Database Users

Where to start - new Joying Android Head Unit issues

Hi,
I've just installed a new Joying Android Head Unit and I'm pretty disappointed by the sound quality - in fact it's awful - on radio and playing very high quality mp3s - I know it's not the car speakers because they sounded great on the old system.
So I came here wondering if there is anything I can do about it?
I've installed PowerAmp app and tweaked the equalizer, however the sound always sounds tinny - especially noticeable on the base.
At the moment I'm only getting sound from the front speakers which could be a wiring issue..
Looking around I notice there is a soldering solution to fixing the radio sound - is this a general fix for sound output? Anyone tried it?
Finally, would fitting an external amp improve things, or would the signal from the Joying unit still be too poor?

Yeah I completed 7floor's sound mode on mine. It helped with the squashed sound and tinny-ness now the sound is better, not that of a brand name head unit, but better.

welcome to the world of chinese android HUs. Add an external DSP and external amp. That would give you the most noticeable boost. Find a good deal on a used amp from your local craigslist, and for DSP, check out the minidsp 2x4. It's roughly $100 and is fantastic.

Can anyone explain the difference between DSP and Amp, and how this links in with the HU?
I get that the HU has the audio controlled by the Sound Processor IC which is controlled by the MCU - and the point of the mod is to control it via Android.
Does the DSP replace the processing of the Sound processor with/without the MCU, or does it process sound afterwards?
The Amp presumably comes last and only serves to boost the power of the provided signal.
I'm happy to buy a decent dsp and amp, as I think the android unit is fab apart from the sound quality, if the quality I can eventually produce rivals that of a reasonable audio system.
Sorry, but I'm somewhat of a noob when it comes to car audio systems.

dsp -
https://www.minidsp.com/products/minidsp-in-a-box/minidsp-2x4
lets you set electronic cross-overs, equalization, and time alignment. Effectively a super advanced sound processor that overrides the HU sound processing. So what you do is set the HU EQ to flat, so that it's not doing any sound processing to the signal, and let the DSP do the work. the minidsp even has tools that let you auto-eq the system using an app called REW. Similar to how home audio receivers have tools like accueq etc.
an amp is exactly what you say. It becomes essential if you swap out the stock speakers for nicer ones that require more power. They accept low level RCA inputs, as does the DSP, so if you plan to add a DSP you may as well add an amp.
This becomes quite a bit of work to set up, as it's a lot of laborious wiring. But if you want the best sound out of these things, it's the way to go. I hated the stock audio system in my car, so for me it was a no-brainer. I'm on a quest to squeeze the best sound I can out of my unit, and while I'm still not quite there, it's miles better than where it started.

Hisma said:
dsp -
https://www.minidsp.com/products/minidsp-in-a-box/minidsp-2x4
lets you set electronic cross-overs, equalization, and time alignment. Effectively a super advanced sound processor that overrides the HU sound processing. So what you do is set the HU EQ to flat, so that it's not doing any sound processing to the signal, and let the DSP do the work. the minidsp even has tools that let you auto-eq the system using an app called REW. Similar to how home audio receivers have tools like accueq etc.
an amp is exactly what you say. It becomes essential if you swap out the stock speakers for nicer ones that require more power. They accept low level RCA inputs, as does the DSP, so if you plan to add a DSP you may as well add an amp.
This becomes quite a bit of work to set up, as it's a lot of laborious wiring. But if you want the best sound out of these things, it's the way to go. I hated the stock audio system in my car, so for me it was a no-brainer. I'm on a quest to squeeze the best sound I can out of my unit, and while I'm still not quite there, it's miles better than where it started.
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Did you ever use the mini dsp and if so how was the quality with Android being the source? Did you do the 7floors sound bypass mod as well or is there a better method now? I have 2 amps, 1 mono 1 4channel and would like better control and quality on my rk3188. Thanks

New Car Stereo

I was hoping someone could help.
I need a new 2 Din, Full Android Car Stereo which satisfies the following:
1) Has 4 channels and a subwoofer out
2) The subwoofer out is of normal voltage (ie 4v or above)
3) There is a built in Gain control for the sub on the head unit
4) There is a built in crossover for the speakers and sub so that not too much bass is going to the speakers and not too much mid/treble is going to the sub
5) the above 2 features will be active and work while using 3rd party apps like poweramp etc
All the other stuff like wifi and bluetooth and OBD2 support is assumed as they all seem to do this.
i would appreciate any advice because whenever i email sellers it takes a day to get back to me every time and the answers are always vague and unclear.
many thanks in advance

