Pieps DSP Pro Review

The Pieps DSP Pro is a beacon that we do not recommend due to numerous and concerning reports that have emerged in 2020 about safety issues related to the switch design cited above.

Below is our review from 2018. At the time, we were not aware of the switch design issues that became widely shared publicly in 2020.

Performance Comparison

Range

The Pieps DSP Pro had one of the longer maximum ranges in our review.

We thought that the DPS Pro had around 6-10 more meters of range than the older yellow Pieps DSP and it has approximately 0-5 more meters of range than the DSP Sport. It didn't have quite as much range as our Editors' Choice winner, the Mammut Barryvox S, or its more basic sibling the Mammut Barryvox, but it was close, and none of our testers felt like this model's slightly shorter range ever contributed to a slower rescue time.

Ease of Finding a Single Victim and Speed

The interface is well-labeled and easy to use. The DSP Pro has five directional arrows that can be displayed individually or in combination that do a fantastic job at keeping their user on the flux-line.

The DSP Pro also has one of the quicker processors of any of the products we tested, allowing its user to move more quickly than average compared to other beacons we tested.

The only model that we thought had a marginally faster processor during single victim real-world testing was the BCA Tracker2.

Ease of Use in Fine Search

The fine search generally refers to the bracketing portion of the search, but we also include the final five meters before bracketing begins as part of this category of comparison. The fine search is where the difference in processing speed is the most apparent. Just like in the “Ease of finding a single victim” category we loved the DSP Pro processor speed in the fine search.

It has a quick processor and an easy-to-interpret display. A feature that our experienced testers liked but felt made an even more significant difference with less experienced and less practiced individuals is that the Pieps DSP Pro's directional arrows don't go away until 2 meters. This is a difference from Arva and Mammut beacons which disappear at 3 meters. We saw little difference in more experienced users, but for folks newer to using beacons keeping the directional arrow for an extra meter to help them come in closer to the buried signal was an obvious, though slight speed advantage. Overall, we felt that this beacon produced marginally faster rescue times among a wide cross-section of users than either the Mammut Barryvox S, Ortovox S1+ or Arva Axio.

Ease Of Use In Multiple Burial Situations

The DSP Pro was among our top performers for multiple burial situations. This model did well at differentiating between close proximity burials and performed similarly overall in this situations to the Ortovox S1+ and the Pieps DSP Ice. However, the Arva Axio and Mammut Barryvox S performed slightly better. Unlike the DSP Pro, the Axio and the Barryvox S were both nearly impossible to fool and rarely flagged/mismarked the correct beacon. Additionally, both of these models in addition to the S1+ give the option to scroll through victims, which is a nice function during large-scale rescues or complex professional level rescue drills.

This model does offer the ability to “unmark” the last buried beacon that was marked by pressing and holding the mark button for three seconds, and we found this function to work well. The DSP Pro has a relatively strong signal lock, which is the searching beacon waiting to transition to a new signal despite it potentially coming closer at least for a time. This is widely considered an advantage for more straight-forward close proximity multiple burial situations. That said when it becomes less straightforward, and a rescuer might be forced to micro-strip search, the DSP Pro does it just as well as other models. For example, both the Axio and the Barryvox S feature an analog mode to help with micro-strip searching despite both having solid signal lock designs.

Features

The Pieps DSP Pro, like the all the other current Pieps models, uses their Smart Transmitter Technology. This technology is designed to help eliminate signal overlap during multiple burial situations. Smart Transmitter Technology works when the buried beacon has remained motionless for two minutes (like when you are buried), and it searches (so yes, it is searching and sending at the same time) to see if there is another beacon sending nearby. If the Pieps senses a beacon within five or six meters away it will adjust the cadence, so it doesn't overlap with the other beacon to make it easier on the searcher.

