Head Unit with best audio quality - Android Head-Units

Hello, Im new here. Have always used an iphone. Only ever had a smasung s3 for a few months and was presently surprised by how solid android has become.
Anyways, I am looking to put a double din HU that runs android in my car.
I have ordered and used the Joying headunit 4.4.4 and it was great except for a few points:
1. Doesnt read address book from phone via bluetooth, needs to be imported.
2. SOUND QUALITY.... is not great. Not unbearable but barely passable in my opinion. And that is with the bc06 bluetooth. Running mp3s from the HU directly was slightly better/clearer. But I mostly stream audio from my phone, so I was not happy with the audio quality. I played around with the EQ and got it as good as I could and was slightly dissatisfied. Very boarderline.
3, UI is difficult to use in clutch situations. Would be nice if there was an app\overlay that would give me just a couple of high priority apps on screen within reach. Im sure this is easily done, didnt spend much time trying to get it to work.
I see that PUMPKIN is coming out with a unit that uses the parrot Bluetooth card that should bring the bluetooth audio quality up to max. Leaving the preamp to be the weakest link.
How are you guys dealing with this? And do you think I should spring for the pumpkin that will give me good BT quality? Also, are there any good EQ apps I could use to fine tune the audio to get maximize audio quality?
I really like the headunits that run android and cant live without all those other features but the audio quality really needs to be addressed.
Here is what Ive used:
(cant post links yet)
JY-UQ130 Joying
Here is what I want to buy now:
11-RQ0259E-US-A Pumpkin - only available on their site for now, will be on amazon soon.
Let me know what you think and if rooting it would help me get the most out out of the pre amp module.
I also have an external 2200 watt amp that I have in my car, so maybe I could tune that? IDK...
Thanks

glad i read this before buying the joying unit for my VW. looking for something with decent audio quality as well.

none exist at the moment, sadly. the only way to deal with the poor sound quality of these HUs is to buy an external DSP & use that to process your sound instead. minidsp 2x4 is the cheapest option to accomplish this ($100).

Hi,
I've just found MXTRON HU with dual ST sound processors.
Here is the website : www mxtron com

thekoter said:
Hi,
I've just found MXTRON HU with dual ST sound processors.
Here is the website : www mxtron com
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Still only dual core 8GB and only 4.2.2. The question is what do they mean with dual sound processors? Because the standard KLD has
dual sound processors too, sometimes with the brand ST.
---------- Post added at 11:18 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:15 AM ----------
[/COLOR]
sithcommander66 said:
I see that PUMPKIN is coming out with a unit that uses the parrot Bluetooth card that should bring the bluetooth audio quality up to max. Leaving the preamp to be the weakest link.
How are you guys dealing with this? And do you think I should spring for the pumpkin that will give me good BT quality? Also, are there any good EQ apps I could use to fine tune the audio to get maximize audio quality?
I really like the headunits that run android and cant live without all those other features but the audio quality really needs to be addressed.
Here is what Ive used:
(cant post links yet)
JY-UQ130 Joying
Here is what I want to buy now:
11-RQ0259E-US-A Pumpkin - only available on their site for now, will be on amazon soon.
Let me know what you think and if rooting it would help me get the most out out of the pre amp module.
I also have an external 2200 watt amp that I have in my car, so maybe I could tune that? IDK...
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've bought that unit and the sound quality is not okay even if they are using parrot. The two microphones
are still in parallel with lower sound quality. It's equal to my modified KLD. I.e. no improvement.

Hisma said:
none exist at the moment, sadly. the only way to deal with the poor sound quality of these HUs is to buy an external DSP & use that to process your sound instead. minidsp 2x4 is the cheapest option to accomplish this ($100).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What's the sound quality like if you use an external DSP? Is it as good as a good car audio system, or is it just smoothing over the cracks?

Yes the sound quality is not great, the rca pre outs are super weak, i tested mine the pumpkin from amazon and the voltage is on like .8 VAC rca i bought a line driver and that got my voltage up to 4.2 VAC rca which now my bass hits like before.

tangoman99 said:
What's the sound quality like if you use an external DSP? Is it as good as a good car audio system, or is it just smoothing over the cracks?
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Click to collapse
Personally I still feel like something is missing. It is absolutely better, but a DSP can't generate frequencies the sources doesn't produce. So I still would prefer a HU from someone known to produce high quality audio. But the android units have all the features I want so I just go with it.

