Need some help deciding on aftermarket stereo please!

[Spaceman828]

Hi All, I'm new here. Just picked up my first X5 the other day. Its a 2002 3.0 with the standard transmission 5 speed. Love everything about it so far except the horrible stereo.

It has DSP and the CD Player above the MID. I have installed a GROM kit before on a 540 E39 and several aftermarket stereos on MBs, but never a BMW with DSP.

I've been researching all the aftermarket head units that look somewhat stock and have a ton of features. Aside from Dynavin which seems a bit superior to the rest (Eonon, Xtrons, Hizpo, Avin, Seicane, etc.) they all seem to be about the same to me so far. Happy to hear why one is better than another if you have experience. I'm no audiophile, but I can tell this stock stereo is awful and lacks depth so I need to replace it, plus I need bluetooth for calling, etc.

I was originally going to just gut the whole system and start fresh with like a pioneer or kenwood and rerun all the speaker wires and get a new amp, but I started to really like all the features these other units have and keeping the OBC is nice too.

So here's my question(s):

Are all these units pretty much the same except for the fact I would need to buy THEIR branded 6M cable to run the DSP? I see prices anywhere from like $180 to $400 so how much different are they really for the price?

Since this is just a spare toy car for me, I wont spend the money on the Dynavin, but it does appear to be one of the best.

My only real requirement between all of these is the volume knob, I dont want one of those tablets with nothing but touch screen.

Do you know of any that actually come ready to hook up with extra wiring for DSP and included in the price?

Are these disposable and run like shit after a couple of updates?

If I get one of these, do I need to keep the MID or CD player above it?

Seems like a lot of mixed reviews on the web and these forums about them. Appreciate any responses to help me decide, I'm really ready to just close my eyes and pick one at this point but thought Id give this a try first.

Thanks!