Database Users

HU for mercedes W245

Hello,
Long time reader but here's first post
I plan to buy an android head unit for my car.
I need your help to choose a model that feet my needs.
My car is 2011 mercedes B class (W245). It's actually equiped with an Alpine INE S900R unit.
I'm sick of it because of it's poor fm reception, poor gps reception and interface and moreover the crapy quality of hands free bluetooth with no possibility to stream music.
I look for a head unit that fits in my car.
I read that i have not much to expect from fm reception and functions. In my alpine unit rds, af and ta doesn't work well.
I think i will go for 2Gb ram unit.
I have the choice between units with 7" screen, hard buttons and a look like an original command ntg. On the other hand i can have 9" units with soft buttons.
As i don't plan to watch videos and don't need a dvd or cd player in my car is a 9" screen a big improvement ?
Of course i want to have steering wheel control, gps, wifi, an entry for a reverse cam.
I'm in france so i think i don't really need dab+ as our radio stations don't seem to be in a hurry to use it.
I've read bad comments about mtcd_kgl, but it seems to be the most common platform to find units which fits in mercedes cars.
Thank you in advance for your advices.

I'm in the same boat as you, since I drive a Sprinter (W906), which uses the same unit as for the W245.
I had a MTCD KGL 7" unit for this car before. All I can say is stay away from KGL (like the 9" screen unit your referring to https://nl.aliexpress.com/item/HD-9...4.48010108.5.2.KL6ja5&&scm=1007.12783.72505.0). The quality of the finish was terrible and trying to contact KGL in order to solve things in a mature way was simply fruitless because they cut off the conversation. Apart from that, the unit your referring to is still a MTCD-unit. By now, the general consensus on XDA regarding this platform is to avoid it. Malasyk did great things in trying to improve the firmware, but in the end there where too many bugs and limitations on hardware level that couldn't be overcome.
So for now I think the only alternative seems to be the Ownice C500-version with the 7" screen and the hardware buttons. Despite several bugs, to me it seems to be quite good and think of ordering one in the coming days.
Interested to hear your opinions on any other options.

Thank you for your answer.
The C500 is not an option for me as it seems to have an awful FM section with no support of rds functions.
Having spent hours to read the forum and search on the net I think that there might be only one option: finding a mtcc_kld unit which fits in my dash.
Kld units seem to be sold by pumpkin. The problem is to be sure to have one kld.
Chinese sellers would tell you anything to sell their product.
It's a shame I'd rather have A big screen and 2Gb ram.

The Chinese sellers are awful indeed, they will try to scam you into anything. However, Aliexpress does seem to be more strict in enforcing the money-back policy in case you specifically asked about a feature up-front and were given a positive reply by the seller.
Just ask for a screenshot of the system specs and make it clear that you will not accept something else. Problem is however: what do you do if they send you something else anyway? Taxes and return shipping will be your loss anyway and the guy who has bad intentions knows that.
I don't know what specs the pumpkin model has you're talking about. I would never go for a 1gb model anymore, just too damn slow.

You are probably right. I'll wait till I find a suitable 2Gb model

If you really want to get a KLD unit... nothing easier than that.
Pumpkin is just a reseller for a lot of different manufacturers and you mostly don´t exactly know what you buy.
Go to the factory itself. Get in contact with them by chat and tell them your wishes,
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Vendor review / stable unit

I've been looking around to purchase my first head unit but the information is very overwhelming, everybody have their personal opinion on vendor or unit that in most cases contradict each other.
is there a vendor who stand out of the others? with really good support and product renown to be less buggy ?
I've seen joying being recommended more often then other but there some people who seem to believe you get a lot more for your money with PX5 or Ownice C500 unit.
I am really not looking for a super complex unit that can do super fancy stuff as long as the unit have those feature
2 din universal unit
stable and fast to boot (act like a normal car stereo doesnt take a minute to start)
that can pick the internet from my iphone for apps
work well with GPS apps like Waze or music like Spotify
have rear view camera that work well without taking 30 sec to display
support steering wheel control
Is there any basic unit that can do all of those without costing 400$ or have super fancy feature that make it complicated to setup or unreliable ?
any help would be very very appreciated.

