Best value audio panel?

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noahfong

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Hello all. I'm in the market for a new audio panel. What is considered the best value these days? And are there any that can connect to a cell phone (via bluetooth or otherwise) to allow a telephone conversation? Thanks in advance.
 
noahfong said:
Hello all. I'm in the market for a new audio panel. What is considered the best value these days? And are there any that can connect to a cell phone (via bluetooth or otherwise) to allow a telephone conversation? Thanks in advance.
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PS Engineering PMA450B. Tons of features, almost all of them useful.

Also yes, many can connect via BT to allow phone converstations. However, the PMA450B has 2 BT modules so you can do multiple things like record audio while streaming music, etc.
 
I picked up a used PMA6000B cheap. It has all the features I want and, did I mention it was cheap?
 
I upgraded from a PS 8000BT to a PS 450 then recently to the 450B. The 450B has a dedicated Bluetooth connection for cellphones whereas the 450 did not (don't know about the 450A). That allows my iPad to have a channel all to itself. The 450B also has dedicated inputs for which you can add your own voice recordings for monitoring things like engine parameters, landing gear status, etc. The "Intelliaudio" feature of the 450B is better (IMHO) than the 450 but all in all you can't go wrong with the PSE boxes.
 
Arrow76R said:
I upgraded from a PS 8000BT to a PS 450 then recently to the 450B. The 450B has a dedicated Bluetooth connection for cellphones whereas the 450 did not (don't know about the 450A). That allows my iPad to have a channel all to itself. The 450B also has dedicated inputs for which you can add your own voice recordings for monitoring things like engine parameters, landing gear status, etc. The "Intelliaudio" feature of the 450B is better (IMHO) than the 450 but all in all you can't go wrong with the PSE boxes.
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I have the 450A ....it's similar to the B but has "one" bluetooth channel.
 
Thanks everyone! I appreciate the answers and comments. PS Engineering it is. I'm looking at the PMA7000M-BT. Has all the basic features and single bluetooth. The 450s are really, really nice, but more money than I need to spend.

NealRomeoGolf said:
Depends on what you're replacing.
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Actually, nothing....I'm doing a slight upgrade to my 1975 Cessna 177RG panel which still has the switches. I have enough saved up for a Garmin 750 to replace my #1 Narco MK12 (cessna replacement). Was told I would need a real audio panel to support modern avionics and coms. I may go with the smaller 650 because of space. I may have to relocate my transponder for the 750. Need to do some detailed measurements.
 
asicer said:
"Price is what you pay. Value is what you get." :)
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A lotta folks with long noses. But, I always remember someone once said that "only paying a dollar extra" for the Big Gulp is a dollar wasted if you didn't need that darned much sugar to begin with.
 
I have a 73 Cardinal RG, and just went thru a similar operation. Took out both Narco MK12D's (Cessna Replacements) along with the old Cessna Audio Switch set up. I ended up going with the Garmin GMA345 for my audio panel It can be had for $1570.00 It has bluetooth, 3d audio, Sure is nice to answer phone calls while flying around. Made Several Call's while flying grandson up to Lubbock the other day and the people I was talking could not believe that I was in the plane. I went with the GNC255A and the GPS175 combo to save some coins, as they will do pretty much everything the 650 will do.

https://avionics-laf.com/collection...-gma345-audio-panel-marker-intercom-bluetooth
IMG_7DFD50CFB7CA-1.jpeg
 
I had a PS Engineering PMA8000BT installed a couple of years ago and I’m completely happy with it. Very handy for picking up IFR clearances from the runup area, making last minute calls before takeoff, and streaming music and podcasts in flight.

