Improving the sound quality in your car can greatly enhance your driving experience, and having an amplifier in the head unit can make the sound even clearer and louder. However, finding space for an external amplifier can be a hassle.
That’s where the Pioneer Dmh W4660nex head unit comes in: it features a built-in amplifier, saving you space and hassle. However, is this head unit really worth going after?
To find out the answer, I got my eyes on this document and used it for a while. And now, I’m going to review it for you. In this Pioneer Dmh W4660nex Review, I’ll tell you how my experience has been with this head unit and whether or not you should get it.
So, stay around.
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Key Specs
Phone Integration: Android Auto & Apple Car play | Touch Screen: NO| Equaliser:10-band equaliser | Radio: Yes | Connectivity: Bluetooth, USB | Hands-Free calling: Yes| Speaker: Yes | Camera support: Yes| Music Streaming: Spotify, Pandora, SiriusXM | Voice Assistant: Siri and Google Assistant
Our Verdict
This is a fantastic head unit with a built-in amplifier that boasts a responsive 7-inch capacitive screen and impressive specs. Equipped with built-in Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, the unit delivers outstanding sound quality thanks to its Class-D built-in amplifier, customizable crossovers, and equalizers. Although Bluetooth calls quality may vary depending on your device, the Alpine iLX w650 dimensions and reasonable price make it an excellent choice for car enthusiasts.
Pros
- 7-inch capacitive touchscreen
- Camera support with front- and rear-view cameras
- The display automatically dims at night to reduce eye strain.
- Intuitive User interface.
- Easy to install
Cons
- There is no built-in CD or DVD player.
- The bluetooth may not work so well for phone calls.
What Other Experts Say?
The YouTube Tech Guy
“This pioneer head unit has got a pretty big touch screen and a lot of functions which I liked the most about this DIN. if you want to upgrade your car this is probably the best investment you can make in it ”
Detailed Pioneer Dmh W4660nex Review
Sound Quality
Pioneer Dmh W4660nex has a clear, crisp, and quite loud sound that shakes my car. Moreover, I really like the 13-band graphic EQ on this head unit. It allows me to adjust the sound to my liking by fine-tuning the individual frequency bands.
I can easily boost or cut certain frequencies to create a customised sound that suits my taste. The time alignment feature is also great, as it ensures that the sound reaches my ears at the same time from all speakers, resulting in a more realistic and immersive listening experience.
The built-in amplifier that this head unit has makes the sound quality even louder and clearer. The high-low pass crossover with adjustable points and slopes is a really useful feature that I’ve found myself using quite often.
I can filter out unwanted frequencies and direct the appropriate frequencies to the appropriate speakers, ensuring that each speaker is playing the frequencies it’s best suited for. This results in a clearer and more balanced sound overall.
Lastly, the 6-channel preamp outputs with 4-volt front, rear, and sub outputs are really convenient for connecting external amplifiers.
Check out: Pioneer DEH-S6220BS Review
- Equaliser : 13 Band Graphic EQ and Time Alignment
- Built-in Amplifier : RMS CTA-2006
- RMS Wattage: 50 wattage
- Crossovers: high/low pass crossover with adjustable points and slopes
- Time Correction Feature: Not available
- Pre-amps output : 6-channel preamp outputs (4-volt front, rear, sub
Design & Display
The Pioneer Dmh W4660nex features a beautiful capacitive screen that produces quite rich colours and images. The best thing about the display is that I can easily see it in the sunlight, which allows me to use the head unit even in daylight with ease.
The screen is designed to be tiny, and it has small bezels, which leaves a lot of space in my car to fit the wires and such.
However, the display doesn’t seem very responsive to me. I frequently have to click on the functions to make them work, which is quite annoying despite having a capacitive screen.
The capacitive button on the head unit makes it very hard to turn on and turn off the volume. I wish there were normal buttons, just like on other Pioneer head units.
Coming back to the bright side of this head unit. It has a colour illumination feature, which I used to customise the colours of the display according to the stereo system of my car. The build quality of the head unit is also good, which makes it quite durable.
