Database Users

Head Unit with best audio quality

Hello, Im new here. Have always used an iphone. Only ever had a smasung s3 for a few months and was presently surprised by how solid android has become.
Anyways, I am looking to put a double din HU that runs android in my car.
I have ordered and used the Joying headunit 4.4.4 and it was great except for a few points:
1. Doesnt read address book from phone via bluetooth, needs to be imported.
2. SOUND QUALITY.... is not great. Not unbearable but barely passable in my opinion. And that is with the bc06 bluetooth. Running mp3s from the HU directly was slightly better/clearer. But I mostly stream audio from my phone, so I was not happy with the audio quality. I played around with the EQ and got it as good as I could and was slightly dissatisfied. Very boarderline.
3, UI is difficult to use in clutch situations. Would be nice if there was an app\overlay that would give me just a couple of high priority apps on screen within reach. Im sure this is easily done, didnt spend much time trying to get it to work.
I see that PUMPKIN is coming out with a unit that uses the parrot Bluetooth card that should bring the bluetooth audio quality up to max. Leaving the preamp to be the weakest link.
How are you guys dealing with this? And do you think I should spring for the pumpkin that will give me good BT quality? Also, are there any good EQ apps I could use to fine tune the audio to get maximize audio quality?
I really like the headunits that run android and cant live without all those other features but the audio quality really needs to be addressed.
Here is what Ive used:
(cant post links yet)
JY-UQ130 Joying
Here is what I want to buy now:
11-RQ0259E-US-A Pumpkin - only available on their site for now, will be on amazon soon.
Let me know what you think and if rooting it would help me get the most out out of the pre amp module.
I also have an external 2200 watt amp that I have in my car, so maybe I could tune that? IDK...
Thanks

glad i read this before buying the joying unit for my VW. looking for something with decent audio quality as well.

none exist at the moment, sadly. the only way to deal with the poor sound quality of these HUs is to buy an external DSP & use that to process your sound instead. minidsp 2x4 is the cheapest option to accomplish this ($100).

Hi,
I've just found MXTRON HU with dual ST sound processors.
Here is the website : www mxtron com

thekoter said:
Hi,
I've just found MXTRON HU with dual ST sound processors.
Here is the website : www mxtron com
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Still only dual core 8GB and only 4.2.2. The question is what do they mean with dual sound processors? Because the standard KLD has
dual sound processors too, sometimes with the brand ST.
---------- Post added at 11:18 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:15 AM ----------
[/COLOR]
sithcommander66 said:
I see that PUMPKIN is coming out with a unit that uses the parrot Bluetooth card that should bring the bluetooth audio quality up to max. Leaving the preamp to be the weakest link.
How are you guys dealing with this? And do you think I should spring for the pumpkin that will give me good BT quality? Also, are there any good EQ apps I could use to fine tune the audio to get maximize audio quality?
I really like the headunits that run android and cant live without all those other features but the audio quality really needs to be addressed.
Here is what Ive used:
(cant post links yet)
JY-UQ130 Joying
Here is what I want to buy now:
11-RQ0259E-US-A Pumpkin - only available on their site for now, will be on amazon soon.
Let me know what you think and if rooting it would help me get the most out out of the pre amp module.
I also have an external 2200 watt amp that I have in my car, so maybe I could tune that? IDK...
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've bought that unit and the sound quality is not okay even if they are using parrot. The two microphones
are still in parallel with lower sound quality. It's equal to my modified KLD. I.e. no improvement.

Hisma said:
none exist at the moment, sadly. the only way to deal with the poor sound quality of these HUs is to buy an external DSP & use that to process your sound instead. minidsp 2x4 is the cheapest option to accomplish this ($100).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What's the sound quality like if you use an external DSP? Is it as good as a good car audio system, or is it just smoothing over the cracks?

Yes the sound quality is not great, the rca pre outs are super weak, i tested mine the pumpkin from amazon and the voltage is on like .8 VAC rca i bought a line driver and that got my voltage up to 4.2 VAC rca which now my bass hits like before.

tangoman99 said:
What's the sound quality like if you use an external DSP? Is it as good as a good car audio system, or is it just smoothing over the cracks?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Personally I still feel like something is missing. It is absolutely better, but a DSP can't generate frequencies the sources doesn't produce. So I still would prefer a HU from someone known to produce high quality audio. But the android units have all the features I want so I just go with it.

Hisma said:
Personally I still feel like something is missing. It is absolutely better, but a DSP can't generate frequencies the sources doesn't produce. So I still would prefer a HU from someone known to produce high quality audio. But the android units have all the features I want so I just go with it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Darn it - I wish I'd seen the stuff on here before buying it.
I really notice the frequency cut off - it's like listening to a really badly chopped low bitrate mp3.

tangoman99 said:
Darn it - I wish I'd seen the stuff on here before buying it.
I really notice the frequency cut off - it's like listening to a really badly chopped low bitrate mp3.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yep, huge disappointment to say the least. with the amount of time and energy I've put into my system, I'm still not completely happy w/ the results. I'm still learning how to tweak it, so I am certain I can get it to sound better, but I guarantee a high quality audio HU would not need near this much TLC.
Most probably don't notice missing frequencies, but a critical listener would. I own some high quality headphones, so I know what my music is supposed to sound like, and its just not there.
Think I'm going to add a line driver to my signal chain next, as the pre-outs are a measly 1V (and the DSP chops that signal up even more). Hope that does the trick.

Any point in doing 7floor's mod and using an external dsp or are they achieving the same end?

theoretically flattening the EQ should remove all custom audio processing, making 7floor's audio mod useless if you use an external DSP. However, b/c of how suspect these units handle audio, I wouldn't even be surprised if a supposedly flat EQ on a non-modded unit isn't really flat.
But yes, they are achieving the same end. Of course the internal DSP, even w/ the audio mod, would not be near as effective or give you as much control as an external DSP.

most of the time I read about sound problems, it is due to using Bluetooth. Is the sound still bad if you use Google Play on the actual head unit?

