Matthew Botos

Paying down you debts opens up some great new logical paths, such as “since I’m not making car payments any more, I could totally afford a new Bluetooth and iPod-enabled car stereo!” For those keeping score, this is my fourth car stereo install, and was a do-it-yourself project to keep with tradition.

As a newly-minted “rich guy”, I was tempted to pay someone else to install this one, but quickly soured on the hassle of added fees and bungled appointments. In addition to saving on labor, ordering on the Internet undercut even local “close out” prices.

The new Pioneer DEH-P980BT provides Bluetooth hands-free for cell phones, and upgraded display and navigation of an iPod. It also supports Bluetooth stereo audio, but the iPhone does not, so I had to buy the adapter box to hardwire my current car iPod.

Installation was straightforward; the hardest part is prying the heater ducts out above the stereo. Wiring everything up was the next challenge; I was surprised there was room for the bundle in the dash! Pioneer also uses a huge iPod plug, which meant Dremeling out the hole for it in the back of the pocket below the stereo. The microphone for the hands free clipped easily to the rear view mirror, and the wires tucked in nicely behind the trim along the driver’s side door.

The hands free is great; conversations sound good on both ends. The iPhone’s neutered Bluetooth implementation cuts out some cool features like phone book transfer and automatic connections. Pioneer also gets credit for letting you change the Bluetooth PIN on the unit.

The color display felt like an indulgence, but it is gorgeous. Two lines of text display a combination of song, artist, and album, though Pioneer insists on needlessly scrolling it at least once. iPod navigation actually mimics the iPod itself, with three lines of text on the screen. Unfortunately, they haven’t been able to replicate - or license - the iPod’s accelerating scroll.

One more thing - and this over-the-top feature is why I got the 980 instead of it’s siblings - it tunes itself! Plug in another microphone where you sit, it gives you a countdown to jump out of the car, and then runs a series of white-noise calibrations. The result is a the system to correctly balanced for your off-center seat. It really makes a difference, though you can turn it off when you have passengers who are fellow audio geeks.

View the Bluetooth Car Stereo photos