Me Too....I also want a front camera with dvr. I will be interested to watch what others post. I am leaning toward the joying 2017 model. They can be had on ebay or Amazon in the 300 range. Bu then when I add my 2 cameras, and possibly an obd2 port I will end up at close to 400 or a few dollars more most likely.

Would also like to hear peoples opinions on the above, I'll be after a new head unit in the next few weeks.

Seems to me the ones with the best/most support from the manufacturer are Joying and Ownice. The best support in terms of modding seem to be Joying from what I've read here. Between Joying and Ownice I think it's just personal preference. The rest of those out there seem to be spotty support or hardware or software or all of those.

Hello
Sorry for my syntax, I am French and English is not my strong point.
I do not think OWNICE is recommended, the RADIO FM interface is disappointing, the RDS is not managed, the developers think it is enough to enter a label to replace the display of the frequency, which shows a very Poor knowledge of the subject.
Side audio adjustment, no equalizer, just Bass, Midle and Aspen, no adjustment of SUB etc ...
JOYING does not do much better.
By experience I prefer XTRONS or ERISIN, good manufacturing quality and the software is well managed, very stable.
That's just my point.

headunit advice

hi guys,
i own a 2012 subaru STI. i've got the stock headunit (double din, non-touch screen) and am looking to upgrade to an android auto HU. i've owned many android phones in the past and am very familiar with rooting, flashing roms, adb, fastboot etc.
in a previous car i had a pioneer appradio2 and used appradio unchained to mirror my phone onto the screen. i'd like to use AA now as in hindsight i feel having full access to the phone through my HU is quite distracting whilst driving.
i currently own a pixel xl.
there are so many options out there for AA HU's and i'm a little confused, so i'm hoping you guys can point me in the right direction:
what's the best AA HU (double din, preferably 7") money can buy? budget is not really a problem. i would like something with a fast touch screen and whatever the max resolution available on the market is. built in gps would be nice, but not a must. what's the benefit of going for a big brand versus a chinese made product? what does rooting and flashing roms on an AA HU achieve?
apologies if this is posted in the wrong forum, and thanks in advance.

kinetx said:
what's the best AA HU (double din, preferably 7") money can buy? budget is not really a problem. i would like something with a fast touch screen and whatever the max resolution available on the market is. built in gps would be nice, but not a must. what's the benefit of going for a big brand versus a chinese made product? what does rooting and flashing roms on an AA HU achieve?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will give you my opinion.
Probably the best head units are those from first brands (Pioneer, Kenwood, Sony...) but those units play in another league. The models I like are about 1,300$ what, for me, is out of my league. These brands also have some 'lower-cost' units, but they are usually too 'closed' or offer outdated technology (LCD screens, too old Android OS...)
I checked Parrot Asteroid Smart which I liked very much, but also, a 4 year old unit with 512MB RAM and Android 2.3 was too old for me. Community support disappeared at this point (I asked a couple of questions in some forums and haven´t got any answer yet...)
After an extensive research, my conclusion (discarding the tipical Pioneer/Kenwood/Sony/etc units) is:
Dynavin units are probably the best ones, specially when speaking about audio quality. If money is not an issue as you claim (not my case), I would fit one of these.
Avin: I was going to buy the Avin VWU8-PX5 which looked as a good product. AFAIK their product is a mix from Chinese electronics + USA details, at a premium of course, but their customers seemed satisfied and I liked what I read from Avin. Problem is that I live in Spain and buying from an European distributor was a must (to be able to claim warranty in case needed). Avin only sells in USA and doesn't have any distributor in EU, so discarded too.
Chinese brands with EU distributors: Finally there are chinese sellers that also sell in EU, so I ended up with these brands: pumpkin, XTRONS and Joying.
There are other Chinese brands that I discarded just for not having an EU distributor (Ownice, Dasaita, and so on), but if you don't have this problems you might also check them.
I finally decided to buy a Joying Unit 8" with Intel Sofia processor. Why? For these reasons:
They have an EU warehouse (Germany)
Community support is probable the best over XDA
Support seems to be one of the best among Chinese sellers
There are some easy hardware mods/hacks that will dramatically improve the units life/performance. Heat sink/fan mod. Sound chipset swap, Rooting, Viper4Android to improve audio, etc
As for your question "what does rooting and flashing roms on an AA HU achieve?" if you really "are very familiar with rooting, flashing roms, adb, fastboot" as you claim, you should know... tweaking here and there, uninstalling bloatware, installing better than original apps...
Hope you find the right head unit, tell us what you end up with.
Cheers!

thanks for the detailed response! i hadn't considered bloatware, better audio quality etc would be possible for a headunit but ofcourse, this IS android!
of the major brands, are there any specific models better than the others that you (or anyone else) could recommend?