2-4 I think you're asking too much at this point.. I don't think any of the chinese Android units can meet these requirements at this point. They have SUB output, but no built in crossover which works out of the box. Some units, I believe MTC of sorts, had the hardware but it wasn't hooked up properly, so some people were able to make it work by soldering in some trace wires on the board and moving two resistors. Not something for anyone unless you have good skills in soldering.
For now, I just use an external 3-way active crossover. It works fine. At the moment I'm using the built in amplifier, but will install an amplifier soon as the built in one isn't very powerful, only about 4x15-18W according to the datasheet of the amp IC they used.

Hilari0 said:
2-4 I think you're asking too much at this point.. I don't think any of the chinese Android units can meet these requirements at this point. They have SUB output, but no built in crossover which works out of the box. Some units, I believe MTC of sorts, had the hardware but it wasn't hooked up properly, so some people were able to make it work by soldering in some trace wires on the board and moving two resistors. Not something for anyone unless you have good skills in soldering.
For now, I just use an external 3-way active crossover. It works fine. At the moment I'm using the built in amplifier, but will install an amplifier soon as the built in one isn't very powerful, only about 4x15-18W according to the datasheet of the amp IC they used.
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Hi mate, thanks for your response.
So what i have at the moment is the head unit below:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01CGA5...483542345&sr=sr-1&keywords=android+car+stereo
A fitter came and set up my sub and amp from my old car. The rca goes straight from the sub out of the unit into the amp at the back which powers the sub.
The problem i am having is that when i want to hear the sub i have to turn the bass up - when i turn the bass up too high the speakers crackle as the equaliser is universal.
Someone recommended me a PAC LD-10 low pass line which will increase the voltage to the amp for my sub and give me a knob to control the level....will fitting this be enough to do the job?
can you send me a link to your 3-way cross over?
thanks

I'm not using a special crossover by any means, just a standard crossover which are readily available. Not sure the specific one I use, but it looks pretty much identical to this one but with a different color:
http://www.lazada.com.ph/boschmann-mobile-audio-electronic-crossover-23-way-xm-3a-9196761.html
The PAC LD-10 will increase the line level yes, so you get a good signal over 4V. As far as I know, this is a pure preamplifier (or signal booster if you will), without any sort of crossover. It has separate controls for left/right, so you can adjust balance, but that's about it. You can read all about it here:
http://www.pac-audio.com/productDetails.aspx?ProductId=264&CategoryID=28
You get them on Amazon/ebay for $18.49 plus shipping.

Hilari0 said:
I'm not using a special crossover by any means, just a standard crossover which are readily available. Not sure the specific one I use, but it looks pretty much identical to this one but with a different color:
http://www.lazada.com.ph/boschmann-mobile-audio-electronic-crossover-23-way-xm-3a-9196761.html
The PAC LD-10 will increase the line level yes, so you get a good signal over 4V. As far as I know, this is a pure preamplifier (or signal booster if you will), without any sort of crossover. It has separate controls for left/right, so you can adjust balance, but that's about it. You can read all about it here:
http://www.pac-audio.com/productDetails.aspx?ProductId=264&CategoryID=28
You get them on Amazon/ebay for $18.49 plus shipping.
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Thanks mate.
Does the sub-out on my unit not limit the frequency to say 120 or 150 and below? So hopefully i will just need a crossover for the speakers...?
So if i need a PAC LD-10 for the sub and a crossover for the speakers will my battery be able to cope with powering both of those as well as the Head Unit?

When I hooked up the subwoofer in my car to the SUB output on my head unit, it sounded awful. It seemed to play full range sound without any crossover, and the sound was greatly improved when I installed the crossover. I didn't have an issue with it being too low though, so depending on the way your amplifier and head unit is designed, your results may vary. If you plan on using aftermarket amplifiers for all the speakers, I recommend using an external crossover, either one like I use or the one that is built in on the amplifiers themselves, as many come with that already.

Hilari0 said:
When I hooked up the subwoofer in my car to the SUB output on my head unit, it sounded awful. It seemed to play full range sound without any crossover, and the sound was greatly improved when I installed the crossover. I didn't have an issue with it being too low though, so depending on the way your amplifier and head unit is designed, your results may vary. If you plan on using aftermarket amplifiers for all the speakers, I recommend using an external crossover, either one like I use or the one that is built in on the amplifiers themselves, as many come with that already.
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the amp connected to my sub has a built in filter and gain. The gain is on max but i can only hear the sub properly when i turn the bass up on my equaliser, but it still doesnt thump like it did in my old car. The other issue is that the speakers crackles as soon as you start turning the volume up after that. I dont think i need an amp for the speakers as they can even take the Head Units power as they crackle when i turn it up....unless this is becasue the audio quality is so bad.....jesus i never realised this would be so complicated when i had it fitted.

i forgot to remind you as well - will the normal car battery power these devices and headunit...and i also have my amp in the boot...

Speakers will always perform better with a strong amp vs a weak amp. And a weak amp can make good speakers crackle even if they're far from their max power output, due to the amplifier not being able to handle the load. If you have a car with a proprietary amplifier system which uses weird inputs, it may be a challenge to make it work properly and you might be better served replacing that amplifier with an aftermarket one. Don't throw the stock factory amp away, if you ever want to reinstall the OEM system when you sell it or similar. If not, selling it may give a nice income as some of these go for a premium.
---------- Post added at 01:03 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:59 AM ----------
Oh, and yeah. A standard car battery and alternator should be able to handle a normal sized sound system, even if it's aftermarket. I wouldn't be worried about installing a head unit, a 4x50W amp and a monoblock amp for the subwoofer. Perhaps I'd go to the step of installing a capacitor if the subwoofer was more than 200W and the dash lights started dimming, but this is usually only an issue if you install a huge sound system. Normal listening levels never reaches high power demands..

Hilari0 said:
Speakers will always perform better with a strong amp vs a weak amp. And a weak amp can make good speakers crackle even if they're far from their max power output, due to the amplifier not being able to handle the load. If you have a car with a proprietary amplifier system which uses weird inputs, it may be a challenge to make it work properly and you might be better served replacing that amplifier with an aftermarket one. Don't throw the stock factory amp away, if you ever want to reinstall the OEM system when you sell it or similar. If not, selling it may give a nice income as some of these go for a premium.
---------- Post added at 01:03 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:59 AM ----------
Oh, and yeah. A standard car battery and alternator should be able to handle a normal sized sound system, even if it's aftermarket. I wouldn't be worried about installing a head unit, a 4x50W amp and a monoblock amp for the subwoofer. Perhaps I'd go to the step of installing a capacitor if the subwoofer was more than 200W and the dash lights started dimming, but this is usually only an issue if you install a huge sound system. Normal listening levels never reaches high power demands..
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spot on mate - the major issue with my oem kit is that it was fibre optic from the main head unit to the back amp. However the guy that fitted the stereo for me asured me that the power from the HU would be more than enough to power the speakers in the car...looks like he was wrong!
So in summary i can buy one of these as the amp for the 4 speakers
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-JbbC3Sa3qOK/p_500MRVF300/Alpine-MRV-F300.html
And then get the PAC LD-10 for the sub and that should be me done right? In theory...LOL

I don't see any reason why it shouldn't work, but I don't know anything about the headunit you have so I have no idea if it has good or bad preamp outputs. It does look like a pretty standard Rockchip based unit, so I suppose it would work fine.
Powering speakers with the built in amplifier works, but only to a certain point. It's mostly good for your bog standard OEM speakers from a mid to low class vehicle. Anything premium or larger setup in a luxury vehicle typically requires a bit more power than the internal one can give. I know they write 4x50W on the box for the head unit, but that number is a peak output power at 10% THD or something, horribly overrated. hehe. Not sure if your head unit uses the same amp IC as the Joying ones, but I checked the datasheet on that and it was at 4x15W at 4 ohms when it crossed the 0.1% THD mark, and you typically don't want to go beyond that.

