Eonon vs Avant-2 Comparison -- Updated Review
 

I had previously reported in this post that I had purchased an Eonon radio/GPS unit to replace the Avant-2 that I had sent to Avinusa in exchange for another unit. My radio was lost in China Customs or elsewhere and after several months of waiting for the USPS search process to complete unsuccessfully I filled the hole in my dash with a Eonon GA6166.

I have just received a replacement radio from Avinusa at no cost to me and I think it is only fair that I correct my comparison of the Eonon unit with the newer version of the Avant that is now available from Avinusa for the E39/E46 and E53 BMWs. The new unit looks similar to predecessor but uses Android 6.x instead of the 4.1.1 version provided with the previous version. The newer OS seems to make all the difference in the world in the performance of the Avant unit. Several additional modifications not only improve performance over the previous Avant unit, but also improve its performance over the Eonon GA6166 currently installed in my E53. The Avant now has a Wi-Fi antenna mounted to the unit and this has greatly improved Wi-Fi reception, the touch screen function is greatly improved, Blue Tooth detected and connected to my OBDII device without a hitch, and even the installation was made easier with a mod to the radio antenna connection.

My E53 does not have the BMW navigation unit, but it does have the premium sound system with DSP. I had already altered the bracket in the dash to hold the Avant-2 unit, and the Eonon fit right in without any additional mods. Also, I had moved the Business Radio/Disc Player to the rear side compartment and made the necessary wire hookups to get the Avant-2 to work with the DSP, so installing the Eonon was basically a plug-and-play installation.

All in all, I have to say that the new Avant unit performs better than the Eonon GA6166 that I was using until installing the new Avant. I want to make sure in fairness to both Eonon and Avinusa that anyone using my review of the two units be sure of the model/version of each unit that is being compared. For example, Eonon recently started offering an updated version for the E39/E53.

While I was initially disappointed with the support provided by Avinusa, I am impressed by the professionalism and more than fair way the company dealt with my lost radio, and would recommend Avinusa to a friend for that reason.

:wow: WOW! Thank you for this! I have been wondering what to do with the E53 since I put an Eonon in my wife's E46. I like it fine, but it was the first of these radios to install. Your review is VERY well timed. :thumbup:

Glad my description was of some help. I should have mentioned also that the Eonon GA6166 has Android 5.1.1 OS. Not the latest version of Android but still a big improvement over Android 4.x.x which is the platform of choice for just about every malware and worm author in cyberspace! Avant-2 has Android 4.1.1. There is a Avant-3 in development apparently, but it will need to include quite a few improvements over the Avant-2 just to come out even with the Eonon GA6166, IMHO.

I thought the only aftermarket stereo to work with the BMW DSP system was the Dynavin N6. WOW this Eonon is half the price of Dynavin.

I think there is a chance that other radios can be easily wired to play through the BMW DSP system also. At least the non-NAV systems which is what I have experience with. There is another thread in the E53 forum that describes the install of an Advant-2 in a X5 with DSP. It's a simple solution and just requires connecting 3 wires (hot, ground and CANBus) to the Business Radio/Disc player. Just connecting these wires as described in the Installation Guide in not enough. You have to be sure that there is 12v. on the hot (red) connection to power the disc player and MID display. You can provide the 12v supply either by tapping into a positive (+) battery connection close to the disk player location or you can splice into the red wire in the connection to the MID display and connect that lead to one of the positive (+) connections coming out of the radio. This method avoids the possibility of parasitic power drains on your battery, because the MID is only powered up when the radio is turned on. With the Advant-2 I used a lead from the radio labeled "AMP On". With the Eonon, I used a lead that is labeled "ANT +" and is used to power the antenna motor if you have one. The key to getting the DSP to work with an upgraded radio is to be sure the MID is getting power (12v.). If it doesn't light up, check that there is 12v. on the red/blue wire on the MID connector.

So with this Eonon, since I have DSP, I'd have to run that 5m extension harness from battery area to stereo placement...Where as with a Dynavin N6 you don't need to run a long cable harness to tap into DSP? Hope it's ok to ask a Dynavin question in a non Dynavin comparison thread.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

No, it is not necessary to run any harness from the dash to the rear compartment unless you have BMW Navigation unit in your E53. Eonon provides that harness at no charge, but I sure don't envy anyone that finds it necessary to use the cable!

If you don't have NAV you connect the Business Radio/Disc Player unit to the existing wiring for the 6-disc changer that might or not be installed depending on the build option. I ended up purchasing on ebay the connector that plugs into the Radio/Disc unit when I installed the Avant-2. But I think you can find one to use on all the additional cables provided with the Eonon unit. The connector will look exactly like the come at the dash that plugged into the original radio/disc unit. The pins on the radio/disc unit are close together and difficult to connect to solidly if you don't use a connector. Then you need to connect 3 wires to the existing wires in the rear compartment that are for a 6-disc changer. I soldered mine, but crimp connectors will work fine. The description of the hookup needed in the rear compartment is covered in the .pdf file that is available from the Avinusa.com site and in a Thread in this forum. Search the Forum for "Avant-2". If you have any trouble locating the description, let me know I think I might still have a copy somewhere to send you.

thanks tcbob. I was on the Eonon website looking at the GA7166 and they were mentioning that the OE Nav or DSP needs to have the extension cable run from the radio module by battery compartment... so thats what I assumed I'd need to run this bastard of a cable.
I do not have the CD changer installed in my vehicle, but I'm sure the cables are tied up in the removable compartment since I know a bunch of cables are.

Put me down as a very happy camper with the Eonon GA6166 in my NAV/non-DSP E53 and with a speaker upgrade courtesy of this thread

https://xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-forums/...-speakers.html

Although I have nothing but the OE system to compare it to, I just love driving in my E53 with the new Eonon HU and speaker upgrade.

I also retrofitted the OE DSP subwoofer unit and it's now driven on the low RCA inputs (previously used the high audio inputs) of my Razon aftermarket mono amp.

Mike

Good review. I suspected the 2 units were fairly typical fare although the upgraded Android is a plus as long as the 6166 has the processing power to run Android 5.

I also had to send one of my Avin 2s back to Tommy after it refused to connect to wi-fi. Worked great for about 3 months then stopped. He took care of it pretty quickly I must admit and the second unit is still going great since (~2 years now) tethered to phones as the wi-fi hotspot.

I think all of these android units are buggy, under powered, and in general if you are into an OEM experience will be a let down. I enjoyed my Avin and would love to have another android ecosystem (I was actually leaning Eonon until very recently) but I am going to go NBT and be done with it.

The thing the Eonon really has going for it... it's only $300. I spent ~$600 on the Avin with all the acoutremont after a $100 discount for doing a full installation guide. I felt then it was probably a bit overpriced. And then the 6166 came out and I felt it was even more overpriced.