Replacing head unit, possibly all speakers...

[330i Lover]

I'll start off by saying I have higher than most standards for audio quality. My previous daily driver was a 2012 Camry with Entune/Bluetooth/Apps and was absolutely phenomenal of bringing both crisp-ness from the tweets, great mids and more bass than I ever thought a stock stereo could deliver. No matter the volume I never heard distortion. Well, the Camry is going up on Craigslist soon and it needs to go. My goal is to have the ZHP sound just as good, if not better, without ripping the entire car apart.
The ZHP I recently picked up has the OEM head unit with the factory upgraded HK sound system (with surround sound button below the climate control). I think it has 11 speakers total. It sounds very muffled to me, like I'm in a shoebox and I can't open the lid. Considering the speakers are most likely made of a paper-material it's no shocker. I am DESPERATELY wanting Bluetooth to work in the ZHP but i'm troubled by the idea that I'll have to replace the head unit (probably with Eonon for roughly $400) and probably all of the original 11 speakers(who knows how much $).

Question
Does anyone have the non-android Eonon head unit(there are multiple models, ie D5150V/D5150Z) with the original HK speakers and have feedback on how it sounds? Did the head unit provide enough quality power to notice a large/small difference in quality compared to the original head unit? If so please provide as much detail on your thoughts comparing the stock head unit vs. the Eonon. Thanks in advance.

[Oli77]

I remember this quy on the other forum who was selling replacement speakers for 1/2 the price of bavauto.
http://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?2102831-BMW-E46-Harman-Kardon-Speaker-Upgrade-Kit-609-99

No idea about head unit. I am still listening to MP3s on my head unit.

[330i Lover]

Whoa! Did you read the dispute there? No way Jose' would I consider ordering from that guy. Anyone with Eonon head unit that can chime in on the sound quality with the HK speakers?

[starfox5194]

I am going to save you a lot of time and head ache, don't buy an EONON unit. I don't care wether it's android or win CE.

I had both of them.
Things that bugged the hell out of me:
Clunky, stuff worked sometimes. Othertimes they didn't.
Interference, you can hear hums and hisses when the volume is turned up. sounds terrible.
Not optimized for HK crossovers. You'll be overdriving your speakers in the wrong frequency range.

Your best option if you don't want to do a lot of work and wan't a modest audio upgrade:
Replace your old worn out speakers with others that work. I guarantee you that your old speakers are cracked/torn. BSW or Ebay kit for e46 will probably be fine and cheaper than OEM replacements. Need bluetooth? buy a dice kit, you won't regret it.

What did I do? Spent a ton of money and now I'm happy.
Head unit: Pioneer DEH-80PRS. Active 3 way. (better choice would be stock HU w/dice and Helix P six DSP)
Front Speakers: Hybrid Audio Technologies L1 Pro R2, HAT C61-2. I cut holes in the doors and built wooden mounts for those to fit. Only way to get the bass up front.
Rear subs: Acoustic Elegance 10" IB10AU.
Amps: Alpine PDX-F6, PDX M12.
I went overkill on the amps. I was planning on doing more. I didn't need to. Find a nice 5/6 channel amp. Alpine PDX V9 will probably be perfect and hide where the 6 disk changer is (OR the P six DSP (includes amplifier)).

That's all I have. Three sets of speakers actively tuned. They sound like god himself orchestrated the music. Plenty of bass, breathtaking clarity, even my girlfriend loves it.

Changing out your stock HU is going to add quirks, nothing will be perfect.

If you are looking for better clarity, replace the speakers. No head unit or amplifier will make blown speakers sound good.
If you want god to orcestrate your music, message me privately and I can give you some suggestions.

[Jon D]

What he said [emoji651]️


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[UdubBadger]

D5150 with upgraded OS non android user here. Been super happy with it, audio upgrade is noticeable for sure. No issues to date other than maybe once every few months I have to re plug in my iPod cuz the connection will get stale and glitch.