CadillacMike said:
most of the time I read about sound problems, it is due to using Bluetooth. Is the sound still bad if you use Google Play on the actual head unit?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's my question as well.
Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

It has taken me soundproofing, 3 sets of frontstage speakers (currently on my third set), an amplifier and a good subwoofer to improve sound quality in my car and a 7floor mod with these units. There is always something to improve in the sound in a car and I am leaning towards a decent headunit now. The radio tuner and sound quality on these units are its' weaknesses it is such shame as the OS is great.

I just read that with Android Lollipop it is possible to connect an external DAC via USB:
http://www.phonearena.com/news/Android-5.0-Lollipop-supports-USB-DAC-audio-devices-we-go-ears-on_id66399
Would that be an option to have better audio quality? Is there a USB-DAC which would be suitable for a car?

Pumpking as a new one coming out next month, apparently with a new DSP with better audio quality:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poAkdg6Y3Wc

nice find checksum. if the price is right I may pick one of those up to replace my current unit. I wonder what the pre-out voltage will be.

Do these devices have the same sound card? I need some of the apk of one to control sub vol on the Joying

I think that sound quality playing mp3's on these units is excellent.
On my Joying unit, while the bluetooth is not the best in the world, if you are playing mp3's off an SD with MediaMonkey, or PowerAmp it is VERY good.

Bad sound quality on Android units fixed with good external amp?

HI
All of the bad sound quality issues I've read about in regards to various Chinese Android head units seem to be related to the internal amplifier/chip from what I can gather.
If you use the pre-outs and run a good quality external amplifier, is the pre-out signal clean enough to sound good, or does it still sound bad, just with more power behind it?
Thanks!
--ElmoTheDestroyer

Joying has these new units with some sort of enhanced amplifier and EQ that at least on paper look way better what other Chinese units offer... in fact no other Chinese manufacturer made the effort to offer something better... all go the same route... basic and cheap so kudos for Joying that they are trying something different.
Now we need confirmation from buyers that the new amplif is indeed better....

edit said:
Joying has these new units with some sort of enhanced amplifier and EQ that at least on paper look way better what other Chinese units offer... in fact no other Chinese manufacturer made the effort to offer something better... all go the same route... basic and cheap so kudos for Joying that they are trying something different.
Now we need confirmation from buyers that the new amplif is indeed better....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I was looking at picking one of those up, I'm just curious, if I'm not happy with how that sounds, if using a good external amp will actually provide "really good" sound quality vs. the internal amp. I know that using a crappy preamp source can give pretty bad results even on a good amp, but at the same time, the preamp section of these units might be clean enough to provide a good usable signal to an external amp.
Though it would be cool if the new internal amp Joying is using is actually good! Be nice to not have to spend money on an external amp if I can avoid it...

ElmoTheDestroyer said:
Yeah, I was looking at picking one of those up, I'm just curious, if I'm not happy with how that sounds, if using a good external amp will actually provide "really good" sound quality vs. the internal amp. I know that using a crappy preamp source can give pretty bad results even on a good amp, but at the same time, the preamp section of these units might be clean enough to provide a good usable signal to an external amp.
Though it would be cool if the new internal amp Joying is using is actually good! Be nice to not have to spend money on an external amp if I can avoid it...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't set your set your hopes way too high, after all we are talking about 300-400$ units here. If the sound quality is the top priority these are not the ones to look at, with or without an external amplif. Very good sound quality is expensive. Most (like me) pick these up for the convenience of having an navigation, backup camera, access to various streaming apps and so on... the list is long. My original Ford headunit is head and shoulders above these Chinese units when it comes to sound quality, FM Radio reception/ sound quality.... but it also lacks so many features that you find in a modern headunit that I find them useful enough to give up on the original headunit high sound quality.

edit said:
Don't set your set your hopes way too high, after all we are talking about 300-400$ units here. If the sound quality is the top priority these are not the ones to look at, with or without an external amplif. Very good sound quality is expensive. Most (like me) pick these up for the convenience of having an navigation, backup camera, access to various streaming apps and so on... the list is long. My original Ford headunit is head and shoulders above these Chinese units when it comes to sound quality, FM Radio reception/ sound quality.... but it also lacks so many features that you find in a modern headunit that I find them useful enough to give up on the original headunit high sound quality.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol, yeah, I'm not expecting super high quality sound... I have an older android unit in my truck now, so I know how it feels to have crappy sound.. Just debating if it's worth spending the money on an external amp to help things out... Not sure if it'd be worth the expense/trouble to install, or if it would just make crappy muddy sound louder.
Love the convenience of these units though, especially compared to my 20 year old stock CD player, talk about a huge technology update!
Suppose I'll just get one of these new Joying units with the new digital amp and hope for the best...
Thanks again for the info!

I have one and should have it running in the next week. It's my understanding that if you enable an external amp with the new units the surround sound is disabled and the old app is enabled. In other words you lose all the fancy adjustments if you use an external amp. I have a few cars and one of them will use an external amp and I'm only just hoping for less heat from the new design. On another car I'm hoping to bypass the original amp with the new unit and drive it right from the joying unit.
Of course sound is pretty subjective so I'm doubtful even if I say its better that that is meaningful to anyone else in their car etc. A the end of the day I like decent sound, but the android functionality is my primary need. One of my cars is a Honda Element. This thing has so much road noise a person might be throwing their money away if they went with premium quality.
400 bucks can either be a lot for someone or less significant for others.

well now the Sony Android Auto unit is down to $400. I was actually never unhappy with the sound of my Joying, but holy **** the sound is dramatically improved with the Sony:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/an...-xav-ax100-t3647891/post73238321#post73238321
However, I do miss the full functionality of Android, so I'll be going back to either Joying or Seicane. But after having that Sony, i may look into adding an amp or a DSP or something to try to get that sound

i got the new Joying with the Amp and DSP, and I think it sounds pretty great.

