By Gideon V. – Sonic Electronix Editor
There are ordinary car stereos, and then there is the Pioneer AVIC-Z110BT. This model replaces the AVIC-Z3 in the line of Pioneer in-dash stereos. Talk about an upgrade – the AVIC-Z110BT is loaded with extra goodies. It has built-in Bluetooth, higher preamp voltage (4V as compared to the paltry 2.2V found in the AVIC-Z3), a 7-Band graphic equalizer with 6 presets (as opposed to the 3-Band, 5-preset EQ found in the AVIC-Z3), built-in flash memory maps, a built-in traffic tuner (the Z3 required an additional purchase), a speed display in navigation mode to help you avoid tickets, 1 set of RCA outputs, a rear USB input, and a SD card reader. Yeah, you might say it’s an upgrade.
This double DIN head unit is replete with a plush 7″ LCD Monitor that nearly spans across its entire frame. You can use the touchscreen monitor to access the built-in GPS navigation, Bluetooth, and to play media loaded on the SD and USB inputs. This receiver will also play your DVD’s, audio CD’s, and MP3’s. What’s more, you can use your iPod or iPhone with this unit to play any media stored on your Apple devices. Best of all, the AVIC-Z110BT has a customizable home screen, which allows you to set up shortcuts to all of your favorite devices. This makes it quick and easy to access them. And for those of you who really like to personalize your car stereos, you will appreciate how this unit allows you to use one of your personal photos as its background.
In comparison to the AVIC-Z3, the AVIC-Z110BT provides noticeably better sound quality due to the higher preamp voltage. The 4V makes a difference when transferring your audio to the rest of your components in your car audio system. Beyond excellent preamp voltage, its voice activation controls are worth mentioning. You can vocally command the AVIC-Z110BT to run your navigation, play music from your iPod, or to make calls with the hands-free Bluetooth function. And this unit is smart enough to talk back – the text to speech technology announces the actual street name to help keep your eyes on the road and on the lookout for upcoming turns.
Lastly, the AVIC-Z110BT does not skimp on expandability options: besides everything mentioned above, you can add Satellite radio, HD radio, a rear camera, and even retain your steering wheel controls. There is very little this stereo can’t do – it is truly a 5-star model worthy of the price tag.
Watch this demo of the Pioneer AVIC-Z110BT to learn more: