Could this be the definitive stereo/ Nav upgrade?

[Ameiseuk]

Floating above vents does still look like an aftermarket wide screen Nav unit somehow.

You will also have the expanse of dash acerage where the old D2 unit came from to cover up?

There could be much (work)/creativity in relocation of the buttons above the existing unit in to this area and some creative ducting to move the vents down.

...Now there's a project

[MikkiJayne]

Ok, so this 8" version fits in the double-din space, leaving a little room at each side.

Centred:



Left:



Right:



If the remote control buttons still go in the console then the space could simply be blanked off, or it could have a USB & SD card slot. Possibly a volume control.

[strummagnet]

Originally Posted by MikkiJayne

This is my favourite so far. Its in reach, doesn't obscure anything, is simple enough to mount, and could either float there or have a mounting pod contoured to blend in to the dash. The brains of the unit would sit in the original aperture and be connected by a ribbon cable - they specifically support this option with a longer cable available.



I initially discounted these units as pure touch screens because of no volume control, but look what I found on their web site:



This is a radio remote control which fits in a cupholder. Looking at other pics of it, I think it may be possible to shrink it a little and put it where the menu button lives. I've already relocated my menu button to under the armrest to make room for a PF double cupholder, but I might be persuaded to relinquish the extra space for a stereo control unit.

The double-din dash aperture could be repurposed to include a Brodit phone holder with USB cable to achieve charging and the connection to the head unit for Android Auto.

Obviously all of this is very dependent on the units being competently functional and sounding good of course. Based on Joying's forum, this appears to be a bit pot luck but I suspect we'll find that with all of these types of unit.

Thoughts welcome...

I agree with your favourite positioning MJ and the use of a controller in the console is a bonus. Looks to be the same eyeline as in my 5 series, less distraction when using the sat nav.

Maybe a Brodit phone holder or pop out cup holders

Biggest concern is the audio output...

[Markiii]

I have one of those cup holder remotes as well it works via canbus

Most of its bulk is hollow to enable it to fit in a cup holder. If you remove the base it's not very thick at all
I reckon it could be stuck to the opening lid and look almost factory.

[MikkiJayne]

Need to buy one for tinkering then...

[Ronin]

Yeah, the unit I have will only properly work if you swap the crappy bose amp to something normal that takes normal rca line in.. Bose system has a floating ground which is not the same as the chassis ground so naturally there will be a potential difference between amp and the radio, hence the pops when turning on/off, muting etc.

I have now mastered my setup with the 2 phoenix gold amps I have and it works perfect, with the equaliser having a separate slider for the subwoofer.

In my 'android radio journey' I have even managed to fry a filtering cap on the 12v rail inside the radio, but luckily icebox audio sold me a spare for £55 shipped, I had it in within a week.

Additionally the coreboard of the radio (little board that houses ram, cpu and memory) can be upgraded to faster versions as time goes on...

I really can't fault it.

One day once I feel confident enough in the car i plan to drive down to Mikki so she can do an inspection on my car and find even more things wrong with it for me to fix and have a play with my set up if she wants

One tip for anyone buying any android radio: buy the dab antenna from the same people you buy the head unit from as you will experience hiss sounds when you launch the dab radio app for a few seconds as the USB module boots if its an aftermarket one from amazon like I have. In the factory settings of each radio there are options to select which model of the USB dab antenna module you have purchased so that it works flawlessly and the random amazon one I have wasn't on it.

[Ameiseuk]

Originally Posted by Ronin

One tip for anyone buying any android radio: buy the dab antenna from the same people you buy the head unit from as you will experience hiss sounds when you launch the dab radio app for a few seconds as the USB module boots if its an aftermarket one from amazon like I have. In the factory settings of each radio there are options to select which model of the USB dab antenna module you have purchased so that it works flawlessly and the random amazon one I have wasn't on it.

I can vouch for the JVC HAL3 antenna - it is a body mount one though.
I have one fitted to the campervan plugged in to my Xtrons unit - fantastic reception and pulls a signal where Mrs.H's C250 Mercedes OEM unit fails to get any signal.

Only downside is that it's a body mount antenna but it's up on the roof of the camper (which now looks like a listening post for GCHQ with the FM/DAB/TV/GPS/4G and CB antennas up there)

[27litres]

Originally Posted by MikkiJayne

Also a fairly impressive machine, although a shame it doesn't have a high definition screen like the Kenwood. Given the amazing displays available for phones and tablets I remain disappointed that most of the car audio manufacturers are still using 480p

I can remember thinking when fitting an aftermarket Clarion to my A4, and again when looking for FLAC solutions (when all you could get was CD and MP3, no USB back then) that aftermarket head unit manufacturers always seemed a generation or two behind market trends.

But you also reminded me about this story, which might go to durability concerns:
The Smoking Tire's Matt Farah once told a story of the latest Corvette (may have been the launch of the C8) having a 720p touch screen and complaining to a GM engineer about Tesla having 1080p screens in their cars. The Engineer went on to say (paraphrasing) let's see where those screens are after 10 years and 100,000 miles in Arizona. Basically referring to those types of screens lacking durability in an automotive application (vibration, heat, UV etc).
Some Model S's must be up there now, so how have their screens stood the test of time?

[Ronin]

My android unit (as seen in my thread) has a 1080p screen and Oasis DVD does look great on it

EDIT: its actually 1024x600, but does support 1080p playback

[strummagnet]

I have seen this and looks interesting. It is marketed for VW though. I like the symmetry

https://www.kenwood-electronics.co.u.../?view=related