CadillacMike said:
i got the new Joying with the Amp and DSP, and I think it sounds pretty great.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Separate amp or the new class D amp internal?

pounce said:
Separate amp or the new class D amp internal?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It has the internal amp, one with the gold plate on the back

CadillacMike said:
i got the new Joying with the Amp and DSP, and I think it sounds pretty great.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you please tell us more? Maybe compared to the Sony?
The old Joying is ok as long as you install Viper.

Do not compare onder units with Joying Intel based units...
I have all amplified on my car, with Joying 2Gb Intel unit (not the new ones with digital amplifier), but applyied some on stock audio cars and sound is not worst than pioneer, kenwood, sony 100-200€ units.
But to made the sound better, disable LOUD and on Car Settings app, on the code protected menu, on balance sound option, put the sound bars on 0 (zero). Now you can volume up without distortion and the sound will be more clear.
ElmoTheDestroyer said:
lol, yeah, I'm not expecting super high quality sound... I have an older android unit in my truck now, so I know how it feels to have crappy sound.. Just debating if it's worth spending the money on an external amp to help things out... Not sure if it'd be worth the expense/trouble to install, or if it would just make crappy muddy sound louder.
Love the convenience of these units though, especially compared to my 20 year old stock CD player, talk about a huge technology update!
Suppose I'll just get one of these new Joying units with the new digital amp and hope for the best...
Thanks again for the info!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

edit said:
Can you please tell us more? Maybe compared to the Sony?
The old Joying is ok as long as you install Viper.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got the install done very late last night.
So I only got to listen on the way in to work, and I don't have everything set up yet. But I think it sounds about as good as the Sony.

Beast Mode activated
Here are some pics

Can you please share .APK for this amplifier app ?

ElmoTheDestroyer said:
HI
All of the bad sound quality issues I've read about in regards to various Chinese Android head units seem to be related to the internal amplifier/chip from what I can gather.
If you use the pre-outs and run a good quality external amplifier, is the pre-out signal clean enough to sound good, or does it still sound bad, just with more power behind it?
Thanks!
--ElmoTheDestroyer
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, the problem isn't with the amplifiers. The amplifiers they install may be somewhat small, but they're not bad units. The problem is in what they send TO the amplifiers, which will be exactly the same if you use an external amplifier.
All that an amplifier actually does, is makes the sound LOUDER. If the sound that you are amplifying is full of noise, artifacts, and clipping, then those *painful* bits of sound will also be amplified.

I know this thread is a blast from the past, but in searching xda i am having a hard time finding if any of these android headunit make clean sound out the RCA.
I have a Sofia unit from about 2 years ago, and have never been able to get rid of whine of the engine across rpm range (especially if engine is running with headlights on) i have a good grounding kit under the hood, quality 4 gauge power and ground to amp, tested PAC SNI-1 Noise Isolators on both front and rear RCA, have even tried a Axxess AX-ANR1000 Power Noise Filter. All to no avail.
Is there any units that are better for clean output?

merdok said:
I know this thread is a blast from the past, but in searching xda i am having a hard time finding if any of these android headunit make clean sound out the RCA.
I have a Sofia unit from about 2 years ago, and have never been able to get rid of whine of the engine across rpm range (especially if engine is running with headlights on) i have a good grounding kit under the hood, quality 4 gauge power and ground to amp, tested PAC SNI-1 Noise Isolators on both front and rear RCA, have even tried a Axxess AX-ANR1000 Power Noise Filter. All to no avail.
Is there any units that are better for clean output?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Filtering noise out of a system like that can be a bit of a daunting challenge.
There are a ton of different places where the noise can be brought into your radio from your car;
1) ANY electrical connection between your car and your radio. This includes power+, power-, and even all the different *signal* wires, like ACC, headlights, reverse, etc.
2) RF. This is a really challenging one to deal with, because if your alternator is blasting out a whole bunch of RF noise at a frequency in the range of 20-40,000 Hz, and if that RF gets picked up by an audio wire pre-amplifier, then the amplifier will take that noise, amplify it, and play it on your speakers.
You've tried a power noise filter.
Have you tried connecting the ACC line to the filtered side of that filter instead of the ignition? Have you tried disconnecting ALL of the other signal lines coming into the radio?
Now about the RF part.
Here is the thing. If you're using the pre-amp audio outputs, then that means that you are bringing the pre-amp audio signal OUTSIDE of the protection of the metal box (faraday cage).
The SNI-1 ground loop isolator that you've tried isn't going to do a damned thing if your problem is RF noise. In fact, it is an idiotic part altogether since all it actually does is it converts a signal from one ground reference to a possibly different ground reference. Instead of that, what you should be doing is making sure that there is no potential difference in the ground reference level of the two parts being connected -- specifically, the radio, and the amplifier.
Two things you can do to help with this;
1) Add a big cable from the amplifier chassis to the radio's metal box.
2) Use the highest quality and SHORTEST audio cables possible.
Also... have you confirmed that the amplifier you are using isn't actually the source of the noise?