One vote for ATOTO A6 Pro
I recently installed ATOTO A6 Pro into my 2011 Subaru WRX, which had the factory double-din Navigation. I purchased ATOTO A6 Pro which is much much better than the factory unit in every respect -- but especially display brightness, viewing angle and boot time. The audio is decent, although not in same league as higher-priced name brand stereos. The included bluetooth external microphone gives much better quality then the factory one. Having Android Auto as well as the ability to run applications (like Torque) natively on the ATOTO is great. I have a Pixel2 phone and didnt have any connectivity problems with the ATOTO over bluetooth, Wifi, or USB (for Android-Auto) . I think ATOTO has better components (MediaTek SoC, IPS display, etc.) than much of the competition for low-cost Chinese android head units. I also added a back up camera. Had some wiring difficulties due to ATOTO sub-par documentation, but at least their Technical support team was responsive and helpful. Overall, am happy with ATOTO A6 Pro.

Nice thread and the same name pop up..
In the market for a new unit and good to see I am on the right track..
Thanks for the posters input..a thread like this should be stickied so that as the years go on we can keep track of the good, bad, ugly..
What about Seicane.com
https://www.belsee.com
Anyone had experience?

Help : Android 2DIN HU with good sound quality?

I konw the title of this thread is a bit general, but I've read a few threads here and now I'm even more confused than before
First of all, hello to everyone here, I've been a reader of this forum for a while, but now I've decided to register, mostly because I need help with the matter in the thread title; I'm absolutely new to Android HUs and everyone I ask has a different opinion. My previous sound system consisted of a Pioneer DEH80PRS HU, Audison LRx 4.300 amp, Helix Deep Blue 12" sub in factory sealed box, and a pair of Audison 5x7 front speakers; the HU was an overkill for the rest of the system, but I got it from a friend that had somewhat of an SQ setup and I've heard what this HU is capable of. Now, I bought a new(er) car, 2007 Kia Ceed (better than my ex 1999 Mazda 323 Sedan), and the HU is 2DIN. I've thought about putting the Pioneer in (as I'm more than happy with its capabilities) but it would look somewhat small and silly in this interior. And if I'm going the 2DIN route I might as well go with an Android HU, for its versatility and let's be open about this, price (compared to brand name solutions). And that's where my problems start.
Since I'm new to the whole market there currently seems to be a wave of DSP units, but I've read through the DSP unit thread and there seems to be no good enough reason for me to buy any of these "DSP" units as the benefits are not that big; the sound control is an ok thing (also mangeable via an app), but everyone seems to talk about how louder it is - I don't really need loudness, I'd like to have something with a good integrated amp that gives out a good signal, it doesn't have to be at a level of my previous HU, but I'd really like it to be above the factory HU (which surprised me with its sound capabilities, but I guess that's because my 2007 car has the newest factory sound system I've had). Also, I noticed quite some people talk about sub outputs not working on some of these HUs, I'd really like to have that working so I could connect the sub out to my amp, are those problems connected to a specific manufacturer or is it just random failures?
The second thing, as this is predominantly chinese manufacturers teritory there are LOTS of them, althoug a few brands stick out. Out of those most people I've talked to tend to have Joying or Eonon, or as of recently Xtrons; Joying is out of the game for me, as of three people I know that have them all three ended up with faulty ones. I was first looking at Eonon GA2171S (because of the DSP), but I can't find any reviews or user experiences, nor can I find the specifications of the amp and/or DSP chip. Other Eonons and Xtrons look pretty similar to me, the specs and the looks, and I'd be happy to get one of them.
And this is where You come in
I need Your reccomendations, preferably based on personal experience, for a new 2DIN Android HU. My priorities are in this order :
- up to 7" screen that fits 2DIN (no overhanging 10" screens as it would look weird to say the least)
- good amp / sound output
- up to date hardware and software (Oreo, 4GB RAM, etc...)
- availability from EU (I'm from Croatia)
- moddability of software (custom roms)
- possibility of connecting factory steering wheel controls
As I've said, Eonons and Xtrons are what I looked at based on reccomendations (and avaliability from EU), but You're free to reccomend something else, I'm open to any suggestions as this is uncharted territory for me.
Tnx to everyone in advance :highfive:

