Review: Pioneer Premier DEX-P1R

Pioneer Premier DEX-P1R
By John Spagnolo

Description:

Single DIN CD-Player with AM/FM RDS, ID Logic, and built-in DSP processor, Auto-EQ, and built-in car alarm.

Specs:

There seems to be some confusion over the DACS in this unit. It is listed as having 20 bit D/As in the brochure, but I have seen other places that it is advertised as "20 BIT performance" using single bit DACS. I was told by A Pioneer rep that it was single, but I think he may have been wrong now. I will just go with what is listed in the Premier catalog.
20 Bit D/A Converter
Frequency response: 5-20,000Hz
S/N Ratio: 120 dB (Impressive)
RCA Pre-outs: 3 4 Volt outputs @ 100 Ohms.
Amplification: None, this is a pre-amp unit so external amps are needed.

Overview:

This is by far one of the best units I have ever seen. If you enjoy bells and whistles, this has them! Looking at the list of CONS, I see I have quite a lengthy list, but I’m just trying to be unbiased. Truth is I LOVE this unit. I cant say enough about it. The time alignment (only available in PRO-MODE) is by far my favorite part. If you are considering this unit, but aren’t going to use it in Pro-Mode, you are missing out on the best features I think. The sound quality is nothing less than superb. The features are nothing less than outstanding. It would cost quite a bit of money to add on all these features to another head unit externally.

The DFS Alarm+ may be considered a joke of an alarm, but if you don’t have an alarm at all, its much better! If you use all the available features of the DFS+ it is quite a capable alarm. You can add-on a shock-sensor, external siren, parking light flash, and even a starter kill. Of course it will never be a remote controlled alarm. In its simplest form, if someone opens a door, it sends a very high pitched squeal through your speakers, make it painful for a thief to stay in the car, and drawing attention to the car.

I consider this to be an excellent competition level head unit, and while a bit expensive, its really not when you consider all the features. I have my choice of just about any head unit, and I chose this one for my own car. That’s about the best endorsement I can give it. It was a tough choice between this or a unit with Multi-Media Display. It would be nice to have the ability to play movies in the car, BUT the P1R has an auxiliary input, so if you want to add a monitor, you can add the audio to the P1R. Combine the price of this unit, and an external video monitor, and I think you end up with better sound, more features, and about the same price as some of the Multi-Media head units, like the Alpine CVA-1000, or Clarion MAX. And all of those require external CD-Changers to play CDs!

If you add on the voice-control unit, and a Premier changer, you can even have voice disc title labeling. Just say "Pink Floyd, The Wall 1" and its labeled! By the way, everyone should have that pair of CDs in their changer. This also works for the tuner, for naming stations.

Pros:

Auto-EQ. This is very nice! Just plug in a mic (included) and turn on Auto-EQ, get out of the car, and let it do its thing. 3 curves available, plus it's defeatable after it has been setup.
13 Band Graphic Equalizer. You will see my gripe about this below, but overall I enjoy this feature. It has 2 user pre-set memories, and 4 pre-sets.
The Sound. Excellent. The 120 dB S/N ratio really seems to help.
4 Volt pre-outs, measured higher and I was able to get as much as 6 volts with certain settings all the way up.
DFS Alarm+ I think I covered this enough above.
The voice features, with optional voice control unit. Also a nice optional feature is the steering wheel remote control.
Adjustable face plate angle. This is GREAT. Got glare? Just move it a notch up or down! Contrast is also adjustable on the face, and it is dimmed when headlights are turned on.
Time alignment in Pro-Mode. It is adjustable in inches, or centimeters, and adjustable in .5 inch increments! If you set the subwoofers right, it REALLY gives the illusion of up front bass. No more setting the balance to the right so the signals seem the same from the drivers seat. And both front speakers (mid and high) are controlled independently which is nice if your mids are far away form your tweets on a component set. Again, this is by far my favorite feature on this piece.
ID Logic. This feature is available on many other Pioneers, but I think I like this more than RDS. Its great when you go on drives, and the radio just knows where the rock (or whatever format you pick) stations are on the tuner.

Cons:

Tiny spectrum analyzer.
Graphic Equalizer is only adjustable in 2 dB increments, and only to +6 (but –12).
The Silver finish makes it hard to blend into most dashes, in fact, makes it stick out like a sore thumb. Some people might like the contrast.
The remote is excellent, BUT the units full abilities can not be obtained WITHOUT the remote. This means if the remote breaks, you lose most of the features! I’d recommend anyone buying this ordering an extra remote, and just hide it away, and don’t use it. Reminds me of most of the VCRs that are out now. My VCR doesn’t even have tracking anywhere but on the remote.
Ease of use: Beyond the simplest tasks (Volume +/-, track +/- etc.) this unit can be quite overwhelming. I have been using it now for a while, and still forget what buttons on the remote to push to get to certain features. Not a unit for people who’s VCRs are always blinking 12:00. All of the tuner functions are complicated, and the DSP functions can be difficult to manipulate. I can see someone having an accident while trying to get it to go to the next frequency station, instead of going to the next "ROCK" format.