Not sure about the other guys with issues but mine had been great.


GoingHAM mobile

[330i Lover]

Starfox,

Thank you so much for your post. I'll definitely review everything you open my eyes to. This is for you:

21013

[UdubBadger]

I should add that I also have Bav sound tweeters and Infinity 2 ways all around with a Basslink sub mounted in the trunk.


GoingHAM mobile

[330i Lover]

I should add that I also have Bav sound tweeters and Infinity 2 ways all around with a Basslink sub mounted in the trunk.


GoingHAM mobile

I was about to ask. Those upgrades would make a big difference. Once I sell my former daily driver I can't wait to upgrade the ZHP's. Thanks for the input.

[UdubBadger]

Honestly, the Dynavin I put in my Zhp with stock speakers saw a big upgrade in sound just replacing the HU though.

It's possible to get a decent sound out of the car with stock speakers.

GoingHAM mobile

[Oli77]

^ if the speakers are compliant and still have life in them.

This is why i would spend money on speakers before I would put money on a HU (unless HU dies of course).

[UdubBadger]

For sure


GoingHAM mobile

[330i Lover]

Head Unit has to go before the speakers do. Now that I've sold my Camry, thank you Jesus, this project has the highest priority. My brother does car stereo/security installs for a living and he'll be helping me over Labor Day weekend. ((Put yo hands up, put em up high!)) Sry, got side tracked. I'm very close to pulling the trigger on the Eonon D5150V and ordering the camera for another $50 so my out of pocket would be $425 out the door without having to replace any speakers and getting so much functionality that the stock HU can't provide. I'm not counting on the sound to be hugely upgraded from the HU but it might, just might, be good enough to leave it alone afterwards, wouldn't that be grand!

Question:
Other than Eonon and Dynavin are there any other options for modernizing our e46's with bluetooth/apps/etc?

[ZHP Dave]

Avin. After all the horror stories with others I'll pay the premium for an Avin Avant 2.

[330i Lover]

Avin. After all the horror stories with others I'll pay the premium for an Avin Avant 2.

That looks really nice. Looks like eBay has it for $600 which is considerably higher but I can't make it work if it's the best fit. I'll have to check out the reviews on it later tonight. Anyone have the Avin Avant 2 and want to share your findings/feedback?

[BMWCurves]

I remember reading an Avant-2 review on E46Fanatics front page a while back. Tracked it down here:

http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=1048690

[330i Lover]

I remember reading an Avant-2 review on E46Fanatics front page a while back. Tracked it down here:

http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=1048690

Nice read, thanks for sharing. Not including the rear camera it still looks to be $600 on eBay or $700 through AVIN's website. I don't see the value between the Eonon D5150V and the Avin Avant 2.

[BMWCurves]

Nice read, thanks for sharing. Not including the rear camera it still looks to be $600 on eBay or $700 through AVIN's website. I don't see the value between the Eonon D5150V and the Avin Avant 2.

I couldn't really tell you other than from browsing some reviews, the Avin unit sounds like it is pretty much the most customizable with apps/settings. If you're pretty set on the functions that come with the Eonon unit, then there's no real reason to shell out additional cash for the Avin unit.

[330i Lover]

I couldn't really tell you other than from browsing some reviews, the Avin unit sounds like it is pretty much the most customizable with apps/settings. If you're pretty set on the functions that come with the Eonon unit, then there's no real reason to shell out additional cash for the Avin unit.

One feature that I realized the Eonon D5150V doesn't have is the capability of having apps like Spotify/Pandora installed on the head unit itself. I guess the other Eonon unit (GA5150F) does have those features for $459. Which is still considerably cheaper. I'm somewhat torn now. Technically through Bluetooth (BT) you can play whatever's playing on your phone but I may or may not get the artist & track info, unlike the GA5150F or Avin AV 2 that will have it through the Head Unit and show more info.
I'm confused on how the GA5150F or the Avin AV 2 gets the internet from your phone unless you have wifi hopspot. I don't have that option with my cell phone carrier (straight talk) so I don't see how that would work for me.

[BMWCurves]

I think you have to get a mobile hotspot for the Avin, not sure about the Eonon. I'm not sure what phone you're on but if you have an iPhone you can jailbreak it and unlock the hotspot feature. Only really useful if you have unlimited data. Otherwise you'll probably hit your data cap pretty quick.

[ZHP Dave]

I plan on getting the Avin because of the higher resolution screen, and capacitive touchscreen. I also like how it has a user programable sleep mode. It'll start up and be ready to go in 3 seconds or so compared to waiting 30 seconds to a minute for other brands. All that makes it worth a few hundred more to me, but your requirements may be different.

[az3579]

One feature that I realized the Eonon D5150V doesn't have is the capability of having apps like Spotify/Pandora installed on the head unit itself. I guess the other Eonon unit (GA5150F) does have those features for $459. Which is still considerably cheaper. I'm somewhat torn now. Technically through Bluetooth (BT) you can play whatever's playing on your phone but I may or may not get the artist & track info, unlike the GA5150F or Avin AV 2 that will have it through the Head Unit and show more info.

I have the GA5150 (minus the F), and I can tell you that playing music through Bluetooth does NOT display any song information. All you get is a basic 'back, pause/play/, forward' functionality.



I'm confused on how the GA5150F or the Avin AV 2 gets the internet from your phone unless you have wifi hopspot. I don't have that option with my cell phone carrier (straight talk) so I don't see how that would work for me.

You don't get WiFi unless you hook up a hotspot or a Wireless USB dongle to it. So, either you tether your phone's internet connection to it or you buy a dedicated WiFi dongle and plug it into its USB port.


I plan on getting the Avin because of the higher resolution screen, and capacitive touchscreen. I also like how it has a user programable sleep mode. It'll start up and be ready to go in 3 seconds or so compared to waiting 30 seconds to a minute for other brands. All that makes it worth a few hundred more to me, but your requirements may be different.

The higher resolution screen is something I sorely wish I had. Using Google Maps with my GA5150 is okay, but when it comes time to choose a route, the amount of screen you have to scroll on is tiny due to the super low resolution of the screen. It is capacitive touchscreen and responds very well to user inputs, but doesn't have a programmable sleep mode. It takes about 40 seconds or so to boot up from a cold start, which sounds like an eternity (and feels like it for a while), but when you get used to it, it really isn't that bad. I would definitely take the 3 second bootup over this though, any day of the week.

Overall the GA5150 is okay. For what I paid for it ($375), I'm overall satisfied with what I got. If I had the money, I'd probably buy a more polished unit, but unfortunately such a thing doesn't exist. The Avin is pretty much the same thing with "slightly" more polish, but not enough more for the price difference IMO.

[330i Lover]

Thanks for the input, I've been chatting with Tommy all morning and I pulled the trigger on the Avin Avant 2 w/rear camera. They had a refurb option that was too good to resist.

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[BMWCurves]

Thanks for the input, I've been chatting with Tommy all morning and I pulled the trigger on the Avin Avant 2 w/rear camera. They had a refurb option that was too good to resist.

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Nice! I'd be interested in your thoughts. Write a review after you've had it installed for a while (installation, ease of use, overall utility, etc).

[330i Lover]

I definitely will. It will probably be installed over Labor Day weekend.

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[330i Lover]

Aaaaaaand Eonon support just emailed me back from Friday stating, "I would like to tell you that the Labor Day Sale was over in advance." Ummm, their site said it was going through Sept 7th. Shady!!

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[BADCLOWN]

i have had ZERO issues with my Eonon head unit (non-android). Its been great for me, especially at the sale price of the unit. The sound did get somewhat better, but I also have a Bavauto stg 1 speaker upgrade sitting in the house waiting to go in the car. All I need to do is figure out a mild sub, may go with the ghost sub from BAV as i don't want to lose any trunk space.

The Eonon unit is the best bang for you buck: period. Nothing will beat it. From that point on you're looking at Dynavin or the like. If you don't want a DD unit, then your options obviously grow more from that point going to single din.

[330i Lover]

I'll be sure to post an update after I install the Avin Avant 2. I really like how I can diagnose obd2 notifications and have android's wide array of apps. I'm sure if I went with the Eonon I'd be happy as well. They both seem to be solid products. :) Hell, anything beats the stock HU that sometimes plays burned cd's sometimes doesn't, moody lil thing she is!

[Icebergap]

I have appreciated going through this thread, I have the money and am ready to replace my old worn out factory HU. I too have been trying to decide on the eonon GA5150 or the Avant II. I wish you had it in your car now! I think deep down I prefer the Avin, but the cost of the thing just scares me. I'll be getting one or the other by the end of this week. Can you tell me what it boiled down to for you and why you chose the avant 2? I've never actually thought of sending Tommy a message and let him know what I'm going through, I may try that as well. Cheers!

[330i Lover]

I have appreciated going through this thread, I have the money and am ready to replace my old worn out factory HU. I too have been trying to decide on the eonon GA5150 or the Avant II. I wish you had it in your car now! I think deep down I prefer the Avin, but the cost of the thing just scares me. I'll be getting one or the other by the end of this week. Can you tell me what it boiled down to for you and why you chose the avant 2? I've never actually thought of sending Tommy a message and let him know what I'm going through, I may try that as well. Cheers!

First of all the GA5150 is no longer being sold by Eonon, so then you'll have to ask yourself which model Eonon is the best fit for you. If you were to compare apples to apples IMO the closest to the Avant 2 is the GA5150F. Both have Android 4.4.4 The Avant 2 can be purchased with the same warranty as retail from avinusa.com (or ebay) for $599 free shipping not tax. The GA5150F is $460 but doesn't include the rear camera and install kit that Tommy from Avin included for free, so that's a $50 savings right there. So when it boiled down to it, I saw much better support from Tommy and reading much better reviews about Avin and their support on other forums vs. Eonon. I was seeing a lot of reviews of ppl starting with the Eonon and trying to get the best for the $, seeing issues that left them frustrated, upgrading to the Dynavin, still being frustrated and then eventually going to the Avin Avant 2 and praising it's name. Of course there will be many ppl that love all 3 products but from my research it was clear the Avant 2 product was superior. For the $90 difference I couldn't pass up the Avant 2. I plan on keeping the ZHP for a long time and I'd rather pay $90 more now vs. regret spending $510 (GA5150F + camera) for something that's been known have more issues with sub-par support.

This was just my research, like I said I'm sure there are dozens of happy customers on Eonon's side as well, but for me this were my conclusions. I've pretty much researched the most that I can about these Head Unit's. Let me know if you have any other questions. I highly recommend leaving Tommy a message at avinusa.com or chat with him if he's online. Best of luck and let me know what I can do to help.

[BMWCurves]

Both have Android 4.4.4 The Avant 2 can be purchased with the same warranty as retail from avinusa.com (or ebay) for $599 free shipping not tax.

Avinusa.com shows $799. I know you mentioned the unit you got was a refurbished unit, but where are you finding this deal on their website?

[330i Lover]

Avinusa.com shows $799. I know you mentioned the unit you got was a refurbished unit, but where are you finding this deal on their website?

Oh and I learned the Avin Avant 2 doesn't have Android 4.4.4 because there are stability issues, which is why they're on a previous version, but it's more stable. They do release updates for their builds which is nice.
To answer your question, it isn't on their website but it is on eBay. Tommy mentioned it when we were chatting through the avinusa.com website last week. I actually inspected the unit today and it looks 100% brand new. The film strip is still on the screen and the boxing was exceptionally done. There's not even a crease on the owner's manual. If you search eBay for "avin avant 2 e46" it should be the only result. Here's a link for the lazy folk.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BMW-E46-M3-HK-AVIN-Avant2-Android-Navigation-GPS-iPhone-Mirrorlink-328-320-325-/281769425684?hash=item419ac43b14&vxp=mtr

[BMWCurves]

Gotcha, that's the one I found when searching on eBay. Still looking forward to you getting it installed and putting up a review!

[az3579]

I'm disappointed to see that the Avin also has a low resolution screen like the Eonon does. One thing that frustrates me about my GA5150 is that it has a pathetically low resolution screen, which becomes a problem when using it with Google Maps. Some sections only leave maybe half an inch to scroll with while the rest of the screen stays static.

[330i Lover]

I'm disappointed to see that the Avin also has a low resolution screen like the Eonon does. One thing that frustrates me about my GA5150 is that it has a pathetically low resolution screen, which becomes a problem when using it with Google Maps. Some sections only leave maybe half an inch to scroll with while the rest of the screen stays static.
To my knowledge the Avin has the highest resolution at 1024x600. Which is much higher than Eonon's 800x480.

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[az3579]

To my knowledge the Avin has the highest resolution at 1024x600. Which is much higher than Eonon's 800x480.

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Eh? I could've sworn my box said 1024x600...
Regardless, eff the resolution of the Eonon. It's too damn low. :(

[BADCLOWN]

Just wait until the parrot carplay units come out, i think theyll be awesome

[330i Lover]

Eh? I could've sworn my box said 1024x600...
Regardless, eff the resolution of the Eonon. It's too damn low. :(
Maybe it's model specific on the eonon, I got those figures from their GA5150F.

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[Icebergap]

First of all the GA5150 is no longer being sold by Eonon, so then you'll have to ask yourself which model Eonon is the best fit for you. If you were to compare apples to apples IMO the closest to the Avant 2 is the GA5150F. Both have Android 4.4.4 The Avant 2 can be purchased with the same warranty as retail from avinusa.com (or ebay) for $599 free shipping not tax. The GA5150F is $460 but doesn't include the rear camera and install kit that Tommy from Avin included for free, so that's a $50 savings right there. So when it boiled down to it, I saw much better support from Tommy and reading much better reviews about Avin and their support on other forums vs. Eonon. I was seeing a lot of reviews of ppl starting with the Eonon and trying to get the best for the $, seeing issues that left them frustrated, upgrading to the Dynavin, still being frustrated and then eventually going to the Avin Avant 2 and praising it's name. Of course there will be many ppl that love all 3 products but from my research it was clear the Avant 2 product was superior. For the $90 difference I couldn't pass up the Avant 2. I plan on keeping the ZHP for a long time and I'd rather pay $90 more now vs. regret spending $510 (GA5150F + camera) for something that's been known have more issues with sub-par support.

This was just my research, like I said I'm sure there are dozens of happy customers on Eonon's side as well, but for me this were my conclusions. I've pretty much researched the most that I can about these Head Unit's. Let me know if you have any other questions. I highly recommend leaving Tommy a message at avinusa.com or chat with him if he's online. Best of luck and let me know what I can do to help.


Good stuff! I have decided to pull the trigger on the avant 2 as well. Tommy has been a pleasure to work with, and I'm with you on the support as well as wanting to keep my car for a long time. I'm going to message you since we are doing this at the same time so we can network on it. Thanks for your opinions, they have helped me make my decision as well.

P.S. I am a tech junkie of sorts, it kind of bothers me that they aren't on kit kat yet, I haven't asked Tommy. But have you heard if he was planning on moving to it? What I'm trying to remind myself of is this, this is a car stereo. Not my rooted phone or tablet, whatever it has to make it function as close to a car stereo as it should, I'm cool with. However, I know as time goes on, certain apps will lose functionality with older versions of android.

[330i Lover]

I asked him this very question 2 days ago and he said the newer versions aren't as stable and that's the reason why Avin's competitors are having the issues they have. I'm a tech junkie too, but I trust Tommy has us covered like a jimmy hat. ;)

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[az3579]

I asked him this very question 2 days ago and he said the newer versions aren't as stable and that's the reason why Avin's competitors are having the issues they have. I'm a tech junkie too, but I trust Tommy has us covered like a jimmy hat. ;)

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It's funny you say that because the inverse is true for my Eonon. It came with 4.2 and it was far less stable than it is now that I've upgraded it to 4.4. I used to get app crashes all the time before I updated, now an app crash is rare event.

[330i Lover]

That is interesting. Hopefully Tommy will shed more light on this in time. It doesn't bother me about being on 4.1.1 add long as it's stable.

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[330i Lover]

Here's the diaglogue between Tommy and I from earlier today:

Me: G'morning Tommy. Do you have a road map of when the Avin 2 is planning on upgrading from 4.1.1?

Tommy: We do not have an ETA if or when the OS will be upgraded.

Currently you can mirrorlink your Android phone to the head unit so if you have phone has Android 5.0 you can display and control it on the head unit.

You can install almost all Android apps on the current system and it is stable.

[330i Lover]

Since my car didn't come with Navi from the factory I had to order part 51167001410 to compensate for relocating the climate control. This link gives the 3 options specific to you: http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/showparts?id=BL93-USA---E46-BMW-M3&diagId=51_3233

Since the part cost about $100 i'm going to try to fabricate my existing instrument panel like they did in this vid: https://youtu.be/mkG2F_qj5JQ?t=10m22s It doesn't look too hard and hopefully I can put that $100 towards another project.

[az3579]

Since my car didn't come with Navi from the factory I had to order part 51167001410 to compensate for relocating the climate control. This link gives the 3 options specific to you: http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/showparts?id=BL93-USA---E46-BMW-M3&diagId=51_3233

Since the part cost about $100 i'm going to try to fabricate my existing instrument panel like they did in this vid: https://youtu.be/mkG2F_qj5JQ?t=10m22s It doesn't look too hard and hopefully I can put that $100 towards another project.


Husker has the proper part for $77 or so... ~$11 shipping...
http://huskerparts.com/2015-bmw-oem-oem-oem-oem-oem-oem-instrument_panel_switch_cen511602_51167001410-item/

[BADCLOWN]

ecs tuning also carries the part

[330i Lover]

ecs tuning also carries the part
That's where I ordered mine. It came very well packaged, not a scratch.

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[Snuffalufigus]

Agree 100% when I bought my ZHP it had the Eonon GM5150 and I absolutely hated it. On long drives the navigation would completely freeze up and the only way to fix it was to pull over, turn my car off, wait, and turn it back on. The ipod connector stopped working, as well as the Bluetooth. I reset the unit and tried updating the firmware a multitude of times. I finally said fu** it! I had a Pioneer 2-din system put in. The shop did a custom install and it works/looks absolutely beautiful. It also has Apple Carplay and Android Auto built in, so it carries most of your apps onto the screen. Night and day difference between the units.


I am going to save you a lot of time and head ache, don't buy an EONON unit. I don't care wether it's android or win CE.

I had both of them.
Things that bugged the hell out of me:
Clunky, stuff worked sometimes. Othertimes they didn't.
Interference, you can hear hums and hisses when the volume is turned up. sounds terrible.
Not optimized for HK crossovers. You'll be overdriving your speakers in the wrong frequency range.

[KevinC]

Snuff, how did they shoehorn the double-DIN unit into the dash? Can you post some pics? I'd really like to have a nice modern head unit in my car but all of the options have compromises I'm not willing to live with. This would be a solution I could embrace, if I could trust someone out here (Phoenix) to do a quality custom install.