Hilari0 said:
I don't see any reason why it shouldn't work, but I don't know anything about the headunit you have so I have no idea if it has good or bad preamp outputs. It does look like a pretty standard Rockchip based unit, so I suppose it would work fine.
Powering speakers with the built in amplifier works, but only to a certain point. It's mostly good for your bog standard OEM speakers from a mid to low class vehicle. Anything premium or larger setup in a luxury vehicle typically requires a bit more power than the internal one can give. I know they write 4x50W on the box for the head unit, but that number is a peak output power at 10% THD or something, horribly overrated. hehe. Not sure if your head unit uses the same amp IC as the Joying ones, but I checked the datasheet on that and it was at 4x15W at 4 ohms when it crossed the 0.1% THD mark, and you typically don't want to go beyond that.
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ok - i have booked in the fitting;
- a 4 x 50w rms amp with variable crossover for the speakers
- Line driver for the sub with variable gain
One more question. I have an RMA set up on the Head Unit. Is there a "best full android head unit" that i can buy and send this one back?
I want the unit with the best balance of being fast cpu (the one i have does lag a bit when trying to go in and out of apps and i am not used to that as i have always had decent android devices - it can be very frustrating), enough ram and 16gb storage minimum and also better sound quality than the one i have.
From what i gather they are all pretty similar in regard to the above but is there one out at the moment which stands out from the rest in terms of sound quality but keeps the full android and decent cpu?

Well, at the moment the best units around is the Intel Sofia based units with 2GB ram, they come with 32GB internal storage as well. I have the Joying JY-UL135N2 and I'm happy with it. As with all of the chinese Android head units, it has a few quirks, but it doesn't have any dealbreaking stuff. Plus it has fully working Bluetooth, just that they removed it from the Settings menu.. hehe. There's a thread here on the forum on how to make the full stock Bluetooth settings open, so that's really great!
Here's my head unit: https://www.carjoying.com/joying-ne...-wifi-mirror-link-entertainment-multimed.html
And here's the thread for full bluetooth: https://forum.xda-developers.com/an...elopment/bluetooth-settings-launcher-t3504526
The biggest problem with it is that it doesn't have a good heatsink on it, so the CPU gets pretty hot. It still performs smoothly, so not a big issue but I don't like that it runs so hot so personally I'm gonna attach an Intel stock CPU cooler from a desktop with thermal epoxy, and that should take care of it.

Hilari0 said:
Well, at the moment the best units around is the Intel Sofia based units with 2GB ram, they come with 32GB internal storage as well. I have the Joying JY-UL135N2 and I'm happy with it. As with all of the chinese Android head units, it has a few quirks, but it doesn't have any dealbreaking stuff. Plus it has fully working Bluetooth, just that they removed it from the Settings menu.. hehe. There's a thread here on the forum on how to make the full stock Bluetooth settings open, so that's really great!
Here's my head unit: https://www.carjoying.com/joying-ne...-wifi-mirror-link-entertainment-multimed.html
And here's the thread for full bluetooth: https://forum.xda-developers.com/an...elopment/bluetooth-settings-launcher-t3504526
The biggest problem with it is that it doesn't have a good heatsink on it, so the CPU gets pretty hot. It still performs smoothly, so not a big issue but I don't like that it runs so hot so personally I'm gonna attach an Intel stock CPU cooler from a desktop with thermal epoxy, and that should take care of it.
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ok great. I appreciate this
so just to clarify, with your stereo, there is no Bluetooth in the settings? So is there no way to pair your phone to make/receive calls unless i use this workaround? Why in the hell would they do that??
Also does this unit have usb flash ports so i can plug my 128gb flash drive in?
Also does it have sub-out?

nk33 said:
ok great. I appreciate this
so just to clarify, with your stereo, there is no Bluetooth in the settings? So is there no way to pair your phone to make/receive calls unless i use this workaround? Why in the hell would they do that??
Also does this unit have usb flash ports so i can plug my 128gb flash drive in?
Also does it have sub-out?
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EDIT
Actually i can see the sub -out.
It says bluetooth 4 on the site....if i only want to use the Bluetooth for making calls etc i am assuming i wont need to do the mod?
i use wifi tethering from my phone anyway - not Bluetooth - i am assuming this stereo will be ok with this.
damn this stereo looks good.
should i be worried about the heat? i am seriously thinking of buying this and getting them to fit it along with the other equipment...and send the other one back for a refund

The bluetooth works out of the box, but it's somewhat limited with their not so good bluetooth dialer app. It works to call and such, and limited pairing, but you only get full use of it if you do the mod mentioned in that thread. It's pretty easy to do that mod though. And yes, it has sub out but there's no built in crossover or anything.

