With Japanese technology in the domestic market, there have always been some difficulties for Russian-speaking users. After all, it is impossible to achieve a balance between cost, functionality and quality with such equipment - one criterion will always fail. In this article, the reader will get acquainted with one of these unique devices - the Pioneer 88 car radio. The gadget has an affordable cost in the budget class and has unsurpassed sound quality at the expense of functionality. Description, characteristics, settings, instructions and reviews of the owners will become a guide for a potential buyer on the market of car accessories for multimedia.
Specifications
The radio is the head unit, which means that all the declared functionality is supported at the hardware level and does not require the installation of additional control systems. The front panel has a motorized mechanism capable of automatically adjusting the position. The display and buttons of the radio tape recorder "Pioneer 88" have a built-in backlight. Devicecomes with a wireless remote control and has hardware support for connecting a wired system (for example, for a steering wheel).
The maximum output power of the car radio amplifier is 200 watts (50 watts per four channels). Built-in automatic volume control with noise detection system. In active mode, the device has high and low pass filters. The equalizer setting is also carried out automatically, at the software level.
Basic radio function
For the "Pioneer 88" car multimedia device, the characteristic of the radio receiver is a priority, because this is the basic functionality for all radio tape recorders. The gadget has a proprietary tuner, created using D4Q technology. This controller is famous for having an intelligent system and is able to independently reduce the noise level. And in difficult conditions, the well-known technology can prevent interference altogether.
Flexible sensitivity adjustment and RDS radio data system improves the quality of radio station search, allowing the user to independently determine which sound he likes best. Sensitivity adjustment 4-digit. On the one hand, the convenience of tuning is obvious, but there is also the other side of the coin - searching for channels takes a lot of time.
Recommendations for tuning the tuner
Instructions "Pioneer 88" recommends that all owners of the device use the automatic search for radio stations. Walking through the user-specified range, the tunerfinds all channels with a strong signal. Radio stations with a weak signal will have to be searched manually. Many professionals claim that the quality of the radio signal is directly proportional to the power of the antenna for the radio, and recommend installing a pin design to improve reception quality.
To configure the tuner, you need to repeatedly press the "Source" key to select "Tuner" from the proposed list of signal sources. By pressing the "Band" button, select the desired frequency band (FM). By sliding the Multi-Control to the left or right and holding it in this position for a few seconds, the user will start the automatic RF scanner. For manual search, the knob does not need to be held in the end position. However, you need to be prepared for the fact that this procedure will require repeated pressing of the regulator from the owner.
Additional tuner functionality
Broadcast data transmission system (RDS) is present on the territory of any state, but not every owner uses its functionality. Each country communicates information differently. One is enough data about the quality of the signal and the name of the radio station. Others are provided with information about traffic reports, weather conditions and other necessary information on the road.
Setting ("Pioneer 88", as it is already clear, a multifunctional device) for the RDS broadcasting system is carried out by pressing the "Multi-Control" knob. You need to press the button until the user sees the inscription "Function". The next step in settingwill turn the knob clockwise and search for the desired functionality (details are in the instruction manual). The selection is always confirmed by pressing the button, and the search is always done by rotating or moving it.
Saving the drowning is the work of the drowning themselves
A few words about how the first connection is made. "Pioneer 88" is a radio tape recorder, which, after connecting all the wires, will require, by and large, only the implementation of sound settings. However, professional drivers recommend that beginners take care of their own safety on the road and turn on the PTY alarm interception system on the radio. Abroad, such a setting saves millions of lives every year, and only on domestic roads does everyone hope for luck.
To display the PTY signal in the radio, the system for receiving reports "Traffic ANNOUNCE" must be turned on. When danger appears on the road or in case of large-scale emergency situations, the radio display shows the inscription “ALARM”, and the receiver automatically switches on the broadcast of the message. Not all radio stations are capable of transmitting the PTY code, so it is best to entrust the fine tuning of this functionality to professionals in the service center of a car repair shop.
The Cradle of Quality Sound
The digital audio converter, popularly referred to as the "processor" or "DAC", in the Pioneer 88 radio tape recorder is the main component that is responsible for the sound quality. The Japanese decided to entrust the operation of their device to a well-known brand formicroelectronics manufacturing company Burr-Brown. It is the new generation technology called Advanced Segment DAC that provides the car radio with unsurpassed sound quality.
However, the CD-receiver manufacturer used its own production, which caused a stir in foreign markets during the presentation. Everyone knows that the Japanese brand "Pioneer" strives to support only licensed audio data formats. The radio model participating in the review is completely devoid of restrictions: CD-Audio, MP3, WMA, WAV, AAC - all popular standards, including support for ID3 tags, are supported by the multimedia device at the hardware level.
