X

Pioneer announces new four-stage car stereo organization

Pioneer restructures its car audio offerings into four stages for easier choosing, matching, and upgrading of components.

Antuan Goodwin Reviews Editor / Cars
Antuan Goodwin gained his automotive knowledge the old fashioned way, by turning wrenches in a driveway and picking up speeding tickets. From drivetrain tech and electrification to car audio installs and cabin tech, if it's on wheels, Antuan is knowledgeable.
Expertise Reviewing cars and car technology since 2008 focusing on electrification, driver assistance and infotainment Credentials
  • North American Car, Truck and SUV of the Year (NACTOY) Awards Juror
See full bio
Antuan Goodwin

DEX-P99RS CD receiver
The DEX-P99RS will be one of Pioneer's first Stage 4 devices. Pioneer

Taking a nod from the tuner set, Pioneer has announced a new four-stage structure for its full-range of car audio offerings. The idea is to make choosing, matching, and upgrading car audio components easier for the layman by simplifying the way they are organized.

Pioneer's new stage icons
Pioneer hopes that choosing components will be as easy as 1,2,3...um, 4. Pioneer

Simply put, in the same way that a Stage 3 turbo kit is clearly better than a Stage 2, Pioneer's Stage 4 audio components should be clearly better than Stages 3, 2, and 1, and should produce best results when paired with other Stage 4 components. This simple system should keep users from, for example, unintentionally pairing a top-of-the-line amplifier with an entry-level subwoofer or from accidentally "upgrading" to a lower quality component.

Pioneer's Stage system will eventually span the manufacturer's entire line of car audio components, including receivers, amplifiers, speakers, and subs, starting with a new Stage 4 line of reference components. This new line will include the DEX-P99RS single-CD tuner and digital media player (pictured above), four new amplifiers (two full-range units and two mono subwoofer amps), two component speaker packages with audiophile quality crossovers, and a new 10-inch TS-W252PRS subwoofer.