Learn about the Navigation Settings Menu on the Pioneer AVIC-8000NEX. Buy Microphone for For Pioneer Car Receiver Models AVH-200BT, AVH-270BT, AVH-4000NEX, AVIC-5000NEX, AVIC-6000NEX, AVIC-7000NEX, AVIC-8000NEX.ECT.: Radio Wiring Harnesses - Amazon.com FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases.
The Good The AVIC 8000NEX takes an 'everything but the kitchen sink' approach to infotainment, supporting CarPlay, Pioneer App Mode and Mirrorlink smartphone mirroring technologies. The onboard navigation software is smartly designed and performs well. The list of supported digital and analog audio and video sources is impressive.The Bad For some users, the 8000NEX may be too much receiver, making the lower-tier NEX models a better fit for their needs and their wallets.The Bottom Line Pioneer's flagship AVIC 8000NEX boasts dozens of media and navigation options - including the first aftermarket appearance of Apple CarPlay - but most users will find a better feature-to-cost balance lower in the brand's NEX lineup.Visit for details. Though announced way back in March 2014, Apple's CarPlay software has remained elusive. With the exception of the Ferrari FF, the partnered automakers are still in the 'coming soon' phase of their rollouts, and the aftermarket has remained mostly silent.Mostly, that is, with the exception of Pioneer, who announced this summer that it would be bringing Apple CarPlay to the masses via its NEX series of multimedia receivers. Today, we take a look at the Pioneer's flagship AVIC 8000NEX, a fully featured navigation and multimedia receiver that is, so far, the only way to get CarPlay in your car short of buying a new Ferrari. View full gallery The AVIC 8000NEX is built around a 7-inch capacitive touchscreen.Antuan Goodwin/CNETAVIC hardware, NEX softwareThe AVIC user interface starts with a 7-inch capacitive touch display, where the driver and passengers will have most of their interactions with the system.
The screen runs at a WVGA (800x480) resolution - which sounds low in a world filled with 720p and 1080p smartphones, but isn't bad at all in practice. Graphics for the various parts of the NEX and CarPlay interfaces are rendered smoothly and sharply, but DVD video was just a bit pixelated. Since I don't spend a lot of time watching movies in the car, this wasn't a huge disappointment for me.
Just below the screen is a chin that juts slightly forward, presenting buttons for volume, skip, mode selection, home, maps, and eject. Tapping the eject button causes the motorized display to rotate down, revealing the 8000's hidden CD/DVD slot and SD card reader.Like all of Pioneer's multimedia and navigation receivers, the AVIC 8000NEX is scaled to meet the double-DIN size standard and uses standard wiring harness and AM/FM/HD Radio antenna connections.
This makes installation a breeze for experienced installers. I was able to get our unit up and running in our 2007 Chevrolet Aveo test car in under an hour.Aside from the standard power and speaker connections, the 8000 will require a few more included accessories and sensors to be connected to enable the full functionality. In the box is a GPS receiver that can be installed outside of the cabin for maximum location sensitivity, a noise-cancelling microphone that is used with voice command and hands-free calling, USB and auxiliary input extension cables, and a parking brake grounding sensor that enables the receiver to unlock video content and display when parked. View full gallery The NEX line is the first to the aftermarket to support Apple CarPlay.Antuan Goodwin/CNETThe AVIC 8000NEX's back panel is packed with inputs and connections, making it easily expandable and upgradable. There are actually two full speed 1.6A USB ports back there - though only one extension cable ships with the unit, enabling multiple portable media and storage devices to be connected or up to two smartphones charged.
An HDMI input comes into play when connecting external video sources or, with the aid of adapters sold separately, the receiver's the App Mode. There are three pairs of RCA preamp outputs including a dedicated subwoofer output, a set of A/V RCA outputs dedicated to rear video, a video input for a rear camera, and ports to accommodate steering-wheel controls and the addition of Sirius XM satellite radio. The first Apple CarPlay receiverNo doubt, most of you are here because of Pioneer's claim that the NEX series is the first batch of aftermarket receivers to support the new Apple CarPlay interface for iPhones.As opposed to Pioneer's own App Mode, which required additional hardware, all that you'll need to get running with CarPlay is the latest version of Pioneer's NEX firmware, an iPhone 5 or 6 running the latest version of iOS 8 and a USB to Lightning adapter. (You can buy one from Pioneer, use the one that came with your phone, or pick up a third-party cable.) Simply plug the phone into the the USB port and, after a few seconds, the CarPlay interface will appear. In Apple lingo, it's 'magical.' CarPlay makes heavy use of Apple's Siri voice-command system to minimize the amount of screen tapping and swiping you'll need to do.
For example, incoming text messages are automatically read aloud without displaying any words on the screen to distract the driver. After reading, Siri will ask if you want to respond, which you can do without ever looking at the screen or taking your hands off of the steering wheel.Pretty much any voice command that you can give to Siri on your phone can be given to CarPlay. You can 'navigate to AMC Theater in Emeryville,' 'listen to 2 Live Crew,' or 'remind me to send my expense report when I get to the office,' all in just the time it takes to say it.