Working with CDs
As for the radio "Pioneer 88", the price of which is 10,000 rubles, many owners note too complicated control when working with CD-carriers. Such extensive functionality is more needed for those who use a professional speaker system installed in a car. Many owners in their reviews of the radio recommend that all beginners do not use the instructions, but determine the performance of the CD player intuitively.
There is logic in such advice, because for most users four skills will be enough: insert a disc, start playback, switch to the next track, remove the disc from the tray. Fans of finer tuning of the player can also use the independent study of the operating instructions for the device.
Recommendations for working with CD media
User's manual provides information on how to set up Pioneer 88 and use it conveniently. However, on the pages of the instructions, the reader will not find a list of standard mistakes that many radio owners make. The fact is that there are several quick ways to break the device with incorrect user actions.
- Remove the CD from the tray only after the spinning spindle has come to a complete stop. That is, the user must stop playback and wait 5-6 seconds before pressing the "EJECT" button. Failure to comply with these requirements leads to the fact that over time the tray stops returning the disc after pressing the eject button.
- You shouldn't insert a CD face down, even for sport. Just one bump in the road is enough to damage the laser reader.
- You don't have to experiment with DVDs either by inserting them into a device that doesn't understand a denser amount of data. The processor of the radio from such actions can go crazy (general reset to factory settings helps).
More opportunities with a Japanese representative
Car radio "Pioneer 88" is completely devoid of support for USB-devices. That is, the owner will not only not find the corresponding port on the front panel of the device, but will also not be able to find the necessary pinout on the system board of the radio. Naturally, for many car owners this is a huge disadvantage. But there is one loophole that many owners are in a hurry to share intheir reviews. The radio tape recorder is equipped with an analog audio input, which is implemented by the Mini-Jack 2.5 interface.
The manufacturer in his operating instructions practically did not pay attention to this possibility, indicating only that the radio tape recorder supports iPod. In fact, having bought an adapter for Pioneer 88 (Mini-Jack 2.5 to 3.5) on the electronics market, the owner can play music in the car from any media, including a laptop, mobile phone or tablet. It is clear that this option will not replace USB devices, but still it is more interesting than using obsolete CDs.
Expansion board features
In the description of the radio there are references to the installation of additional devices on the gadget's motherboard. However, there is absolutely no explanation in the instruction manual. Many owners in their reviews claim that the radio supports working with a TV tuner. By the way, in the user manual there is a small note from the manufacturer about setting up television channels. The car radio "Pioneer 88", the price of which is within 10 thousand rubles, this clearly adds credibility.
But with the advent of a TV tuner, the owner of the device has a lot of new problems: choosing and installing a display, connecting and installing cables around the cabin, searching for a universal control panel. After getting a video display device, the owner will certainly want to install a DVD player.
Watch high quality videos
Definitely, many car owners will say that purchasing a radio with a pre-installed DVD player and LCD screen will cost less than assembling the entire system separately. And he will be right, but such a “combine” requires a fairly large investment (from 50,000 rubles), and, accordingly, is beyond the reach of most motorists.
The universal modification of the Pioneer 88 radio with an expansion board is more like a children's designer, when the owner, to the best of his ability, completes the device with additional functionality. The DVD player is the top step in the evolution of a budget radio. True, the owner of the device will have to choose between a TV tuner and a DVD player, since there is only one slot for installing expansion cards.
Adjust audio settings
Setting the quality of sound reproduction on the Pioneer 88 radio in a particular car is a whole range of activities that every owner of a new device goes through. Almost half of the instruction manual is occupied by fine adjustment of audio parameters. In their reviews, the owners of radio tape recorders recommend that beginners refuse to study the manual and entrust sound quality tuning to professionals in car workshops.
A simple adjustment of audio parameters will be useful to any owner, because the control of the equalizer does not disrupt the entire system, as it can happen during fine-tuning. You need to use the "Posi" regulator, usingwhich you can select from automatic sound adjustment (Auto TA) or manual selection (EQ). You can call the equalizer curves from the memory of the device by scrolling the selector in both directions.
In conclusion
Radio "Pioneer 88" in the domestic market has long been considered a classic, and it's not about the date of its manufacture. This is one of the few devices in the budget class, which boasts a very high sound quality. A radio broadcast, a piece of music from a CD or an encoded MP3 signal from a mobile phone - it doesn’t matter, the DAC of the radio is able to process any source and give truly realistic sound to the speakers. The presence of an expansion board allows an inexpensive device to compete with business-class representatives in the car acoustics market.
