[COUGAR]

Originally Posted by jinu_joseph

I am not a big fan of Pioneer, because of all the jazz they put into their HU which is of no value to me. Also i have had pioneer units fail on me earlier.

I think the deal with Pio is that they pack in a lot more features at the same pricepoint which often helps to seal the deal for many. You also get a lot of useless features- personally I find MIXTRAX just annoying!

Generally happy with my Pioneer X759BT - it has most of the bling one looks for and sound quality is passable. It only when one hears other stereo's in the market that you start questioning.

That Clarion unit i auditioned - C702 - now thats one FINE unit! I mounted it in my Gypsy to get a realistic feel. The only change was the head unit which was swapped - and what a difference it made!

Downside is availability - Pio units are mostly avail at every nukkad wala installer.

[Spinnerr]

Originally Posted by COUGAR

Never understood the point of having a separate Bluetooth kit in the car - ....even the sub-10k ones have decent BT....

So why have another dedicated BT unit?

When you drive a rental, and you don't have an option to change the HU.

[Aiel]

I have just ordered the Balupunkt unit from Snapdeal. I got it for around 5.8K. I expect to receive the same by this weekend.

I will post my reviews on the same, once I get a chance to use it.

[COUGAR]

After a month long fruitless search for the 80PRS, finally bit the bullet and installed the Pioneer 8650BT. Cost around 10.2K including installation with B&W.

The model seems to have had an upgrade in 2014 - my screen layout and setup are slightly different from the same model installed in my friends Bolero. Overall happy with the sound quality - I have JBL 6.5" Components in the front and box mounted JBL 6x9's in the rear.

[punto_]

I am currently currently using Pioneer HU for my Punto which I am planning to replace as its broken.

My current set-up has Rockford Fosgate R1652-S 6.50" 2-Way Component System in the front doors and R152 5.25" Prime Full-Range Speaker in the rear doors and Punch Series P1 12" Sub

I want to spend Maximum 8000/- for the HU, and I am planning to take the Blaupunkt - Toronto 420 BT on SnapDeal its costing 6845.

Is this a good choice? Any other suggestions are welcome.

Requirement : Bluetooth must.
Illumination: Either plain white or should match the interiors colours of Punto (amber colour).

[Abh1nav]

Originally Posted by Aiel

I have just ordered the Balupunkt unit from Snapdeal. I got it for around 5.8K. I expect to receive the same by this weekend.

I will post my reviews on the same, once I get a chance to use it.

Hi, I'm planning to go for the Toronto 420BT as well. Can you share your experience with the HU?

[Aiel]

Originally Posted by Abh1nav

Hi, I'm planning to go for the Toronto 420BT as well. Can you share your experience with the HU?

Abhinav, sorry for the late response, was out of town.

I am very happy with the unit in terms of its functionality. I will cover each point from its ordering below:

Ordering process: I got a deal from Snapdeal for this headset for approximately 5K. I got it within 4 days of ordering it online.

Installation: I took it to my friendly neighborhood ICE shop. He was able to install it without any issues; it was a simple matter of unplugging my Pioneer headunit and replacing it with the new headunit. As a background, I have a 2006 Ford Fiesta.

Looks: As a fan of understated design, I preferred the look of my previous matte black Pioneer. Though it does not have any obvious shiny chrome bits, I find it a little flashy compared to my previous headunit. There is a separate mike unit (a small thumbnail sized unit), connected to the headunit by a wire. I have glued this to the left of the steering wheel.

Pairing process: I was able to effortlessly pair my previous phone (Nexus 4) to the unit, using the instructions available in the manual. On switching to a new device, the pairing process was once again effortless. On getting into the car, the pairing happens quite effortlessly and it is able to 'transfer' ongoing calls to the headunit. However, if calls are ongoing and you switch off the car, the call tends to get dropped and I have to redial.

Performance: Sound wise, I am quite happy with the sound, but I am not an expert; as long as the sound is reasonably clear, I am satisfied.
Regarding phone calls, I use it extensively for taking calls, when driving. Other than my wife (who has a high standard of acceptable voice quality), others (including clients and my parents) have had no complaints regarding the sound quality. A point is that the headunit does not display the name of the contact, even though the contact name has been stored in the mobile phone. Also, the recently called list is not reflected in the headunit; only outgoing calls made when the car is currently on are there in the list of recent calls (which are cleared when the car is turned off).

Overall, I am very happy with the unit and would recommend it to others. Let me know if you have any queries.