Owners Manual:

Its 114 pages, and seems like too much information. Until you start to use the unit, and then it seems like not enough! It is fairly well written, and seems to suffice.

Installation:

About as straight forward as you can get if you don’t connect the DFS Alarm+. You do have to decide if you are going to use the unit in "Pro-mode" or not before installing it. There are a lot of wires to cram in the dash, and lots of little boxes attached to the wires. In a tight dash, could have some problems. If you decide to use the DFS Alarm+ (and why not, its included!) I suggest having someone who is experienced with alarms install it. It also includes a nice little bracket to mount the remote just about anywhere. That was nice of them.

Retail Price:

MSRP is $870. Street price is normally a bit lower.

Warranty:

2 years.

The following is right off Pioneers web site at http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/premier/dex-p1r.htm

Features:

Supertuner® V™ (RDS + ID-Logic®)
Call Sign (PI) Display
Format (PTY) Display
8 Group Format (PTY) Search, Scan & BSM
Traffic Program (TP) Identification
Traffic Announcement (TA)
Traffic Announcement (TA) Search
Radio Text (RT)

64 Character Message Scrolling Display
3-Message First-In/First-Out Memory
4-Message User Memory

Auto Position Set (APS)
Auto Position Follow (APF)
24-Station (18FM/6AM) Presets
Format-BSM (Best Stations Memory)
Voice Preset Naming (with optional CD-VC50)
AGC (Automatic Gain Control) for Optimum CD Tracking Performance
CD TEXT for Built-In CD Player
Disc Title Memory (48 Discs)
Digital Compression and Dynamic Bass Emphasis
MCD Control of Pioneer P-Bus 6, 12, and 50+1 Disc Multi-CD Players
Disc List
CD Server (CDX-P5000) Enhanced Feature Control
Eject Playing Disc
Music Group Play (10 Groups)
Frequency Play (Most or Least)
Alphabetical Disc List & Play
Sound-Q Circuitry for Superior Sound Quality:
Hi-Bit Legato Link™ Digital Processor
Hi-Volt Component Preamp
Zero-Bit Mute
Hi-Volt RCA Preouts (x3 pair) (Front/Rear + Subwoofer) (4 Volt, <100 Ohm, Gold Plated)
Source EQ/DSP Memory & Source Level Adjuster
AUTO-Flap Motorized Face with 5-step Angle Adjustment
Detachable Face Security™
DFS™ Alarm+
New 23-Key Wireless Full-Function Smart Remote Control (with Mounting Kit)
Multicolor Display with EL Backlighting & Contrast Adjustment
2-line, 32 character Dot Matrix Information Display
15-Band Spectrum Analyzer (5 display modes)
Digital Automatic Sound Levelizer (ASL) with Built-In mic (5-mode)
PREMIER® Two-Year Warranty

Built-In DSP Features

13-Band Graphic Equalizer
4 Factory Presets (Rock/Pops/Vocal/Flat)
2 User Presets
Nuance Control
Auto-EQ - Automatic Frequency Response Calibration System
3 Curves Available (Dynamic/Natural/Mild)
Omni-Directional Microphone (Included)
Standard Mode (Sound Field Priority)
6-Mode Digital Sound Field Control (SFC) (Studio, Jazz, Club, Dome, Concert, Stadium)
Listening Position Selector (4 Mode: Front Left/Front Right/Front/All)
Front & Rear HPF: 50/80/125/200Hz, Level -24 to 0dB, Slope -12/-6/0dB
Subwoofer LPF: 50/63/80/100/125/160/200Hz, Level -24 to +6dB, Slope -18/-12/-6dB
Phase Switch for Subwoofer
Pro Mode (Digital Network Priority)
Time Alignment (0 ~ 160", 0.5" Steps)
Listening Position Selector (3 Mode: Front Left/Front Right/Front)
High HPF: 2k/2.5k/3.15k/4k/5k/6.3k/ 8k/10k/12.5kHz, Level -24 to +6dB, Slope -24/-18/-12/-6/0dB
Mid LPF: 2k/2.5k/3.15k/4k/5k/6.3k/ 8k/10k/12.5kHz
Mid HPF: 40/50/63/80/100/125/160/ 200/250Hz, Level -24 to +0dB, Slope -24/-18/-12/-6/0dB
Low LPF: 40/50/63/80/100/125/160/200/250Hz, Level -24 to +6dB, Slope -36/-30/-24/-18/-12dB
Phase Switch for Low/Mid/High