PIONEER MVH-S310BT Bluetooth Car Media Receiver

Like the sound for the money.

Easy install looks and sounds great!

Works great

I’m not going to be too critical of this unit because for the money it sounded great while it worked. I liked the remote mic for the phone where I could place it on the pillar, fairly close and directed at the driver’s mouth. Everything worked great until yesterday morning it was just dead. Checked all fuses, powers and grounds. I put the stock radio back in and it fired right up. That will stay in for now as I await the replacement unit. Yes, I am going to buy this unit again because I don’t want to go through all the hassle of rewiring a different one. It did last 3 years so IDK if mine was a fluke or they are just made too cheap now-a-days. I still have a Pioneer cassette player from 1986 that is still going strong. Pioneer used to be the best. Now not so much. But it is still under a $100 so you get what you pay for.

I bought the Pioneer MVH-S310BT in order to replace the failing Volvo HU-613 in my 2004 V70. The low price and Bluetooth functionality of the unit were the biggest factors that influenced me to purchase this head unit. I also was not interested in having a CD player, since I stream music through my smartphone. I looked at other, less expensive units, but I was deterred by the higher risk of low quality. I used my Google-foo to do some research, and from what I had found, the non-name brand units weren’t really that great, aside from prices. It is possible to purchase a no-name head unit with Bluetooth connectivity for $20 – $30 US dollars, but to me, it wasn’t worth the risk. I’ve owned and used Pioneer products in the past, including head units and speakers, and have been pleased with the perceived quality and value from those products.
Upon receipt and installation of this unit, I was not disappointed. I used a Metra kit to install the head unit into the dash, since Volvos have a unique shape for their radios. The provided instructions for wiring were a little unclear at first glance but were easy enough to follow. Because this unit does not have a CD player, it’s much less deep than traditional head units, making installation a bit easier. The provided microphone has a cord length of 3 meters – approximately 10 feet.
I was already aware that the unit would have blue backlighting instead of the red backlighting pictured in this listing. The brightness of the unit is appropriate. The provided picture shows the unit at full brightness on a slightly overcast morning. The dimmer can be activated manually and/or can be controlled based on the time. E.g. the dimmer can be automatically be activated in the evening. The only constructive criticism that I have is that I wish this unit was available with green backlighting. However, this is only my personal preference, as the backlighting color does not affect the fit, form, or function of the unit. For $65, the ability to choose backlighting color was a luxury that I was willing to forego.
Setting up the unit was pretty easy. I did not read any of the instructions prior to setup but quickly determined how to configure the unit. It took me about 30 seconds to connect my phone and about 5 minutes to configure everything else. Standard configurable options, such as EQ, subwoofer, bass boost, loudness, and display options are all available.
The biggest surprise of the unit was how good it sounds. I thought the Volvo HU-613 sounded pretty good, especially for a 15 year old unit. This MVH-S310BT blows it out of the water, though. Overall, music sounds much more crisp and clean. Tones across the spectrum seem much more distinguishable and less muddled together. In particular, the bass is much more powerful and noticeable. I listen mostly to rock, and this unit does a fine job with it.
Disclaimer #1: I did replace most of the stock speakers with Pioneer (front seats) and Kenwood (rear seats) speakers a few years ago, so I can’t say how much better this unit would sound with stock speakers. I also do not have a subwoofer or any other fancy speakers.
Disclaimer #2: I am not a sound engineer or audiophile, nor do I have an expert ear for sound quality. I am an amateur musician and not completely ignorant of sound quality, though. I am more representative of a regular user. Your results may vary. If you are an audiophile or somebody who cares greatly about excellent sound quality, you’re probably not looking to purchase this unit. (Maybe you should consider it, though?)
I installed the provided microphone and tested it by calling somebody. They told me that I sounded clear and that the volume was appropriate. The function of the microphone, therefore, appears to be adequate.
I installed the Pioneer Smart Sync app onto my smartphone, and the unit recognizes it without issue. I have not had a chance to really play around with the app, though. Note: The Pioneer Smart Sync app is NOT required to connect your smartphone with this unit. I have mostly been using my smartphone without the app.
I’ve only had this product for about a week, so I cannot say what the long-term reliability will be. Given my past experience with Pioneer products, however, I do expect this unit to last for many years.
I don’t normally leave reviews for products. However, since this product has relatively few reviews, I figured that I would be able to help somebody out by leaving my own review. This might seem lengthy for a budget head unit, but I like to describe things in as much practical detail as possible.
TL;DR This appears to be a great budget head unit with BT functionality and good sound. I recommend this product to anybody looking for such a unit.

While this radio sounds awesome and it’s like old-school stereo with crisp clear sound and the subwoofer works amazing with it, the Bluetooth went out in my original one which had only been in the Jeep for roughly a year. Beware with this stereo on that but I do see that Pioneer has discontinued it so maybe there is an upgrade. But there are some left out there if you can find them I just love the way the stereo sound is why I bought it again. Maybe it was a fluke that the old one lost its Bluetooth as well as USB port adaption but hopefully this one will last a lot longer.

Pretty basic for a stereo install. I would like to see it a little cheaper. Pioneer only has it listed on their website as a $80 retail price.