I cannot say enough good things about this head unit. If you are into tuning your sound system and like bells and whistles, this head unit has just about all of them. What separates good sounding stereo systems from sound quality competition winning stereo systems is setup and tuning. With a 20 bit DAC, low THD, and high signal to noise ratio, this head unit sounds awesome. You can tell Pioneer has an attention to detail when designing this head unit.

13-band equalizer with nuance control. The head unit has four factory presets (Rock/Pops/Vocal/Flat) that actually work pretty well. What is best, however, is that you could have two custom equalizers that you can setup to your preference. Having two custom equalizers is nice, because one can be made for genres like techno and trance and the other for acoustics. The nuance control makes slight changes to the equalizer setting. So if one sound recording has excess bass, instead of redoing your equalizer settings, you can just adjust it with the nuance control. 

In addition, the head unit has an "Automatic Frequency Response Calibration System" or Auto EQ which takes into consideration the different acoustics of each cabin. The head unit sends sounds out of the speakers and measures it with the omni-directional microphone included with the head unit. It then creates three equalizer curves (Dynamic/Natural/Mild) that is custom to your car's cabin.

One of the best things about this head unit is the active crossover it comes with. In fact, I didn't use the passive crossover that comes with my MB Quart QM218.61Q components and bypassed the filters on my Alpine amplifiers. I am controlling everything from the head unit which actually gives the user a lot of control. You have control over the crossover frequency in Hz, the dB, the slope and even the phase. You can also switch the subwoofers from mono to stereo. More details below.

High HPF
Frequency: 2k/2.5k/3.15k/4k/5k/6.3k/ 8k/10k/12.5kHz
Level: -24 to +6dB
Slope: -24/-18/-12/-6/0dB
Phase switch

Mid LPF
Frequency: 2k/2.5k/3.15k/4k/5k/6.3k/ 8k/10k/12.5kHz

Mid HPF
Frequency: 40/50/63/80/100/125/160/ 200/250Hz
Level: -24 to +0dB
Slope: -24/-18/-12/-6/0dB
Phase switch

Low LPF
Frequency: 40/50/63/80/100/125/160/200/250Hz
Level: -24 to +6dB
Slope: -36/-30/-24/-18/-12dB
Phase switch

Another excellent feature of the head unit is the time alignment option. When you are sitting in the driver's seat, the left speaker is closer to your ears than the right speakers. Hence, the sound waves from the left speaker will reach your ears before the sound waves from the right speakers. Shifting the balance more right will not correct this. You will need to make the speakers equidistant from your ears. Another option is time alignment. By using the omni-directional microphone that comes with the deck, the head unit measures the distance from each speaker and adjusts the signal timing so that the sound hits your ears from all the speakers in the car at the same time. You can also input the distance for each speaker yourself in centimeters or inches in half inch steps if you do not want to use the microphone. Now the sound stage and imaging is optimized for the driver. What about if you want it optimized for the passenger or if you want it optimized for both? This is where the listening position selector comes into play. You select how many people are in the car and the head unit will adjust the time alignment to provide the best sound stage and imaging for that particular application. This feature works very well. It makes it seem like sound is floating in space instead of sounding like it is coming out of a speaker in your door.

It also has great radio reception due to Pioneer's super tuner V technology with 24 radio stations presets. The head unit is also capable of RDS and ID-Logic. The head unit can also display radio text as well as CD text. No more guessing what song is playing, what genre the radio station is (format display), or what radio station you are on (call sign). You can even scan using genres instead of the radio frequency. The head unit also receives traffic announcements (TA). In fact, you can input what country, state, and city you are from and it will send radio text messages relative to your location. The head unit also has auto position follow (APF) which monitors your location automatically by updating your location every time it gets a radio station signal. Another cool feature is the digital automatic sound levelizer (ASL) which uses a built-in microphone (5-mode) to monitor how loud it is in the cabin and automatically raises the volume accordingly. Thus, when you are on the freeway, you do not need to raise the volume yourself, the head unit automatically does it for you.

Unlike most head units, no internal amplifier.  The internal amplifiers that come with head units cause more total harmonic distortion (THD). Pioneer was smart enough to figure that the customer who owns this head unit is probably going to have external amplifiers running their system and would have no use for the typically insufficient internal amplifier.  Internal amplifiers are good for running stock speakers, but just do not do the job once you go with the higher end aftermarket speakers. It is this attention to detail that made this deck so popular in sound quality competitions.

For the same reason the head unit also has an external power supply.

Turn-on Pop: This describes the system’s ability to avoid audible “pops” when the stereo is turned on and off. I do not hear any noises other than the beep from the head unit when head unit is turned on and off. 

Signal-to-noise ratio: Signal-to-noise ratio, often written S/N or SNR, is a measure of signal strength relative to background noise. The ratio is usually measured in decibels (dB). Have you ever turned up the volume on your stereo and heard hissing before the music started playing? That hiss is "noise." The Pioneer Premier DEX-P1R head unit has an absolutely ridiculous signal-to-noise ratio - 120dB. I don't know any head unit that has a better signal to noise ratio that that. What this means in reality is that if I play a zero bit sound file, even at maximum volume, I cannot hear anything. Not even a hint of a hiss. It is as if the head unit is off.

Components
 

I have listened to house, trance, techno, hip-hop, pop, classical, acoustics, oldies, and old school (80s music) with these speakers and they sounded awesome. I did not even have to touch my equalizer between genres. As long as you have correct crossover settings and are very conservative with the equalizer you should not need to. The rule of thumb is use the equalizer to take away sound rather than add.

Tonal Accuracy: This is a description of the sound system’s accuracy in reproducing each sound individually. These speakers do an excellent job and are renown for their accuracy and detail.  The best way to improve tonal accuracy is to tune the frequency response somewhat flat while adding emphasis where desired.  It is difficult to to get a perfectly flat response with an equalizer  without a lot of bands or a graphic equalizer.  It is, however,  not necessary to have a perfectly flat response to have a nice sounding system. As a matter of fact, the average person would not think a flat response sounds good. 

One popular way one can tune their system is by  watching the frequency levels on the RTA while tweaking the frequencies with an equalizer.  Access to an RTA, however, can be difficult and expensive. 

If you are content with a rough tune to get rid of the major resonances and peaks, and cannot afford an RTA, you can purchase a Radio Shack sound pressure level meter (dB meter) for $30.00 (analog)  to  $40.00 (digital). 

The Radio Shack meter is fairly consistent (standard deviation is about 0.5-1.0dB) and accurate - especially when measuring the midrange. It maxes out at 125dB.  Various corrections are available on the internet in order to improve accuracy.  When measuring using "slow" response and "C" weighting, the following corrections seem to be most accurate:

      10Hz         +20.5
      12.5Hz      +16.5
      16Hz         +11.5
      20Hz         +7.5
      25Hz         +5
      31.5Hz       +3
      40Hz         +2.5
      50Hz         +1.5
      63Hz         +1.5
      80Hz         +1.5
      100Hz        +2
      125Hz        +0.5
      160Hz        -0.5
      200Hz        -0.5
      250Hz        +0.5
      315Hz        -0.5
      400Hz          0
      500Hz        -0.5
      630Hz          0
      800Hz          0
      1KHz           0
      1.25Khz        0
      1.6KHz        -0.5
      2Khz           -1.5
      2.5Khz        -1.5
      3.15Khz       -1.5
      4KHz            -2
      5KHz            -2
      6.3KHz        -2
      8KHz            -2
      10Khz            -1
      12.5KHz       +0.5
      16KHz            0
      20KHz           +1

After purchasing the SPL meter , you would then make a test tone CD filled with test tones of various frequencies at a 1/3 octave step.  You can then measure the dB of various frequencies and either boost or cut the frequency with an equalizer.  You can download the MadPSI test tone CD by right clicking and "save target as..."    this link.  The file is compressed by WinRar, and each sound file is in mp3 format (high quality variable bit rate).  The compressed file should have the following mp3 files:

      20Hz
      30Hz
      40Hz
      50Hz
      60Hz
      70Hz
      80Hz
      90Hz
      100Hz
      125Hz
      150Hz
      175Hz
      200Hz
      225Hz
      250Hz
      275Hz
      300Hz
      350Hz
      500Hz
      600Hz
      800Hz
      1000Hz
      1200Hz
      1600Hz
      2000Hz
      2200Hz
      2500Hz
      3200Hz
      4000Hz
      5000Hz
      6000Hz
      8000Hz
      10000Hz
      12000Hz
      14000Hz
      16000Hz
      18000Hz
      20000Hz
      Brown noise
      Pink noise
      White noise

Spectral Balance: This describes the sound system’s amplitude’s balance throughout the audio spectrum. The system should sound balanced and no region should stick out above the rest.

