Comparison Pioneer DEH-S520BT vs Pioneer DEH-X5600BT

The number of bands in the radio equalizer.

In this case, the band means a separate part of the frequency range, the volume of which can be adjusted using the equalizer independently of the other parts. The more bands the equalizer has, the more accurately it allows you to adjust the overall sound of the car radio acoustics. However, note that multi-band equalizers are quite difficult to set up, therefore they are recommended primarily for experienced users.

A function that enhances the bass sound. In some way similar to the equalizer, however, unlike it, when using BassBoost, the bass boost is turned on and off with literally one touch of a button — this is more convenient and safer than fiddling with the equalizer settings.

The type of volume control provided in the radio. Rotary knobs, sensors or mechanical buttons are most often used in this role; Here is a more detailed description of each of these options.

— Rotary regulator. The traditional regulator in the form of a round knob, which does not lose popularity nowadays — in fact, it is he who is installed in most modern car radios. Such prevalence, among other things, is due to the fact that the rotary knob is compatible with both digital and analogue volume control circuits — which means that it can be used in devices of any level, from top-end to the most simple and inexpensive. In addition, such a regulator stands out noticeably on the radio panel, so you can even find and turn it by touch, without being distracted once again from the road. The disadvantages of rotary knobs include perhaps some bulkiness compared to buttons and sensors, but this moment is extremely rarely significant.

— Mechanical buttons. Traditional mechanical buttons — more precisely, most often one double-sided rocker button, vertical or horizontal. Unlike the rotary knobs described above, they can only be used with digital volume control circuits; therefore, most radio tape recorders with buttons are advanced devices with extensive functionality and a size of at least 2DIN (or a screen of at least 5 ", for standard models). In such cases, the advant...age of buttons over rotary controls is that the rocker can be made very narrow and install even on a very thin screen frame, while the handle requires a fairly wide additional panel. And if you compare this option with sensors, then mechanical buttons are somewhat cheaper, and you can control them blindly without taking your eyes off the road to the radio panel. On the other hand, the mechanics tend to wear out with use, making it less reliable, and many users simply don't like buttons more than sensors, and for these reasons, and a few others, this option is relatively rare.

— Touch buttons. Controls in the form of sensors that are triggered not by pressing, but by touch. Like mechanical buttons (see above), this control is only compatible with digital volume control and is mainly used in advanced radios with large screens. At the same time, the sensors give the device the most advanced and “technological” appearance, attractive to many users from a purely aesthetic side. The main disadvantage of this option is that the touch buttons usually do not protrude from the panel — so it is almost impossible to find the right sensor blindly, and when controlling the radio, you inevitably have to be distracted from the road. However, with more or less decent driving skills and due care, this moment is not a serious drawback, so this type of control in high-end radio tape recorders is used much more often than traditional buttons.

— Remote control. The radio has a remote control. This function will be convenient primarily for passengers behind the driver — from the rear seats you can’t reach the radio itself. In addition, remotes often have more keys than the stock control panel, which allows you to access various additional functions on the go without digging through the settings.

— Remote control on the steering wheel. Remote control (see above) with the ability to mount on the steering wheel. Such a remote control allows the driver to control the functions of the radio without removing his hands from the steering wheel and thus not being distracted from driving the machine.

— Control from regular steering wheel buttons. The ability to control the radio from standard buttons, originally provided on the steering wheel for this very purpose. This function is similar to the steering wheel remote control described above, with the adjustment that the "remote" in this case is built directly into the steering wheel. Before buying such a radio, you must definitely check its compatibility with a particular model of car.

— Smartphone control. The presence of software (application) that allows you to control the radio using a smartphone, tablet, etc. This is not just about switching songs on the phone, but a full adjustment of all device functions.
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— Voice control. The ability to control the radio using voice commands. The implementation of such control can be different: in some models, to activate it, you need to press a button, others constantly “listen” to the environment and immediately respond to code words. Anyway, this function allows the driver to control the radio without taking his eyes off the road, which has a positive effect on traffic safety. Note that in its pure form, voice control in modern radio tape recorders is becoming less and less common, being replaced by advanced technologies like CarPlay and Android Auto (see “Control Functions”), which also include voice functions.

— Apple CarPlay system. Support for car radio technology CarPlay. This technology is designed to connect portable devices from Apple to the radio, primarily the iPhone, although it is technically possible to work with any “apple” gadget that has iOS 7.1 or later firmware, as well as a proprietary 8-pin Lightning connector. Thanks to this technology, many smartphone functions (including the Siri voice assistant, navigation, call and message management, as well as music) are integrated into the radio; using them through on-board electronics can be much more convenient than holding the iPhone in your hands. At the same time, CarPlay puts special emphasis on safety: it is designed with the maximum use of voice control, so that the driver has to be distracted by the radio screen as little as possible. For example, the mentioned messages can be dictated by voice and listened to "performed" by Siri. The connection itself is carried out by wire, through the mentioned Lightning connector.

— Android Auto system. Car radio support for Android Auto technology. Similar to the CarPlay described above, this technology is designed to combine portable devices with on-board electronics of a car — only, as you might guess from the name, in this case we are talking about gadgets running the Android OS. When you connect such a gadget, the radio actually plays the role of an external display for a mobile device, with its optimized interface and related capabilities. Features available through Android Auto include navigation (including mobile device access to external GPS antennas and modules), music control, receiving and making calls, listening to and composing SMS, and searching the Internet. Android Auto is only available for Android 5.0 Lollipop and later; in addition, if the mobile device uses proprietary firmware, its compatibility with the radio needs to be specified separately.

The number of line outputs (see above) provided in the design of the radio. It should be noted that usually these outputs use RCA connectors (“tulip”), and the analog format allows only one audio channel to be transmitted through one such. Therefore, to work with a stereo signal, two RCA connectors are required, and just a pair of such jacks is considered to be one line output - a set designed for one set of stereo speakers. The main difference between this interface and the same RCA used to connect speakers (see above) is that the line output receives a signal from a preamplifier that is unsuitable for feeding to passive acoustics. Such a signal must be sent to active speakers or an external amplifier (whereas the speaker is connected to the output of a power amplifier designed for passive speakers).

Additional outputs provided in the design of the radio and not related to those described above. These can be, in particular, such interfaces:

— Coaxial. Digital output for audio transmission (including multi-channel) via RCA cable, electric version of S/P-DIF interface. Do not confuse this standard with analogue RCA (see "Connecting speakers"): firstly, it uses a digital data transmission format; secondly, the entire signal is transmitted over one cable; thirdly, conventional RCA cables for coaxial connection are poorly suited, it is desirable to have shielded ones. Unlike optical S/P-DIF, this variant is subject to some degree of electrical interference; on the other hand, it does not require special care when handling the wire.

— Optical. A variation of S/P-DIF that uses a TOSLINK fibre optic cable to transmit the signal. Like the coaxial version described above, it supports multi-channel audio. At the same time, optical fibre, on the one hand, is completely immune to electrical interference, on the other hand, it requires rather delicate handling (in particular, it does not tolerate sharp bends).

— On the regular display. Output for connecting one or another regular display. This can be a screen that is originally installed on the dashboard of a car, or a monitor purchased separately; specific models of compatible screens should be specified in the documentation for the radio.

— High voltage. Speaker output with increased op...erating voltage of 4V instead of the traditional 2V. This improves the signal-to-noise ratio and improves the overall sound quality. On the other hand, connecting speakers to such an output can be associated with additional difficulties.

The function of accelerated charging of external devices - for example, smartphones - from the USB port of the radio. The general principle of this procedure is that increased power is supplied to the gadget; but its specific features may be different. For example, some models provide a separate USB port intended only for fast charging, while others use the same connector to which flash drives are connected. In addition, the radio may support special fast charging technologies; they speed up the process even more, but only work with compatible devices; for other gadgets, accelerated charging may not be available at all. It doesn’t hurt to clarify all these nuances before purchasing.

The ability to choose the backlight colour for the control panel, and sometimes also for the radio display. The specific range of shades available can vary, whether it be a few colours or the entire RGB palette; see "Illumination colour" for details. Anyway, this feature does not play a functional role, however, it allows you to customize the appearance of the device so that it is in harmony with the appearance of the dashboard and matches the user's mood.

The colour of the backlight plays primarily an aesthetic role, allowing you to choose a radio for the design of the dashboard and user preferences. In addition, some colours have a practical meaning. So, the red backlight is extremely popular nowadays also because it is almost perfect for the dark time of the day: this shade does not knock down "night vision" and has a stimulating effect on the nervous system. And green, on the contrary, relieves excessive nervousness and promotes peace of mind. Other popular colours in modern times include white, blue, orange, yellow, purple ; they do not have such pronounced effects, here the main selection criterion is “like or dislike”.

Also note that in many models several backlight colours are indicated at once. This means that the device has a backlight with adjustable colour selection. At the same time, there are models with a choice of a full range of RGB colours.