ASAP information+opinions for Android Headunit.

[06YarisRS]

Originally Posted by miiser

I think I am more confused than before now
Damn what should I do.
To put it more simple. Should I buy this Android headunit or the pioneer fh-x730bt?
Both will cost the same, because I will need bessels etc for the pioneer.
These are my choices.



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For me, it would be a no-brainer, but I have lots of experience with the factory fit android HUs and have become well accustomed to them. However, if I was not planning to add extra gear (amp, sub etc) my approach might be different. And, the Pioneer does look like a nice unit.

Maybe make a pros and cons list for each unit?

I be willing to bet that you'd be happy with either.

[miiser]

Originally Posted by 06YarisRS

For me, it would be a no-brainer, but I have lots of experience with the factory fit android HUs and have become well accustomed to them. However, if I was not planning to add extra gear (amp, sub etc) my approach might be different. And, the Pioneer does look like a nice unit.



Maybe make a pros and cons list for each unit?



I be willing to bet that you'd be happy with either.

How much do you think it’s the average lifespan of these Android HUs?
What’s your experience ?


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[06YarisRS]

Originally Posted by miiser

How much do you think it’s the average lifespan of these Android HUs?
What’s your experience ?


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That would be hard to know. I had one failure (touchscreen) of all the units I had and I would guess that the oldest is 3+ yrs old.

[miiser]

Originally Posted by 06YarisRS

That would be hard to know. I had one failure (touchscreen) of all the units I had and I would guess that the oldest is 3+ yrs old.

What are you using right now for headunit??


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[miiser]

Here are the specifications that I managed to find about this particular HU







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[06YarisRS]

Originally Posted by miiser

Here are the specifications that I managed to find about this particular HU




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I don't think you'll have any issue with processing power, though I never have with any of mine, whether dual core or quad core.

One thing I don't like about the latest units is that the screen resolution is high, making the text hard to read. The one in my van is like 800 x 640(?) and vastly easier to read. My eyes aren't the best and I'm far too vain to get glasses. Actually, I'm just a bit farsighted.

So, are you leaning farther in one direction than the other at this point?

[miiser]

Originally Posted by 06YarisRS

I don't think you'll have any issue with processing power, though I never have with any of mine, whether dual core or quad core.

One thing I don't like about the latest units is that the screen resolution is high, making the text hard to read. The one in my van is like 800 x 640(?) and vastly easier to read. My eyes aren't the best and I'm far too vain to get glasses. Actually, I'm just a bit farsighted.

So, are you leaning farther in one direction than the other at this point?

Well you made me more confident with my decision to go the Android HU way.

I hope it will be a good experience. The only thing that bothers me is the poor radio signal you mentioned before. The HU comes with RDS thought.




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[WeeYari]

FYI, the few times over the years that I've seen aftermarket HUs with the integrated trim pieces installed, the fitment has not been the greatest. Edges don't quite line up with mating oem dash bits.

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[miiser]

Originally Posted by WeeYari

FYI, the few times over the years that I've seen aftermarket HUs with the integrated trim pieces installed, the fitment has not been the greatest. Edges don't quite line up with mating oem dash bits.

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It’s fine I guess. I can live with that. I don’t expect everything to be perfect. It’s China after all.
But I saw pictures with this particular hu and the fitmen was on point.


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[miiser]

I went for it guys. The guy I ordered from, even had it in silver color (like my entire dash) so I will have the most factory look like result. He was kind enough even thought the silver edition is more expensive than the black one (maybe because it’s painted unlike the black which is just a black unpainted plastic), to sell it to me at the same price 280$ - 250€, like the black...
Now I am waiting for it to arrive. I hope I made the right decision. Wish me luck. I will keep you updated, maybe in a new topic to give my opinion about my experience with this headunit to those who are in the same boat like me, and cant decide if these Android headunits worth our attention.



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[ern-diz]

It's always going to come back to RMS power for me. I've used PowerAmp since my T-Mobile G1, the very first US Android Phone. Wonderful app, but it's no substitute for RMS power.

As 06Yaris has said, you'll probably be happy with either unit. I'm late to the party on answering the question of should you buy the Chinese Android unit or the Pioneer since you already made the purchase but for what it's worth, my pick would have been the Pioneer.

[miiser]

Originally Posted by ern-diz

It's always going to come back to RMS power for me. I've used PowerAmp since my T-Mobile G1, the very first US Android Phone. Wonderful app, but it's no substitute for RMS power.

As 06Yaris has said, you'll probably be happy with either unit. I'm late to the party on answering the question of should you buy the Chinese Android unit or the Pioneer since you already made the purchase but for what it's worth, my pick would have been the Pioneer.

Both had like the same rms power, as I saw.

I know pioneer was the safe choice. But in the same amount of money, with this particular Android HU, I think I give less for much more. I mean with the same amount of money, I have a big screen (which I don’t get with the pioneer), I get maps (which I don’t get with pioneer), I keep the factory look of my car (which... well you get the point) and I have access to a huge app library, with useful apps like torque etc.

I bet pioneer has better sound processing chip. But I don’t think that the Android HU is that far off... these things have come a long way in the last year, due to demand and the smoother Experience newer Android flavors (7.0, 8.0) offer.
Time and usage will tell. I will keep you updated.

Poweramp will be in my app list for sure. Thanks for the recommendation.
Also, does anyone of you has to recommend a better EQ app? I haven’t use the stock thought yet because I don’t have the HU in my hands, so I don’t know if I need a better one anyway


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[06YarisRS]

Originally Posted by miiser

Both had like the same rms power, as I saw.

