Pioneer 6.8" Double DIN Touchscreen Display, Apple iPhone and Android Music Support, Bluetooth in-Dash AM/FM Front USB Digital Multimedia Car Stereo Receiver/Free Alphasonik Earbuds

++Important note++ this review is combined with the AVH 2700 that i purchased from cruchfield++I purchased the pioneer 2700 receiver from crutch field recently and just wanted to share my opinion. The receiver’s Bluetooth was defective, and as such I had to return it to crutch-field. I decided to upgrade the receiver based on my finding and gave Pioneer another shot despite the issues, but more on that later.As I had mentioned this was installed in my vehicle, and it did work for a few days before my wife started to hear screeching noises from the Bluetooth on her S5, I was able to give it a fair shot and I feel confident in giving this review.I wanted a phone that could communicate with my Android Note 3 and my wifes S5, and must admit that I was attracted to this receiver for just that purpose. I wanted something that I could charge and have plugged in without depending on Bluetooth ( I always seem to have issues with Bluetooth so Ive always prefer direct connect, especially with the added quality of the sound)Apps Mode:This receiver is flat out terrible for Android in our findings. The app mode is pointless and requires prompts on both phone and receiver and so much attention that your better off just utilizing the apps on your phone while driving dare I say because its not just plug and play. In my experience I would plug our phone in and immediately get a prompt on the display, than I would get a prompt on the phone, than I would be in the app screen and your presented with only 4 apps! Most of which are pointless and have far better alternatives if you just utilize your phone, Google maps instantly comes to mind, the gps on the 2700 app mode was so clumsy that it begged you to unplug it and just use the phone.Connectivity:Now once plugged in (to charge) the apps would prevent the Bluetooth from being utilized therefor really not doing anything we wanted the receiver to do in the first place. Bluetooth worked rather flawlessly up until our screeching noise incident, but again I paid extra to my installer for a custom install of the USB and cant use it because it disables my audio, just plain silly!Display:The display is vibrant and colorful, and we were very pleased with the customization you could do, very cool that you can set it to any color theme your car comes with and even put your own pictures as backgrounds !But unfortunately that’s as good as it gets, because our largest complaint on the display was that it had more of a matte finish, therefor preventing the nice sliding motions that ones accustom to on your cell phone, so menus were clunky and almost seemed skippy but it was really your finger not sliding very well. Its important to note that we had not realized (or really cared about frankly) how bad the matte finish was until we purchased our new Pioneer 4100Nex, this receiver while in a different price bracket really showed us that you get what you pay for, the nex display is leaps and bounds better than the 2700 and in my opinion would be worth the price increase alone, not to mention its AMAZING features. More on this later though.Buttons:Our other complaint is really more user preference, the buttons… I loved the look of this receiver in the dash, it sat flat, looked sleek, but come to find out the flat buttons have a pit fall, if you have sausage fingers you have to hunt for the buttons often times pressing the middle giving no response or the wrong button all together. In the receivers defense, it looked flush and integrated though and someone with smaller fingers may have had a better experience.The second complaint with the buttons would be the “beep” you CANNOT turn it off, I contacted Pioneer on this matter and was advised its not an option, again this is personal preference, but come to find out my new 4100 nex has the option on the first page of the settings menu, again I did not know this at the time so was willing to just deal with it, the Pioneer Nex 4100 was superior in this regard as well.Price:I gave Pioneer another shot and it paid off (technically I paid them) But I would implore anyone looking at this receiver to glance at the 4100 NEX, the differences are astounding. Android Auto is just AMAZING and does everything I thought the 2700 would be capable of doing and more. It is clear that this is the way the future of connectivity is going.I don’t want this to come off to be a knock, but I found crutch fields price of the 4100 to be un reasonable in my particular situation, Unfortunately Crutchfield would not price match the big “A” website. I purchased my subs and amps from crutchfield as well, and they were very much in range price wise. Crutchfields customer service is top notch. If this warrants the increase in cost than I believe it to be justifiable, but as I would not need to utilize their customer service (at least the install department that is) as I had a Professional installation performed I felt the increased cost unjustifiable. That being said crutchfield will always be my first go to for Car Audio because you cannot beat their customer service, return policies, and knowledgebase.Pros of 4100 over 2700- Android Auto is by far the best upgrade to going this route; if you have Android, don’t go with the 2700. Google Android Auto Its amazing what this does. Btw it works great with the s5 and note 3, just make sure you update your firmware to 1.03 on the receiver, and make sure you have the new OS on your Android, my phone did not download/Install it automatically and nor did my wifes.- Parking lines for backup camera (and customizable to boot! )- Interactive wallpapers (very slick looking) 1 even danc’se to your music- IMO my sausage fingers like the buttons better- Removable faceplate- Ability to Turn off the Beep!