Much better buy than the p8000 stereo
Written: Feb 20 '01
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Pros: Inexpensive, 3D animation display of dolphins, sounds GREAT
Cons: None!
The Bottom Line: For the money, you get a stereo that should cost $680 like the P8000 does (which is the same thing). The 3D graphics are amazing. This is a great buy!
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| jenningspaige's Full Review: Pioneer DEH-P720 |
I paid $1200 to upgrade the sound system on my truck (more on that in my "How to buy a car stereo system" review). Originally I paid $399 for a Kenwood Excelon head unit to go with my new amp and 6 speakers. When I got the car back after everything was installed, I gave the system a test run. It sounded like crap. The Kenwood Excelon is Kenwood's top of the line head unit (that is the CD or tape player in the dash of your car) but it is nowhere near as good as this Pioneer stereo. The Kenwood had very little bass, so the notes are piercing and full of treble.
After two weeks I was hating the CD player, so I went back to see if I could get something else. All they had that I wanted was the Pioneer P8000 and they wanted $679 for it. I didn't want to spend any more than I already had, so I went to see if Best Buy had anything for a better price. They had this model, the P720, and it was only $329. They also had the P8000 for $659. I compared the two and I honestly can't find any difference between the two stereos except they have different scenes. For the $300 or more dollars you will save, get the P720.
The P720 is clearly the best stereo I have ever seen. You can't even appreciate it until you see it in your car at night. The graphics are incredible! If you haven't seen this stereo in action, please go to a car audio store and just look at it. I'm sure you'll be hooked right away like I was.
The P720 has several animation movies to choose from. There is the dolphins swimming underwater (that is my favorite), and a Mayan ruins kind of movie with ancient pyramids and sand designs and such, and there is a little movie of a CD rotating. When you switch to AM or FM stereo, there is a little microphone and a sign that says "ON AIR" that rotate around each other with the station displayed in the middle.
There is nothing boring about the display of this stereo. Even when you adjust the volume it is fun to watch the bar go up and down. When you adjust things like the level of bass and treble, you see a picture of a bar graph that adjusts as you turn it. And when you adjust the subwoofer and other settings, there is actually a little picture of a sub speaker and the other things you are adjusting. It looks so cool! The graphics are generally a bright turquoise blue color. Every few seconds the whole display turns white, at which point the graphics turn the opposite color (dark blue). Then the display turns blue again and the graphics are white. This keeps it more interesting to watch. You'll never get bored with it.
Aside from great looks, it is also really easy to use. All the buttons say what they are for. This was a relief after trying to figure out the Kenwood Excelon. There are 18 programmable radio station presets. The volume is easily adjusted as it is a regular knob instead of those retarded + and - volume adjusters. The volume knob can be pushed in or out for easier turning. The faceplate detaches easily to store in the case (included in the box).
You can buy a remote for it for about $30 but I didn't want one after losing the remote to the Kenwood all the time. I've seen the remote though, and it is laid out exactly the same as the stereo is so you won't find any confusing extra buttons or functions you haven't seen before.
As if function and style weren't enough for you, the Pioneer P720 is the best SOUNDING stereo I've ever heard, and I've heard A LOT OF STEREOS in a lot of different car audio stores. You can put a CD changer on it, several amplifiers, speakers, and subwoofers. This puppy can handle it all! It has a ton of bass (adjust your settings to "Super Bass" so the sound is clear and deep just like it should be, and there is virtually no distortion.
It also gives a whole lot of power to your high end speakers that need it. It is the MOFSET 45 X 4 watts (that's pretty much as high as they get) and it has all these nifty components and equilizers for the really serious car audio people.
The display also has one of those nifty features that reads who the CD artist and track title is of the CD you are playing. It can't read all CD's--only the ones the CD manufactures to be readable by computers and players like this one. If it can't be read it will say "No Title." For instance the new Offspring album is readable, and so is the soundtrack to "O Brother Where Art Thou." Also Jewel's Christmas album, to name a few. It's cool when your stereo "knows" what it is playing.
Don't let the salesman talk you into the P8000. It costs $300 or $400 more and it doesn't even have the dolphins! Just a boring city scene and a space scene! Besides that it's no different. Oh yeah, the P8000 also has this piercing alarm that goes off if you don't put the faceplate into the head unit after a few seconds. I think that is a really stupid, useless feature, and I'm really glad the P720 doesn't have it. Sometimes you don't want the faceplate in, like when you're not driving very far. So go with the P720. You'll be glad you did.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 359.00
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Epinions.com ID:
jenningspaige
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Member: Jennings Paige
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Reviews written: 52
Trusted by: 7 members
About Me:
Just trying to help you make educated decisions. Please remember to rate my opinions. Thanks!
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