What is the main thing in car sound? In car audio, the main thing is the "head". That is a car radio. It is she who decides how high-quality the sound in a particular car will be. Most modern radio tape recorders completely refuse to play anything other than MP3s and CDs. But our today's hero is quite able to cope with music in a popular format without loss of quality called FLAC. This radio is called Pioneer MVH-180UBG. Reviews about it amaze the imagination of old motorists, because it seems that this does not happen in nature. We will analyze this ultra-modern car radio system in more detail and try to understand what is unusual in it.
A little bit about the company
The Japanese company Pioneer has been known for a very long time. It is one of the world leaders in the production of various electronics. More recently, the company developed and manufactured speakers, televisions and other devices. Also, this manufacturer is credited with the development of such popular standards as DVD and Blu-Ray. But now the company has moved away from all this and has focused on the release of audio equipment for cars. The “Blue Dream” of every car enthusiast is a complete set from the Pioneers: a “head”, a receiver, a subwoofer, speakers, LCD screens and much more. Pioneer MVH-180UBG, the characteristics of which we will analyze a little lower, is an excellent example of the peak of Japanese engineering.
The Japanese company is slowly but surely becoming a monopolist in the world of automotive sound. Companies such as Alpine, of course, are also known, but they have a very narrowly focused specialty. And “Pioneer” aimed precisely at the mass segment. And the Japanese achieve their goal. Many can no longer imagine their car without equipment from the "Pioneer". A feature of car radios from this manufacturer (it can also be written down as advantages) is that Pioneer uses the standard universal DIN car radio connector. Thus, this product can be installed in any car without any adapters.
Contents of delivery
The car radio is shipped in a recycled cardboard box. The packaging artistically depicts the radio itself and its technical characteristics. Inside - Pioneer MVH-180UBG, an instruction manual in Russian, a set of screws, a warranty card and a removable front panel of the device in a separate case. Such a set is standard for the delivery set of almost all entry-level car radios. However, there is one feature: few people supply the radio with a set of necessary additional wires. But “Pioneer” decided to make the task easier for the user.
The Pioneer MVH-180UBG package, reviews of which we will analyze below, is confused by the size of the package itself. He is unusually small. This is due to the fact that this car radio is made on a shortened chassis. This helped to reduce the size of the device and facilitate its installation in the car. Apparently, the manufacturing company took into account the wishes of motorists and went to meet them. This is another advantage in the Pioneer arsenal.
Appearance and design
Now let's move on to the look of the Pioneer MVH-180UBG. The reviews of the owners suggest that the car radio fits perfectly into any interior. Even though the button illumination color cannot be changed. But green, for some reason, does not conflict with the rest of the car. And the design of this radio tape recorder itself means that we have a high-quality product. The front panel is made of frosted glass with a glossy edge. Around the volume control are the necessary control buttons, highlighted in green. There are also buttons under the screen. On the right side is a USB connector, covered with a rubber plug. Just below it is the AUX input.
The screen is made using LCD technology, has impressive viewing angles and produces white text. It works great with tags in Cyrillic. This means that the names of Russian compositions will be displayed legibly, without hieroglyphs of unknown origin. The front panel is completely removable, which will come in handy in harsh Russian realities. Pioneer MVH-180UBG - USB receiver. With all the ensuing consequences. So it's time to move on to its characteristics. It's time to see what this car radio has "under the hood."
Specifications
Inside this radio is a four - channel amplifier type MOSFET with a capacity of up to 50 watts. This suggests that you can use this radio even without a separate amplifier. Power enough for the eyes. Car radio connector for connection - standard DIN. This makes it compatible with all cars (any year of manufacture). There is also a digital tuner with memory for 24 stations and support for FM-AM broadcast waves, a five-band equalizer and AUX input for connecting an external audio source. The type of connector is a 3.5mm mini-jack.
But the main "trick" of this car radio is the USB-connector. Through it, you can connect both flash drives and smartphones based on the Android operating system. The car radio supports such devices completely and can both play sound files from the internal memory of the smartphone and charge the device while it is connected to it. This is the main feature of the Pioneer MVH-180UBG. The reviews of the owners indicate that any smartphone based on Android 4.0 and higher is detected by the radio without any problems.
Features car radio
Its main feature is reproducible audio formats. This radio does not have a CD player, but it has a very useful option - support for the FLAC format, which is characterized by high sound quality, since it is an uncompressed audio format. Also, the radio supports standard MP3, WAV and WMA. This makes it universal. But for the normal operation of the radio (especially in some wilderness) you need an antenna amplifier for the car radio. There is nothing shameful here. Almost all devices in this category have difficulties in this regard. But FLAC support is a big plus for the manufacturer.
Features of connection and pinout
Also, for the correct "separate" connection of the speakers (each on its own channel), you will have to ask what the pinout of the Pioneer MVH-180UBG car radios is. But you don’t need to shovel the entire Internet. All information on this subject is available in the instruction manual, which is included with the car radio. The instruction is completely in Russian, with an adequate translation and written clearly. No one should have connection problems. This is what Pioneer is famous for - customer focus. If you wish, you can connect a separate amplifier to this car radio (although a nominal power of 50 watts should be enough for everyone). There is also a separate connector for connecting a subwoofer (if needed).
Positive feedback from owners
Almost all those who purchased this radio cannot help but leave positive feedback. Their enthusiasm is understandable. This is almost the only "head" that supports the audio format without loss of quality. Many are shocked by the power of the receiver - 50 watts is not five. Also, the sound quality produced by the device has been praised. But the main thing is the ease of installation and connection. Some were confused by the operation of the device with radio stations, but the antenna amplifier for the car radio easily corrected the situation. The overall impression of working with this gadget is moderately enthusiastic.
Negative owner reviews
However, there are those who are not satisfied with the features of this radio. The motorists of the older generation are haunted by the lack of a CD player. They cannot understand in any way that this is the last century. And for this reason they write negative reviews. Also, some were confused by the pinout of the Pioneer MVH-180UBG car radio. But only those who do not know how to read the instruction manual speak about this. Everything is laid out in it. It is only necessary to clearly follow the points, and no problems will arise. Nevertheless, even those unhappy note the high sound quality and excellent power for such a device. Thanks to the technology for improving the sound of compressed files, the radio tape recorder perfectly reproduces even MP3.
Finally
Car radio Pioneer MVH-180UBG has proved to be an excellent product for moderate money to ensure high-quality sound in the car. In fact, this is a USB receiver (since there is no CD player), but this does not prevent this device from providing high quality playback of both MP3 and uncompressed FLAC. The device is made on a shortened chassis (which facilitates its installation), is equipped with standard DIN connectors (which facilitates its connection) and has complete instructions in Russian (which is also important). Yes, and to buy this car radio in any cabin for adequate money is not difficult. This is truly a "folk product."