Most likely it will work well despite the heat. In the worst case, would you be comfortable in opening it and installing a heatsink on it? Thermal epoxy seems to be the way to go there, Arctic Alumina Thermal Adhesive is the one I'm gonna use, just waiting for it to show up in the mail.
http://www.arcticsilver.com/arctic_alumina_thermal_adhesive.htm

Hilari0 said:
Most likely it will work well despite the heat. In the worst case, would you be comfortable in opening it and installing a heatsink on it? Thermal epoxy seems to be the way to go there, Arctic Alumina Thermal Adhesive is the one I'm gonna use, just waiting for it to show up in the mail.
http://www.arcticsilver.com/arctic_alumina_thermal_adhesive.htm
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Ok, I have ordered the head unit you have.
I will ask the fitter if he is willing to add a heatsink for me.
If it has an intel sofia processor… surely the processor has a heatsync gel and hearsink already?? It surely will overheat without one…?
Tell me are the audio specs better than my current unit? What is the rms on the speakers and the sub out voltage?
Sent from my SM-G925F using XDA Free mobile app

I have no idea what the output voltage is on the sub or preamp outputs, but the built in amp is 4x15-18W rms at 0,1 %thd. I can post a datasheet to the amplifier IC they use if you want. The sub output seems loud enough, I just use an active crossover on it with the gain set at 0 db.

@Hilari0 I disagree that the sofia units are the best. Mainly because the whole chipset was a failure and development stopped and you will never get updates and never see android 6 even. So after 2 years it is garbage. Also MTK based quad core units are slightly faster and support Android 6, 4G/LTE etc. natively.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/3063...-tablet-markets-after-cutting-atom-chips.html
I myself bought an Ownice C500 after considering all the options. It was also cheaper and so far there does not seem to be any problems reported. The only downside is that it has 16GB storage, but well I am thinking I will stick in an SD card if it ever becomes a problem.
Also C500 units have a subwoofer out but I don't know if it completely satisfies the requirements of the OP. I just ordered a C500 unit myself and waiting for it although I won't use the subwoofer out.

Frequency variations

So I've had higher end pioneer, alpines, Kenwood's etc. I just bought an obscure android unit because 1 it was cheap and two it mirrors flawlessly. Here's my question... Across all of these platforms whenever I adjust the frequencies either in the phone os or (now) on the head unit when one, say low 60hz or lower goes up I lose volume on the other end of the spectrum. This has been steady across everything, phone's too LG's, Samsung, HTC 10 my current phone. Also they have all been both rooted and stock, it's becoming infuriating. Is this just a limitation in the hardware not normally noticed or simply overlooked by manufacturers because most people im assuming dont listen at loud volumes over these specific frequencies, ie earbuds and such. Or have I been consistently messing something up? I've tried at least 100 different apps. rooted aftermarket sound mods, bluetooth,aux input. All with the same result. And the tracks aren't necessarily the issue either because I've gone in and re-amatured (sorry) those as well. I searched and searched many a waiting in the car for the wife and found nothing. But I think the search engines hate me. Any input would be appreciated.

I've found the same thing with a lot of EQ's available via the play store.
However, I'd highly recommend a mod that's been around forever called Viper4Android - it does NOT act like those EQ apps you get from the app store, where increasing the bass actually just lowers the mids and treble. Without Viper4Android on my MTCE PX5 head-unit, I would not be happy with the sound quality. With Viper4Android, the unit sounds better than any other headunit I've owned (although, I am using an external amp as well). But even with the internal amp, Viper4Android brings the sound quality to new levels.
I've tried all of the sound-patch MCUs and none of them make anywhere near the difference that Viper4Android does. It has a "real" EQ (10-band) as well as lots of other very cool (and useful) functions.
Some people will tell you that you should leave the EQ on your radio "flat" becuase that is "how the music is supposed to sound", but that is absolutely false. That may be true *if* your car was a recording studio, where everything is optimal for sound-quality, but a car is about the furthest thing from a recording studio. A car radio with a "flat" EQ sounds absolutely nothing like the artist intended because the car environment is an absolutely horrible place for good sound-quality. Viper4Android allows you to correct the issues caused by the car environment *and* tweak the sound to your specific liking.
When it comes to sound-quality, all that *really* matters is what *you* think of the sound (not what someone else tells you it should sound like) - and Viper4Android is the best tool I've found to make the music sound good to *you*.
Just my opinion, of course.

