Pioneer sph160dabs/focal 165

[leon-o0r2c]

Hi, I was recommended a pioneer SPH160dabs as a good way to get CarPlay into my little berlingo van.
I also fitted some Focal 165AS components.

The sound is pretty bad tbh. The DAB sounds ‘ok’ but the Bluetooth and wired CarPlay just sounds distorted and low quality. With the high end being harsh. I noticed the H/U has a freq response of 50-15khz. So….

Is the pioneer just a cheap, crappy head unit that will always sound bad? Or is it unable to power the speakers?

I’m wanting to install a focal ibus 2.1 sub/amp anyway but I’m worried that the source sound is crap so this will just be amplified.
If I use the pre outs as a source to the amp will that bypass the pioneer dsp?

I’m thinking the problem lies with the head unit so I’m going to end up swapping it out for something with decent audio quality.

Thanks in advance.
Leon.

[anonymous-user]

It’s not the head unit that’s the issue. That’s pretty decent. You’re looking at active components and those require a bit more power than the head unit puts out. At least 60W RMS per channel.

So your best bet is to power them using an after market amp. By the time you do that you may as well use the amp to power a sub channel.

Investing in sound deadening for the door speakers would be a good idea too.

Are you buying the iSub to save space?? There are cheaper space savers out there that sound just as good if not better.

[leon-o0r2c]

I did think it might be the power but the dab radio sounds decent. The CarPlay isn’t great and the Bluetooth is really bad. No clarity and distorted. Odd!
I liked the ibus due to the combined amp/sub and ease of connection. I can’t afford to loose space in the back of the van so has to be under the seat.
Cheers

[anonymous-user]

Many units have an option to by-pass DSP on pre-out so it’s worth checking your settings if that’s something you’d not want to lose.

Bluetooth is highly compressed. It’s fine for calls but won’t sound anywhere near as good as DAB+
The amp could lead to some improvement though.
Worth checking if all the wiring is tight and nothing loose causing interference.

Apple car play.. where do you place your phone? Close to the unit? Running latest iOS on your phone? Any firmware updates on the Pioneer?

[leon-o0r2c]

I’ll have a look in he settings. It’s pretty basic so not sure. Worthy a shot though.

I have the phone in the glove box fairly near the unit I guess. Will try different positions. All up to date and no firmware for unit yet.

Will see what it’s like with the amp fitted. Thanks for the advice!

[MattsCar]

Your headunit is probably around 15 wrms per channel on a good day and the aftermarket speakers have a lower sensitivity than the original speakers.


You need amplification.