Dynamics: This describes the system’s ability to play at a multitude of sound pressure levels. Passages in music that are at low volume should be accurately reproduced as well as the loud passages. At low volumes these speakers do not lose any detail and still have proper imaging. They do lose some intensity and some midrange bass. This is very common and expected though, and is the reason head units have the "loudness" button. Despite not being as intense, which is a given for pretty much any speaker, they sound very good at low volumes. 

Sound Stage Width: This describes the width of the emitted region of sound. At this point the sound stage is pretty good. I will need to play around with the time alignment on the Pioneer Premier DEX-P1R head unit some more to increase the width of the sound stage some more. Right now the sound stage is a little bit wider than the a-pillar. At an IASCA sound quality competition, judges would award points for setups that have the sound stage further out than the a-pillars.

Sound Stage Height: This describes the height of the emitted region of sound. Optimally the sound should appear to come from eye height if not slightly above, such as would be if you were attending a live musical event. This is exactly what the MB Quarts and Morels do. The sound stage is at eye level, above the dash, and sometime even as high as the top of the windshield near the roof. Simply incredible.

Sound Stage Depth: This describes the ability to reproduce the realistic depth of a sound stage. Instruments recorded deep within the sound stage should be placed deep in relation to the other instruments and vice-versa with instruments recorded at the front of the sound stage. The MB Quarts and Morels do a pretty good job with instruments relative to each other. Overall the sound stage is not too deep. An instrument in the back of an orchestra would sound like it is as far as the windshield wiper cowl outside of the car. I like the depth of the sound stage, but once again it is all preference. Some prefer a very deep sound stage as if you are on a balcony listening to a concert. They rather have the sound coming from the front of your hood. This would probably get more points from the judges at a IASCA sound quality competition, but I feel too disconnected with the music when it is that far. Sometimes you want to feel like the music is an extension of you mood, and a really deep sound stage really kills that for me. For example, I don't want to feel like I am watching a play when I am listening to trance. I set my sound stage to be a little more shallow with the time alignment option the Pioneer Premier DEX-P1R head unit has under PRO mode.

Image Location: This describes the location of specific sound within the sound stage, and should be noted not to be relative to the vehicle. The MB Quarts and Morels do a great job with image location. For example, instruments recorded in center sound stage are reproduced accurately there. Everything sounds like where it is supposed to be.

Image Focus: This describes the image’s ability to be pin-pointed, or, its focus. This is probably the MB Quarts most impressive characteristic. They simply do an outstanding job by having pin-point focus. Sounds never sound "blurred." You can sit in the cabin and close your eyes and precisely point where each sound is coming from.

Tweeter : Morel MT-22
 

right click and "save target as..." for specifications

Very accurate, precise, and detailed tweeters. They sound great off-axis and have great dispersion. This means that you could just leave them in the stock location in the a-pillar and they will still sound awesome.  Leaving in the a-pillars is also a good way to raise the sound stage.  They would, of course, provide better imaging in kick panels and sound better when placed closer to the midrange speaker. However, by putting them in the kick panels you also get a "rainbow" effect where the center of the soundstage is higher than the left and right.  Sound, like many things, is all preference.

Midrange : 6.5 inch MB Quart QM218.61Q 

Great midrange speakers. I needed to cut my door to fit them since they were 6.5 inch (some 6.5 inch midrange speakers could fit without cutting the door), but it was well worth it. Once again, very accurate, detailed and they can get loud without really distorting. I have found that they can hit frequencies as low as 63Hz just fine, but they sound best at 80Hz with a -12dB/oct slope. This is ideal for trying to blend the subwoofer with the midrange bass, since many people crossover their subwoofers at 80Hz. Having some nice clean bass coming out of the midrange speakers, instead of all of it being provided by the subwoofers, also helps create a soundstage where the bass is coming in front of you, which is what you want for soundstage and imaging. They can also hit the higher frequencies, where most tweeters usually feel comfortable, just fine.  I have them crossed over at 3.15khz in order to meet the Morel tweeters.  Once again, they are great off-axis speakers, so you do not have to worry about them not sounding good if they are not in kick panels.  Not only does that end up saving you money and time, but you also have more foot room and you do not lose that dead pedal.   I highly recommend sound deadening the doors if you want a more full sound and better midrange bass.

Passive Crossover

I did not use the passive crossover that came with the components. They look very nice, and work well, however, it is better to control everything using the active crossover that comes with the Pioneer Premier DEX-P1R.