Had it
jtrosky said:
I've found the same thing with a lot of EQ's available via the play store.
However, I'd highly recommend a mod that's been around forever called Viper4Android - it does NOT act like those EQ apps you get from the app store, where increasing the bass actually just lowers the mids and treble. Without Viper4Android on my MTCE PX5 head-unit, I would not be happy with the sound quality. With Viper4Android, the unit sounds better than any other headunit I've owned (although, I am using an external amp as well). But even with the internal amp, Viper4Android brings the sound quality to new levels.
I've tried all of the sound-patch MCUs and none of them make anywhere near the difference that Viper4Android does. It has a "real" EQ (10-band) as well as lots of other very cool (and useful) functions.
Some people will tell you that you should leave the EQ on your radio "flat" becuase that is "how the music is supposed to sound", but that is absolutely false. That may be true *if* your car was a recording studio, where everything is optimal for sound-quality, but a car is about the furthest thing from a recording studio. A car radio with a "flat" EQ sounds absolutely nothing like the artist intended because the car environment is an absolutely horrible place for good sound-quality. Viper4Android allows you to correct the issues caused by the car environment *and* tweak the sound to your specific liking.
When it comes to sound-quality, all that *really* matters is what *you* think of the sound (not what someone else tells you it should sound like) - and Viper4Android is the best tool I've found to make the music sound good to *you*.
Just my opinion, of course.
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Had V4A on my stylo 2+ and didn't sound bad but,and again I was probably using something incorrectly but same deal raise the high end and signal to my subs would fade out and vice-versa. I was hoping it wasn't a hardware limitation but it really seems that way. Best idea I've found it phone and headunit slightly adjusted to define the signals then an active preamp equalizer / crossover to split said freq and supply some of missing wattage from the poor audio chips at least in the Android HU's. But thanks for the input. :good:

I'm sure that not all Android head-units are created equal, but I can say with absolute certainty that with Viper4Android on my Eonon-branded MTCE-WWW Android 8 head-unit, I am definitely not losing low end when I increase the high-end (or vice-versa). In fact, I get the best bass that I've ever had in a head-unit and I'm actually having to go out of my way to sound-deaden and "tighten up" the car interior in order to handle the bass without vibration-related sounds coming from the inteior parts at higher volume levels! The sound is incredible - even from on-line streaming sources such as Pandora and Spotify (I have mine setup to automatically use separate V4A profiles for each music app via Tasker).
However, I do have a small extenral 45Wx4 RMS Kicker KEY180.4 auto-tuning DSP amp and a small Pioneer TS-WH500A under-the-seat subwoofer. Between the EQ and the Convolver in V4A (I personally like the BBE5 convolver .irs file), this thing sounds incredible. I was really concerned about sound-quality with this Android head-unit, but that turned out to be a non-issue with V4A (probably would have been an issue without it).
But even with the stock amp, it sounded really good with V4A (not quite powerful enough for me though). The Kicker KEY180.4 auto-tuning DSP amp definitely helps though. Love that amp. It has a higher noise floor than I'd like, but it sounds fantastic (I originally had an Alpine KTP-445U 45Wx4 RMS amp and the Kicker sounds *so* much better).
I would defintiely give V4A a try if you are looking for better sound quality. I feel that car steroes can benefit from 4VA even more than phones.

Running at high volume safe?

