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Avionics Cockpit Accessories

Bluetooth Audio Panel PM8000BT Does It All

PS Engineering is compulsive when it comes to perfecting and adding new features to otherwise well-engineered aviation audio products. The result is a product line that remains cutting edge and a step above the competition. The newest talent of the line is the PM8000BT.The six-seat-capable PM8000-series audio system earned top-dog status in our audio panel review (Aviation Consumer, August 2009), and that status has held up under long-term testing. We didnt think it could get any better until company founder Marc Scheuer took it to the next level with the logical addition of Bluetooth connectivity-an industry first.

Larry Anglisano
Verified

PS Engineering is compulsive when it comes to perfecting and adding new features to otherwise well-engineered aviation audio products. The result is a product line that remains cutting edge and a step above the competition. The newest talent of the line is the PM8000BT.

The six-seat-capable PM8000-series audio system earned top-dog status in our audio panel review (Aviation Consumer, August 2009), and that status has held up under long-term testing. We didnt think it could get any better until company founder Marc Scheuer took it to the next level with the logical addition of Bluetooth connectivity-an industry first.

Bluetooth Done Right

Weve used Bluetooth audio connections in the cockpit with medi-ocre results, so we approached our 8000BT flight trials with generous amounts of skepticism. Turns out we were wrong. The 8000BT easily synched to our quirky Motorola Droid X phone where we stashed some of our favorite MP3 tunes.

And for sophisticated music on the fly, you wont find a panel more complete than the 8000BT. Just like the original PM8000 introduced a few years ago, the 8000BT retains the backward compatible and slide-in capability for Garmin GMA340 replacement without an audio rewire job. The 8000BT will also play with existing plain-vanilla PM8000 installations without the need for rework. As we go to press, Garmin brings to market the new GMA350, which we’ll look at in the near future.

We applaud PS Engineerings smart thinking when it comes to this direct-replacement mentality because audio installations are big work, and tearing apart the radio stack and interior to replace an otherwise modern audio panel is a crummy way to spend upgrade money.

Our test aircraft had a GMA340 which we swapped out a few times to sample the differences between it and the 8000BT. The PM8000BT wins hands down is in entertainment audio quality and clarity (and we think the GMA340 has fine audio to begin with).

The raw audio level of the music input piped into the 8000BT offers higher output than the GMA 340. We had the volume cranked all the way up on the Droid, and on a wired MP3 player, and could barely hear the tunes from the GMA340. The 8000BT had plenty of gain. There is an official field service modification that can be made

Larry Anglisano

Editor in Chief Larry Anglisano has been a staple at Aviation Consumer since 1995. An active land, sea and glider pilot, Larry has over 30 years’ experience as an avionics repairman and flight test pilot. He’s the editorial director overseeing sister publications Aviation Safety magazine, IFR magazine and is a regular contributor to KITPLANES magazine with his Avionics Bootcamp column.