Any advanced car enthusiast knows that high-quality sound in a car depends not only on a good speaker system. A good head unit also plays an enormous role (the “head" in everyday life), that is, a car radio. Now on the market a huge number of these devices from a variety of manufacturers. There are both Chinese "noun", and devices from reputable manufacturers. The latter also includes the Pioneer MVH-280FD. User reviews about this device are so interesting that you should definitely disassemble it in more detail. But first, a few words about the manufacturer.
"Pioneers" in everything
The Japanese manufacturer of electronics managed to earn a certain (and moreover, a very positive) reputation among car enthusiasts, professional DJs and simply connoisseurs of quality sound. The company was founded in 1938. Over a long history, the manufacturer has managed to give us such iconic things as CD- and DVD-ROM drives, drives for reading such CDs (in common people - “cutters”), household players, excellent speakers and excellent vinyl players. Pioneer MVH-280FD car radio is at the top of the engineering thought of Pioneers. We will review reviews about it a little later.
Today, the manufacturing company is focused on the release of products, which can conditionally be divided into two segments. The first one includes professional concert equipment of DJs. And in the second - automotive electronics and speakers. The company now does not think about the release of consumer goods (players, televisions, etc.). It is not necessary for the Japanese, for competing with a bunch of Chinese manufacturers is more expensive for itself. But in terms of car audio, the brand has achieved impressive success. A vivid example is the Pioneer MVH-280FD, reviews of which clearly make it clear that the radio has excellent technical characteristics and the highest build quality. And now in more detail.
Contents of delivery
The car radio comes in a colored box made of recycled cardboard. The design is made in the corporate colors of "Pioneers": white and red. Also on the box flaunts a very realistic image of the head unit. However, the most interesting thing appears if you open the box: the buyer is warned that the device is characterized by increased power and requires the appropriate voltage and resistance to connect. But that’s all right. Inside the box is a removable socket in a separate case, a set of connecting wires (by the way, of very dubious quality), a remote control, a set of instructions and the Pioneer MVH-280FD radio tape recorder itself. Reviews and description from the owners of this miracle confirm the theory that the wires are categorically not suitable for this device. They simply cannot reach its full potential. Now let's move on to more interesting things.
Head unit specifications
Now the fun part. What is the Pioneer MVH-280FD car radio capable of? User reviews about this device are mixed. Someone likes the sound quality, and someone considers it flawed. In order to avoid disputes, it is necessary to consider technical specifications. So, the device has a MOSFET amplifier with a power of 100 watts per channel. There are four channels in total. One hundred watts is unrealistic a lot for the space that is available in the car. It is worth noting that the level of sound distortion for such power is ridiculously low. Engineers of the manufacturer used all their skills to ensure high-quality sound apparatus. Among other things, the radio boasts such options as the proprietary Advanced Sound Retriever sound improver, a five-band graphic equalizer, high and low frequency filters, an FM tuner, support for Android and iOS devices. Such a number of options suggests that this is not a budget device. Although it’s not so expensive.
Supported Audio Formats
And here it is very interesting. What formats can a Pioneer MVH-280FD read? Reviews and review, alas, will not help to clarify the picture. All hope for information specified by the manufacturer. Well, on my own experience. The radio is completely deprived of the ability to play CDs. It’s right: the 21st century in the yard - “blanks” are a thing of the past. The device supports playing music from a USB drive. The head unit easily copes with formats such as MP3, WMA, WAV and FLAC. The latter is especially interesting, as it is an audio compression format without loss of quality. This means that in cars there will finally be high-quality sound. FLAC files weigh much more than usual MP3s, but the sound quality is several times better. For comparison: the maximum audio bitrate of an MP3 is 320 kilobits per second. While not even the highest quality FLAC easily produces 1000 kilobits per second and higher. Further comments are unnecessary.
Additional car radio interfaces
Let's take a closer look at the Pioneer MVH-280FD. Reviews and photos of the device make it clear that it is very different from standard car radios. So, this head unit has the ability to directly connect a subwoofer. This is very nice, since you do not need to spend money on additional amplifiers. And with the power that the radio is capable of delivering, the use of amplifiers is not required at all. Instead of a subwoofer, you can connect the rear speakers. Also on the rear panel of the radio there is a connector for connecting a wired remote control, which should be located on the steering wheel. However, it does not come in the kit. Will have to be purchased separately. Through the AUX jack on the front panel of the device, you can connect all kinds of analog audio playback devices. But that is not all. Using a special socket, the car radio easily works with smartphones on iOS and Android. Moreover, you can both control the device and answer calls.
Tuner specifications
Now consider the possibilities of searching for Pioneer MVH-280FD radio stations. User reviews in this regard are unambiguous: the radio is clearly not enough power built-in antenna. Therefore, you need to use the external. The rest of the tuner is very advanced. There is support for RTS, search for the best frequency, memory at 24 stations. But a particularly useful option for motorists is to inform about traffic density. The only trouble is that in our latitudes such a function is almost useless. You can also tune stations and the frequency range manually. You don’t have to rely on automation. In general, the quality of the tuner from the "Pioneer" is not bad. You just need to remember to attach an external antenna. Then everything will be fine.
Positive feedback from owners
Now let's see what those who already managed to get the Pioneer MVH-280FD say. Reviews about the advantages of this model will be the first. We will examine the disadvantages later. So, many owners of this miracle purchased it solely because of the power of the built-in amplifier. The lion's share of these lovers of loud sound was pretty surprised at the quality of playback. This is especially noticeable after using cheap Chinese radio tape recorders. Only some of the new owners of the device examined all the information about it and made an informed choice. In general, users in this car radio like almost everything. But the Pioneers deserve special thanks for the implementation of FLAC support. Motorists have long been waiting for this option in mid-range devices. So they waited. Also, users note a good price for a device of this level. Car radio is inexpensive, and this is another incentive to purchase.
Negative owner reviews
Who did not like the Pioneer MVH-280FD? Reviews about the shortcomings of this model are few. Motorists complain mainly about the address of the built-in tuner. He is really weak. Some, apparently, came across defective devices, as they complained of insufficient sound quality (although this concept is loose). Also, some hipsters lamented the lack of support for CDs. In general, negative reviews are not of particular interest, since for the most part they are purely individual.
Conclusion
So, the Pioneer MVH-280FD mid-range car radio, which we just reviewed, is an excellent and unrealistically powerful head unit. And all this, mind you, for a reasonable price.