96carboard said:
Filtering noise out of a system like that can be a bit of a daunting challenge.
There are a ton of different places where the noise can be brought into your radio from your car;
1) ANY electrical connection between your car and your radio. This includes power+, power-, and even all the different *signal* wires, like ACC, headlights, reverse, etc.
2) RF. This is a really challenging one to deal with, because if your alternator is blasting out a whole bunch of RF noise at a frequency in the range of 20-40,000 Hz, and if that RF gets picked up by an audio wire pre-amplifier, then the amplifier will take that noise, amplify it, and play it on your speakers.
You've tried a power noise filter.
Have you tried connecting the ACC line to the filtered side of that filter instead of the ignition? Have you tried disconnecting ALL of the other signal lines coming into the radio?
Now about the RF part.
Here is the thing. If you're using the pre-amp audio outputs, then that means that you are bringing the pre-amp audio signal OUTSIDE of the protection of the metal box (faraday cage).
The SNI-1 ground loop isolator that you've tried isn't going to do a damned thing if your problem is RF noise. In fact, it is an idiotic part altogether since all it actually does is it converts a signal from one ground reference to a possibly different ground reference. Instead of that, what you should be doing is making sure that there is no potential difference in the ground reference level of the two parts being connected -- specifically, the radio, and the amplifier.
Two things you can do to help with this;
1) Add a big cable from the amplifier chassis to the radio's metal box.
2) Use the highest quality and SHORTEST audio cables possible.
Also... have you confirmed that the amplifier you are using isn't actually the source of the noise?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank!
I can confirm it's not the amp itself by a headphone to rca cable from my phone into amp w/o noise.
1.) I need to try running a wire from amp ground to cage of hu. Think better to attach to ground of the case or attach to powerline filter? Going to test with bridge both wires of premium speaker wire. That should be plenty right?
2.) only wires that are a bit longer than needed are the rca. Might be 2ft slack because amp is under passenger seat.
Sent from my ONEPLUS A6003 using Tapatalk
---------- Post added at 02:07 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:24 PM ----------
Wow I think the wire from amp to hu case is going to be the fix! I never thought of that or needed in my years.
Sent from my ONEPLUS A6003 using Tapatalk

merdok said:
Thank!
I can confirm it's not the amp itself by a headphone to rca cable from my phone into amp w/o noise.
1.) I need to try running a wire from amp ground to cage of hu. Think better to attach to ground of the case or attach to powerline filter? Going to test with bridge both wires of premium speaker wire. That should be plenty right?
2.) only wires that are a bit longer than needed are the rca. Might be 2ft slack because amp is under passenger seat.
Sent from my ONEPLUS A6003 using Tapatalk
---------- Post added at 02:07 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:24 PM ----------
Wow I think the wire from amp to hu case is going to be the fix! I never thought of that or needed in my years.
Sent from my ONEPLUS A6003 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello,
I have the same problem "permanent noise in my Android unit". If I understand well, you have solve the problem with a wire from amp to HU. Could you explain more about this fix or a diagram?
Thks a lot

Android Double Din with Audio Quality ?

Hi,
I looking for double din with android with sound quality,
I'm not an audiophile but looking for some quality, I know that chiense android double din
comes with crap quality.
So my question is if you know some android double with quality ? or maybe to add DSP to get some ?
Thank you.

Having excellent audio quality is probably not a priority for the chinese. If you want audio quality you're better off buying a brand name radio with android auto.

Android auto is make mirror link wireless? or wired?
What about install HTC Nexus 9?
My car is Mazda 3 2010.

ChaoscripT said:
Android auto is make mirror link wireless? or wired?
What about install HTC Nexus 9?
My car is Mazda 3 2010.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Android auto support both wired and wireless.
Enviado desde mi SM-G950F mediante Tapatalk

You can add a USB DAC output. There are a few out there with full 4 channel control. But simpler stereo ones are nice too. The caveat being your amp need to have built in crossovers and your sub will have to be remotely controlled for level.

ikerg said:
Android auto support both wired and wireless.
Enviado desde mi SM-G950F mediante Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With the android auto, what I will see on the screen? it will make mirror ?

Off: is there any point having Android Auto on a HU with Android?
Android Auto for sure would be great on a proprietary HU system with closed OS widening its functionality. Android HU functionality is already Play-market-wide. At least very close to "infinity" . I may be wrong though.

ste2002 said:
Off: is there any point having Android Auto on a HU with Android?
Android Auto for sure would be great on a proprietary HU system with closed OS widening its functionality. Android HU functionality is already Play-market-wide. At least very close to "infinity" . I may be wrong though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure that there isn't any point to have Android Hu with Android Auto,
If Android Auto will "answer" for all my needs, I def. can choose Pioneer double Din.

ChaoscripT said:
With the android auto, what I will see on the screen? it will make mirror ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Android auto does not mirror.
Just you use specific apps like they were in he phone but on the headunit
Enviado desde mi SM-G950F mediante Tapatalk

I know this thread is somewhat old now, but i'm on the market for a decent double din headunit with great sound quality.
These units have come along way since last year and was wondering if there is a decent android auto unit with decent sound quality?

Primey86 said:
These units have come along way since last year and was wondering if there is a decent android auto unit with decent sound quality?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Perhaps somebody would be kind enough to clarify what is wrong with the audio quality of these units, at least with said quality for the ones equipped with DSP (which as far as I know is nowadays the norm for MTC* units). According to my personal experience (and of course taste) these units sound great, and certainly better than OEM.
In case it matters, I had three such units in two vehicles:
(a) 2011 KIA Sorento with non-premium, non-amplified sound system. I started with an old (2015-ish?), wheezy RK3066 MTCB unit with DSP (though a limited set of controls was exposed to the user) and it produced excellent sound. I then tried a more recent non-MTC*, non-DSP unit and even that produced decent (though not outstanding) sound -- certainly better than OEM but not by much.
(b) 2013 Mazda CX-9 Grand Touring with premium (Bose), amplified sound system. A MTCD PX5 unit (with DSP and the same limited set of controls exposed to the user) feeds its preamp outputs into the factory amp of this vehicle. The resulting sound quality is excellent.
In all, my question is why do people complain about the sound quality? It may be argued that the sound quality is not audiophile-level, but I will argue back that such quality is useless in a noisy automotive environment. There is also a long thread of back-and-forth arguments regarding a dedicated DSP versus the on-chip one, but again from my experience I side with the people who claim that the on-board DSP is good enough for this application. In other words, I believe that the limiting factor is not the audio system, but the noisy environment of a vehicle.
Myself I am able to actually hear most nuances in classical music (between other genres, I mention this only because it is the most challenging for an audio system) in my car over road noise, which in my book makes for an outstanding sound quality for the application. So what's the fuss?

