Home > Consumer Reviews > Pioneer FH-P8000BT Double Din In-Dash CD/Mp3/Wma/iTunes AAC/Wav Receiver

Recently purchased an iPhone, so i was looking to upgrade my car's stereo to be able to both use the phone and listen to music. This unit both had ipod connectivity and bluetooth telephone(which my current stereo does not), and is also double din (as is my car). i've recently installed, so i've only had a couple days with it, so this is a first impressions review.

Install: easy and straightforward if you purchase a wiring harness specific to your vehicle (available at retailers such as walmart and crutchfield). it was installed in a 2005 scion tc.

operation: i'll admit, this is not the most simplest of units to operate, and i have to refer to the manual frequently to learn how to perform specific functions (such as saving a pre-set radio station), which is where it lost one star for me. the multi-function dial allows for "agile" maneuverability through the unit's controls though.

USB/IPOD: the unit's USB connectivity allows you to control your ipod (iphone in my case) straight through the unit. allows you to search by album, artist, playlist, etc- just as you would on the ipod itself. it also has the option to change the controls back to the ipod, if thats what you're more comfortable with. it also has an AUX input for other devices you may wish to listen to through the unit.

bluetooth telephone: i paired the unit through my phone, and that was done seamlessly. calls are clear for you, and as far as i know (only used once or twice so far), its clear on the other end as well (i've asked those i've called). the unit allows you to download your contacts from the phone to the unit itself, so you can dial straight off the unit. has recent calls, and a "speed dial" list for you to choose from, in addition to selecting any contact on your phone. has the ability to handle call waiting and refusing calls as well.

other: the unit comes with many audio adjustments (including the 7 channel equalizer- with several presets and 2 custom settings). with the proper adjustments, music sounds great through this unit. You can also "label" CDs, so the album name will display every time you insert that CD. my only complaint is that the display is TOO bright at night, but that can be remedied by the dimmer function (tho doesnt seem to work in my vehicle...not sure why yet), OR, you can turn off the illumination completely, which will re-illuminate if you change a setting (change track, volume, source).

overall, i'm very happy with my purchase and would recommend this if you're looking for bluetooth and ipod capabilities, without going into the DVD/Navi arena. the price was too good to pass up!

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R3HHJ8KXWX5X3U This video shows the basic operation of the unit, since it's hard to explain.

The biggest pro for me is the sound. My stock speakers sounded good with the factory head unit, but they sound like brand new high end speakers with the Pioneer.

A close second is the feature set. The iPod integration is the best that I saw in any unit, and it sure beats the axillary input mod kit that I was running beforehand. The sound from the iPod is great. Also keep in mind that it's a USB input, not just an iPod input. Plug in an external hard drive or thumb drive and you're in buisness, too. The addition of the Bluetooth connectivity was a major selling point, and it delivers a great convenience that I would really miss now that I'm used to it. I can leave my phone out of reach (in the trunk even) and I can still answer it if it rings.

The biggest con is the user interface- it does take a bit to learn the ins and outs, but once you do, very few times is it a bother (the 'pause' option is buried in the function submenu, which is annoying, but since the unit automatically pauses the music for incoming / outgoing calls, it's only a problem in, say, drive thru's).

The pros VASTLY outweigh the cons, and the price is far below what I would expect for a unit with this feature set. That gets this unit a 5 Star rating - iPod, Bluetooth, CD, HD & Satellite Radio ready- there really aren't any features left for you to want!

I purchased it with the wiring harness and the dash kit for my 2005 Mazda3 and it looks quite nice. Check out the video!

I purchased this unit for my 2004 Subaru Forester. What I was looking for was a head unit that would (1) allow me to pair my iPhone to make calls and (2) allow me to play music through the iPhone or any other iPod.

On these two items, the unit delivers fantastically.

Installation was very easy, and I only had to systematically look for the best place to put the microphone for optimum sound quality.

Only (minor) negatives are the following (why I only gave it 4 stars):
- When the iPhone is plugged into the USB port, and you make a phone call, there is a lot of interference. This only happens when the phone making the call is also connected to the unit through the USB. If another iPhone or iPod is connected to the unit, the noise is completely gone. Basically, I remedy this by unplugging the iPhone prior to taking a call.
- Menu navigation is a bit cumbersome at first, but quickly makes sense.
- Old iPods (I also have an iPod mini) will not work with this unit.

Pros:
- Easy connectivity through bluetooth (no other problem).
- Connectivity through the USB allows for full control of the iPod using the head unit: Just plug your iPod in (I have it wired into the armrest), and forget about it.
- Good music sound quality.

Overall, this provided me with everything I needed. A quick note: when I contacted the Pioneer folks about whether my iPhone would work with this unit, they said I'd need a different cable to connect through the head unit. They don't know their own products: You can use the CD-IU50 or the USB cable that came with your iPhone/iPod with no problem. This technically frees us the serial port for a CD changer, but you probably will never need one of these again.

Seriously, who needs a dvd player in their dash? All you need is a good unit that plays your music, and this one plays it all. It will handle all the standard CD, CDR, mp3, WMA, AAC files along with iPod. The iPod controls are excellent. iPod is the only mp3 player I have tried and I suspect others won't work, at least not well. I was also able to play mp3s from my cell phone via bluetooth. Speaking of bluetooth, cell phone integration is a snap. I'm using a Sony phone with mine and it works perfectly with it. The contacts download to the unit so I never have to look at the phone. I also tried an iPhone and a Samsung SGH-A737. The iPhone worked great but the Samsung would not allow the the contacts to download.

The main reason I chose this one over other double dins is the clean, simplistic look this one has. This is easily the best looking one available. While many cd players of this size can have twenty or more buttons this one has ten plus a center control knob. The knob serves many functions much like an ipod click wheel. The navigation through the menus is not perfect but is still just as good or better than most other units. It has a ton of features to please almost anyone. High pass and low pass filters with sub controls and multiple settings for more complex systems yet it's simple enough for a drop in replacement for a factory radio.

My biggest complaint is the fact you have to buy separate hardware to enable HD radio. This will cost you an extra $80-$100 if you want this feature. It would have been nice to have but I don't think it's worth that much.

I have a Pioneer BT8000 (with HD) in my 2003 Subaru Forester with the upgraded Subaru speakers and sub woofer. I also added the ipod cable for my daughter.

The good news is; Bluetooth phone capabilities (used with a Motorola V9M) are excellent and well behaved, call quality excellent, radio audio also excellent. The radio switches to phone if a call comes in, switches back afterwards. HD, when you get it, can sound great.

The bad news is that it is very hard to use. There just are not enough controls. Each major control has numerous uses but only one use per control is listed. Setup is very difficult. No on-off switch (function is in another button and hidden). You try to raise the volume and you change the frequency or the preset. Tuner sensitivity on AM is poor at least with the HD tuner. The steering wheel remote is hard to mount, even harder to use without looking at it. Even worse, the manual is one of the worst I've ever gone through. Too many things are made too complicated or are not even covered. The quick setup is even worse.

I'd give this 4 stars if only the documentation were decent.