hey i was in the market for a ddin setup for the car and got an offer from a friends friend of 1000 EVEN for a AVIC z-120bt, wire harness, etc.

is this a good deal?

i was searching for a head unit that was a little less expensive but am starting to wonder is the AVIC z-120bt really worth it?

 

NOt sure is this helps, but I got a avic z1 back in the day with the navtraffic/xm tuner for 1500 and that was a great deal then. I love my unit since day 1. 5 years and counting!!

 

so-so deal

200 more gets you their top of the line unit z130bt

 

It's a fantastic piece of hardware, but if you're not after a unit with voice control of iPod and navigation, I'd go with a brand-new Pioneer 4300DVD or 3300BT. If you do want navigation but don't care about voice control, the Pioneer 930BT is the way to go.

 

i thought the z120bt was the best 1 out right now?

on pioneers website they have the z120bt priced higher than the z130bt

http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PU...GPS-Navigation

1500 for z130bt

1600 for z120bt

thanks for the input!


i dont feel like i'd use the voice control but i do love the 7" screen for the pioneer and the new interface.

i guess my question would be is it really worth the extra couple hundred.

how does pioneer compare up to KENWOOD or other brands? spending aroun 1,000 which would be the best headunit to get. i know you are the GURU for ddin wrathernaut haha reading reviews of biased people towards headunits are no comparasion to talking to honest members on driver

 

Well, I can't say I'm unbiased, but I'd like to think most of my biases are justifiable.

The Z120 is the older unit, definitely not better than the Z130. It's typical Pioneer protocol to price the newer one below the outgoing model. I don't know why they do it, I can make up reasons why they would, but I don't know for certain, but they do it consistently.

Pioneer has been quite a bit better with regards to the interface as of late, and there's Pandora integration in all the new headunits, which is a definite plus if you've got an iPhone.

Kenwood has the better map interface, and if you have the skills, you tune them a bit more than Pioneer headunits, otherwise Pioneer's got the edge.

 

i heard the z130bt and z120bt isnt much different. in fact most pioneer head units arent much different at all.

kenwood uses garmen (which is considerbly better) but as long as the navi is somewhat decent (i use a 250 dollar magellan navi right now) then im fine.

i KNOW for a fact that pioneer interface is so much easily to use and I believe the Kenwoods are a tad mroe expensive

 

from all i can see comparing specs on the website

HD Radio™ Built-In GEX-P20HD requried for z120bt

z130bt hd radio is built in, otherwise everything is similair

 

u can get a used one for as low as 600 on feebay

 

^ there were used ones for 700-800 but for a few dollars more I might as well get a BNIB and installed

 

Z130bt also has free lifetime traffic as well.

Like I said, the Z130 is clearly superior to the Z120.

 

^ thanks a lot wrathernaut.

any more input? im still so undecisive on which headunit to get.

 

If you don't care about the voice for iPod and navigation or the traffic info for navigation, I'd definitely say do the X930BT. Detachable face is always a good option.

For what it's worth, I went with the top-of-the-line (at the time) Z110BT when I was choosing for myself. Voice control of iPod is awesome, so is being able to just ask the headunit to "Find nearest Chili's" and it does it.

 

^ i defintely care about navigation as my car is a (no nav) and ipod futures. as long as the navigation works and doesnt give a lot of false data turns etc. or isnt slow and sluggish i would be fine. quite a few people bash on the navi of the AVIC z series though, in your honest opinions is it really that bad? i dont want a headunit and have a garmin/tom tom etc. on top of that (too tacky and not flush IMO) plus i have a Radar detector hooked up

having said that, i feel like the z130bt( i hope im right ) is the top of the line right now but i feel the extra hundred or so is not nessasary for the live traffic update (as living in SOCAL it is apparent what times traffic hits and is inevitable) i dont need a navi to tell me theres traffic at 5pm when i know it is the time everyone gets off of work and everyday at 5 pm theres traffic)

personally i agree with you (after playing with a few friends ddins today) that the interface and GUI of the pioneer is way easier to use and although I felt as if pioneers load times were a little slower their interface was easier to use and unlike Kenwoods did not lag as much overall not to mention the cost of Kenwoods are a little more expensive. a big factor for me is the GUI interface as i rather it take a little longer to load in the beginning but not lag while i choose to search through my ipod or change maps , directions , etc.



final decision would have to be between two of the top of the line head units both from kenwood and pioneer today currently (z130bt/z120bt and DNX9960) if im not mistaken

that said, i have a technical question for you. if i was to get a z120bt how would i go about getting the HD radio? (stupid question but im assuming that the z120bt has regular radio? or is it that if you get the 120bt theres no way to listen to the radio)

and taking a moment i would just like to AFFRIM you for all your help and taking your time to answer my questions

 

To get HD on the Z120, you just get GEX-P20HD (yes, I'm scared that I have that model # memorized).

I've never had problems with the navigation on my Z110BT. It definitely lags behind garmin navigation, but if you want garmin navigation, it's cheaper to pick up their $250 units (which also include lifetime traffic) than to pay the premium for a Kenwood headunit.

If you decide to do Kenwood, I'd advise hanging back for a bit. The 9960's been out for quite some time now, and is due for replacement by the 9980 for about the same price. If the new Kenwoods have interface improvements that bring them to the level of the Pioneer units, they might be the way to go. They were supposed to ship in march, but I'm there aren't many videos or information on them beyond that article there and from CES.