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Aftermarket car stereos are getting increasingly popular in the world of entertainment. They come in either analog format with a basic display and physical buttons or in a more advanced design simulating the functionality of a smartphone or tablet.
Pioneer’s AVH-X490BS is the latter type with a full-color responsive touchscreen and is most suited to tech-savvy users.
It is an in-car powerhouse designed to let you harness the power and benefits of a smartphone on the road. Pioneer is a leading player in the entertainment industry for more than four decades offering a wide range of DJ equipment, music systems and audio equipment.
It leads the professional DJ equipment industry with innovative products like the world’s first DVD turntable and digital vinyl turntable.
In this post, we review the Pioneer AVH-X490BS car stereo system to discuss its features, benefits, pros and cons to help you make an informed decision.
Designed to be an excellent option for aftermarket Android radio system, the Pioneer AVH-X490BS is the perfect replacement for your existing stereo in the vehicle, allowing you to enhance the capabilities of the car’s entertainment system.
It is an advanced, latest-technology unit that lets you enjoy the benefits of your smartphone right from your car’s dashboard.
Pioneer AVH-x490bs Design
The head unit is relatively simple in design but blends nicely with any car interior with a full black design. It features a big 7-inch touchscreen which can be adjusted easily for the optimal viewing angle. The screen pulls out the details of the music being played, including information like song, artist, album, time and other details with perfect clarity.
The high resolution, motorized screen display offers customization abilities with background options. You can also use functions like brightness control, dimmer setting, color customization and standby/display off modes to customize the display.
Pioneer AVH-x490bs Display
The 7” capacitive screen has some easy-to-use controls and app compatibility. Connecting your phone to the USB cable lets you start viewing your favorite playlists on the screen. Handy functions like link search and alphabet search help locate content quickly while driving.
Pioneer AVH-x490bs Connectivity
The head unit uses advanced connectivity to pair your smartphone or tablet to be able to enjoy the functionality of the device. It allows direct
control for iPod and iPhone to have a quick access to the entire music library, regardless of the format.
It also has a separate CD-interface cable to let you enjoy music from CDs. You can play DVDs or record-able discs containing WMA, AAC or MP3 music files or USB drives loaded with music in any format.
Those who use streaming services would appreciate the product’s ability to control your Spotify and Pandora accounts right from the receiver. You can simply connect the iPhone through Bluetooth or USB or pair the Android with Bluetooth to get started. It even facilitates creating new Pandora stations with just a button press.
Pioneer AVH-x490bs Bluetooth Support
The Pioneer AVH-X490BS receiver offers hands-free calling facility from the connected phone and the ability to stream and control music wirelessly from phone or Bluetooth devices. Moreover, this unit supports two paired devices at the same time to serve multiple users.
You can even use the Siri functionality from your compatible iPhone to use voice to select music, place calls, hear notifications, create and listen to text messages and add reminders.
Pioneer AVH-x490bs Sound Quality
To offer the best companion on the road, the Pioneer AVH-X490BS is designed to cater to different music tastes with a great sound display.
The powerful integrated amplifier inside of the X490BS delivers the optimum volume while the 13-band equalizer gives numerous ways to tweak the sound to your preference. Pioneer’s Advanced Sound Retriever restores high-frequency data to offer an out-of-the-class listening experience.
Three pairs of preamp outputs allow connecting external amplifiers and the receiver offers an auto-equalization feature to tune the system. Multiple audio codecs and high-quality FLAC codec in addition to high-grade audio parts integrated into the DVD receiver produce superb quality sound.
Pioneer AVH-x490bs Radio Options
The integrated HD Radio tuner delivers music in outstanding quality from participating stations. You can consider getting an optional tuner to tap into a variety of satellite radio if you happen to travel all the time.
Pioneer AVH-x490bs Compatibility
An exciting feature of this head unit is the compatibility with a large number of applications like maps. You will not need a separate GPS unit for navigation with this system.
It can link directly with map applications to provide full-colour route guidance. You can easily plug your Android phone or iPhone to this receiver to take charge of a wide variety of apps for music, navigation and lot more, all from one easily accessible screen.
Pros:
- Hands-free calling
- Control for maps, calendar, contacts and other apps
- iPhone Siri integration
- Support for a variety of audio and video formats
- Support for Pandora and Spotify
- Android Music support
- 1-Year warranty
- Multi-language display
- Remote control included
Cons:
- Comparatively expensive
- Bluetooth connection can be sometimes unreliable
- Limited app availability
What’s in the Package
- DVD receiver with motorized 7” touchscreen device
- Remote control
- Wiring harness
- Lithium battery
- USB extension cable
- Two-sided tape
- Microphone with mounting bracket
- ISO screws
- Warranty card
- Owner’s manual
Conclusion
Backed by a company with a significant stake in the entertainment industry for more than half a century, the Pioneer AVH-X490BS is definitely a reliable choice for a car stereo that delivers an outstanding sound quality and integration with mobile and Bluetooth devices. With a wide array of exciting features, the product offers a lot of value for the money you spend. It is easy to install and use and promises a seamless, flawless music experience in your vehicle.
