Pioneer have had a following amongst in-car audio enthusiasts for some time, however it has taken them until Christmas last year to include DAB in their radios. Priced from £300 upwards, the AVH-X3500DAB is a double DIN touchscreen headunit.
Not just a DAB radio
The great thing about this particular head-unit is that it is very versatile. You get a DAB radio, but also a unit that also plays CDs, DVDs and has a rear USB input, which can be accessed via a USB socket routed inside your glove box (or wherever you prefer). It supports Bluetooth for calls and streaming audio, and if you have an iPhone it also supports AppRadio (via a separately sold cable), which allows you to use around 30 phone apps on your radio.
Power output is 4x50W. The display and button backlights can be changed. At first glance, this radio is a little busy with a display as busy as the Aurora Borealis, however this can be altered to a static screen in the settings. Finally, it is compatible with steering wheel controls.
A radio you can upgrade
It is possible to upgrade the AVH-X3500DAB too. It is possible to add GPS navigation with an add-on module (for around £400), as well as a reversing camera and DTT tuner (for Freeview). Whilst collectively the cost of these upgrades might be the same as just buying a head unit with all of the features in, if you have a limited budget it is a handy way to add extra functionality as and when you can afford it.
DAB features
When using the radio in DAB mode, you are presented with information about the genre, the multiplex name and station name. It's possible to browse stations alphabetically or by multiplex. There's no recording feature on this radio, but you can pause and rewind. Pioneer claim there enough memory on-board to pause up to five minutes of radio at 192kbps. As only BBC Radio 3 is the only station broadcast with such a high bitrate in the UK, in reality you'll actually get a little bit longer.
My usual disclaimer - I haven't seen this radio in the flesh, this is simply a look at the Pioneer AVH-X3500DAB on paper.
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