Unlike the old yellow Pieps DSP, the new DSP Pro can be set up to automatically switch back from searching to sending in the event you are caught in a second avalanche while searching for someone else. Unlike a lot of other models, this feature can only be set up at home via connecting the beacon with a data cable that plugs into the beacon's headphone jack. This feature is slightly controversial and some manufacturers, including Pieps/Black Diamond, don't recommend it because if you are caught in a second avalanche the beacon will likely be in your hands and the odds of you being able to hang onto it during a second avalanche are slim.

Like the old yellow Pieps DSP, the DSP Pro can measure frequency drift of other beacons. The user just presses the scan button for three seconds to engage this feature. Once you stop pressing this button, it turns off the frequency tester. The DSP Pro also features an inclinometer.

The DSP Pro has a battery rating of 400 hours of use while in send mode. This is 100 hrs more than any other model we tested and twice as much as the similarly designed DSP Sport. The remaining battery life is displayed in thirds unlike most beacons which display a percentage, and this is one of the few things we hope that Black Diamond/Pieps change because we like the percentage better.

Pressing both the flag and scan buttons for three seconds while searching tells the Pro to search for a Pieps TX600 Dog Transmitter.

As we mentioned, the Pro is designed with a solid signal lock, and it can be slightly challenging to perform function checks in groups with more than 3-5 people. To activate the Group check mode press and hold the Flag button right after the beacon boots up. Once the beacon goes into group check mode, the screen will display CH. This function basically cuts this beacons range down to roughly a meter and will only show distances accordingly in that range (.1-1).

The DSP Pro's signal lock is also significantly reduced when this beacon is operating in this function. Another perk of this model's group check is the screen will display an Er if it is sensing something wrong with one of the signals it is picking up (i.e., one of your friend's beacons). This beacon is hardly terrible at function check without using the group check mode, and this beacon does okay while performing traditional function checks, but making sure you step toward and away from each of the people you are checking helps the DSP Pro to jump more smoothly from one transceiver to the next.

We thought the DSP Pro came with an above average harness carrying system that was very comfortable and relatively easy to use. When carried in a pocket in the backcountry, the Pieps Pro was average. It is thicker than its predecessor and less comfortable. It was quite comparable to the Ortovox S1+ when it came to comfort and being carried in our pocket.

One of the few things we didn't like is the toggle switch featured on the DSP Pro that allows the user to switch between search mode, send mode and off. We thought it was more difficult to use with thicker gloves or mittens on, however with thin gloves or bare handed it wasn't a big deal.

The Pieps DSP Sport versus the Pieps DSP Pro

The DSP Pro is $100 more expensive but has a lot more features than the Sport. Is it worth the difference? Depends on the user. We think that a majority of backcountry users won't use most of the features of the Pro and would be fine with the Sport. Some of the differences between the two are battery life, with the DSP Pro (400 hours) having twice as much battery life as the Sport (200 hours). The Pro also has around 5-7 more meters of range, with the Sport checking in close to 50 meters and the Pro clocking in just below 60 meters of maximum range. The Sport also doesn't have either the rangefinder feature or the frequency drift checking function (both detailed above). They both have a speedy processor and one of our favorite flagging features for multiple burials.

Best Applications

The DSP Pro is a more complex product that is best appreciated by guides and trip leaders. It has a lot of features that many backcountry enthusiasts will never use. For folks that like the Pieps overall layout but aren't sure they need all the additional features, check out the Pieps DSP Sport.

Value

The DSP Pro is the best value among the nicer models. It has almost all the same features as the Ortovox S1+ and the Mammut Barryvox S but is $70 to $80 less than all of them. The DSP Pro is a little more expensive than many of the more basic models, like the BCA Tracker2, the Ortovox Zoom+, and the Ortovox 3+, which all run closer to $300, but the Pro has a bunch more features. If you like the Pieps DSP Pro but not sure if you want to spend the money, check out the DSP Sport, which at $320 is as good or better than most of the products in the $250-$350 range.

Conclusion