So which unit do you recommend then? I've been looking at the pumpkin 8.0 unit. But haven't seen many reviews, seen a lot of talk about joying but there is so many different units and I don't really know what I'm looking at, I just want the latest and greatest I guess?

bottom line on Android head units and connecting amps and subs

I've actually purchased a few of these over the years, mostly because they were very vague on this specific feature. Given many of these units are identical just rebranded copies it's hard to sort things out.
The following is based on countless hours searching the web and 4 or 5 personal purchases of these Android head units. If any of this is incorrect please tell me because I have been desperately searching for one due to BMWs incessant need to one off everything.
In my experience the bottom line is no. Android head units do not offer genuine sub support. Yes you can use the rear output and a line converter or run the signal into the high level inputs on your amp (if it has it) but there is still a very simple a basic problem. You still won't have the needed components and or firmware to properly run it. Specifically frequency control, crossover or even a 7 band eq on the unit. I only found one that offered that last and it was janky to say the least (more probably offer the eq now but still very subpar) assuming you can run v4a on the unit that may clear some up but that was written for head phones not a 4 or more speaker system.
Another point is most mainstream headunits, pioneer, Kenwood, alpine heck even boss have 4v rca preout and signal conditioners not to mention both high and low-pass crossovers.
Unfortunately to my knowledge these Chinese Android suppliers have really missed the ball. Yes they offer some cool features but car audio guy's spend many thousands of dollars on these systems and to be honest I have a avh-4500NEX in my 325xi and since it mirrors wirelessly as well as Android auto and car play wireless it provides excellent sound.
Major difference my NEX $1800.00 us brand new these Android's I've seen get spendy but mostly right around 150-400. But you get what you pay for.
The biggest bonus I found though was you can put them anywhere since they are mostly just and inch or two deep.
If I missed the mark please let me know and if you could send a link to where I can pick up a decent one. The I-Drive in my 535i is making a stereo upgrade next to impossible

this is the honest **** i been scouring for... as a AV guy everyone keeps telling me go daisaita blah blah blah but everyone here seems to not have ears or know what they are talking about when it comes to sound... my original gut was to pick up a NEX but i got side tracked with Atoto and the rest because everyone talks out their ass about how amazing they are... with no clue about their soul purpose

they do have
b1n4ry said:
this is the honest **** i been scouring for... as a AV guy everyone keeps telling me go daisaita blah blah blah but everyone here seems to not have ears or know what they are talking about when it comes to sound... my original gut was to pick up a NEX but i got side tracked with Atoto and the rest because everyone talks out their ass about how amazing they are... with no clue about their soul purpose
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They have amazing abilities for instance the iDrive in my 525i is old and outdated and these Android HU are the only option and they are fully functional and compatible which no mainstream HU can claim that I'm aware of. But I'll deal with old and crappy and tap the harness for a signal for my amp before I'll downgrade on sound quality.
You can use an Android successfully IF you install an EQ and probably noise filter but there goes the saving you would have seen.

Spdif out to dsp-amp is possible with Joying for example. SQ shouldn't be problem with it.

Kelynaw said:
If I missed the mark please let me know and if you could send a link to where I can pick up a decent one. The I-Drive in my 535i is making a stereo upgrade next to impossible
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've had pioneer, Kenwood, Alpine, Blaupunkt and a few others and you haven't missed the mark at all. The audio quality on these Chinese head units is just not comparable and the RCA output voltages (1.4 volts) are standards from 15 or 20 years ago. And yes... they are NOT true sub outputs.
Now having said that, it doesn't mean that you can't bring the audio quality up to par. It does however require some extra money and extra components. I don't run Dasaita's sub outputs but rather have an active electronic crossover which can generate a sub output and I run that plus the Dasaita's front/rear outputs through an AXXESS dsp sound processor before the signals go into the amps.
It's certainly a bit of extra money spent on top of it all, but IMO, worth it because these Android head units beat out the traditional Kenwood's and pioneer's in just about every other respect.
It WOULD be nice however if these Chinese manufacturers started paying a bit more attention to audio quality at the end of the day.

Bob_Sanders said:
I've had pioneer, Kenwood, Alpine, Blaupunkt and a few others and you haven't missed the mark at all. The audio quality on these Chinese head units is just not comparable and the RCA output voltages (1.4 volts) are standards from 15 or 20 years ago. And yes... they are NOT true sub outputs.
Now having said that, it doesn't mean that you can't bring the audio quality up to par. It does however require some extra money and extra components. I don't run Dasaita's sub outputs but rather have an active electronic crossover which can generate a sub output and I run that plus the Dasaita's front/rear outputs through an AXXESS dsp sound processor before the signals go into the amps.
It's certainly a bit of extra money spent on top of it all, but IMO, worth it because these Android head units beat out the traditional Kenwood's and pioneer's in just about every other respect.
It WOULD be nice however if these Chinese manufacturers started paying a bit more attention to audio quality at the end of the day.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
except that axxess unit costs more than the 4/64gb headunit itself... USA MSRP: $422.00 USD

b1n4ry said:
except that axxess unit costs more than the 4/64gb headunit itself... USA MSRP: $422.00 USD
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Click to collapse
HUH??
$279 on ebay
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Axxess-AX-...241633?hash=item445ecc93e1:g:194AAOSwUKRfRo-R
My new Dasaita cost $586
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001197637149.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.554d4c4duJ2EgH

Bob_Sanders said:
HUH??
$279 on ebay
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Axxess-AX-...241633?hash=item445ecc93e1:g:194AAOSwUKRfRo-R
My new Dasaita cost $586
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001197637149.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.554d4c4duJ2EgH
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
DSP
https://axxessinterfaces.com/product/AXDSP-X
unit i was looking at
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001244806859.html?spm=2114.12010612.8148356.2.51e67ea7IZbacK
Dash Kit
https://www.scosche.com/2003-to-2007-honda-accord-integrated-touchscreen-control-colution-dash-kit