I've recently fitted an Xtrons PB88UNVP (MTCE_GS_V2.88_3) PX5 headunit. The speaker power is 4x45W (probably pretty standard on these things) and generally sounds good.
However, it's quieter than my previous WinCE unit and I find I have to run it higher up the volume scale for a decent listening volume.
Sometimes I like my music loud, and I can turn it up to MAX (30) without deafening myself or even experiencing clipping from the headunit's amplifier - output is still clean and undistorted. I'm running the EQ fairly flat and Loudness is set to ON.
My question is - NOT what volume should I be listening at in my car to still hear the engine, traffic around me and be safe on the roads - BUT is it safe to run these headunits at 25-30 (83-100%) continuously/for extended periods? Will it overheat or be damaged by running at this sort of volume?
Thanks

I noticed the exact same thing - again, compared to my previous WinCE units, just like you. These Android units just seem significantly less powerful in comparison. I have a feeling that the 45Wx4 max rating (I know it's not RMS) is a little on the "wishful thinking" side. My WinCE units (18->25Wx4 RMS, 50Wx4 max) seemed considerably more powerful.
I haven't seen these Android units list the RMS power, but I have a feeling it's lower than a lot of the older WinCE units. It also seems like the volume scale is just "different" - it doesn't start getting even somewhat loud until the volume is 2/3rd's of the way up or higher.
It's really hard to say if they are clipping or not in those upper ranges, but I have a feeling they may be - depending on how you have the EQ set - even if you can't hear the distortion.
To me, it seems like you have to sacrifice a lot on the audio side of things for the flexibility that you get from Android.

@jtrosky: I have noticed distortion when the EQ is set to the Rock preset, which is very bass-heavy, and is turned up high. I don't personally like heavily biased EQ profiles and would prefer to run it as flat as possible across the frequency spectrum. A little bit of tuning seems to help these units particularly though. I agree with you that their amplifiers are weak, or rather underpowered. That said, my experience so far is that at medium volumes it sounds alright, to the extent that I didn't notice my sub wasn't working at first.
So do you regularly run yours at two thirds volume or above and do you think they can handle it for a sustained period?
Has anyone ever fried one of these?

Honestly, I connected an amp shortly after installing, so I can't say how they would last over time if used at louder volumes frequently with the internal amp. To me, it seems like they have the volume control setup in a way where it doesn't get very loud until at least 2/3rd's volume - and then every click makes a substantial difference. So I wonder if they just have the volume scale "tuned" differenlty than other head-units? But my point was that the unit can be clipping without you even hearing any distortion - clipping is not always audible. I had a LOC hooked up for testing briefly and it had a "clipping" light - and I was seeing clipping way before any distortion was audible. I think these units use pretty poor quality amps.
I've actually removed the Android head-unit completely and went back to my older WinCE-based unit. Just was not happy with the Android unit (sound quality, noise-related issues, etc).

I've actually removed the Android head-unit completely and went back to my older WinCE-based unit. Just was not happy with the Android unit (sound quality, noise-related issues, etc).
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That's sad to hear. I deliberated for so long before taking the plunge and buying one. I like the Android platform, and the few niggles I have with mine aren't sufficient to make me want to change it... yet.
I must admit though, when I made my first post I had been listening to DAB, which is probably the quietest source. FM is probably 15% louder at the same volume setting, and is the loudest of all the sources. I don't know if there is any way to make this louder, as a USB device, and there is no volume 'boost' option within realzoulou's DAB-Z app (only a <= 100% setting).
FM on full whack does distort a bit, but it's too loud to listen to constantly, so while a bit weak I think the on-board amp should be capable of more.
Better control of volume on different sources within Android would be nice, do you know if this is possible?

You can alter the volume of each source in the Factory Settings, under the "Voice" tab...
If you are coming from a stock radio with stock speakers, the Android head-units may be an upgrade in terms of sound-quality. But for me, coming from an aftermarket, high-quality WinCE unit, the sound quality just wasn't up to par. The WinCE unit I'm referring to (Dynavin N7) has high-quality audio components though (4V pre-outs, "high-resolution Burr Brown 24-Bit Digital to Analogue converters", etc) - so once I got used to the sound quality of the Dynavin (or even the Rosen GM1010 befoer it), it was hard switching over to the Android unit. Believe me, I went to great lengths to make it work, but it just wasn't mean to be, considering the sound-quality downgrade and the noise-related issues I had with the Android unit.
Don't get me wrong - I liked almost everything about having full-blown Android as the OS - it's just the sound quality that I wasn't 100% happy with - which, to me, is very important.