- Touch Screen: Available
- Color illumination: Available
- Durability: It’s made of a combination of metal, plastic, and other materials.
- Capacitive vs. Resistive: Capacitive Screen
- High Brightness: Available
Smartphone Integration
The Pioneer Dmh W4660nex is equipped with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, which is fantastic and makes me feel like I’m driving a brand new car! You won’t miss the absence of a disc slot, I’m sure!
The Apple CarPlay picks up my phone within a few seconds of turning on the Jeep. No hassle!
However, The Android auto of this head unit has crashed several times, and I have to keep connecting it again and again. It will run for a few minutes, then crash just when you need navigation help. It says “Android Auto ended”. It will start again and crash again in a couple of minutes.
That’s quite annoying. The DIN also has Bluetooth hands-free calling, so you can take calls without removing your hands from the wheel. It also worked flawlessly for me, whether I was taking calls or listening to music.
The dual-Bluetooth feature really impressed me. I can connect both my phone and my friend’s phone at the same time, which is handy for when we’re driving together. Lastly, this head unit has wired screen mirroring for selective devices and built-in Amazon and Alexa, which allows you to use the head unit with your voice.
- Android/iPhone: Both
- Bluetooth/ Handsfree calling: Available
- Wifi: Not Available
- Voice control: Amazon and Alexa built-in
- Wireless: Bluetooth, Remote control
- Streaming Services: Pandora, Spotify, Apple Music, and iHeartRadio
- Screen Mirroring: Available(wired screen mirroring for select devices)
- USB Ports For iPhone: Not Available
- Backup Memory: Available
Expandability
The USB input is a great addition for easily connecting my phone or USB drive to play my favourite music. And the two camera inputs made parking and reversing much easier.
But what really stood out to me was the 6-channel preamp outputs with 4-volt front, rear, and sub. It allowed me to adjust the sound to my liking, and the quality was top-notch. The AV inputs with RCA video output were also a nice touch for connecting other devices like a DVD player.
- USB Input: Available
- Camera support: 2 camera inputs
- Pre-amps output: 6-channel preamp outputs (4-volt front, rear, sub)
- AV Inputs: RCA Video Output
Playback Features
First things first, the Pioneer Dmh W4660nex comes with radio support for both HD Radio® and SiriusXM, so you know you’ll have plenty of options when it comes to finding the perfect station to jam out to.
And if you’re like me and you love to listen to your own music, you’ll be happy to know that this head unit also has an auxiliary port and USB music capabilities.
Now, unfortunately, DVD support isn’t available, but in this day and age, who even uses DVDs anymore? Plus, with all the other music file playback options available (MP3, WMA, AAC, WAV, FLAC, and DSD), you won’t even miss it.
- Radio Support: HD Radio® tuner, and SiriusXM compatibility
- DVD Support: Not Available
- Auxiliary (Aux) Port: A rear aux input
- USB Music: Available
- Music File Playback: MP3, WMA, AAC, WAV, FLAC, and DSD
Ease of Use
The head unit is easy to use, but the installation was not at all easy. It took me a lot of time to install it and put everything together to finally be able to enjoy listening to the music. The installation can be a little complicated and time-consuming.
The user interface is good, the functions are easy to see, and the display looks good even in daylight. However, as I stated earlier, the screen doesn’t work so smoothly sometimes. The functions have to be clicked two to three times to work, which not everybody is a fan of.
- User Interface: The functions are quite big and easy to read but the screen is resistive.
- Easy to install: It’s very easy to install and doesn’t require you to be an expert.
Value for money
I do have to mention that this head unit is on the pricey side compared to some other options on the market.
That being said, I personally think the value for money is definitely there. Sure, you might be shelling out a bit more cash upfront, but the quality and features of this head unit make it worth it in my opinion.
I know there are some flaws in it, but even if we just count the goods of it, like wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, colour illumination, and so on, then this piece really is worth your money.
- Price: A little expensive compared to other DINS
- Features: It doesn’t have Screen mirroring, and Color illumination.
- Expandability: Bluetooth, USB, Auxiliary,
- Sound quality: It has a 13-band equaliser, an amplifier, and a lot of sound processing features.
