Pioneer DEH-3300UB CD Receiver with iPod Direct Control and USB Input

Price : $159.00

Customer Reviews

I bought and returned this unit. The main reason is because the screen is too bright, and the brightness cannot be adjusted. That means it cannot be adjusted in the menu and there's no illumination wire on the connector that can be controlled by the headlight setting.
The screen is very bright. Excellent on a sunny day but glaringly bright and distracting at night. The black background of the display is even washed out by the brightness to the point where it's not quite black when the unit is on.
Also this unit is lacking a High Pass Filter. My speakers were getting distorted at moderate to high volume levels. A HPF would solve this. This feature existed on its predecessor, the 3200.
Also lacking is the EQ. The 5-band graphic EQ from previous models has been replaced with a 3-band bass/mid/high.
On the plus side the mechanics on the 3300 are excellent. The buttons have a great tactile feel and there is plenty of grip length on the control knob. I tried out the 3200 in the store and the 3300 by comparison has better buttons.
But the brightness of the screen and lack of HPF were the real deal-breakers for me. I returned it and bought one of last year's models, the DEH-5200HD.
As for the DEH-5200HD it is an excellent unit. It has a HPF, which stops the speaker distortion and helps the overall sound quality. Plus the 5-band EQ allows for better fine tuning, and the brightness is adjustable. Finally, I found I really like the HD radio feature as it opened up additional FM channels that I didn't have access to before.
Overall I'd recommend buying a 2010 Pioneer model instead of their 2011 models. The 4300 also lacks a HPF, but at least the brightness can be tuned to 1 custom setting. It wasn't immediately clear though from my reading if the 4300 allows for a preset low/high setting. That could make switching brightness tedious.
Pioneer should always have a HPF and low/high brightness setting at the very least. In addition they should have an illumination wire on all their radios so brightness is set to low/high automatically when the headlights are turned on/off.
The DEH-5200HD is a better unit in my own experience, and based on looking at the specs their other 2010 models are a better choice than the 2011 models since they have removed the HPF and brightness settings.

In general this is a decent entry-level car CD/USB/iPod receiver. One of the most important improvements in this model from the previous year's version was reworking the main function knob to a rotary encoder and push button only, with direction-pad functions moved to separate buttons. On the earlier unit, it would have been a frustrating game attempting to turn up the volume, for instance, without accidentally pushing the "joystick" and changing a track or station.
At this point in my ownership, the biggest drawback is the lack of AAC file support. If you're like me, you might be browsing several models that support MP3 and AAC (not to mention WMA) directly from a USB thumb drive, but fail to spot those that do not include AAC. Does this make (the DEH-3300UB) a bad product? No. But it feels a little bit like a fine-print gotcha.

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description
With both an auxiliary and USB input on the front, the DEH-3300UB is a flexible player that lets you enjoy your music from a variety of sources. It is fully compatible with iPod and iPhone, allowing direct control via the CD tuner, and ready to play back your CDs and digital files.

A Versatile CD Receiver With USB Direct Control for iPod/iPhone
CD Receiver
Featuring a detachable face with a 10-character LCD display and red key illumination, the DEH-3300UB is a versatile player that lets you enjoy music from a variety of sources, starting with CD. Play back your retail CDs, burnt CD-R/RW discs, or digital audio files from data discs.

USB and Auxiliary Inputs
Connect a USB thumb drive or other device for direct playback of MP3, WMA, or WAV audio files. It's a handy way to grab some tunes before you hit the road. A standard auxiliary input is also provided, so you can connect pretty much any MP3 player or other device for your enjoyment.
Enhanced iPod/iPhone Connectivity
Connect your iPod or iPhone to the USB port, and enjoy music playback and basic controls (track up/down, fast forward, rewind, pause, repeat, and shuffle). Connected iPods will also get a charge, so no worries about depleting your battery.
AM/FM Radio
Tune into your favorite stations with Pioneer's Supertuner IIID technology, complete with 24 presets.
Advanced Sound Retriever
When you're listening to compressed music files, Pioneer's Advanced Sound Retriever automatically "upscales" the audio to be near CD quality.
MOSFET Amplification
Powered by Pioneer's MOSFET 50W x 4 amplifier, the DEH-3300UB serves up serious performance with minimal distortion, for great sound regardless of the source. A single preamp output with low-pass filter is provided for those who want to add an external amplifier with subwoofer or additional rear speakers. Alternately, With direct sub drive, you can connect the subwoofer directly, without the need for an extra amplifier.
What's in the Box
Pioneer DEH-3300UB Receiver, Remote Control With Battery, Wiring Harness, Installation Hardware, Documentation
Pioneer DEH-3300UB Single CD With 10 Character LCD Display, MP3 / WMA Playback, iPod Control With USB, Advanced Sound Retriever.

Product Details

Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 9.9 x 4.4 inches ; 3 pounds
Shipping Weight: 4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
ASIN: B004BLJXLQ
Item model number: DEH-3300UB