NAV/GPS & musiq: Pioneer AVIC F-500BT vs. Clarion N.I.C.E.

[Osiris_x11]

Another round of contemplation...

I have an off-brand 7" TFT touch-screen LCD GPS-NAV' unit w/ SD/DivX/DVD/etc' for my JDM Nav' pod, but it's proven to be a bit too quirky for my sanity; hence, I'm now planning to swap it out w/ one of the following:

Pioneer: AVIC-F500BT (Portable Navigation)
* 5.8" touch-screen TFT LCD
* WVGA display 800 x 480 pixels
* Built-in MSN® Direct tuner
* Built-in Bluetooth
* USB direct
* Built-In SD Memory Card Slot

vs.

Clarion N.I.C.E. NAVIGATION IN-CAR ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM
* 7-inch Digital Touch-Screen TFT LCD Monitor
* 20GB Hard Disc Drive for Data Storage (10GB for navigation, 10GB for MP3/WMA storage)
* Built-In GPS Navigation Including Antenna
* USB 2.0 and 1.1 Ports
* Audio/Video Input for External Sources
* Portable with a rechargeable battery

Any experiences/comments/insights/recommendations?

(background: keeping OEM/stock Bose setup, adding GPS-Nav' & MP3-playback, via aux' input converter)

Thanks, in-advance!

 

[Malibu Rapper]

NICE is a bit old. I'm sure the AVIC would beat it out just based on age alone. I looked at the Pioneer a while ago and another cool feature it has is a reverse camera input. Clarion has a better system coming out, basically a PC called the MIND. I would wait for that if you have the time.

I just wanted to post up the latest link I found for the MIND. Looks like $650 and should be out already. If you find it on eBay subtract another $200 and it's looking pretty sweet for a UMPC.

 

[synth19]

Nice, do you know for sure they will fit the JDM pod?

 

[Osiris_x11]

landed, sorta...

Just received the Pioneer AVIC F-500BT today, via ebay & instant 30% cash-back...

Horizontally, it fits the JDM nav' pod perfectly. However, vertically, there is perhaps ~1/4" of visible space. I'll have to get a custom bezel/plate fabricated or try to make one myself, for a snug-fit.

The unit has been charging since this evening, so I haven't 'played' w/ it yet (it comes w/ a 12v wall/home power-cord, 5v portable vehicle power-adapter, and a lithium-ion battery... it's been charging for a few hours & still won't power-up!?! ). Seems like a good fit for me, so to speak, in terms of features (ie. 5.8" high-res' touch-screen, SD-slot for cards up to 8GB, Bluetooth, USB, iPod/MP3 direct-input, rev' camera capability, etc'). . .

I noted that Pioneer offers a steering-wheel mounted nav' control-unit (CD-SR11 ) for use w/ many of their AVIC nav' units. I wonder if I can use this nav' control add'on for this AVIC F-500BT, just to control the nav' & omit the audio/stereo-functions (as the F-500BT doesn't have a tuner nor CD-controlling capability, etc')...(?)

(Malibu Rapper, thanks for the insights... very appreciative! I'm gonna move onto something along the lines of what you mentioned, when it becomes available)

 

[TurtleNSX]

Autovation sells a bracket just for what you will need to fill that gap. From other users pictures who have used that bracket, it looks very sturdy and will definitely hold your screen in place.

You can find the navpod bracket here:
http://www.autovationparts.com/store/acuransx.html

They will need time to program the machine to cut it for you though, so that might take a while. Very good product for its price from what I've seen.

Hope this helps.

-Dan

 

[spider2k]

i'm fairly certain that none of the f series are IR capable.

 

[Osiris_x11]

O.k., I've finally fiddled/dabbled w/ the Pionner AVIC F-500BT (I got it brand-new for $369'ish/shipped buy-it-now on ebay - $110'ish MS Live.com cash-back {30%} = $259'ish/shipped)! So far, I really-really like it...

(just need to sort out which aux' input converter to acquire, to incorporate it w/ the OEM/stock Bose head-unit/etc')

What I'm curious about is whether the optional accessory steering-wheel mounted nav' controller (Pioneer CD-SR11) can be hooked up to the F-500BT? The CD-SR11 is compatible w/ the other AVIC head-units, providing remote nav' & audio control from the steering-wheel. I don't even care if I can't do the audio/tuner toggling from it, I just want to be able to use it for the nav' functions/menus. Any inkling towards this...

i'm fairly certain that none of the f series are IR capable.

I assume "IR" = Infra-Red, and the steering-wheel mounted nav' controller (CD-SR11) is cordless/untethered, thus transmits IR?

Autovation sells a bracket just for what you will need to fill that gap...

They will need time to program the machine to cut it for you though, so that might take a while. Very good product for its price from what I've seen...

Thanks for the insight. Very appreciative.

I was aware they (Autovation) made double-DIN bezels/brackets for LCD-screens for the JDM nav' pod, but I didn't know they can make custom-sized ones for other offerings. I'll contact them soon & see what they can offer (the precise specs'/dimensions of the unit are available). This will save me countless hours trying to fabricate something outta' balsa-wood & styro-foam...

 

[Ojas]

(just need to sort out which aux' input converter to acquire, to incorporate it w/ the OEM/stock Bose head-unit/etc')

You know I have the GROM Audio iPod adapter (GROM-MBUS with HON92 cable listed here). It looks like you can request a standard aux adapter instead of the iPod. That would plug right into your GPS. From their eBay store it should be around $55.

Here's a current auction for reference: http://cgi.ebay.com/Honda-Civic-98-...photoQQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1742.m153.l1262

I inquired and here's the reply from GROM:

GROM AUX adapter is compatible with 91-05 Acura NSX (see http://www.gromaudio.com/compatibility.html#acura). You also needs 8-pin connector (SKU# HON92).

 

[Doraemon]

Hi Osiris,

Were you able to hook up to the OEM HU without any problems? If your setup works, I would love to see some picture as I would love to keep everything original and just the POD that can be removed later without defacing the original look. Please advise. Thank you.