[Abh1nav]

Originally Posted by Aiel

Abhinav, sorry for the late response, was out of town.

Thank you so much for your response Aiel!

However, I just went around looking at some local shops for the HU and got the Sony MEX N-5070BT installed.

My heart was set at the Toronto till the last minute, but I had shortlisted the Sony one as well, and when I saw it, decided to get it installed!

However, need to say that you got a great deal on the Toronto! At present, it sells for 6200 on Snapdeal, while the local shop wala asked for 7500 for the same!

[Freon911]

Having a bitter experience shopping with snapdeal for Toronto 420BT. I ordered 420BT on 01st Feb and today the product was delivered to my home. Opened the package and I was shocked to see Toronto 410BT . Also the warranty card is issued for Nov 2014, much before I even heard about the 420BT let alone ordering one. So its obvious this unit may have been sold and returned earlier and they just want to try their luck again.

I have contacted Snapdeal for organizing a return delivery, This is my first time ordering with Snapdeal and dont think I'll be going back unless they straighten things out.

[hiren.mistry]

Originally Posted by jinu_joseph

I am looking for an excellent HU with BT that supports an external microphone for the BT. Towards this I find these available

- Pioneer DEH-X8650BT
- Kenwood X700BT
- Blaupunkt toronto 420

Hi Jinu,
Besides Kenwood website I could not find X700BT on any site in India. Have you seen it with any local accessory shops?

Thanks

[DerAlte]

Originally Posted by hiren.mistry

... Besides Kenwood website I could not find X700BT on any site in India. Have you seen it with any local accessory shops? ...

Should be available with accessory shops. 2 more places you can check (details available here):
1. Nippon Audiotronix, authorized distributors for JVC-Kenwood
2. Main dealers in your city

Usually models launched recently (< 2 years back) do not show up in sites like Snapdeal, Flipkart, eBay etc. The other difficulty with sellers on these sites (the sites themselves are just shopfront aggregators and don't trade directly) is that it is difficult to find out whether it is an official India product (some sellers do mention explicitly) or a grey market one (no locally supported warranty). Be cautious when buying online - double check on the local support / warranty.

[hiren.mistry]

Originally Posted by DerAlte

The other difficulty with sellers on these sites (the sites themselves are just shopfront aggregators and don't trade directly) is that it is difficult to find out whether it is an official India product (some sellers do mention explicitly) or a grey market one (no locally supported warranty). Be cautious when buying online - double check on the local support / warranty.

Thanks for the inputs DerAlte!! Totally agree with you. The only reason to look up at these websites was to find out the approximate pricing. I checked my local accessory shops and they can't think beyond Pioneer. Will surely call up the numbers mentioned on the Kenwood site.

Cheers

[Freon911]

An update to my above message involving ordering from SNAPDEAL and receiving a faulty item.
Snapdeal asked for pictures of the defective product and later arranged a reverse pickup. Once the return item was verified I was given a full refund. So I am quite happy except for the fact of loosing a good discount. Since I did not want to try my luck second time I have purchased Toronto 420BT from Sachin's auto shop in BLR. There was also not much difference in price with Snap Deal at that point of time.

Quite pleased with the performance of 420BT. Good clarity for calls (there is an external mic provided) and BT streaming. Took some time adjusting to the controls especially the rotary switch to toggle tracks/folders. There is provision for rear and front USB with SD card slot behind the panel which is good for long drives

[v_safari]

Originally Posted by COUGAR

After a month long fruitless search for the 80PRS, finally bit the bullet and installed the Pioneer 8650BT. Cost around 10.2K including installation with B&W.

The model seems to have had an upgrade in 2014 - my screen layout and setup are slightly different from the same model installed in my friends Bolero. Overall happy with the sound quality - I have JBL 6.5" Components in the front and box mounted JBL 6x9's in the rear.

Hello COUGAR,

Where did you buy the DEH-X8650BT head unit from?
I'm currently looking for it and am unable to find it with any accessory shop in Karol Bagh and Kashmiri gate.
I've come to know from one shop that an upgrade 8750 is there, but that is also not available anywhere.

[poised2drive]

Hey Guys,

I am looking for a decent HU [ Double or single Din] below 10k .

I see most of them here do not suggest Sony but I find one of their inventory below to be fairly modern and snapdeal gives a good discount too !
http://www.snapdeal.com/product/sony...car/2009373168

So is it a VFM ?