To re-emphasize what others have already said though, the price of the actual audio panel is not going to be the significant cost, the installation will likely be as much or more than the panel, especially if its done right. (First ballpark estimate I got was for 40 hours labor)

Some installers I talked to won’t even install a new audio panel into an older airplane without also replacing all of the wiring. They don’t want to install the new panel and then spend hours tracking down poor audio being caused by 40 plus year old wiring and connectors.
 
noahfong said:
What is considered the best value these days? And are there any that can connect to a cell phone (via bluetooth or otherwise) to allow a telephone conversation?
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Yes, there are several models out there these days which will do that. You can also stream music from your phone or iPad via Bluetooth in flight.
Like many others, I am very happy with PS Engineering audio products. I had an 8000BT for several years and just recently upgraded to the 450B.

 
I went with the PS Engineering PMA8000BT as well, I like the plug and play upgrade feature that PS Engineering incorporated especially with their line and some others as well.
 
I just have to chime in.

For Sun N Fun 2018 and 2019 as well as Oshkosh 2018 and 2019 we (and again in 2021) we have at our booth the "Take the Big Brand Challenge". It's a lot of fun to do and it takes 3 minutes. We have a GMA345 next to our PMA450B and we ask 4 questions:

1) Do you want Bluetooth?
(YES)

2) Would you like to hook up two devices at the same time?
(YES)
[Sorry, the GMA345 can only hook up on a Bluetooth device. Once paired, you won't see it available for any other device]

3) How do you change Music Distribution?
(You push the button that has Music Symbol and SEL on it)
[Sorry, there is no music distribution. You can only select what everyone hears...NOTE: there is a switch on the rear of the panel that if selected, then passengers will always hear music #2]

4) How do you turn on GARMIN's 3D audio?
(I don't know)
[Reference the laminated card that comes with the audio panel to access the 10 (ten) what I like to call the "secret clubhouse handshakes"]

GARMIN makes phenomenal stuff, I have tremendous respect for what Gary and Min had started and what their team continues to do today. But, IMHO, I can't think of a single reason to purchase a GMA345 instead of our PMA450B EXCEPT to save $500! So that might be legit but holistically comparing the cost of the hardware and installation on a panel upgrade, that is a very small percentage of the overall investment.

And I didn't even mention our "Alternate Intercom Function"!

Thanks for letting me participate in the forum, there is so much good information here, I'm proud to say I'm a member.
 
Just went through this. Bottom line is that I went with a unit that had all the modern features - a Trig TMA45. Features were comparable to the PS Engineering models but I just like the looks of the Trig a bit better.

My initial plan was to replace ARC audio panel with a cheap MX20 but I finally came to my senses and go modern after I had torn out the old audio panel and spent hours identifying all the wires. If I was going to all this trouble and time I should just bite the bullet since the install labor would be the same regardless of what I was going to put in. Of course that decision created scope creep as I needed to replace all audio wiring since I was going stereo and remove the Procom 4 intercom unit.

I've probably got 40 hours into it at this point. But I'm also replacing a couple of radios, getting rid of unused wiring, and tidying up things (like not have a high power strobe line running in the same bundle as my antennas).

Lots of work but happy I went in that direction.
 
FYI, PSEng makes the Trig audio panels, so technically you still got a PS Engineering audio panel :)
 
mscheuer said:
I just have to chime in.

For Sun N Fun 2018 and 2019 as well as Oshkosh 2018 and 2019 we (and again in 2021) we have at our booth the "Take the Big Brand Challenge". It's a lot of fun to do and it takes 3 minutes. We have a GMA345 next to our PMA450B and we ask 4 questions...
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I didn't do the "Big Brand Challenge" but on my last trip to OSH I spent quite a bit of time at both PS Engineering and the Garmin booths, and went back to each over several days, specifically to "play" with their high end audio panels (in anticipation of my then planned upgrade of the center stack precipitated by the need for a new transponder for ADS-B Out).

They both make great products, but personally I found the Garmin panels are just not very intuitive. I figured out just about everything on the PS Engineering 450 audio panel pretty quickly without any help.
No way could I do that with the Garmin 345. I had to keep asking the rep how to do certain things. Obviously I would become proficient with the Garmin with usage, but I tend to be impatient with technology that requires me to spend a lot of time reading and asking to figure out the UI.

YMMV.
 
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