be wrong. If you find a way - please let me know. Good times.

That's what i've been wanting to know...if it has some type of spectrum analyzer that goes with the music. any input?

George01v6 said:

That's what i've been wanting to know...if it has some type of spectrum analyzer that goes with the music. any input?

No. But you could always buy music Video DVD's. Those look much cooler than a spectrum analyzer.

Sorry, other pioneer decks have the SAs but this deck does not. Believe me, I was really disappointed. My previous deck had a beautiful 13-band SA but it only did half what the AVIC can do. At any rate, I'm already overly distracted by looking at the NAV and movies on screen (with the "code") of course. Having an SA is a dream, while playing the videos is a reality.

kind of a bummer, but thanks for the info.

Just out of curiosity, what decks are you talking about that have SAs? Are they double-DIN w/color touchscreens?

Antsmusique said:

Sorry, other pioneer decks have the SAs but this deck does not. Believe me, I was really disappointed. My previous deck had a beautiful 13-band SA but it only did half what the AVIC can do. At any rate, I'm already overly distracted by looking at the NAV and movies on screen (with the "code") of course. Having an SA is a dream, while playing the videos is a reality.

Ditto on the disapointment.

My only guess is that this processor isn't significantly stronger than those of the past.. Plugging in BT,XM,HD,Ipod, Nav, voice, etc.. there was no power left.

-dp

My old deck was a Pioneer DEH-8600MP and my friend's deck DEH-P7800MP both have spectrum analyzers. They are obviously not as accurate as a real one, but it measures pretty well. If I'm not mistaken, they are 13 and 16 band accurate. Both decks are single din are standard MP3/ CD decks. I actually liked these decks very much in terms of sound and performance. I really wouldn't choose any other CD/ MP3 decks other than these. Still, the amount of features that come with the AVIC-Z1 and the upgradable features make the AVIC-Z1 the top of multimedia in-car entertainment.

I guess I'm on the minority, but why would you want a cheesy looking dancing light show on your dash? I could see where it might make sense in a dance club, but in your car? :shock:

First of all, a spectrum analyzer's purpose is not a light show. It is used to tune the dynamics and acoustics of a sound system to the environment that it is applied in. I'm a sound engineer and I would never run a concert with out some type of analyzer. In my car, I run a white noise generator when I tune my equalizer to match the acoustics in my car. Because there is no SA built in my car, I have to use my real meters and RTA mic to tune correctly. Although the SA in my previous deck didn't have the accuracy of the ones I use at work, it assisted in telling me where my peak frequencies are and which ones do I gain or attenuate on the fly without plugging in a $3,000 monitor while I'm driving. Secondly, when you play some media that hasn't been mastered correctly or some low-bit rate MP3, a built in spectrum analyzer will tell you if your sound system is distorting or if it's just the media. Thirdly, with all the musicians and pro sound engineers that ride in my car, it's pretty impressive to myself and them. To top it all off, it just looks cool. But maybe I'm the minority who feels this way. But if you're an audiophile like me, consider getting the Pioneer DEQ-7600. I'm installing mine in a few weeks. It's more than a light show.

There is no way a built in spectrum analyzer or "visualization" can replace a real scope for system tuning. Further more, once the system is properly EQ'd for vehicle you shouldn't need to adjust it anymore, which makes the visualization a bit unecessary.

Then again, maybe I'm the only one that thinks it looks cheesy (I even hate the buttons and "look" that Pioneer used on the Z1).

Thank you all for your great info on spectrum anazlyzers but I think the real question is, "Can I have a screen saver running while listening to music?"

And the quick answer is no.

The long answer is you can make your own DVDs of music video's like I did or buy really amazing animated music videos like Daft Punk's Interstella 5555

I think it really sux cause this is suppose to be their top of the line head unit and it doesn't come with any graphics. The 6800 doubel din does and its half the price. If it wasn't for the nav on the z1 ida gotten that one.