- Glossy Display with great fluidity of menu scrolling- Greater ability to customize homepage. For example I now have a “camera” mode on the home screen so I can switch to my backup camera fast without diving deeper into the menus like you had to do on the 2700. A pleasant surprise as well was the receiver knows if your in reverse or not. It adds the reverse lines for reverse, but removes them for the camera button! Supers cool little extra IMO- HD Radio built in ! the 2700 had to have an adaptor of some sort purchased. (I don’t listen to radio, but naturally you can see where your getting a lot of features for only a couple more Benjamin’s.- HDMI Input ! just think of the possibilities with this.Cons of 4100- Price increase. naturally this receiver will run you a couple hundred more, but if you can manage that, you wont be sorry.- This receiver runs a little hot, and pioneer knows this, it has a fan on the back of the unit. Nothing I find alarming, jut question how this will affect its life longevity

Buy this if you're considering upgrading your system. I have had this unit for about a month and love it! This is a feature packed stereo and works seamlessly. You will need a AV HDMI to IPhone adapter and a HDMI extension cable to use the "Mirroring" feature which is very cool other than having the cables run out of the dash! The mirroring feature basically displays your Iphone on the 7" screen. Good for viewing Netflix, Youtube, Internet searching or any other app you have on your phone and would like to view on the larger 7" display. You will use your phone for operation of the apps. The "mirroring" effect is just for larger display. The "Car Play" feature works simply by connecting your USB/Lightning cable to the number 1 USB input on the back side of the stereo and of course the other end to your phone. This feature is very cool and the 7" stereo display then becomes your phone. It will display about 6 of your basic functions/apps including the "Home" button. Siri works the same from the car stereo as it does on your phone. In fact the external microphone hooked up to the stereo for Blue Tooth gives better results with Siri asking for directions, making phone calls, sending text etc. It came with a USB extension cable for the number 2 USB port which I ran into the glove box for a separate Ipod. It also has an auxiliary port which you will need a 3.5 mm video/stereo cable if you want to plug in something like a game system without using the HDMI port. This is Pioneers "CD-RM10" or equivalent. This cable is unique because it supports video and left/right audio. The screen flips out for access to the DVD and SD card slots. There are still other features/accessories that I may never use. You can also add in a Navigation unit, XM Satellite, direct amp and subwoofer units. All connections for these are also located on the back of the unit. It has an input for an "acoustic" microphone if you are really anal about adjusting the sound within your vehicle. I just ordered the steering wheel controls. Pioneers CD-SR100 is a wireless unit that mounts to your steering wheel as a multi-function remote if you don't already have these controls in your car. If you do have steering wheel controls as a factory installation then you can get a converter accessory to make these function as a factory install. What I like about the Pioneer add on unit is there are controls for the DVD and other features of the stereo instead of the basic volume and phone functions. I installed a backup camera which works as a factory installed accessory when wired to the unit correctly. When reverse is engaged the camera displays automatically on the 7" screen. This feature also has "guide lines" that you can calibrate for accuracy of using the backup camera. You can also install a secondary camera if you want. I'm guessing to keep an eye on the kids in the back seat? There is a secondary video output which you can control separately from the front video. You can use this to run video to the back seat for the kids so they can watch movies and you can still use the rest of the stereo in the front seat. You also have the choice to display what is in use on the unit in the front. This is controlled from the unit or the wireless remote that comes with the unit. The remote has a slide switch so that you can accomplish this without interrupting the front display! I will caution everyone on one thing. If you have to disconnect your battery for any reason or your battery dies, don't use the password function of the unit. People forget passwords and you will have to send the unit to Pioneer to have it unlocked. This is a security feature in case the unit is stolen. If you're concerned with theft then remove the face and carry it with you in the case provided. The problem I had is when working on the car I disconnected the battery and had to enter the password upon re-connection. I remembered the password but for whatever reason the screen became misaligned and the bottom row of the onboard keyboard failed so I couldn't input my password. This was within the first 30 days of my purchase so Amazon allowed me to return the unit and they sent me a new one. Because I couldn't get past the security screen I couldn't retrieve my DVD or SD card that was in the unit. Amazon was also kind enough to replace these. I would also recommend buying the adapter accessories and video by-pass to make installation easy. I purchased a wire harness adapter, dash mount kit and I also need an antenna adapter. I paired this unit with 2 sets of Pioneers TSA1675R 6" 3-way speakers and couldn't be happier. I installed this in a Smart car so this is enough sound to blow you out when turned up. I am considering installing an under-seat subwoofer for some deeper base.