Apparently you haven't played with any of the recent Joyings....You also obviously don't have much experience with different cell phones out there either.
Ok, fine....show me a Pioneer, Alpine, Kenwood, etc that can run Google Maps, Waze, Firefox, Gaia Navigation, Torque Pro, APRS Droid, etc natively, right on the unit....just ONE unit, from ANY of the "big name" manufacturers...they just plain don't exist. Not a single one that runs Android natively, or anything else other than their own, completely closed souce, proprietary OSes that we can't do anything with beyond what comes installed on them from the factory. Don't like their nav app, launcher, or general interface? Tough schmitt...
I've said the same thing for many years...I'd be HAPPY to drop a $1,000USD or more on a solid unit from a major manufacturer that runs Android natively. Or even a Linux based OS, that I can add additional apps to. Hell, I was dropping a thousand plus on putting a touch screen in my dash connected to a PC tower in the back YEARS before these factory double din units hit the market. Some company like Pioneer drops one of them, and I'd be one of the first in line screaming "take my money!!".
Screen mirroring isn't an option for everyone either, as screen mirroring is largely based on Miracast. Especially so for anyone with a Google phone, such as my Pixel. Google has gone out of their way to limit or even eliminate that ability to push more sales of their lousy Chromecast devices, and they have stripped Miracast support out of the core Android as of version 6 (Marshmallow). If your phone supports screen mirroring, that's because whoever made it added Miracast support back in themselves. Android Auto is also a rather lousy compromise for many of us, such as myself, that want to run alternative apps. If it wasn't coded to run within Android Auto, it generally ain't happening which is the case for the navigation app that I use for off road purposes.
I've tried several different Pioneer double din touch screens with several different Android phones. Never once was I able to get screen mirroring/mirrorlink to work correctly to truly screen mirror the phone. Only the crippled Android Auto worked...which is what ultimately pushed me into completely going with these Chinese Android head units.
That said, the Joying JY-UO135N4GS - https://www.joyingauto.com/joying-l...avigation-system-with-built-in-4g-module.html that I have in the truck right now does have a 16 band EQ built in, F&R RCAs as well as a dedicated Sub RCA output, though it's a single. I haven't put a meter on it to verify voltage, but I'm guessing it's around 2V based on gain settings on the amp compared to other head units that I've known to have 2V outputs. A LOT of "brand name" head units today still come with 2V outputs. Also has both LPF and Subsonic filters on the sub output, as well as independent HPF crossovers on F&R channels. I currently have my subs set to 30Hz-100hz, fronts set to 80Hz high pass, and rears at 135Hz high pass (yeah..blame Chevy and their piss poor design on their trucks). Subs are a pair of JBL GTO 12s fed by a Kenwood monoblock amp. Door speakers are Infinity Kappa 6.5s, rears are factory 4x10s.
Is the sound quality on par with the Pioneer head unit that it replaced? No. Can I hear the difference at 75mph over the wind and diesel engine noise? Nope. Maybe I'd hear the difference if I put one of these Joyings in my Cadillac...Do I plan to replace this Joying with a Pioneer/Alpine/Kenwood/etc? Wait for it....has not ever once crossed my mind. I also have a Joying in my Suzuki Samurai, and am shopping for another Android unit for my Suzuki Grand Vitara.

urbex said:
Apparently you haven't played with any of the recent Joyings....You also obviously don't have much experience with different cell phones out there either.
Ok, fine....show me a Pioneer, Alpine, Kenwood, etc that can run Google Maps, Waze, Firefox, Gaia Navigation, Torque Pro, APRS Droid, etc natively, right on the unit....just ONE unit, from ANY of the "big name" manufacturers...they just plain don't exist. Not a single one that runs Android natively, or anything else other than their own, completely closed souce, proprietary OSes that we can't do anything with beyond what comes installed on them from the factory. Don't like their nav app, launcher, or general interface? Tough schmitt...
I've said the same thing for many years...I'd be HAPPY to drop a $1,000USD or more on a solid unit from a major manufacturer that runs Android natively. Or even a Linux based OS, that I can add additional apps to. Hell, I was dropping a thousand plus on putting a touch screen in my dash connected to a PC tower in the back YEARS before these factory double din units hit the market. Some company like Pioneer drops one of them, and I'd be one of the first in line screaming "take my money!!".
Screen mirroring isn't an option for everyone either, as screen mirroring is largely based on Miracast. Especially so for anyone with a Google phone, such as my Pixel. Google has gone out of their way to limit or even eliminate that ability to push more sales of their lousy Chromecast devices, and they have stripped Miracast support out of the core Android as of version 6 (Marshmallow). If your phone supports screen mirroring, that's because whoever made it added Miracast support back in themselves. Android Auto is also a rather lousy compromise for many of us, such as myself, that want to run alternative apps. If it wasn't coded to run within Android Auto, it generally ain't happening which is the case for the navigation app that I use for off road purposes.
I've tried several different Pioneer double din touch screens with several different Android phones. Never once was I able to get screen mirroring/mirrorlink to work correctly to truly screen mirror the phone. Only the crippled Android Auto worked...which is what ultimately pushed me into completely going with these Chinese Android head units.
That said, the Joying JY-UO135N4GS - https://www.joyingauto.com/joying-l...avigation-system-with-built-in-4g-module.html that I have in the truck right now does have a 16 band EQ built in, F&R RCAs as well as a dedicated Sub RCA output, though it's a single. I haven't put a meter on it to verify voltage, but I'm guessing it's around 2V based on gain settings on the amp compared to other head units that I've known to have 2V outputs. A LOT of "brand name" head units today still come with 2V outputs. Also has both LPF and Subsonic filters on the sub output, as well as independent HPF crossovers on F&R channels. I currently have my subs set to 30Hz-100hz, fronts set to 80Hz high pass, and rears at 135Hz high pass (yeah..blame Chevy and their piss poor design on their trucks). Subs are a pair of JBL GTO 12s fed by a Kenwood monoblock amp. Door speakers are Infinity Kappa 6.5s, rears are factory 4x10s.
Is the sound quality on par with the Pioneer head unit that it replaced? No. Can I hear the difference at 75mph over the wind and diesel engine noise? Nope. Maybe I'd hear the difference if I put one of these Joyings in my Cadillac...Do I plan to replace this Joying with a Pioneer/Alpine/Kenwood/etc? Wait for it....has not ever once crossed my mind. I also have a Joying in my Suzuki Samurai, and am shopping for another Android unit for my Suzuki Grand Vitara.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you are fine with sub par audio Then your opinion doesn't matter
The #1 purpose above all the bull**** you rambled on about is SOUND that's the purpose of an aftermarket head unit... Regardless of additional features