I have 3 different units right now, Ownice, Eonon, and a no name generic. All three of them sound about the same to me, all are amplified with Pioneer or MTX.
I think you're better off just deciding based on features and interfaces you'll need (such as an SD slot or multi USB) and expect bugs cause they all have them
I also have 2 4 gig ram units now and I dont think they are any faster than the 2gb units i have.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Newbie Is it worth getting a Android head unit? I been debating if it's better to go pioneer or try android

I been wanting to update my old head unit and tried looking in here for info but I can't find anything for my questions but my main question is the android units pretty mature that it's smooth and you don't have to really worry about it it just works ? I have no clue on what brands are pretty good I seen joy alot and are people here modding the head units and making them run better?

I am also interested in the feedback from the more experienced Here.
I want to install a large screen Android in our motorhome, but don’t want something that doesn’t work well.
Paul

I recently purchased Topway TS10 unit. My first Android HU, actually my first Android device also.
If I had to do it again I would look for a unit that can be rooted fully - otherwise you are at total mercy of Chinese vendor who may ignore you, give you wrong information or will simply not understand your question.
Based on my, rather limited, knowledge, 3GB RAM CC2 Plus from Alibaba would be on top of my list.

firstbob said:
I recently purchased Topway TS10 unit. My first Android HU, actually my first Android device also.
If I had to do it again I would look for a unit that can be rooted fully - otherwise you are at total mercy of Chinese vendor who may ignore you, give you wrong information or will simply not understand your question.
Based on my, rather limited, knowledge, 3GB RAM CC2 Plus from Alibaba would be on top of my list.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yah that's my main worry's is being at the mercy of a Chinese vendor and having to deal with a buggy OS with no updates and noone on xda having there own version that's better

Neogx said:
Yah that's my main worry's is being at the mercy of a Chinese vendor and having to deal with a buggy OS with no updates and noone on xda having there own version that's better
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Quite right.

marchnz said:
Quite right.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've had some personal experience with both options. Last year I purchased a top-of-the-line Pioneer HU (AVIC W8500NEX) and installed it in my Toyota Highlander. I had nothing but trouble with it. Random reboots and freeze-ups. Replaced the HU once and the CanBus adapter once but problems persisted. I finally gave up and recently purchased a Sygav PX6 android HU. The first HU died after one day. The second HU has been working well other than a few quirks that are well documented in this forum.
So, I don't think there is a clear answer here. I completely understand the concerns about purchasing an off-brand HU, but name brand HU's are not without problems as well.

I've been in this game quite a long time. Heck., I was in this game years ago when it was WinCE.
Functionality wise, the top brands have been playing catch up for years. In the case of some of them, they even went down the WinCE route, so as to provide a pathway to all the great software that was available (iGo Primo, for example).
Where the Chinese head units are playing catch-up, has always been the sound quality. Historically, Chinese Head Units have used very low quality amplifier IC's which give a very mediocre sound.
Then we got the generic Android Head Units and again, the big brand manufacturers were playing catch up, except it's not a level playing field. I doubt big brands would be allowed to ship an almost stock Android Head Unit as they are not 'actually safe' for cars. They are the kind of thing which would have to be sold with a 'Not Road Legal' label attached.
So you've got the CarPlay and Android Auto options coming out of the big brands and you've got the generic Android kit coming out of the Chinese brands. Except, the Chinese brands have now caught up with the sound quality. The PX5 units I had in my BMW and Audi had exceptional sound quality.
As for the quality and reliability. I've always had good luck with Chinese units until recently. My WinCE badgers never failed me. Two PX5's didn't fail either (6 months and 2 years).
So, I got a PX6 for my Jetta as a treat to myself. I was mezmerized by the speed but the first thing I noticed on day 1 is that it ran hot. The PX5 ran comparatively cool and the issue with electronics when they get hot is the lifespan shorten and as this thing ran hot seemingly all the time, it unfortunately didn't last a month, and was returned with an amp defect.
I'm now on a Xtrons MA series, which is basically a Junsun V1 Pro. Performance wise, it pales in comparison to the PX6 and tbh, it even feels a bit sluggish compared to the PX5. However.... it has an extremely good DSP which means the sound quality utterly blows away the PX6, which was already decent btw. It also has some other nice features like Android Assistant that is actually able to dial via your phone properly (it never worked on the PX5), CarPlay for your iPhone, Android Auto if you want it....
So the gap between what Pioneer are knocking out and these Chinese head units is actually massive at this point and it's in favour of the Chinese stuff. You can literally buy a Chinese head unit that offers the same functionality as the Pioneer (CarPlay etc), and more (Android 10) and similar sound quality.
Big manufacturers are on borrowed time. In-built stuff with new cars + these units for old cars are literally the death knell.

