Pioneer AVIC Z120BT

Pioneer AVIC Z120BT
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I have been using this receiver in my 2010 Toyota Tundra for several weeks now. I will simply go over the points that mattered to me. This is an updated review.

- sound quality: excellent. Very happy in this regard. I have this connected at the line level to a JL Audio 400 watt amp and Morel Tempo speakers. Professionally installed.

- navigation: so far so good. The voice quality is great. The UI works well and I haven't found it slow when searching for an address or a POI. I like how it behaves as your drive.

- iPhone integration: generally very nice. Both for video and music and phone contacts. The audio quality I am getting for better music files is what I had hoped for. I am using the Pioneer iPod cable. There are glitches here and there, such as transitions. For example, shot off the unit/vehicle with video playing, then when the unit starts up again, the video doesn't play but you hear the sound. This continues even after acknowledging the safety screen. Can be lived with.

Voice quality during phone calls appears to be good. Or should I say nobody has complained nor misunderstood me. I did move a microphone a few times before settling on the rear edge of the visor. This is a less hidden, less integrated place to put it, but this places the microphone much closer to my voice. Sound levels in my Tundra aren't too bad. The doors are lined with Dynamat.

- voice recognition/control: overall surprisingly good. There is a bug that happens if your phone connects to the unit before you have acknowledged the safety notice for the GPS. Voice commands related to the phone refuse to work at all. This bug earlier led me to believe that the VR was useless. Work around for this is to hit that OK button in GPS mode as soon as possible after starting up the unit. I have used the VR even for specifying an address or searching for a point of interest, and it all works well. The VR voice is computer generated and not nearly as smooth as the GPS voice. One of several points of integration between the unit's separate systems that could use some improving.

So overall, I am very happy with this choice. I have not used such a unit in the past, so my expectations were actually quite high. I am used to better integration between features. I am however quite impressed with the overall quality of the user interface. Much nicer than I have seen on earlier receivers. Useful and looks good, not a silly display of flashing graphics. I believe it could be improved on, but I develop user interfaces for a living, so take my opinion as coming from a more critical point of view.