b1n4ry said:
If you are fine with sub par audio Then your opinion doesn't matter
The #1 purpose above all the bull**** you rambled on about is SOUND that's the purpose of an aftermarket head unit... Regardless of additional features
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's already been stated that audio quality is not the best. It's also been made clear that for some extra bucks and a few more components you CAN have your cake and eat it too. Now if you wish not to go that far then why are you here? Go to the pioneer forums.
As for the purpose of an aftermarket head unit.... yesteryear it WAS all about sound. Now it's more about central information centers. All kinds of information at your fingertips... and these Chinese units just beat the crap out of ANY of the traditional units as general information centers. Try hard as you can to make a traditional head unit do something to this level of detail and customization:
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
Now.. do I have to put some extra money in making the sound better? Yup, sure do, but to my eyes it's worth it.

I´m running my Joying still from speaker out to Match M5DSP. SQ is even now better than with stock HU (PSA MyWay) that I used to feed M5DSP. I don´t hear any problems and I´ve been hifi-guy nearly 30 years.

Why is it not a true subwoofer output? I have a 1500w rms amp connected to the green subwoofer output and a dayon max mx12 and its clear as day. My only problem is my hengcheng which is like a teyes c3 clone only has front rca output and I want to leave my front speakers on the tda7851 built in amplifier and connect my rear speakers to a 200w amp in the back. But if I use the front rca out I will loose fader control cuz the system will think my rears are front speakers. What about the output voltage? I don't have a line out converter and everything sounds fine.

Kelynaw said:
I've actually purchased a few of these over the years, mostly because they were very vague on this specific feature. Given many of these units are identical just rebranded copies it's hard to sort things out.
The following is based on countless hours searching the web and 4 or 5 personal purchases of these Android head units. If any of this is incorrect please tell me because I have been desperately searching for one due to BMWs incessant need to one off everything.
In my experience the bottom line is no. Android head units do not offer genuine sub support. Yes you can use the rear output and a line converter or run the signal into the high level inputs on your amp (if it has it) but there is still a very simple a basic problem. You still won't have the needed components and or firmware to properly run it. Specifically frequency control, crossover or even a 7 band eq on the unit. I only found one that offered that last and it was janky to say the least (more probably offer the eq now but still very subpar) assuming you can run v4a on the unit that may clear some up but that was written for head phones not a 4 or more speaker system.
Another point is most mainstream headunits, pioneer, Kenwood, alpine heck even boss have 4v rca preout and signal conditioners not to mention both high and low-pass crossovers.
Unfortunately to my knowledge these Chinese Android suppliers have really missed the ball. Yes they offer some cool features but car audio guy's spend many thousands of dollars on these systems and to be honest I have a avh-4500NEX in my 325xi and since it mirrors wirelessly as well as Android auto and car play wireless it provides excellent sound.
Major difference my NEX $1800.00 us brand new these Android's I've seen get spendy but mostly right around 150-400. But you get what you pay for.
The biggest bonus I found though was you can put them anywhere since they are mostly just and inch or two deep.
If I missed the mark please let me know and if you could send a link to where I can pick up a decent one. The I-Drive in my 535i is making a stereo upgrade next to impossible
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They are mostly the same but not all the same, I.e. MTCD with MCU mod sub out.
Yes, line level is 1.5-2v RMS not 4v as car audio mostly is.
Your post doesn't list "Android units" so cant tell what your test units were.

Why is it not a true subwoofer output? I have a 1500w rms amp connected to the green subwoofer output and a dayon max mx12 and its clear as day. My only problem is my hengcheng which is like a teyes c3 clone
marchnz said:
They are mostly the same but not all the same, I.e. MTCD with MCU mod sub out.
Yes, line level is 1.5-2v RMS not 4v as car audio mostly is.
Your post doesn't list "Android units" so cant tell what your test units were.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which one is

Excuse my ignorance, I don't do high end stereo builds for cars(home theater yes).
Just curious, if you're trying to put out that kind of wattage and care that much about crystal sound, why aren't you using spdif(optical or coax) to output digital from your stereo regardless of brand. Then your Head unit is for the features/apps and screen and your high end equip is for signal processing?

Because the optical is 5.1 so a DAC would be mono output to each speaker, and there isn't a digital rca spdif or optical that is stereo. I thought about doing that and just using y cables but not with it really the signal wouldn't be any better just less chance of interference and I have none. An amp with optical starts around 1k unless you go aliexpress or something. My amp topsolidgear 1600w 1 ohm stable as tested by wiliston audio on YouTube is $150. My Dayton MX12-22 12" subwoofer was $140. I have it running 600w @ 4 ohm and its already crazy. After I break it in I may switch to 1 ohm and get even louder. My speakers are coaxial ds18 3 way black diamonds ($39) and my rear speakers are component ds18 6.5 with 3.5" bullet tweeters with built in crossover ($70) so it's a budget system. But it sounds great. All my audio is high resolution lossless flac files and the dsp does a great job. The 32 band equalizer let's me adjust subwoofer frequency and speaker frequency so I can turn my speakers off between 30_whatever hertz and set my sub anywhere from 30_70 hz range. It also has time delay and surround function and turns my amp on and off with a trigger wire amongst some other settings I haven't figured out yet.

