Has anyone used Pandora. Price is certainly better than Sirius and hopefully fidelity is better also.

Just noticed it is built into the Clarion M303 I just installed but seems to require a smart phone also.

 

You have to have a smart phone that has a good data connection. Pandora (and the other streaming music apps) burn through data pretty quickly. It may be cheaper than SiriusXM, and the sound quality is considerably better (at least when streamed through a normal headphone connection to a stereo from my experience) , but you gotta watch that data usage.
You can stream pandora for free but you gotta put up with a lot of annoying commercials and they limit the number of times you can skip songs.

 

Been doing some research and guess I'll just have to try it. My understanding is that it runs about 30 MB/hour and since I do not drive much (am a telecommuter) is not a factor. At home I can use WiFi and in car can use several means other than phone.

Big question would be reception on the road. Beyond that $30/year is a lot better than Sirius and I did not like the lack of fidelity, sounded like an AM radio.

Problem is that all of the capabilities of the Clarion are addictive, my '12 has some but not all, with the tablet and back up camera it is pretty complete but want all in one. Technology is here today, you just need to assemble the pieces.

I do expect the next generation of automotive entertainment to be just an amp, speakers, and dock.

 

I am crazy about Pandora. I listen to it everywhere: driving in the car, in the house, at work, and in the garage. I pay the annual fee (I paid $36) and it is worth it for no commercials and the other benefits. The reception while driving is usually excellent. I average 1-2 gb data usage on the phone.

You have to work with your stations to get them where you want, but once there, they are perfect. Hint: thumbs-ups broaden the selection, and thumbs-downs shrink it

 

I dropped Sirius XM in lieu of Pandora a little over a year ago and have not regretted the decision at all. Pandora apps also keep showing up on my home equipment. DirecTV added it to my DVR via a firmware upgrade and my Yamaha AV receiver has it built in, as well.

I love the eclectic mix of tunes that result from selecting "Shuffle" after you have selected your favorite stations. That is something that is not even possible with Sirius XM.

The Pandora switch did cause me to make a bit of a goof, though. I purchased a Kenwood KIV-701 head unit, in large part due to the built-in Pandora support. I should have paid attention to the part about only working with iPhone. My phone is Android. Ooops!

I can still play back through from phone via cable or A2DP Bluetooth streaming, but don't get readout or control via the Kenwood. I'm still happy with the KIV-701, however. It is a very nice head unit.

KJK

 

I just installed a new head unit in my car that supports Pandora, although bluetooth streaming from an iPhone isn't officially fully supported so I have to connect it with a cable for full functionality. I can get it to stream through the bluetooth audio connection, which allows me to skip songs but I have to select the station on the phone and can't utilize the thumbs up/thumbs down functionality using bluetooth.
Its definitely better than the free Sirius I lost due to tuner incompatibility with the new head unit. Hopefully updates for both the phone and head unit will give me that functionality and all will be great in the world.

 

I've been a Pandora user for a number of years now and love it. My new Pioneer MVH-X560BT has full support (thumbs, stations) from the headunit while connected through Bluetooth.
And I found out after delivery that the chassis for this "Mechless Media Player" is ~ 3" deep. No CD/DVD no space!

For longer trips, I've found that lstening to comedy is very good at making the miles melt away even faster then normal!

The wife's new Lincoln came with 6 months of Sirius and I have to wonder how they stay in business. Meh sound, meh selection.

 

For long trips, I am a fan of classic books on MP3 available FREE at https://librivox.org/
You can rip the mp3 to CDROM for the OEM unit, however I use a thumb drive on an Alpine via USB.

( Robinson Crusoe will just about get you coast-to-coast )

 

 

Im sure Kenwood can update firmware to give full functionality, they just haven't gotten there yet with the iPhone.
I chose the Kenwood because I really like their Excelon line, which is what I bought. The SQ options and tuning available are what swayed me to stay with them. Having 3 sets of 4V pre-outs was mandatory. Most of the competiton doesn't offer that much in similar priced units. The only Pioneer unit I considered was their audiophile quality, priced at $300, which wasn't bad pricing considering the features it did have, but it didnt offer HD radio.

 

About four of five years ago I bought a portable SiriusXM unit (complete with mag mount) and it plugs into the AUX port on an after market radio. The cost was about $450, but that included a lifetime subscription. Although Spotify and Pandora do offer slightly better fidelity, I still love my portable SiriusXM unit and use it with the car and in my RV. I also have my Zune HD that I have had for about 4 years as well and have enough MP3s on it to get me from Colorado to the Dragon and back five times. : )

 

My heep came with a year's Sirius but I did not renew since the sound was flat, like an AM radio while both FM and mp3s sound much better.

I have SD cards in both Tabs and Phone with about 300 albums & that is plenty. Both can now connect to the radio.

Pandora is an alternative but I do not need right now, takes a lot of set up, and Torque kept popping up a warning about a Pandora Bluetooth Bug issue so removed

 

Since I have used Pandora for a very long time and know exactly how annoying the skip limit and listening limit can be, I can help you guys out with this one.

I have the android APP with unlimited skips and no ads of version 4.0 if anyone wants it. Let me know with a PM and I will email it to you as soon as I see the PM.

 

$36/year for Pandora One is cheap for how much I like the service. No ads, unlimited skips, and I rarely purchase music anymore.