I've always used Pioneer head units in the past. When I started looking for a new one I had some key features in mind. Among those were MP3 playback, FLAC playback if possible, USB input (preferably accept SD cards), at least 2 sets of pre-amp outputs, and playlist support. DVD/AVI playback, Bluetooth support, HD radio, etc. are nice additions, but not must have features. I figured as advanced as most electronics have become I would have a pretty easy time finding one to fit my needs. I started out looking at Pioneer units which seemed to match all of my needs and I could even fit in some of the nice but not necessary features into my price range. But the closer I looked I realized that playlists were never mentioned anywhere in the manual except under the iPod sections. After googling for a while I discovered that if you want playlists you have to use an iPod. Completely unacceptable.
Next I went to Kenwood units. While they do support playlists, it's only through a modified Kenwood Music editor.
I couldn't figure out whether JVC units have playlist support or not. They're mentioned in the manual, but it never says what kind or if it can read a playlist from the USB interface.
To get to the point. I need a new HU. I have a budget of $200-500. I need it to have support for some kind of flash media, playlist support (preferably M3U but at this point it seems anything that doesn't require the purchase of an iPod will do), and at least 2 sets of pre-amp outputs. Video, bluetooth, touch controls, etc. are nice features that I would like to have, but only if the unit has the base features I need.
Any suggestions are very much appreciated.