[ELCID86]

In for pics and more details.


Thumbs, iPhone, TaT.

[Snuffalufigus]

I am so sorry, I just noticed you replied to me. They showed me all the pictures during the install but I didn't think to save them and post them here. I can get ahold of them and see if they still have the pictures! However to answer your question they had to do some cutting into the plastic to get it to fit (which originally made me almost not do it) but after seeing some pictures of all of their similar installations, I let them do it. Everything is perfect and extremely neat and tidy. The only downside was the cost, however, in my opinion it was well worth it due to the custom install and fabrication work. Stand-by for pictures...

[KevinC]

Post-install pics taken yourself would be fine.. We're curious to see how it all turned out.

[Snuffalufigus]

Okay so here are the pictures from Audio Xperts in Vacaville, CA. They put in a Pioneer AVH4100 NEX 2 din system (kept stock speakers for meow). You can use an IPhone or any Samsung phone that works with the carplay version of Google's software (forgot the name)

22566

22567
You can see the custom install work here
22568

22570

22569
Final product :) VERY HAPPY!

Also works with my backup camera.

[Snuffalufigus]

Here is a link to the system

http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Car/DVD-Receivers/AVH-4100NEX

[ELCID86]

Okay so here are the pictures from Audio Xperts in Vacaville, CA. They put in a Pioneer AVH4100 NEX 2 din system (kept stock speakers for <meow>). You can use an IPhone or any Samsung phone that works with the carplay version of Google's software (forgot the name)

22566

22567
You can see the custom install work here

Final product :) VERY HAPPY!

Also works with my backup camera.

Purrfect? :)

Not sure what the first two pics are. No buttons? Like it?


Thumbs, iPhone, TaT.

[Snuffalufigus]

I'm not sure that's what they sent me lol they had to cut into some of the plastic to make room for the two din


Purrfect? :)

Not sure what the first two pics are. No buttons? Like it?


Thumbs, iPhone, TaT.

[330i Lover]

**AVIN Update**

I installed the "10-15-2015" update last night to try to remedy the issues I'm having. Tommy shared it to me in hopes it would remedy the ongoing issues. In summary it's like a ghost is touching the screen and makes the head unit useless. It reboots by itself, changes tracks all by itself, bluetooth quality is terrible and is extremely frustrating. I don't know what else can be troubleshooted other than swapping out the unit as it seems it's hardware related but I'll await Tommy's response hopefully tomorrow or Thursday and update the thread then. I'm beyond frustrated but luckily I've been able to keep calm and be trustworthy that Tommy will take care of me through all this turmoil. Will post an update when I hear back.

[330i Lover]

Here is one of the many videos capturing the issues I'm experiencing:

https://youtu.be/2oU_yM4mauE

[ELCID86]

Ugh. I wish there were more/better options.


Thumbs, iPhone, TaT.

[330i Lover]

Ugh. I wish there were more/better options.


Thumbs, iPhone, TaT.

You're tellin me! Tommy just replied back to my message saying that he's out of town until tomorrow & that he'll respond then. I'm eager to hear how he will handle this.

[ELCID86]

I hope he takes care of you. I was close to buying one until I started reading about yours and other ppl with issues.


Thumbs, iPhone, TaT.

[BMWCurves]

Here is one of the many videos capturing the issues I'm experiencing:

https://youtu.be/2oU_yM4mauE

That's...an unusual feature.

[330i Lover]

That's...an unusual feature.

One that I never would have purchased if I knew it existed. :(

[330i Lover]

**Update**

So Tommy has authorized to swap out my defective unit. :) He gave me 2 options. 1) Send my unit back to him with original packaging or 2) Send a $400 deposit and have them ship the replacement unit to me so I don't have to wait and I can use that packaging to ship my defective unit back to them. Once they receive my unit they will refund the $400. I went with option #2 as I don't have original packaging and I would be responsible for the unit if any damage occurred. Hopefully I'll be able to install the replacement within a week or two. (heavy sigh)

[BMWCurves]

Nice, let us know how the new unit is.