You are not comparing apples with apples - genuine units are Android Auto, Chinese origin greyboxes are a hacked Android and are NOT Android Auto. They have two very different use cases.
The problem with Chinese origin knock off Android head units is the lack of recourse, support and consumer protection.
The resellers stop communicating when bugs and problems get hard for them, leaving buyer stuck or out of pocket.

marchnz said:
You are not comparing apples with apples - genuine units are Android Auto, Chinese origin greyboxes are a hacked Android and are NOT Android Auto. They have two very different use cases.
The problem with Chinese origin knock off Android head units is the lack of recourse, support and consumer protection.
The resellers stop communicating when bugs and problems get hard for them, leaving buyer stuck or out of pocket.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My Chinese unit also offers Android Auto and CarPlay via USB, hence my point that I am able to access numerous ecosystems here. Android, Android-Auto, CarPlay.
I think there is some truth to your statement with regards to lacking resource and consumer protection but your best bet is buying from one of the more legitimate UK based resellers. I've bought my last three from Xtrons and the one which failed, they took back in an instant and refunded the money. It's a gamble but it's hardly a risky gamble, we're talking a few hundred pounds here, and if you're sensible and buy through a protected platform like Amazon, you'll be fine.
In my experience, quality control issues usually manifest themselves within a very short period of time. In my case, it was less than a month. If your unit is still going strong after 3-4 then I'd say you're onto a winner. The bugs are usually bitty I find. My PX5 and PX6's were really smooth and powerful, but had irritating little 'misses' like Google Now couldn't make a call via Bluetooth, which is more like a missing feature than an actual bug. This new unit doesn't feel particularly buggy UI wise, but it's definitely not as powerful.... However, it offers some really clever features that the PX5 and PX6 didn't, such as calling via Google Now right out of the box and separated volume channels for different things. Higher clock speeds aren't everything. I've not made up my mind on it currently, but as it costs £260 inc delivery and brought a whole load of surprisingly useful extras the PX5/6 don't, I think I am OK with it.
One thing I would point out here:
Any aftermarket radio that offers apps or 'AppRadio-esque' functionality is at the mercy of manufacturer. The ecosystem they selling against is essentially a moving target. I think the big brands get let off so easily here.
AppRadio – Apps on Google Play
Turn your car into a connected car with Pioneer AppRadio
play.google.com
The Pioneer AppRadio app above has a wonderful 2 star rating on Google Play. Is it any wonder? A number of the early App Radios (1-4 definitely) are now dead if used with official software. The only alternative is AppRadio Unchained which is effectively a screen mirroring app and a right mess to get working. Let's not pretend that you're good for life if you get yourself a Pioneer or Sony. You are merely on a countdown and eventually they'll pull the plug.
In the case of a Chinese radio, it's usually however long it takes for the hardware to become obsolete and unusable, if the hardware itself doesn't fail. My PX5's were running the latest apps and my oldest was bought in 2018. I expect this current unit will keep going for a similar amount of time, albeit not as quick as I'd like. Tl:dr, I think it's naive to think we buy radios (including big brand) to last 5-10 years. At the price point they exist, we should be happy with 3 years. Not many people keep their cars much longer than that anyway.