Pioneer DEH-2100

Price Paid:  $50.00 from from friend

Year / Model Reviewed:
 DEH-2100

Summary:
For the price that I paid, I would say no, cant be beat. I dont listen to radio AT ALL, so I cant really comment on that aspect. For it''s retail price though, I would say: get something else. Only has 1 pre-out, the 3, count em, THREE, EQ presets dont do much more than make bass distorted. Only has bass or treble settings, can''t get all to specific with the audio. The load/eject is great, as stated before; plays CDR very nicely as well, and has fairly good skip protection. If this was around 100$ cheaper, I''d recommend it alot more. But if you are willing to pay 200+, go with Alpine or Eclipse, simple as that

Strengths:
45x4 is ample power if you keep stock speakers. Detachable face. A PAUSE button (MUCH better than a MUTE).

Weaknesses:
1 pre-out, 3 EQ settings and you dont even know exactly what it DOES with the EQ, can''t play with audio all too much

Price Paid:  $145.00

Year / Model Reviewed:
 Pioneer DEH-2350 (Yr.2001)

Summary:
(IMPORTANT NOTE: My review is for the Yr.2001 model of "DEH-2350", made in neighbouring Malaysia in the monthof March 2001. I'm sorry this review has to be included in the "DEH-2100" thread. I don't seem to be able to 'create' a new product line for DEH-2350)

This is my second CD/receiver installed. (My Panasonic was stolen during a burglary). No regrets getting this cheaper and more powerful Pioneer unit.

Let me first elaborate on the strengths...
The sound performance of the 2350 is astounding. For so little money, i get to enjoy reasonably great performance from this MOSFET 50W x 4 unit. There is no real need to get a separate power amp. This is a high current design, i think. I turned the volume way up to "Level 22" (Max : Level 30) and the music is still wholesome and with no trace of brittleness and audioble distortion/clipping (to me at least). At Level 22, it is already deafeningly loud! I get most enjoyment at around Levels 15 ~ 19, when the amp is far from clipping and the music flows with authority and with plenty of substance/detail. I noticed when the music gets too loud (on some recordings, they were made on the 'loud' side even at low volume settings), the LCD display would dim a little during those heavy bouts of bass passages. Time to ease the Vol. control if you want the 2350 and loudspeakers to last ...

HF performance is very good, perhaps a shade too 'tizzy' for my personal liking, even on 'Flat'. I never listen to the 2350 on those "Super Bass", "Powerful", "Natural", "Vocal" EQ modes. (These are fixed settings). I find them 'over-emphasised' and unreal. Best listened at "Flat" EQ setting (or even downplay the tones at Bass -1 or Treble -1).

Midrange is superb! Voices and acoustic instuments are really really fluid and sweet. Very articulate. The 'decay' of acoustic guitars is believable and natural, with plenty of bite and body. Doesn't sound thin or papery. Good show! (The EQ is always at Mid "0")

Bass response. Overall, it is very good. Erring a little on the boomy side (could be due to my cheap 6x9s at the rear deck). No sweat, drop the bass by one level to "Bass -1" and your problem is solved.

The load/eject is exceptionally smooth and silent. I believe the CD transport is made by "Sanyo" and it performs like a dream. In my entire experience with the 2350, the track has NEVER jumped/skipped, not once, even on really bad roads. Built like a rock. Sturdy! Yes, there is one feature you will really appreciate - the "PAUSE" button. Restarting is precise and quick.

The start of each track begins at "Absolute Zero". What the $#%? as I saying? You see, i've toyed with friends' CD/receiver, and there are a few units that doesn't start at the precise "0:00" position on new tracks when you jumble up the order of play (say, on 'repeat' or 'random') They start playing at the "0:0.17" position (for example), where the 'head' of the music is truncated! With the 2350, you hear everything that was encoded in the CD. Nothing less. (Shouldn't ALL Compact Disc Players do that?)

Now for the bad news
Physical attributes. The face unit is not 100% secured on the main body. It wobbles to the touch. I think the fit should be improved. (The Panasonic was examplary). The attaching plastic bits and self-locking mechanism is a spring loaded design and will deteriorate over time and with wear & tear. I need to force the unit off the docking plate to have it removed. A better design should have been employed here.

In my abode, we cannot put in two cars in the garage. My car is always parked outside. Stupid me - I left the face of my Panasonic intact on the unit, and i lost the whole player to a thief. I now have no choice but to remove the face each time i park. After many attach/detach exercise, the 'wobbleness' has increased noticeably. Not Good. As posted by a fellow reviewer below, I dread to think when will my face unit jump out when i hit a pothole?