Review of PX6 Android 9 head unit -too high expectations? Return or exchange?

I ordered a PX6 4 /64 GB (MTCE_CHS) head unit with 720 p display and Android 9 for my Mercedes-Benz W211. I found a seller at AliExpress with great reviews so I felt safe to order from them.
This will be a short review which I hope can help someone who is looking for info before buying a Android Head unit, but I am also very thankful if someone has ideas how I can solve my problems.
Pros:
- Very sharp display with good viewing angles.
- Reverse cam works great in good lightning conditions.
- Fast startup from standby.
- Useful equalizer which makes it possible to get a great sound experience.
- Custom ROM, root, Tasker and FCC Launcher make it possible to customize the head unit in many ways.
- Very good GPS performance when connected to original powered GPS-antenna in car.
- Apple CarPlay works and looks generally very good, but has problems with sound mixing which makes it useless.
Cons:
- Handsfree sound quality sucks so much it's useless. Sound from the other persons is bad and they can't barely hear me. Tried with external microphone also.
- No auto brightness and max brightness is low in sunny conditions.
- General audio quality, there is constant background noise and interference from wifi, bluetooth and USB devices makes it worse.
- The head unit was supposed to be plug and play but I had to modify my car and use an dremel multi tool to cut the plastic in the car, which makes it difficult to go back to original head unit. This is normal according to seller but no info before buying.
- Android apps does not display well in a car head unit. Even when adjusting dpi it is difficult to find a good setting. Text and objects will be too small or too big, sometimes frustrating and dangerous to control music and navigation apps when driving.
- Android Auto is displayed in low resolution and looks bad, it also has problems with sound mixing which makes it useless.
- FM radio reception is bad, even though I use the original powered antenna in the car.
- General sound mixing problems in different apps.
- I had dust debris inside the display, which is visible with both display off and on.
Problems:
- I have an intermittent problem with a "popping" sound and at the same time the display goes to night mode for a second and reset the clock to 0:00. Tried to disable auto night mode in factory settings but no difference.
- Sometimes when opening a door or turning on the ignition there is a loud high pitch sound from the speakers, very uncomfortable, almost hurts the ears and scares the passengers.
- Sound mixing, when using Android Auto och Apple CarPlay, it will automatically lower music volume when giving navigation directions, but will not increase volume afterwards. So when you manually increase music volume again, next time the voice will be so high it almost destroy your speakers and ears. The navigation voice in Waze Android app gets cut 0,5 - 1,0 seconds to early.
When speaking to the seller they have problems understanding my issues, and just tell me to wait for MCU update (I already have the latest). Seems like they just want to delay so the time when it is possible to open a dispute will end.
What would you recommend me to do? Demand an exchange of my head unit and canbus decoder and hope it will solve the problems? Demand a refund and buy a Sony or Kenwood Android Auto / Apple CarPlay head unit?
Just accept the problems and issues and try to forget that I paid A LOT of money for the head unit and all the accessories?

There are dozens of different manufacturers and hardware types using PX6.
Post MCU type so people can know the manufacturer and type of unit being reviewed.

marchnz said:
There are dozens of different manufacturers and hardware types using PX6.
Post MCU type so people can know the manufacturer and type of unit being reviewed.
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Click to collapse
Sorry, it is a MTCE_CHS, I added the info to the first post.

I think that this highlights a general problem with the chinese android head units: They just aren't "consumer-ready". Don't get me wrong, they provide fantastic bang for your buck, but they all have their problems (many of which can be solved through help from this forum) and they all lack any decent support. Having said that, I also have a PX6 4G/64G unit in my car, and I just don't have any of the problems you mention. It's not without its annoyances, and I have had to work through several problems to get it sorted, but after just a few months I am very happy with what I have ended up with. The sound quality is fantastic to my untrained ears, and it all works fairly smoothly. I got a massive upgrade in functionality in my 21 year old car for not much money.
In your case, there seem to be too many problems that appear to be related to the hardware. I don't think that an MCU update is going to fix the issues that you list, and so If it were me, I would be returned the unit asap, and trying a different manufacturer, either another chinese manufacturer or one of the proven japanese manufacturers.