Audio upgrade confusion
 

Hi all,

I have a professional Nav with DSP and GPS screen in my 2004 X5.

I want to upgrade it.

I know I can buy the Avin units however being in Australia these are pretty bloody expensive and honestly I think the Android units are much better value as well as the newer units having a higher quality screen.

So my question is;

Having a DSP module, do the Android units integrate properly with the cars amps and DSP module?

Or will I need a seperate amp (which seems like an absolute ball ache).

All I want is Android auto and the same as the factory sound which I think will do me for now as I have the 10 speaker setup.

Do the Android units use the existing microphone and GPS antenna connections? Radio connections? I know you can buy a seperate module to access the car's data such as the cars CANBUS data etcm

Thanks,

I know this may be a duplicate of other posts but I'm after clarity.

Anybody?

Others who have actually done this upgrade should chime in here with real-world experience but it seems most Android head unit upgrades are pretty straight foward.

You can use any Android HU with the existing DSP amp but you will need to add a USB-iBus adapter and the iBus software, to activate the DSP amp when the Android HU is running.

https://www.ibus-app.de/index_en.html

While the iBus app wasn't primarily written to activate the DSP amp, that is just one of it's many features and it's certainly worth having to preserve access to other BC functions you loose when you remove the factory Nav system or even the lowley MID unit. For instance, having the iBus app will allow you to set the clock! ;)

Most android units have their own GPS antenna, most can use the existing mic (although most will have an internal mic too) and need the factoy radio antenna connection.

One the members here (Crowz) has a very good installation write-up: -

BMW X5 Aftermarket Seicane Android Radio Install

He also added the iBus adapter (but maybe without the optional DSP license): -

BMW IBUS Adapter – Android | Crowz Nest

HTH... :thumbup:

Thank you!

Ditto Wpoll. Done this install 3 times now. 1 non-DSP, 2 w/ DSP. You need the iBus adapter no matter which version you have (if you want to reset the trip stats and clock on the dash). The DSP version will require an additional license purchase w/ iBus for the DSP. Otherwise the DSP amp in the vehicle will shut off after about 15 seconds of play.

As for generic Android vs. Avin. They both have their pluses and minuses. Used both multiple times. The Avin will typically be less glitchy but has a little less customization ability and has slightly older hardware specs.

The avin looks almost identical to the factory unit. Most would not tell the difference between the two. Is it expensive in Australia due to shipping costs from the USA? Mine uses the existing microphone, GPS antenna and radio connections. It comes with the I-Bus module in the package and all I needed to do is buy the license to activate the I-Bus app. DSP and clock reset etc work just fine with the I-Bus. The great thing is the unit works with existing DSP and looks OEM. No need to add an amp although I'm already doing that to drive the new subwoofer I'm adding, replacing the factory subwoofer.

Nope, I have family in the US I can ship it to nd then bring home myself. It’s expensive because it simply is! When I option it up with what I would want it (DSD, GPS cables, 2 reversing cameras, TV module) comes to around US $925 or Aus $1500.

The equivalent Android unit which has a Qled screen, 8 core android processor runs android 12 costs around half that from Aliexpress.

But isn’t that also the same with the android units after you buy the I-bus module?

Yes, the I-bus works the same on the other android units. I know, can't beat the prices of Aliexpress, but I can't trust their electronics. Avin quality is assured but at 50% less, I'd take the risk. It's probably going to be fine. I've bought stuff from Aliexpress but not electronic. Do you have a link for the aliexpress android unit?

I removed my Nav I retrofitted in the 2000's and installed an Xtrons. I love it. They don't use the built in mic or gps. I suppose you can make that happen but they give you a gps antenna and there is a mic on the radio but you really have to shout at the radio for it to hear you well. Xtrons include the CANBUS interface.

I use a bluetooth ODB and Torque which is great. I also have the ibusapp and module.

One thing I had to do was add additional 5v modules for two USB ports on the radio because with the TPMS module, Ibus and having my phone plugged in for CarPlay the radios usb power couldn't handle all those devices. You can buy a usb splitter that lets you inject a separate 5v power source that powers the usb device only if you intend to connect multiple USB devices.

I have the 6 core but there is an 8 core now which might have overcome this but its a easy fix. I know the 8 core can do additional things like split screen to show multiple apps on the screen at once.


Here is a listing on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/XTRONS-Single...dp/B0CCV9TMVB/


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Great info!

Thanks very much for that.

I have personally installed both the Avin units and the Dynavin units in 1 of my e39's one in my e38 and both of my e53's. The first one I installed in my 4.4 x5 was the Dynavin unit and I have to say for ease of installation, it was great. It plugged right in, and was set up very quickly. I believe it uses a windows operating system so there is much less customization to the look or the way the unit operates versus the android units although I have read you can. I have the same unit in my e39 touring. My 4.4 e53 and my touring both only had the basic mid/cd unit in the dash, one was DSP one was not, It didnt make any difference with the Dynavin and no additional modules were required. On my 4.6 e53 and my e38 I went with the avin avant4 units. Again both units worked great but they did require a little more installation effort to get going and working as I wanted them to. My e38 was gutted when I got the car and had aftermarket amps, speakers and HU installed the only thing used in that car were the speaker wires, everything else was independent from what BMW installed factory. I did install a backup camera, sirius radio/antenna, TPMS module, the Ibus module, and the front facing DVR Cam. Originally the car was a standard mid/cassette/dsp system. On my 4.6 e53 I also installed the avant4 but this car was equipped with Nav/DSP/Sirius from the factory. The ibus interface was required to activate the DSP amp. I used both the factory nav antenna and the sirius radio antenna by disconnecting them at the antenna lead and installing extension antenna leads to the back of the HU area. I did install an aftermarket backup camera and the sirius radio required a seperate control head for as most of the android units do not support a sirius radio tuner natively where the Dynavin units do. As far as sound goes, they both seem to be decent, will work for most people, if your an audiophile it may not be your cup of tea but in my cars running both stock amps and aftermarket amps they all sound fine. I was in the car audio/security business for almost 30 years so I have had experence with quality audio builds. Like you have said, they are both in the more expensive side of things, but I have had zero issues with my Dynavins, a little more trouble with the Avants, but nothing that an email or phone call to avin hasnt solved. I have heard that their customer service can be lacking at times, however I have never had that experience. The other brands of android units I dont have any experience with but early on there was so many problems with the e* units you refer too a very large community forum banned the company from participating in any selling or discussion of their units. This was a few years back, I know nothing of their units quality at this point. I always believe in the old saying that you get what you pay for so I wanted to negate any potential problems in the future so those were the brands I went with. I think most of the problems that people have with these units come down to a problem on installation in most cases. If your over your head, let someone who does it for a living do the job for you. Hope this helps.

Dave