The Pioneer DEH-P7600MP

Pioneer OEL
After parting (reluctantly) with the Alpine CDA-9835, I consoled myself by installing Pioneer's DEH-P7600MP. Way back in 1999, Pioneer, um, pioneered an entirely new kind of in-dash display: OEL (Organic Electroluminescent). Pioneer claims there are three big benefits to OEL technology:

• Easy viewing, even at wide angles and in bright sunlight
• Low power consumption, since OEL is a self-emitting device (no backlighting required)
• The ability to keep your eyes on the road because (I know I'm going fast, stay with me) the display is easier to read, making the receiver easier to control

Since Pioneer was the first to bring OEL to the in-dash receiver market, they've had the most time to perfect their displays. I installed the DEH-P7600MP in my dash with pretty high expectations — and I have to say, it delivered.

The OEL display is, as promised, easy to see at pretty much any angle. I didn't have any problems reading it from the driver's or passenger's seat of my 2000 Honda CR-V. I recruited my 6'7" boyfriend, who actually has to duck his head to fit in my car, to take a look — no problems reading the display, even from his bird's-eye view (the DEH-P7600MP doesn't have a tilt feature like the Alpine we discussed earlier). Even better, the receiver performed as advertised in the bright-sunlight situation as well. Not once did it wash out, and I never had to revert to the dreaded "shade the display with my hand" technique.

As far as helping me keep my eyes on the road…well, since I only had the receiver in my car for a few days, I'll have to give Pioneer the benefit of the doubt on that one. I have to own up to being distracted a couple of times by the OEL's selection of animated screensavers, including the sometimes-adored and sometimes-maligned "dancing dolphins." (A little background — when animated in-dash displays first came to Crutchfield, the two biggest players were Kenwood and Pioneer. Both brands featured screensavers with swimming dolphins. Some folks loved the dolphins — in fact, five or six years later, Crutchfield Sales Advisors still get asked for them all the time. Other folks, not so much. Me, I'm staying out of it. You guys fight it out.)

Above: The DEH-P7600MP's dolphin screen saver in action. Hey, those dolphins are quick! Hard to catch on film. Below: With the screen savers turned off, system info is bright and easy to read.