IRingTwyce
I ROCK at bumper cars!
Purchased: 3/26/07
From: www.etronics.com
MSRP: $200
Amount spent: $164 shipped
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.0
Manufacturer's page
Background: I recently installed this HU in my '96 Zetec. I was originally looking for something with the following attributes: no more than $100, green lighting, CD, Sirius ready. While there were plenty of units with exactly those characteristics, I couldn't find anything I truly liked. The lower the cost, the cheesier the displays got. Goofy LCD graphics for volume, or sound field, or source, to try and hide the fact it was a budget unit w/o 2 display lines or EL display. I definitely wasn't happy with a single display line, as Sirius is on the way and I enjoy being able to see artist AND song info at the same time, like I can on my Clarion unit. Ditto for newer CDs too. So I began revising my spending limit upward. I finally set a limit of twice my original intent. $200 was the new ceiling. After searching and reading for hours on end, I finally decided on the DEH-490ib. This unit is virtually identical to the base Pioneer DEH-4900ib. The main differences are a darker finish to the plastic, higher voltage on the pre-outs, and a two year warranty versus one year. I felt it was worth the added $20-$25 for these few things.
PROS: Let me begin by saying this unit looks FAN-FREAKIN'-TASTIC! It is super sleek. Buttons are well laid out, and logically placed. The source/volume knob is large and easy to grasp. Even better, the grey finish of the unit matches the pre-98 surround almost PERFECTLY! There is just a shade or two difference. With the unit turned off, it honestly looks like a fancy factory unit. Once it is turned on though, the bright blue lighting immediately says otherwise. Again, I cannot stress how great this unit looks with our (pre-98) dashes!
The unit is pretty easy to operate. It comes with two Aux inputs, three sets of pre-outs, and includes the iPod adapter (sold seperately for $40ish in the lesser models). It can control pretty much everything, from sat, to TV, CD changers, iPods, and is even bluetooth capable with an adapter. All the output and sub controls are there as well: selectable high-pass filter, selectable sub frequency. The FM receiver is one of the best I've found. If you live in the boonies, you'll appreciate its ability to pull in weak stations.
The display itself is very sleek. It has two scrolling lines w/ a full 16 characters/line, compared to most units' 8 to 12 characters. There are no goofy LCD graphics, just a clean, shiny, bright blue display. EL graphics also tend to be busy, distracting, and sometimes plain stupid. So I really like the clean LCD look.
CONS: That bright blue display is BRIGHT!!! The dimmer control is not adjustable, and dims the display so slightly that I had to turn the lights of and on a half dozen times while staring at the unit to even tell if it was dimming. It was. Just barely.
Buttons. Ahh buttons. The preset, clock, and sub buttons are Tee Eye Enn Why, TINY! The size itself is not so much a problem for pushing the right button as it is in being able to see what the lighted button says. The lighted buttons are so bright, and the writing so small that it is really just a blue blur at night. Once you know what each button is, it isn't too much of a problem, and it's not a problem at all during the day.
The only other thing I can think of is the lack of a mute or pause button on the face. The buttons are there on the remote, but not on the unit itself. It hasn't been that big a deal to me yet. The mute button is more of an issue for me than the pause. It takes A LOT of turns of the knob to raise and lower the volume, so omitting a mute button was pretty stupid IMO. I'm living with it, and usually just turn the unit off if I need quiet for a few minutes.
CONCLUSION: I can't comment on anything regarding subwoofer control and use, as I haven't installed subs yet. I don't see anything at this point that could or will be a negative comment there.
Bottom line, I love this unit. I made some compromises from my original wants/needs, mainly in price and lighting. I am perfectly happy with those compromises, as I have picked up a superbly capable unit with a sleek modern look that doesn't have a distracting and/or cheap display.
From: www.etronics.com
MSRP: $200
Amount spent: $164 shipped
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.0
Manufacturer's page
Background: I recently installed this HU in my '96 Zetec. I was originally looking for something with the following attributes: no more than $100, green lighting, CD, Sirius ready. While there were plenty of units with exactly those characteristics, I couldn't find anything I truly liked. The lower the cost, the cheesier the displays got. Goofy LCD graphics for volume, or sound field, or source, to try and hide the fact it was a budget unit w/o 2 display lines or EL display. I definitely wasn't happy with a single display line, as Sirius is on the way and I enjoy being able to see artist AND song info at the same time, like I can on my Clarion unit. Ditto for newer CDs too. So I began revising my spending limit upward. I finally set a limit of twice my original intent. $200 was the new ceiling. After searching and reading for hours on end, I finally decided on the DEH-490ib. This unit is virtually identical to the base Pioneer DEH-4900ib. The main differences are a darker finish to the plastic, higher voltage on the pre-outs, and a two year warranty versus one year. I felt it was worth the added $20-$25 for these few things.
PROS: Let me begin by saying this unit looks FAN-FREAKIN'-TASTIC! It is super sleek. Buttons are well laid out, and logically placed. The source/volume knob is large and easy to grasp. Even better, the grey finish of the unit matches the pre-98 surround almost PERFECTLY! There is just a shade or two difference. With the unit turned off, it honestly looks like a fancy factory unit. Once it is turned on though, the bright blue lighting immediately says otherwise. Again, I cannot stress how great this unit looks with our (pre-98) dashes!
The unit is pretty easy to operate. It comes with two Aux inputs, three sets of pre-outs, and includes the iPod adapter (sold seperately for $40ish in the lesser models). It can control pretty much everything, from sat, to TV, CD changers, iPods, and is even bluetooth capable with an adapter. All the output and sub controls are there as well: selectable high-pass filter, selectable sub frequency. The FM receiver is one of the best I've found. If you live in the boonies, you'll appreciate its ability to pull in weak stations.
The display itself is very sleek. It has two scrolling lines w/ a full 16 characters/line, compared to most units' 8 to 12 characters. There are no goofy LCD graphics, just a clean, shiny, bright blue display. EL graphics also tend to be busy, distracting, and sometimes plain stupid. So I really like the clean LCD look.
CONS: That bright blue display is BRIGHT!!! The dimmer control is not adjustable, and dims the display so slightly that I had to turn the lights of and on a half dozen times while staring at the unit to even tell if it was dimming. It was. Just barely.
Buttons. Ahh buttons. The preset, clock, and sub buttons are Tee Eye Enn Why, TINY! The size itself is not so much a problem for pushing the right button as it is in being able to see what the lighted button says. The lighted buttons are so bright, and the writing so small that it is really just a blue blur at night. Once you know what each button is, it isn't too much of a problem, and it's not a problem at all during the day.
The only other thing I can think of is the lack of a mute or pause button on the face. The buttons are there on the remote, but not on the unit itself. It hasn't been that big a deal to me yet. The mute button is more of an issue for me than the pause. It takes A LOT of turns of the knob to raise and lower the volume, so omitting a mute button was pretty stupid IMO. I'm living with it, and usually just turn the unit off if I need quiet for a few minutes.
CONCLUSION: I can't comment on anything regarding subwoofer control and use, as I haven't installed subs yet. I don't see anything at this point that could or will be a negative comment there.
Bottom line, I love this unit. I made some compromises from my original wants/needs, mainly in price and lighting. I am perfectly happy with those compromises, as I have picked up a superbly capable unit with a sleek modern look that doesn't have a distracting and/or cheap display.