I know pioneer was the safe choice. But in the same amount of money, with this particular Android HU, I think I give less for much more. I mean with the same amount of money, I have a big screen (which I don’t get with the pioneer), I get maps (which I don’t get with pioneer), I keep the factory look of my car (which... well you get the point) and I have access to a huge app library, with useful apps like torque etc.

I bet pioneer has better sound processing chip. But I don’t think that the Android HU is that far off... these things have come a long way in the last year, due to demand and the smoother Experience newer Android flavors (7.0, 8.0) offer.
Time and usage will tell. I will keep you updated.

Poweramp will be in my app list for sure. Thanks for the recommendation.
Also, does anyone of you has to recommend a better EQ app? I haven’t use the stock thought yet because I don’t have the HU in my hands, so I don’t know if I need a better one anyway


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Congrats on the purchase! I think you'll be pleased. Poweramp has all the EQ you'll need. It has a 10 band equalizer plus all kinds of filters etc. Once you get the unit installed and PowerAmp loaded, there are a few settings in Poweramp and your system settings that I can help you with. To reiterate what ern-diz said, a bit more power is better. Since you've already installed speakers, that's the hardest part of an audio upgrade. I bet that you'll be looking at an amp, sub and tweeters before long! Haha. Trust me, it would make a world of difference. There are some good 4 channel mini amps in the 50/75 RMS x 4, CEA-2006 approved category that rock. If you go that route, I can make some suggestions on budget gear that's pretty good quality (Clarion, Kenwood, Korean-made Dual amps, NVX etc, no Boss/Pyle gear here LOL)

[miiser]

Originally Posted by 06YarisRS

Congrats on the purchase! I think you'll be pleased. Poweramp has all the EQ you'll need. It has a 10 band equalizer plus all kinds of filters etc. Once you get the unit installed and PowerAmp loaded, there are a few settings in Poweramp and your system settings that I can help you with. To reiterate what ern-diz said, a bit more power is better. Since you've already installed speakers, that's the hardest part of an audio upgrade. I bet that you'll be looking at an amp, sub and tweeters before long! Haha. Trust me, it would make a world of difference. There are some good 4 channel mini amps in the 50/75 RMS x 4, CEA-2006 approved category that rock. If you go that route, I can make some suggestions on budget gear that's pretty good quality (Clarion, Kenwood, Korean-made Dual amps, NVX etc, no Boss/Pyle gear here LOL)

Thank you, I hope I will be pleased.

I would love some help with these settings since I am new to this. Thank you

So poweramp applies eq settings in the whole system? Or just the songs I play within the app?

Haha once you get in the sound upgrade path, you can never stop. I was always wondering what people think when they turn their cars into a transformer full of speakers and when I decided to upgrade my sound system, the list went on and on and on.
I made some mistakes in the beginning, I bought a pair of speakers that I shouldn’t have, because they had build in tweeters (coaxials) and I placed them in the front, while I had already tweeters from the factory in the a pillars, so there was no depth in the sound, no bass, only highs.
After that I bought the other set which I have right now. They are stock speakers from VW group, but to me, they sound amazing (I have upload some pics of them in an other post I made about some interior upgrades I did, and you can really see the difference in quality between them and the stock Yaris speakers : Neat-cheap interior mods that makes a huge difference.

https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?sha...0&share_type=t

I had experience with them before due to our previous car (Audi a5) and I knew that their stock speakers are pretty good, so I bought 4 used of them and I couldn’t be happier. Total cost of them 40$.
Now with the new HU I think they will shine.

For now I will try to hold myself from spending more money on amp and sub. But I know that at some point I will do it for sure



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[06YarisRS]

Originally Posted by miiser

Thank you, I hope I will be pleased.

I would love some help with these settings since I am new to this. Thank you

So poweramp applies eq settings in the whole system? Or just the songs I play within the app?

Haha once you get in the sound upgrade path, you can never stop. I was always wondering what people think when they turn their cars into a transformer full of speakers and when I decided to upgrade my sound system, the list went on and on and on.
I made some mistakes in the beginning, I bought a pair of speakers that I shouldn’t have, because they had build in tweeters (coaxials) and I placed them in the front, while I had already tweeters from the factory in the a pillars, so there was no depth in the sound, no bass, only highs.
After that I bought the other set which I have right now. They are stock speakers from VW group, but to me, they sound amazing (I have upload some pics of them in an other post I made about some interior upgrades I did, and you can really see the difference in quality between them and the stock Yaris speakers : Neat-cheap interior mods that makes a huge difference.

https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?sha...0&share_type=t

I had experience with them before due to our previous car (Audi a5) and I knew that their stock speakers are pretty good, so I bought 4 used of them and I couldn’t be happier. Total cost of them 40$.
Now with the new HU I think they will shine.

For now I will try to hold myself from spending more money on amp and sub. But I know that at some point I will do it for sure



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The question about Poweramp applying settings to the whole system is something I'm not sure about actually. I don't use any other sources, so couldn't say for sure. The Android unit will have an EQ under the sound settings. I normally leave that flat and the use Poweramp for my 'frequency tuning'.

Sounds like those speakers will work well. Most aftermarket speakers, whether low or high end, I believe, will not come into their own without an amplifier. Maybe the low impedance speakers like some of the Polks or Infinitys would give better results with head unit power alone. I think OEM speakers are more efficient, demand less power, and as a result may sound better than aftermarket if powered only by a stock head unit. My experience has always been that just adding an aftermarket speaker will improve the clarity, but results in less perceivable bass response.

[miiser]

It’s here guys. And it looks amazing !


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[ern-diz]

As you had said, looks like a perfect replacement/fit.

[06YarisRS]

Head unit looks awesome! Looking forward to your impressions.