Rear Fill

These speakers are designed to reproduce the “reflections” from the rear wall of the concert arena or hall; the sound passes your ears on it’s way from the band, then reflects off the rear wall to your ear. Rear fill speakers make your sound seem much more lifelike. These speakers are largely unnecessary in the MR2, due to the small size of the cabin. Rear fill is actually provided naturally by the front speakers reflecting off the rear glass and roof of the MR2. There have been times where I hear sounds coming from behind me as if I have some rear fill speakers at the perfect volume (not overpowering the front speakers), but it is just the MR2 cabin shape that is providing such an effect. If you want a proper sound stage, I suggest not getting rear fills and just using that money on getting some better speakers up front. Using some rear fills speakers that are not set up properly will actually hurt your soundstage and imaging. If you are absolutely set on using some rear fills, they should be powered at a very low level in comparison to the rest of the system or you risk pulling the sound stage toward the rear of the cabin. Moreover, you would not want to have the rear fill speakers too loud if they are mounted in the stock location, since the stock location is very close to the driver's and passenger's ears, especially if you like to recline your seat a bit.

Subwoofers - Two Image Dynamics ID8v.3D4

right click and "save target as..." for specifications

Do not listen to those who say that eight inch subwoofers cannot play low enough.  I measured these Image Dynamics ID8v.3 subwoofers to play as low as 20hz!  The next logical argument may be that although they play that low, they cannot play that frequency very loud.  This is once again an incorrect assumption.  My SPL meter maxes out at 125dB and these subwoofers maxed out the SPL meter at 20hz measured at the dash.  I would guess these subwoofers can hit 130dB easy.  If you really want to push them, you might get 135dB out of them.  This is a important milestone since you get bonus points in IASCA SQ competitions if you can get 135dB.  This is not how I would let them play regularly, however, since my setup is an SQ setup and not an SPL setup.  I tuned these subwoofers to be very smooth, clean, flat, accurate, and to blend well with the midrange speakers.  If setup and tuned correctly, you can have these subwoofers play very flat from 20hz and up.  I crossed these subwoofers at 80hz in order to meet my midrange drivers. 

These subwoofers do not need much enclosure space.  I gave them about .35 cubic feet each in order to have them play a little lower.  I have them behind each seat firing away from me so that I do not hear the cone noise.    

Amplifiers

Coming soon:
Two Phoenix Gold Titanium 600.2 amplifiers
One Phoenix Gold Titanium 400.2 amplifier

Custom Amplifier Rack #1
 

Here is a picture of the custom amplifier rack my friend Andrei and I made. Andrei has worked at car stereo shops doing custom installs for as long as I have known him. You name it and he has done it. We are not completely done yet. This was our first design.  There are three blue neon bars to give a nice uniform blue glow. The neon bars are, of course, out of sight and are activated by a switch. I leave the switch off all the time except when I want to show someone the setup in order to decrease anything that may create feedback through the RCAs. Right now the amp rack cover is covered with vinyl, however, this is temporary until I fabricate one out of carbon fiber to match the MadPSI 100% carbon fiber vented hood, MadPSI carbon fiber windshield wiper cowl (which was taken off to let a friend borrow for a photo-shoot), MadPSI carbon fiber radiator cover (not pictured), and JIC Magic RCS carbon fiber front strut bar. The stock stock plastic trim was removed in the first place in order to allow a path for the air from the radiator to vent out of the vented hood. With the weave for all the carbon fiber pieces matching, it should look very clean. I want the stereo setup to look something like the Xtant Porsche pictured below.
 

Since the amplifier rack is built above the battery, we extended the battery cables on the amplifier rack. It is out of sight since we have the amplifier rack cover that only displays the amplifiers, but if I need to jump start my car, I can just remove the cover and there are a pair of terminals right there. I don't have to remove the amplifier rack to get to the + and - terminals.

Sound deadening - Rammatt 60

Review coming soon.

Wires - Phoenix Gold

Review coming soon.

Battery -  Optima Red Top  
 

Traditional batteries have a stack of thick lead plates surrounded by acid. But Optima batteries feature two thin lead plates wound into a tight spiral cell, with an absorbent glass-mat in between to hold the electrolyte solution.  This unique design allows for more power and increased energy, resulting in quick, reliable starts. 

• - It'll last up to 2 times longer than other batteries.
• - It can sit unused 3 times longer than other batteries.
• - It is over 15 times more resistant to vibration than other batteries.
• - It's nonspillable and can mount in almost any position.
• - It provides constant performance quality keeping your battery running at the same level even as it's being discharged.
• - It provides more power in the initial 1, 3, 5, and 10 seconds of the vehicle starting process than comparably rated conventional lead acid batteries.