Installed: Parrot MKi9100 Bluetooth Phone & Audio + iPod, USB, and Aux Inputs

[Shindig78]

Over the weekend, I installed a Parrot MKi9100 system into my 2008 Pilot VP. The system is pretty slick. It attaches between the radio wiring harness and the radio, and it consists of a blue box (the "brain"), a display unit, a wireless control unit, a microphone, and a bundle of three input cables.

Parrot MKi9100 Bluetooth® car kit for iPhone® 3G, BlackBerry® Storm, and other popular cell phones at Crutchfield.com

Installation was easy. I purchased the Honda-specific wire harness adapter from Crutchfield, so all I had to do was remove the radio, connect the Parrot system, route the wires, and reassemble everything. It took me about an hour to do the work. The only tool I needed was a Philips-head screw driver.

Now that it is installed, I have a fairly seamless Bluetooth audio "built-in" to the factory system. When a call comes in, the factory head unit is muted and the phone rings through the car speakers. When I answer a call, the caller's voice comes through the factory speakers, and my voice is picked up through the microphone. The Parrot system syncs with my phone's address book, so it supports voice dialing as well.

The audio options are a great bonus. This Parrot unit supports iPod and iPhone, and it comes with a certified iPod connector. When connected to the Parrot box, you can control your iPod through the Parrot interface and listen to music as your iPod or iPhone charges. The USB port allows you to connect a thumbdrive loaded up with MP3 files -- playback is automatic, and you can view all of the MP3-encoded information such as song title, album, and artist. Finally, a standard line-in jack allows you to connect essentially any audio player and listen through the factory audio system. Again, when a call comes through, everything is muted (or paused), until the call is finished.

The only issue I have is with the subwoofer. As we all know, the subwoofer in our factory stereo is "special." It connects directly to the head unit, and does not pass through the Parrot system as the other speakers do. This means that when a call comes in, the Parrot box mutes the speakers, but the subwoofer continues thumping away. The same is true for the audio inputs -- when connecting an iPod, for example, the Parrot box mutes the factory system and plays the iPod. Unfortunately, the subwoofer thumps away to whatever the head unit was doing -- XM, Radio, or CD. The easy fix is to simply turn off the head unit or lower the volume (the Parrot system is independent from the head unit).

All in all, this is a good little system, and I would recommend it. I'll attach some pictures of my installation below. Note the display unit to the left of the steering wheel, the control unit in the center console, and the microphone to the left of the gauges (it is hard to see).

[The Drew]

very nice... might look into this... I just picked up an HTC EVO 4G and I want to be able to use this as my entertainment in the vehicle along with bluetooth, nav, and MP3 playback... this thing looks like it has it all... thanks for the post.

[rgs]

Looks sharp man! I just got quoted $500 for that same one with install. It was like $300 just for the labor in the 'tricky install' (so they say). Do you think it would be that easy with the Navi unit? Mine already has the ipod interface as well?

[Shindig78]

Originally Posted by rgs

Looks sharp man! I just got quoted $500 for that same one with install. It was like $300 just for the labor in the 'tricky install' (so they say). Do you think it would be that easy with the Navi unit? Mine already has the ipod interface as well?

I'm not sure how it would be with the Navi and the existing iPod interface. My installation wasn't tricky at all. I'm not a pro, but I've installed things like head units, satellite radios, and CD changers a few times over the years. This one was pretty easy.

[il38694]

Originally Posted by Shindig78

I'm not sure how it would be with the Navi and the existing iPod interface. My installation wasn't tricky at all. I'm not a pro, but I've installed things like head units, satellite radios, and CD changers a few times over the years. This one was pretty easy.

Hi Shindig,

Do the steering wheel controls work too?