A good deck, that fits right.
Pros:
Great fit in GM vehicles, good sound controuring controls.
Cons:
Rotary knob needs too many turns, outdated display.
The Bottom Line:
A good choice for a multi-amp setup in a GM vehicle. Built-in EQ and Crossovers.
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Overall Rating:
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Author's Review
This was my second 1.5 DIN Pioneer CD headunit. I also have (and reviewed) the DEH-P47DH.
The DEH-P77 is much better suited for a multi-amp setup. It has 3 RCA outputs (1 non-fading). It also has an assortment of controls: programed EQ modes, customizable EQ modes (parametric: high, mids, and lows have adjustable levels and Q settings), crossovers, etc.
The sound customizing features are quite good, but the one thing I don't like is the crossover controls both the front and rear surrounds the same. You cannot individually select different crossover frequencies for the front or rear speakers. This sucks, because different sized speakers require different crossover points. I don't think the crossover is very good either. I have 3.5" fronts, and 6x9" rears. I (have to) crossover both at 120HZ. This is way too high for the 6x9's, and really isn't enough for the 3.5" speakers. In fact, my 3.5" speakers may be blown, they rattle pretty bad if I have the bass above "0" gain.
This deck comes with a small remote control, which you can hold onto while driving. Once you use a remote control for your car stereo, you will seldom and dislike using the controls on the deck itself.
The rotary volume control, just like in the DEH-P47, sucks. You have to spin it WAY too many time for it to get to "road cruising" volume levels. I always use the remote. I am running an external 50Wx4 amp.
The attenuator function (available only on the remote) sharply and quickly lowers the volume at least 50%. My Kenwood would gradually (within a second or two) lower the volume. It is very abrupt, and when you hit it again you get BLASTED with sound. My Kenwood gradually brought the volume back to the original level.
The display screen is quite outdated. For some reason, Pioneer hasn't seen fit to update these decks since they first came out about 5 years ago. I mean, it's OK but not up to today's standards. I like to see a dancing, colorful spectrum analyzer, this deck doesn't have that.
It rarely skips, and looks pretty nice in my car. Really the only option for a GM 1.5 DIN vehicle.
Rainbow Appliance
