Well I've never reviewed anything in my life, so here goes. I am also no wiz on audio systems or anything like that so please bear with me
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I recently purchased the aforementioned head unit off eBay for a total of $330 + $40 postage. The only retail price I could find (and I don't think is correct) was $580, whereas the previous model (6850MP) was $660.
Anyway, I replaced my DEH-5750MP with the new one, and I couldn't believe how much better it was.
Couple of nifty features:
Has a 3.5mm stereo socket at the back of the h/u for plugging in an MP3 player, etc., along with the standard Pioneer IP-Bus connection (for CD stackers, etc.)
You can plug in various adapters including an iPod adapter, allowing you to control the iPod from the h/u. It supports USB memory sticks (with the correct adapter) and there is a bluetooth adapter available, allowing you to use the stereo as a handsfree kit for your mobile phone, etc.
The head unit features:
7 band Graphic Equalizer - 50hz, 125hz, 315hz, 800hz, 2khz, 8khz, 12.6khz
Bass boost
Loud boost (low, mid, high)
High Frequency Cutoff - 50hz, 63hz, 80hz, 100hz or 125hz
Now, my car stereo consists of the following:
Stock VX Executive front and rear speakers
Response (from Jaycar) 4x130wRMS amp, bridged (to supply 380wRMS @ 4ohms) to a BOSS 500wRMS 10" sub in a vented box.
Straight out of the box, the head unit defaults to the Powerful EQ preset, which makes it sound pretty good and to leave a good impression on you. I am never satisfied with factory EQ settings (and usually not satisfied with my own) so I am forever tweaking my EQ - and of course the first thing I did was adjust the bass boost.
The bass boost gives you a CLEAN boost of low end, I picked it probably boosts between 40hz - 90hz or thereabouts. Plenty of bass for people wanting just noise, and people who really want their stereo sounding good!
The Graphic Equalizer is improved infinitely over the previous 3 band Parametric equalizers which I believe have been predominant in all Pioneer head units up until this years models. It allows you to have two custom equalizer settings - Custom1 you can set for any of the sources (Tuner, CD, Aux1, Aux2), and Custom2 is applied to all sources.
All in all, no matter how you have the audio controls set, you get a RICH sound out of this head unit. I haven't turned on the Loud feature, because this head unit doesn't even need it, and Loudness just seems to add unnecessary overtones to the sound in my previous experience.
The display is blue, and you can select a few different animated backgrounds, as well as a few different spectrum analyzers. If not using a spectrum analyzer, it displays text related to the CD. For MP3s for example, you can choose to display Artist + Track Title, Artist + CD Title, Filename, MP3 Comments and CD Title + Track Title. I have not tested it with a regular CD with cd text, but I imagine it will function in the same way.
The three Menus are accessible by the good-sized knob (which you can turn left and right, press down on, and press each end of the compass). They can tend to be a little confusing at first when you're using the one knob to control all the functions and change all the settings but it didn't take me long to work out how it all works together. The three menus are Audio - allowing you to change all the above settings, Function - which allows you to set Random play, FF-Rev/Rough Search, Scan, Compression, etc. There is also the Entertainment menu which allows you to set the background animation or spectrum analyzer.
If you hit the Clock button, it displays the clock in a LARGE, very visible font.
Please note that this image is of the US model the DEH-P6900UB and has slight visual differences (there is no List button on the 6950IB).
PIONEER DEH-6950IB - 5 Stars!
Linear Mode