[johnrando]

+1

[UdubBadger]

Cool! Good luck


GoingHAM mobile

[330i Lover]

Quick update, I'm still waiting on Tommy to send me an invoice for the deposit so he can send me another AVIN before I ship mine back. Hopefully he replies in the next few days.

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[330i Lover]

I just got a DHL text msg that is arriving Friday. The wife is in Manhattan for the weekend so I believe installing the new Avin with bourbon and tunes in the garage will be lovely, lovely indeed. Anyone wanna share the bourbon? I've got plenty.

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[BMWCurves]

I just got a DHL text msg that is arriving Friday. The wife is in Manhattan for the weekend so I believe installing the new Avin with bourbon and tunes in the garage will be lovely, lovely indeed. Anyone wanna share the bourbon? I've got plenty.

Were I in Tennessee...

[330i Lover]

Took all of 20 minutes to get get prepped. That air vent is a PINA.22938

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[BMWCurves]

I can see why you were inquiring about a leather wheel to replace your current one :p

Good luck, hope the radio replacement works out!

[330i Lover]

Ya, mine isn't in the best shape but other projects are more important before cosmetic ones like steering wheels. After the head unit then Xeon retrofit project I might be having brake pads replaced before tackling the steering wheel. We'll see.

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[BMWCurves]

Fair enough, those are all important things to get done. I justified my steering wheel by thinking "what is the one thing I interact with most apart from the seat and the pedals? The steering wheel."

[330i Lover]

**Update**

Alrighty, I've had the replacement AVIN Avant 2 in the car since Friday evening and so far the only thing that isn't resolved is the crappy bluetooth quality using the mic that we installed next to the moon-roof slider. The quality is gargled and unusable. The wifi radio doesn't reach very far so that's another drawback but since I'm one of the few that doesn't have tethering capabilities with my current cell phone provider (straight talk) I don't rely on wifi much.

All in all I'm happy that I'm able to listen to the radio, play cd's, load albums on micro SD card, stream bluetooth from phone. Tommy didn't provided a return shipping label so I'm awaiting his instructions before getting the $400 deposit back. After that this project is wham-bam-thankya-ma'am DONE. Cheers.

[BMWCurves]

Nice, glad to hear some of those issues have been resolved! Keep us posted if anything else crops up over time.

[BMWCurves]

Have any other issues crop up or is the replacement working as reported on the 15th?

[330i Lover]

Have any other issues crop up or is the replacement working as reported on the 15th?

Ironically I was just about to post an update. Tommy refunded my $400 deposit this morning and the replacement unit is working fabulously! The only issue that is worth mentioning is the bluetooth call-quality using the microphone they provided is crap. I even have the mic installed so you can visibly see it close to the moonroof controls and everyone I have a conversation with says I sound like poop.

Other than the bluetooth issue everything else works like a champ. I'd like to thank Tommy from Avin again for his support and thorough efforts to make me happy with the defective one I originally got. I highly recommend this unit and encourage anyone to send Tommy a message at www.avinusa.com in the bottom right corner. He and I have emailed each other dozens of times and I can always count on his reply within a day or so.

[BMWCurves]

Glad to hear :thumbsup

Gives me a little more confidence to consider the Avin unit again if I want to go down that road in the future.

[BMWCurves]

Avin unit still running strong?

[330i Lover]

Avin unit still running strong?
Yes sir, very strong! [emoji41]

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[330i Lover]

Avin unit still running strong?
So when are you going to pull the trigger?

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[BMWCurves]

So when are you going to pull the trigger?

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Haha not for a long time. My current setup of using my phone mounted in a ProClip mount/Bimmian bracket is working fine for my needs. Especially after a lot of recent non-car expenses.