Car Sound That Sings
Sydney Morning Herald
Monday November 16, 1998
PIONEER has released a new CD player-tuner with multi-CD control head unit which it says is designed for the sophisticated car audiophile. The DEX-P1 showcases a host of the latest in-car technologies, including a detachable faceplate and a sentry regime that triggers an alarm through the system speakers. The alarm can also be linked with other security devices in a car, such as broken-glass sensors and sirens, for added vigilance.
The AM-FM stereo tuner section features Pioneer's Supertuner III electronics for increased rejection of interference from internal and external sources and has tuning presets for up to 24 radio stations (18 FM and 6 AM).
The DEX-P1 also has a CD slot behind a motorised front display panel that tilts forward to load or unload a disc. The unit will control 6-disc, 12-disc and 50-disc multi-CD changers in the Pioneer range. Having the CD slot in the head unit means you can still listen to music from CDs if you have installed the head unit but are still saving up for a Multi-CD changer. Even if you have a multi-changer, the CD slot in the head unit is handy for auditioning CDs without having to replace discs in the remote unit to do so.
The head unit includes a digital 15-band graphic equaliser to fine-tune the balance of treble, mid-range and bass inside the car and remembers the tone settings you make for individual cassettes, CDs and broadcasting stations. There is also a sound-field control (SFC) function to synthesise the listening environments of concert hall, studio, jazz, club, dome and stadium.
One of the requirements of stereo systems generally - not only those in cars - is that you normally have to sit in a "sweet spot" located centrally in front of the left and right channel speakers to hear a clean, open sound stage. This is nigh on impossible to achieve with normal channel-balance in cars, because the driver and passengers are usually seated off-centre with respect to the left and right channel loudspeakers. The DEX-P1 circumvents this problem with a Digital Listening Position Selector that automatically optimises the sound field and stereo image for four preset seating positions - front left; front right; front; and all-round.
Add to the list an Auto Equaliser that picks up sound inside the car cabin through a built-in microphone, analyses the sound and then tailors musical characteristics to the listener's tastes and you are looking at, or listening to, a pretty smart system. Recommended retail price for the DEX-P1 is $1,799, which includes a wireless remote control. This price does not include the multi-CD changer, power amplifiers or loudspeakers. More details: Pioneer Electronics Australia Pty, Ltd, 178-184 Boundary Road, Braeside, Victoria, 3195. Phone: 03 9586 6300, freecall 1800 338 439. Web site www.pioneerelectronics.com
© 1998 Sydney Morning Herald
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