Hisma said:
Personally I still feel like something is missing. It is absolutely better, but a DSP can't generate frequencies the sources doesn't produce. So I still would prefer a HU from someone known to produce high quality audio. But the android units have all the features I want so I just go with it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Darn it - I wish I'd seen the stuff on here before buying it.
I really notice the frequency cut off - it's like listening to a really badly chopped low bitrate mp3.

tangoman99 said:
Darn it - I wish I'd seen the stuff on here before buying it.
I really notice the frequency cut off - it's like listening to a really badly chopped low bitrate mp3.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yep, huge disappointment to say the least. with the amount of time and energy I've put into my system, I'm still not completely happy w/ the results. I'm still learning how to tweak it, so I am certain I can get it to sound better, but I guarantee a high quality audio HU would not need near this much TLC.
Most probably don't notice missing frequencies, but a critical listener would. I own some high quality headphones, so I know what my music is supposed to sound like, and its just not there.
Think I'm going to add a line driver to my signal chain next, as the pre-outs are a measly 1V (and the DSP chops that signal up even more). Hope that does the trick.

Any point in doing 7floor's mod and using an external dsp or are they achieving the same end?

theoretically flattening the EQ should remove all custom audio processing, making 7floor's audio mod useless if you use an external DSP. However, b/c of how suspect these units handle audio, I wouldn't even be surprised if a supposedly flat EQ on a non-modded unit isn't really flat.
But yes, they are achieving the same end. Of course the internal DSP, even w/ the audio mod, would not be near as effective or give you as much control as an external DSP.

most of the time I read about sound problems, it is due to using Bluetooth. Is the sound still bad if you use Google Play on the actual head unit?

CadillacMike said:
most of the time I read about sound problems, it is due to using Bluetooth. Is the sound still bad if you use Google Play on the actual head unit?
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Click to collapse
That's my question as well.
Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

It has taken me soundproofing, 3 sets of frontstage speakers (currently on my third set), an amplifier and a good subwoofer to improve sound quality in my car and a 7floor mod with these units. There is always something to improve in the sound in a car and I am leaning towards a decent headunit now. The radio tuner and sound quality on these units are its' weaknesses it is such shame as the OS is great.

I just read that with Android Lollipop it is possible to connect an external DAC via USB:
http://www.phonearena.com/news/Android-5.0-Lollipop-supports-USB-DAC-audio-devices-we-go-ears-on_id66399
Would that be an option to have better audio quality? Is there a USB-DAC which would be suitable for a car?

Pumpking as a new one coming out next month, apparently with a new DSP with better audio quality:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poAkdg6Y3Wc

nice find checksum. if the price is right I may pick one of those up to replace my current unit. I wonder what the pre-out voltage will be.

Do these devices have the same sound card? I need some of the apk of one to control sub vol on the Joying

I think that sound quality playing mp3's on these units is excellent.
On my Joying unit, while the bluetooth is not the best in the world, if you are playing mp3's off an SD with MediaMonkey, or PowerAmp it is VERY good.

Related

A unit for audiophiles

So having battled and broke my last android unit I am looking at getting a new one asap.
Is there a unit that has decent sound quality, a bass sub out which is controllable and has a good graphic equaliser that has good clear unmuffled sound.
Thanks
This is exactly what I'm looking for. I did find a unit from ownice (wintech c200) running 4.4.2 that has the sub-woofer level control. Rk3188 chip.
It has the 2 knobs so I'm still in the market.
dazza007 said:
So having battled and broke my last android unit I am looking at getting a new one asap.
Is there a unit that has decent sound quality, a bass sub out which is controllable and has a good graphic equaliser that has good clear unmuffled sound.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, an MTCB Android head unit with @7floor's audio mod and equaliser will give you controllable sub out.
i wouldn't be surprised if the OP broke his unit by attempting the @7floor audio mod. It's how I broke mine too. I got a replacement that is better than the UQ-124 that it replaced in almost every way, but sadly still has the **** EQ & overall poor audio controls.
It's a 2nd gen AN-21U.
Maybe you shouldnt attempt that sort of thing then ? - others have been successful.
typos1 said:
Maybe you shouldnt attempt that sort of thing then ? - others have been successful.
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Click to collapse
I realize that. Though you tout your solution as though it viable, when in reality 1% or so of average users are capable of pulling it off. You shouldn't have to physically modify your HU to get good sound out of it.
Anyways, I think the best way is to just buy an external DSP. Even with 7floors audio mod, you are still using a cheap mainstream quality DSP built into the unit. A cheap alternative is miniDSP 2x4.
https://minidsp.com/products/minidspkits/2-x-in-4-x-out
an even better is the 6x8 as it is custom-built for car audio installations -
https://minidsp.com/products/minidsp-in-a-box/c-dsp-6x8
Comes with downloadable plugins that allow you to set true crossovers, a 31band EQ, and comes with a high quality DSP on board. 7floor mod is good for those with a lot of technical skill that don't want to spend any extra money, but it still won't compare to the results you get from a external DSP.
Its not my mod, its @7floor's, you dont have to do the mod, but it improves the sound, its only a bit of soldering.

