Pioneer has a long history of making top-quality car stereos with excellent sound quality and the AVH-200EX is no different.
A superb entry-level system. The AVH-200EX is the ideal head unit for those looking to upgrade the multimedia functions of their car without breaking the bank.
OUR REVIEW
Design and cost
A sleek black bezel frames the AVH-200EX’s superb 6.2-inch WVGA screen.
The touch screen is bright, clear, and responsive, while the black surround fits snuggly into any double head space, and will match with the majority of dashboards.
The installation process is incredibly simple and it can be up and running in less than 30 minutes if you know what you are doing.
It is worth noting though that your parking brake wires may need to be rerouted to use the system’s DVD and other video functions while your car is in motion. A bypass wire is available separately to help enable this.
However, if you are not the type to be bypassing safety features, some screen options, including video playback can only be accessed while your parking brake is engaged, and your car is not in drive.
If you are new to installing stereos a detailed manual is also included to help walk you through the process.
As an entry-level system though, you do get a lot for your cash. With all the basic features you would want from a modern stereo, it's clear to see why it's such a popular model.
However, it does not include support for apps and does not feature a navigation system. For most these are by no means deal-breakers but if you want these functions you will need to shell out for a higher-end system I’m afraid.
Hand-free
The biggest selling point of the system is its ability to seamlessly connect with your phone for handsfree calls and easy music streaming.
In tests most mobiles connected to the system in under 30 seconds when the inbuilt Bluetooth was enabled allowing you to listen to your music or audiobooks directly from your phone with ease.
Customization
The pioneer features a myriad of customization options, 112 different key colors, and five different screen color options to help it compliment your car’s interior.
Sound Quality
Pioneer is known for making products with superb sound quality, and the AVH-200EX is no exception.
Phone calls are crystal clear thanks to its use of Wideband Speech Handsfree Profile 1.6. This nearly doubles the bandwidth of the audio frequency from your phone and helps bring the audio quality of calls up to a similar standard as an FM radio.
It also features subwoofer control, a built-in MOSFET 50watt amplifier, as well as EQ preset equalizer and a 13-band custom graphic equalizer, so you can tweak the finer settings of your sound set up to your heart's content.
Digital media playback
The AVH-200EX features a myriad of ways to access your media.
Audio can be played either on CD or USB with most common file formats supported including MP3, WMA, AAC, and WAV.
It is easy to navigate through your media using the touch screen and cover art and song details are also displayed on the screen.
While the stereo also supports video playback via DVD or video files via USB, DVD, or CD and supports MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, as well as Avi and DivX, and WMV video.
This is ideal for long car journeys, especially if you need to keep the kids entertained.
Cell phone connectivity
The 200EX is compatible with both Apple and Android devices.
Any phone using Android 4.0 or higher will seamlessly connect to the stereo with all your contacts, and music fully accessible on the touch screen without the need to install an app.
This is achieved using Media Transfer Protocol which allows the 200EX to recognize your smartphone as a music storage device.
This lets users access all their music stored on their phone on the stereo as well as perform basic operations and track metadata on the stereo touch screen.
The stereo can also connect directly to your iPhone or iPod for music via an optional USB cable ensuring clear, crisp sound, access to your whole iTunes library while charging your phone to boot.
USB connectivity
USB devices can also be connected to the 200EX for both, video and audio playback via its included USB port.
The contents of the drive can also be easily navigated via the touchscreen which is a really handy feature. Especially if you have 1,000s of tracks or multiple movies contained on the same device.
It is worth noting that the USB port is found at the rear of the device so it needs to be rerouted to your dashboard to use this feature.
Additional features
The 200EX also features an FM/AM radio and the ability to connect it to SiriusXM radio with a compatible tuner and subscription.
It can also be hooked up to work as a monitor for compatible rear and front-facing parking cameras.
Finally, it features an aux output so you can hook devices up to the stereo with a suitable cable.
Pros
- Easy to install
- Responsive touch screen
- Pairs with Android phones without the need for an app
- Can be used with car parking cameras
- MP3 playback via CD/DVD
- A wide variety of audio and video files supported
Cons
- The USB port needs to be rerouted to be used
- Parking brake needs to be rerouted to use video playback while in motion.
Summary
A fully-featured entry-level multimedia receiver, the AVH 200EX gives you everything you would want from a car multimedia center, at a great price, without any of the useless bells and whistles.
The Pioneer AVH-200EX features a great touch screen, a bevy of connectivity options, and excellent sound quality.
In short, it is a great way to upgrade the multimedia capabilities of your car, at a great price.