New head unit for my car

[bluecollar]

So I am about to upgrade the head unit in my car and have narrowed it to these three choices:

JVC KW-V21BT
Pioneer AVH-270BT
Sony XAV-68BT

I wanted to stay at or under $300 for the head unit (It'll be another $100 for the installation kit and stupid module needed since I have a factory Bose setup).
I wanted Blue Tooth

I am leaning toward the JVC because of the looks and the front USB port.


Thoughts? Hate mail? Other options I might not have thought of?

I will probably upgrade the entire stereo at some point, but not right now. I have other things to spend money on, but my factory HU is on the verge of death.


Crutchfield comparison

[Baron Von Crowder]

Paging EW...

[jluv]

Based purely on reputation of those three brands, I'd go with Pioneer. I've never known Sony to make anything worth a shit other than the Playstation consoles. I don't know much about JVC, but I would guess that they're pretty run of the mill.

All that said, I know squat about each of those models you're looking at. $300 for a double-din is pretty cheap. Beware of units that seem feature-packed at that price point.

Personally, I've always preferred Alpine and Kenwood, in that order.

[JC316]

I have a pioneer double din in my corvette. It's a nice head unit, great sound quality. It does have quirks though, trying to read USB files off from an mp3 or jump stick is just stupid, most of the time it gives me file names, not song titles, and rarely does it give me every song.

I wish that I would have gone with the bluetooth system, but the aux in works fine. I was fascinated by the double din touchscreen, but truth told, it's just a pain in the ass. I prefer good old fashioned buttons. It's the reason that the double din is staying in the vette and the sony bluetooth single din is staying in the GTO.

[EW]

I dont sell any of those. The kenwood ddx392 would be the closest I have. Touch screen has no issues.JVC and kenwood are the same company. Their decks are not the same.

[Z06killinsbf]

I agree with Jluv 100%

I bought a Clarion VX709 for the wifes car, while its super clean looking and packed with decent features, the bluetooth mic has gone out twice and the bluetooth linking takes a while to link up (music). Calls are dropped or don't even go through. Also the background is basic and the sound settings are less than optimal. It works great for playing dvd's in the back headrests though.

Cliffnotes: Avoid Clarion

[Scott Mc]

Clarion went out of business last I remember.

[LaserSVT]

The Pioneer is the clear choice in that group. The Sonys sound terrible and I just never liked the JVCs. Pioneers menu is a bit quirky but easy to get used to and they offer lots of toys to make the stereo sound better.

I know this is pushing the budget but its an excellent deck at a killer price:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pioneer-AVH-X5700BHS-2-Din-DVD-iPhone-USB-Bluetooth-Receiver-MirrorLink-/291313240526?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item43d39f49ce

[Scott Mc]

Anyone use an Android radio yet? And I also say Pioneer, I have a Kenwood and it is ok and heard Alpine has gone to shit.

[ram57ta]

I bought a Kenwood DDX5901HD off Ebay new in the box a couple weeks ago for right at $300 and I like it so far. It doesn't have a front USB or aux in..but it has 2 rear aux in's and I can tuck the rear USB port somewhere under the dash and plug in pretty easy. I bought the PAC RP5-GM31 for $100 off Ebay and the connections were pretty straightforward (works with Bose also) and the steering wheel controls, warning chimes and Onstar work fine). I'm planning to get the cable and adapter to see how well the MHL mirroring function works with my S4 shortly.

[bluecollar]

I dont sell any of those. The kenwood ddx392 would be the closest I have. Touch screen has no issues.JVC and kenwood are the same company. Their decks are not the same.

I was under the impression that JVC was better quality than Kenwood. I have been out of the loop way too long. The last stereo system I put together was about 8 years ago.

My main thing is I want blue tooth, but I also really like the idea of a front USB port.

EW, is that Kenwood you mentioned good? What would you recommend?

[samuel642000]

A knob for volume is a must for me, so the one you pictured would be out. I've always thought Pioneer sounded pretty good.

[Z06killinsbf]

Clarion went out of business last I remember.

I can see why

[aggie97]

I'm looking at the Kenwood DDX-372BT myself.

One thing I found online was that the pioneer "safety" wiring so you can't watch a DVD while the car is moving is a bitch to defeat. Kenwood is basically grounding the single wire and done.

My big issue at this point is the double din requires a whole new dash bezel which adds another $100 to deal. If I could only get the bezel for $100 somewhere else besides Crutchfield I would be happy.

I've been going back and forth on this for a couple days now....sucks!

[soap]

Are any of those compatible with the factory steering wheel controls?

If I ever get transferred out of "the hood" I want a Raxiom.