Headunit with decent dac?

Hey guys, looking for a new double din android headunit and wondering what the best ones around $300-400 USD are. Wondering what ones are best also how is the dac quality? I'm running a decent system and running two amplifiers from my headunit. Wanting to know how they'd compare i'm running a standard sony headunit at the moment with 4x55w output.
Cheers
unfortunately none exist as far as I know. If one did exist, I'd like to know about it. Audio quality is pretty much ignored in these units.
How much worse would the sound quality on these be compared to a standard sony double din etc? Would it be a big loss?
Cheers
I'm not sure if an external USB DAC (and amplifier) would work - but worth a try. I'm guessing it will work for the Android digital sources but not sure about the radio.
Clinton93 said:
How much worse would the sound quality on these be compared to a standard sony double din etc? Would it be a big loss?
Cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
see this thread for reasons as to why the sound quality is so bad -
http://forum.xda-developers.com/and.../mtc-sound-controlling-bd37xxx-sound-t3234660
Effectively the units aren't even taking full advantage of the capabilities of the built-in sound processor, and worse, handling some things entirely wrong.
Also, the quality of the pre-amps makes a noticeable difference as well. As in, how much voltage they put out, as well as the quality of their shielding. These units have poor quality pre-outs from my experience. Mine puts out only 1V and is unshielded.
Last, there is no digital out option. Would be great if they included a SPDIF out for those that want to use an external sound processor, and is common on many higher-end units.
These units are simply not adequate for audiophiles, but you can still manage to pair them with a external soundprocessor & amp to squeeze some improvement out of it. For me though, I regret going through all the trouble of running wires, connecting an external amp/sub/etc and finding out how it's near impossible to get the sound quality the way I want it.

