belanger

Greetings all,

I'm looking for a recommendation for a god cell phone mount/holder. I'm interested in something that clips to the vents, but am concerned about potential damage to said vents.

I went to a local electronics store and they had a ton of what seemed like crap, so I'm reaching out here for hands-on recommendations.


Thanks,
MB

Mike5215

ProClips makes high quality vehicle specific mounts that install without tools and can be removed without damage (they snap in to existing gaps in the interior trim). It's a two part system. You need to select a mount for the car, and then a cradle for your mobile device.Here's what the mount looks like without the cradle piece:



http://www.proclipusa.com/?gclid=***...FSEV7AodHhEAtw

Mandingo

After messing around with a few different vent clips over the years (including the Kenu Airframe) and being dissatisfied with all of them (too big, too obscuring, too loose, too much juggling to get phone in/out) I finally bit the bullet and spent the money on the ProClip solution last month and so far I'm really impressed.

Mount is rock solid, doesn't obscure anything and getting the phone (iPhone 6) in/out is a simple one step movement (just slide it down in to the cradle).

I got the version with space for a Lightning connector and that makes charging the phone very easy (also enables "Hey Siri" always listening mode).

Installation was 10 minutes.

Only issue was that it requires an *original* Apple Lightning cable because the opening is so narrow and so I had a black/black car with a white cable there. However one can of black spray paint later and that problem was solved (see pics).

Unexpected bonus - mounting the phone a little distance away from the vents/dash seems to improve reception by a bar or two. YMMV.

Mike5215

Cool! For 07-09 they also make a mount for the center console. Do you use your phone for music in the car as well?

Mandingo

Yes - I wrote the original ML100 versus ViseeO comparison:-

https://mbworld.org/forums/s-class-w...r-wma1000.html

I now use only the ML100 because Siri was just too painful on the ViseeO.

natcahd

This is what I use, nice place out of the way. Perfect area for Waze. Never falls off.
Hd

Mike5215

Have you tried the AudioForge Equalizer app ($2.99 on the app store)? As long as you have the device right there in the cabin anyway for local control, the EQ app sounds terrific and can make a huge difference in sound quality. You can dial down the nasty H/K mids and get a ton of punch in the bass.(Three subwoofers in the car and you'd never know it until you feed it a little EQ.) It will be the best sounding source in the car, guaranteed.

Here's a good place to start for a custom EQ curve. Mine's a little different because my system is a Frankenstein of speakers. Just slide the dots left or right to choose which frequencies they'll affect, then up or down to add or decrease that frequency.

It also has dynamic pre-amp control that automatically prevents clipping but keeps the volume level up there, and a cross-fader that will blend the last few seconds of a track with the first few of the next track. Very cool.

You can use the steering wheel controls to change tracks, but the song info tends to get out of sync on the COMAND display. Small price to pay.

aznevoviii

I use this for my iPhone5, and my incoming iPhone 6 plus!
mounts on the dash + wood trim + window, and rotates as well!
super happy $15 product!

triniexr

I've been thinking about getting this one. It looks like its supposed to be a part of the interior. You can also get a charging base add on for it that's specific to your phone or a universal one.

http://www.kudausa.com/mercedes-s-cl...lack-a973.html

Mike5215

I've used the Kuda mounts before. They're a little bulky looking but also install tool less, although they tend to feel a little less stable then the ProClip. There's basically one huge metal tab that you cram into a crease in the dash vs a more precise arrangement of locking tabs on the ProClip They're a throwback to the old "car phone" days where you needed a mount for the handset. The advantage would be cord concealment.

If you like the look I'd recommend the Kuda base (just the black leather piece) and then get the drop-in cradle piece from Pro Clip with the integrated charger.

The Kuda base comes with a flat, un-drilled face so you can pretty much screw any cradle on to it.

Mike5215

Installed a Kuda mount today. Not a tool-less install. The front dash trim (wood) panel has to be partially removed. Not a big deal but may make some of the less adventurous owners nervous. Fit is okay, looks great across the top where it tucks under the trim. Bit of a gap on the bottom. I decided to mount my dedicated IPod Touch 5. Just glued the Ipod's rubber case to the Kuda's face and cut a small hole in the bottom to feed out a couple of inches of Lightning cable.

aznevoviii

Mike, pictures or this never happened.... Hahahaha jk aside, was eyeing on kuda mount as well!!! Please share some pictures if you can!

MJ50

Mandingo

Thanks for the recommendation, I tried a few different equalizers but none of them can play protected AAC content bought through iTunes so some % of my tracks won't play.

Does the AudioForgre manage to solve this?

Mike5215

Yeah, anything in the devices ITunes library will play. I have a mix of ripped 256kb AAC and ITunes purchases. My ITunes purchases don't have DRM at all. I think Apple did away with that.

It won't play iCloud content, the files have to be local, and no streaming sources. Should play everything else. If the prior EQ you tried was SRS WOW, that thing really was terrible. Everything sounded over processed and wrong. Plus it had to build its internal playlist from your library every time it loaded. The AudioForge app has direct access to the library, and it sounds terrific.

Mike5215

Looks like the loveable comic sidekick in a Pixar movie:

Mandingo

I converted all my protected AAC music to DRM-free this weekend (courtesy of iTunes Match) and tried Audioforge - it's very good, thanks for the recommendation. It is ideal for my needs - with the right EQ I can now compensate for the gaps in the on board system and play BT audio through the ML-D100 that is actually pleasing. As you say the UI is pretty awful but I can struggle my way through it - sounds like the author is addressing some of the issues with next update:

Things we are working on

• Full screen spectrum analyzer for iPhone
• Drive mode
• Now-playing screen
• One colour layout

Here's my EQ setting - rename "EQ.zip" to "EQ.eqx" then email it to your device - it will "Open with ..." Equalizer and add a new curve called "EQ":-

Mike5215

Great! My curve looks similar except I created very tight peaks for the bass end, and my mids are more attenuated.

All that stuff on the developer's to-do list was there before IOS8 came out.

I've replaced the terrible 4" mids in the doors with Focals and Hushmatted everywhere so my mids aren't quite as shrill and I can get more bass extension without rattles.

Here's what it looked like back when I was stock:





It took me awhile to figure this out, but you can change the intensity of the slope on any point by selecting it and "rubber banding" with two fingers anywhere on the screen.

The two peaks I have on the bass side give emphasis on the kick drum and snare drum and some mid-bass but prevents the bass from getting get too loose overall. You can really put some impressive drive and power into the stock door subs with this app.

Pushing the mids into negative territory on a gentle slope cuts back the harshness of the 4" door mids, while the peak at ultra high brings back the more desirable mids and highs for some presence and the sense of a wider soundstage

This slope will reduce volume a bit so I have the volume full and the pre amp set to "auto normalizer", and Extended Dynamics (which for some reason compresses the sound) toggled off.

If you haven't gotten around to it yet, try the crossfader.