When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Anyone install those chinese upgraded radios from ebay?
There is so many of those STOCK LOOKING head units on ebay from China. They pretty much have it all navi, BT, SD card, DVD.... etc and they're only like $400-500 ish. Curious to know if anyone has it on there car.
I had one in my 2003 CL55 because the navi was the worst thing I have ever seen and there was no Bluetooth music or phone connectivity, it worked pretty good with minor glitches however the install was a huge PITA even for a buddy of mine who was a professional Audio Installer, the wiring diagram was wrong it was all in Chinese and he spent a few hours on it but once installed looked just like OEM and made the car feel like brand new, Awsome Navi Wireless music and HD DVD movies while driving. I will be installing the same unit in my CLS next month
Ok....someone with hands-on experience. I'm familiar with the gains but what do you lose? Like, does the info show in the instrument cluster? Can you control ipod,bluetooth, etc, from the steering wheel? Stuff like that. And how long does it take to boot up?
There are a few threads on them in the w211 e-class forum. Heres one...
The jury seems to be out but I think most people are leaning away from them.
edit: none of the ebay units above have either quad-core cpu's or 1024x600 resolution like the thread's unit above
IMO that’s the best thread so far on the Chinese-built aftermarket android head units, but I wouldn’t say most people are leaning away from them, at least not these newest versions! I’m looking to buy one myself actually (after reading through the above mentioned thread, there’s some very positive feedback posted). This new unit looks very fast (the specific unit is mentioned in the thread) because of its quad-core design, running one of the newer versions of Android software. If you look at the last video posted you’llsee what I mean.
Because my car has the HK sound system I will need to buy more than just the head unit to make it sound great. This is because if I don’t I’ll be running all speakers on a 4x45 watt amplifier in the HU itself, which is nothing.
Head unit plus cables and adapters and cameras are about $540.
Aftermarket amplifier (because none ofthese head units are compatible with our OEM amps) $400.
Then I’m gonna pay my local car stereo installation guy $550 to install everything (AMP, HU, blue tooth mic, rear view camera, front view dvr camera)
So all in about $1500 installed, but under $1k if you do it yourself.
What I’ve learned through doing my own research and reading various threads on the topic:
-The steering wheel controls will work. -You get a back-up camera view when putting the car in reverse. -You can download virtually any app thatruns on android (I’m excited for google maps, waze, Pandora, Spotify, Hype Machine, and “ok google” where you just talk to the unit like how Siri works.etc…) -DVD player -Front view camera that will record trip via DVR -high rez screen, 1024x600 -USB, Wifi, and Bluetooth connection -scan disk card slots for say music and GPS non-internet connection navigation -install looks stock but with a larger screen, etc…
Aftermarket double din head unit. Although not as "factory" looking, its superior in every other way
what proof do you have that can backup your statement above?
having played around with allot of stereo units. cheap to expensive. I honestly will put down any"branded" head unit and grab these new android quad cores. they have mosfet amps as well, however they are not very powerful and need an external amplifier to make them shine.
i will be interested to see what double din unit you would recommend over these new quad core units.
I have the HK system too. If I need to add an amp to properly power my speakers, then its not so appealing. I thought 1 of these headunits was plug and play, integrating into the most system.
Ok so after rsome research, I see what you mean about bypassing the amp. IDK. I'd like to get some feedback from someone that has it installed.
coolchuck, unfortunately ANY after market unit will struggle to power the HK speakers to their intended potential. why? because by factory they needed an amp to power them.
No head unit will supply enough power to get the speakers sounding great. in fact, you can get better sound and push more power through the HK speakers with a secondary after market amp + the COMAND system (very advanced setup and not really worth it unless your in love with the stock head unit). So what does this tell us? this indicates that the power rating of the speakers surpass the factory MB amp.
Every head unit (branded or Chinese) is either 45W or 50W(MAX) per channel, some rare 60W are lurking around. but still thats only 30w RMS, no where near enough to power the HK speakers and enjoy loud music. thats why MB invested in the Becker amp located in the boot to power the speakers + the sub
If you check the link that Tubaprde shared above you can see that i have done all of this, so i am giving you first hand feedback.
there are, but many are discontinued. they did a poor job. too much noise and interference. they didn't quite work well with the optic fiber. i tried one from Dynavin a few years back. was horrible experience.
I thought there is or was a MOST adapter for aftermarket radios to power our factory MOST amps.
Originally Posted by Xpresion
there are, but many are discontinued. they did a poor job. too much noise and interference. they didn't quite work well with the optic fiber. i tried one from Dynavin a few years back. was horrible experience.
Yeah, see thats what I was thinking about.
I get that a better amp will provide a cleaner sound and I dont doubt the HK speakers can handle more power. I was just looking initially for a plug and play setup utilizing the MOST amp. Its good to know I have now have some options, especailly a headunit that with great features and blends so well with the interior.
Bumping this to the top guys.... Xpresion has done a great DIY install and review on this HU. I'm about to pull the trigger on it and in talks with the seller in China now. I think I might be the first on the forum residing in the US to do this upgrade. Thought you all might be interested.
Keep us posted tubaprde. Would love to see more videos from Xpresion and yourself. Specifically using Waze/Google Maps and with something other than the ROM that comes pre-installed. I know Xpresion went ahead with a custom 4.4.4 ROM update. Re-posting this on his new thread.
what proof do you have that can backup your statement above?
having played around with allot of stereo units. cheap to expensive. I honestly will put down any"branded" head unit and grab these new android quad cores. they have mosfet amps as well, however they are not very powerful and need an external amplifier to make them shine.
i will be interested to see what double din unit you would recommend over these new quad core units.
Opinion of what I would do & historical experiences all over the internet on how many of these Android or the like units have failed. Perhaps the newer ones are much better?
I would also put my money down on Pioneer, Alpine etc... as having better & more reliable technology. Again, perhaps the brand new QC stuff is leagues different.
08-04-2015, 02:40 AM