Can't figure out what bass enhancement does. Bass filter is to filter bass from speakers and surround is to adjust timing.

Here is a pic.

CaliBurr said:
Because the optical is 5.1 so a DAC would be mono output to each speaker, and there isn't a digital rca spdif or optical that is stereo. I thought about doing that and just using y cables but not with it really the signal wouldn't be any better just less chance of interference and I have none. An amp with optical starts around 1k unless you go aliexpress or something. My amp topsolidgear 1600w 1 ohm stable as tested by wiliston audio on YouTube is $150. My Dayton MX12-22 12" subwoofer was $140. I have it running 600w @ 4 ohm and its already crazy. After I break it in I may switch to 1 ohm and get even louder. My speakers are coaxial ds18 3 way black diamonds ($39) and my rear speakers are component ds18 6.5 with 3.5" bullet tweeters with built in crossover ($70) so it's a budget system. But it sounds great. All my audio is high resolution lossless flac files and the dsp does a great job. The 32 band equalizer let's me adjust subwoofer frequency and speaker frequency so I can turn my speakers off between 30_whatever hertz and set my sub anywhere from 30_70 hz range. It also has time delay and surround function and turns my amp on and off with a trigger wire amongst some other settings I haven't figured out yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
"there isn't a digital rca spdif or optical that is stereo"
not sure I understand this statement? Digital is stream is whatever is on it the stream. I send stereo over optical all the time in home theater(well I used too, it's OLD now ;-) Yes technically each speaker would be mono(it's channel) maybe I'm missing something.
I understand your point on cost, but if you already have the amp you want with solid RCA then just use a 50 dollar 4.1 or 5.1 DAC to RCA
It will skip the "crappy" DAC in the the HU and avoid interference(sorry but from what I read they ALL have it). I know both mine do.
The only reason I can think it will still be bad is if they are still doing DAC then reversing it for the optical. Again I have not tested the optical on the one I have with it as my stock system doesn't do spdif or even RCA.

Avin Avant4 PX6 - VERY disappointed with Audio sound quality - help?

Hey guys,
I just finally installed Avin Avant4 unit in my E39 M5 and I am SO disappointed with the sound quality.
I got the dsp chip with it. (Yes, I've adjusted it, but its the unit components/build quality itself)
I previously had an old Pioneer Avic Z130BT - and have MB Quart components up front powered by JL 300/4 for cabin and a sub with JL 500/1. It sounded great.
I have a feeling the unit may be defective, but not sure if all of them are like this. In which case it is extremely disappointing.
I hear interference at random times, like when using the touchscreen. The carplay adapter sounds a TAD better, but not by much. The highs are just terrible and sound as if it is a poor connection (it is not).
Has anyone compared the PX6 with DSP chip to a Pioneer/Alpine/etc.
I love having the ibus functionality and carplay in one, but the audio quality is just terrible.
Perhaps there are some options? Otherwise I may have to resort to going back to regular double din, and I really don't want to because this one looks 100%.

bea5t said:
Has anyone compared the PX6 with DSP chip to a Pioneer/Alpine/etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not the px6 yet. I have it but haven't installed yet. My px5 is still in there though.
I had a pioneer NEX4200 in my jeep which got replaced with a Kenwood 9903s, which got replaced by my present px5.
If you're strictly concerned with audio quality (out of the box) then you should go to kenwood or pioneer (I don't like Alpine... you pay too much for the name) because the audio quality is most definitely better. Now I say "out of the box" because you CAN make the sound better in these Chinese machines with external amps and sound processors (which I have done).
But I choose to spend additional money making the sound better on my Dasaita px5 because these machines offer FAR more flexibility than my pioneer or kenwood ever could be.
Hopefully I will have my px6 installed next week for further comparison but I can already pretty much tell you that my pioneer nex4200 or Kenwood will sound better. It's tough to beat the sound quality of today's traditional hardware based head units with a Chinese android unit.

I have JL 300/4 going to MB Quart (old school made in germany) components. The minute I plugged in the android and turned on some audio, even before touching ANY settings, I was already disappointed.
The "alive" sound is just gone. You can tweak the highs and EQ and loudness all you want, but its still polishing a turd.
Wondering if anyone has connected a proper DAC to these (but how would it work with front/rear/sub outputs?)

bea5t said:
I have JL 300/4 going to MB Quart (old school made in germany) components. The minute I plugged in the android and turned on some audio, even before touching ANY settings, I was already disappointed.
The "alive" sound is just gone. You can tweak the highs and EQ and loudness all you want, but its still polishing a turd.
Wondering if anyone has connected a proper DAC to these (but how would it work with front/rear/sub outputs?)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah.... I was pretty disappointed in the beginning too. The sound was nowhere near as good as my kenwood, but I was determined to make it fly because of everything else these things can do.
I don't use the onboard amp. I use the front and rear rca outputs to a crossover which CREATES a new subwoofer channel which all (front, rear and new sub) is then fed to a signal processor (Axxess AX-DSP-X Digital Signal Processor) and then on to front, rear, and subwoofer amps.
I still get the odd screen noise to the speakers every so often but it's livable. The sound however is back up to par with my Kenwood.
I think that the big difference between the cheap chinese units and the more expensive ones is not so much the sound output. It's pretty much the same shallow audio across all these units. The difference is in how much processor and screen noise gets passed on to the audio. Some of these machines are just shielded better, with better pc board layouts so that noisy chips aren't near the audio preamps.
I would just absolutely love it if pioneer or kenwood built one of these android machines. It would be a killer machine. Pioneer/Kenwood audio quality mixed with the power of what is essentially an android tablet.

I pulled it out and put a new pioneer instead. The android is just not reliable and has its own quirks. No matter what the audio quality was just not there. Pioneer is levels beyond.
I put a android media player and running ibusapp off that with hdmi into the pioneer - anyone know how I can power the android media player using 12V constant, + ACC? - having the accessory wire send a signal to turn on/off so the android doesnt lose time settings?