Prepurchase ? Joying 2g 32gb sofia Audio EQ

Is the audio on the Joying 2g 32gb units good? i hear things that the EQ is terrible and only 3 band. Is this true or was this for the old units? I am debating between this joying unit in 10.1 or the px5 cpu units that just came out. I am a audiophile and was worried about audio quality and subwoofer output control. anyone that has these units can shed some light would be appreciated
megapimp said:
Is the audio on the Joying 2g 32gb units good? i hear things that the EQ is terrible and only 3 band. Is this true or was this for the old units? I am debating between this joying unit in 10.1 or the px5 cpu units that just came out. I am a audiophile and was worried about audio quality and subwoofer output control. anyone that has these units can shed some light would be appreciated
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Out of the box the EQ is really bad on all of the Chinese units. I've changed quite a lot of models in the past 5 years and all of them were pretty bad.
For that we have Viper4Android, that is an AMAZING piece of software EQ (probably more like an sound processor).
The unit has a separate Sub output control but I haven't tested it... don't have a sub in my car.
BUT
If you are an audiophile these units are not for you. As an audiophile you must have pretty high standards and I am afraid the sound quality of the cheap Chinese units will let you down. Don't get me wrong, for an average user like me, streaming most of the music at 128/256/320 kbps and has medium quality speakers the sound is quite good (with Viper4Android enabled) but It's an only 300$ piece of hardware.... you simply can't ask for more.
Yes you can mod them and maybe change the amp mosfet but you will not get to have audiophile quality out of it. If you get an good external USB DAC and pair it with an real sound processor and maybe with an good amplifier... maybe then you can get closer to a real audiophile solution.
Again, if you are the kind of guy that his cheapest set of headphones are in the 1000$ range or your speakers at home are 3000$ worth.... look somewhere else.
Change the amp chip with a Pioneer chip and the unit is bad ass
edit said:
Out of the box the EQ is really bad on all of the Chinese units. I've changed quite a lot of models in the past 5 years and all of them were pretty bad.
For that we have Viper4Android, that is an AMAZING piece of software EQ (probably more like an sound processor).
The unit has a separate Sub output control but I haven't tested it... don't have a sub in my car.
BUT
If you are an audiophile these units are not for you. As an audiophile you must have pretty high standards and I am afraid the sound quality of the cheap Chinese units will let you down. Don't get me wrong, for an average user like me, streaming most of the music at 128/256/320 kbps and has medium quality speakers the sound is quite good (with Viper4Android enabled) but It's an only 300$ piece of hardware.... you simply can't ask for more.
Yes you can mod them and maybe change the amp mosfet but you will not get to have audiophile quality out of it. If you get an good external USB DAC and pair it with an real sound processor and maybe with an good amplifier... maybe then you can get closer to a real audiophile solution.
Again, if you are the kind of guy that his cheapest set of headphones are in the 1000$ range or your speakers at home are 3000$ worth.... look somewhere else.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for this answer... Maybe I chose the wrong wording. I do love quality audio but im not anal about sound. as long as i can adjust the mids highs and lows and for it to sound great not cheap hallow sounding. im used to 7 to 10 bands will i be able to get a true adjustment out of these with 7 band software? Ive seen the Pioneer upgrade just now but thats only for power output. Im currently wanting to install in my escalade with the stock bose amplified speakers. I will be adding 2 sundown 8 inch subwoofers in a tuned box and want to have full media from the unit. spotify music apps loaded music and vids
megapimp said:
Thank you for this answer... Maybe I chose the wrong wording. I do love quality audio but im not anal about sound. as long as i can adjust the mids highs and lows and for it to sound great not cheap hallow sounding. im used to 7 to 10 bands will i be able to get a true adjustment out of these with 7 band software? Ive seen the Pioneer upgrade just now but thats only for power output. Im currently wanting to install in my escalade with the stock bose amplified speakers. I will be adding 2 sundown 8 inch subwoofers in a tuned box and want to have full media from the unit. spotify music apps loaded music and vids
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pioneer chip upgrade is not just for power but also sound quality.
megapimp said:
Thank you for this answer... Maybe I chose the wrong wording. I do love quality audio but im not anal about sound. as long as i can adjust the mids highs and lows and for it to sound great not cheap hallow sounding. im used to 7 to 10 bands will i be able to get a true adjustment out of these with 7 band software? Ive seen the Pioneer upgrade just now but thats only for power output. Im currently wanting to install in my escalade with the stock bose amplified speakers. I will be adding 2 sundown 8 inch subwoofers in a tuned box and want to have full media from the unit. spotify music apps loaded music and vids
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your best bet with these units, if you don't want to buy additional hardware (sound processor, an external am with a fancy EQ) is to root them and install Viper4Android (that requires root). Viper gives you the ability to have a pretty good EQ and many other features to tune the sound to your liking. Like I said in my previous post the onboard 3 way EQ is maybe decent for some but I found it pretty poor. Viper was the only piece of software that could bring back the good bass that I was having from the original headunit of my Ford that was made by Sony (this time) and it was made specifically to drive the speakers to their best. Viper has feature that limit the bass not to overwhelm the mids , very usefull.
The DAC in the Joying units is decent and probably closer to good (for my ears and my car speakers) but don't expect audiophile quality out of it by any means. If I had to grade the amp+dac from 1 to 10 I would chose an 6 maybe 6.50.... 7 it's a stretch but maybe with many Viper teaks....
Your Bose sound system is definitely more revealing in therms of sound quality than what speakers put Ford in my car so after installing the Joying you might be a bit disappointing that I've gave the HU an 7
Sound quality is a delicate matter, what is good for some is bad for others.