Each and every buttons on the 2350 is stiff and have not enough positive 'feeling' in them. I have to push them with considerable force to activate them. Switching the unit off is a chore as the button has to be depressed for at least one second. With its stiffness, the 1-second pressure on the button sometimes 'loses it grip' and I inevitably switch to FM broadcast instead of turning the unit off! Frustrating!

There is a lack of use on the preset stations numbers on the face. It only activates the Station Memory in "Radio" mode. During CD play, you cannot have direct-track access, simply by pressing "3" for Track #3. You have to 'scroll' thru' using the "" button. Primitive in Year 2001!

When "RANDOM" play is activated, and you do not like Track 3, and you wanna skip Track 3 to another random track by pushing ">", guess what Track appears (the next "random" track of course, i hear you say) Nope!...Track 4 plays instead. Silly!

The 2350 has amnesia! If you are on Track 6, elasped time at "2:53" position and you decide to listen to the 6 o'clock news on FM, you hit the "SRC" button (for 'Source', which is also the same button for "On" and "Off" !)to switch to FM mode. So far, so good. Six minutes later, you had enough of depressing international news, and you wanna lift your spirits a little by reverting to Track 6 of the CD you were playing. You now hit the "SRC" button once again...and Track 6 continues at "2:41" or "3:08" position. It loses track of time! Something is not right here.

Track on "REPEAT". You wud expect the "REPEAT" mode to be continued, unless you want it off. So, if you're half-way thro' a track on "Repeat" and you want the start of the track to be heard again, you hit the "<" button. Fine and Dandy, the track re-starts, but...it will no longer repeat at the end.

It has many features that are really not useful to the average listener. Things like "FIE" Front-image-enhancer where you alter the sound of the rear speakers altogether, and differing levels (Hi,Mid,Lo)of electronic "Loudness".

To sum up, the 2350 still get top marks from me. The sonic qualities is very very good, and the inclusion of a fine 3-tier tone control (with equal six steps either way up/down for Bass, Midrange and Treble) makes this sub USD150 player a very good bargain for a car CD player.

I recommend the 2350 to those looking for reasonably strong performance on a budget. (I have introduced two other friends to purchase the 2350, after they heard it in my car)

Strengths:
Sound quality. Cheap!. Plenty of juice (good usable power). Attractive design. Clear, legible and bright 'easy-to-read' multi-colour LCD display. Fantastically smooth & silent Load/eject mechanism. Useful "PAUSE" function. Speaker "thump" protection when switched "On" or "Off". Solidly built "CD Transport" - No skipping, ever!

Weaknesses:
Detachable face is not secured in place - wobbles. Face "snap-in" and "pull-out" process unrefined and crude. Button activation is not positive enough. No direct track-access. 'Random' selection is not '100%' effective. 'Track-Repeat' function is flawed. Elapsed-time tracking 'memory' flawed. Difficult to turn "Off". Many 'unnecessary' features.

Similar Products Used:
Panasonic CQ-DP303W (rated 40W x 4)Good unit, but not as dynamic as the DEH-2350

Price Paid:  $150.00

Summary:
I burn a lot of CDRW , and have never had trouble using them with this reciever...Speaker choice should be a concern, be sure to choose decent speakers because of the quality of this deck...The speakers I bought don't match the quality of the system, and I have to replace them...I have owned the receiver for over a year, and it works even in the winter when the temperature inside the car was well below 0 degrees.Pioneer DEH-2100.Great unit...

Strengths:
works in the cold, plays CDRW, problem free...

Weaknesses:
could use a seprate "on"="off" button..

Similar Products Used:
A lot better than a radio...

Price Paid:  $110.00

Summary:
Bought it at an after Christmas sale for $177 CDN. All in all I'm pretty happy with it. I'm in my truck 10 hrs/day and it has performed very well.

Strengths:
Decent amp, plays CDRs perfectly, good tuner, very good cd load/eject mechanism

Weaknesses:
Electronic volume control, would prefer a rotary control. Noticable delay when turning the unit off

Similar Products Used:
Kenwood, Panasonic

Price Paid:  $160.00

Year / Model Reviewed:
 1983 Chevrolet Celebrity

Summary:
I have had theis for a little over a month now and absolutely love it. It has great sound and good looks for a cheap price. i would recomend this product to anyone looking for a great cd player at a reasonalble price.

Strengths:
Sleek look to it, adds a good punch to the 4 speakers in the car and absolutely pounds my subs when turned up.

Weaknesses:
the detachable face seems a little flimsy btu otherwise a great looking cd player.

Similar Products Used:
Aiwa CDC-X207 not as much bass and blinking lights