The cheapest hardware sound improvement would be to change the amp chip (into the Pioneer one), I haven't done it for 2 reasons so I can't comment much on how big the sound quality changes...First I NEED to know that I am buying an genuine chip and not an fake one, ebay is full of them and you simply can't detect a fake, or test it somehow after you received it. The original from Pioneer is around 40$ and the ebay ones are from 2.50$ to 15$ that doesn't inspire me confidence.... and second, even if I have the soldering skills I don't have the equipment needed and finding someone with the proper skills and tools it's a bit complicated.
If you want to control the sub from this unit I read that it's not an good option but you have to look into it:
Read here, these people wanted more sound quality from this unit and they started to mod it : https://forum.xda-developers.com/an...ts/joying-2gb-sofia-headunits-common-t3577217
edit said:
Your best bet with these units, if you don't want to buy additional hardware (sound processor, an external am with a fancy EQ) is to root them and install Viper4Android (that requires root). Viper gives you the ability to have a pretty good EQ and many other features to tune the sound to your liking. Like I said in my previous post the onboard 3 way EQ is maybe decent for some but I found it pretty poor. Viper was the only piece of software that could bring back the good bass that I was having from the original headunit of my Ford that was made by Sony (this time) and it was made specifically to drive the speakers to their best. Viper has feature that limit the bass not to overwhelm the mids , very usefull.
The DAC in the Joying units is decent and probably closer to good (for my ears and my car speakers) but don't expect audiophile quality out of it by any means. If I had to grade the amp+dac from 1 to 10 I would chose an 6 maybe 6.50.... 7 it's a stretch but maybe with many Viper teaks....
Your Bose sound system is definitely more revealing in therms of sound quality than what speakers put Ford in my car so after installing the Joying you might be a bit disappointing that I've gave the HU an 7
Sound quality is a delicate matter, what is good for some is bad for others.
The cheapest hardware sound improvement would be to change the amp chip (into the Pioneer one), I haven't done it for 2 reasons so I can't comment much on how big the sound quality changes...First I NEED to know that I am buying an genuine chip and not an fake one, ebay is full of them and you simply can't detect a fake, or test it somehow after you received it. The original from Pioneer is around 40$ and the ebay ones are from 2.50$ to 15$ that doesn't inspire me confidence.... and second, even if I have the soldering skills I don't have the equipment needed and finding someone with the proper skills and tools it's a bit complicated.
If you want to control the sub from this unit I read that it's not an good option but you have to look into it:
Read here, these people wanted more sound quality from this unit and they started to mod it : https://forum.xda-developers.com/an...ts/joying-2gb-sofia-headunits-common-t3577217
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
very good thank you so much for the detailed response. I am more the able to swap the amp chip as i build stand alone ecus for vehicles. I am just turned off that these units wouldnt put good items inside. What headunit may come out in the future that everyone is keeping their eyes on? I see other units with 7 to 10 band EQ settings on them that are cheaper. are those fake eq settings or just the same ole bs?
megapimp said:
very good thank you so much for the detailed response. I am more the able to swap the amp chip as i build stand alone ecus for vehicles. I am just turned off that these units wouldnt put good items inside. What headunit may come out in the future that everyone is keeping their eyes on? I see other units with 7 to 10 band EQ settings on them that are cheaper. are those fake eq settings or just the same ole bs?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
These are cheap units for the average Joe. They need to sell many so the low price point is the key...
When it comes to the EQ all I can say is that my previous unit (Witson) had out of the box a 7 band EQ that was absolutely rubbish... Unusable... Major crap. Viper saved the day. So even if the hardware is decent/good, they are dragging it down with poor software.
Joying with the Sofia implementation it's the best unit that I have used so far.... With each year new units pop up but not all are decent and just a few get a good support from xda.
megapimp said:
very good thank you so much for the detailed response. I am more the able to swap the amp chip as i build stand alone ecus for vehicles. I am just turned off that these units wouldnt put good items inside. What headunit may come out in the future that everyone is keeping their eyes on? I see other units with 7 to 10 band EQ settings on them that are cheaper. are those fake eq settings or just the same ole bs?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
funny thing is, some units that have more than 3 band EQ sliders (like 7 or 10), do bundle them in 3s anyway...you move one and the ones left&right of it move as well go figure....
i guess if one's not happy with the default output, there are 3 choices right now: replace amp, viper mod and 7floor hardware mod+custom EQ sw. That's pretty much the pinnacle of what can be achieved, sound-wise, on chinese units atm. Unless someone really skilled tears the thing apart and re-does pretty much everything down the audio-chain.
....4th option being always of course: stay away from chinese android HUs and get something else....like a Pioneer AVIC-series. U do the math and pro/cons on that..

Bad sound quality on Android units fixed with good external amp?

HI
All of the bad sound quality issues I've read about in regards to various Chinese Android head units seem to be related to the internal amplifier/chip from what I can gather.
If you use the pre-outs and run a good quality external amplifier, is the pre-out signal clean enough to sound good, or does it still sound bad, just with more power behind it?
Thanks!
--ElmoTheDestroyer
Joying has these new units with some sort of enhanced amplifier and EQ that at least on paper look way better what other Chinese units offer... in fact no other Chinese manufacturer made the effort to offer something better... all go the same route... basic and cheap so kudos for Joying that they are trying something different.
Now we need confirmation from buyers that the new amplif is indeed better....
edit said:
Joying has these new units with some sort of enhanced amplifier and EQ that at least on paper look way better what other Chinese units offer... in fact no other Chinese manufacturer made the effort to offer something better... all go the same route... basic and cheap so kudos for Joying that they are trying something different.
Now we need confirmation from buyers that the new amplif is indeed better....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I was looking at picking one of those up, I'm just curious, if I'm not happy with how that sounds, if using a good external amp will actually provide "really good" sound quality vs. the internal amp. I know that using a crappy preamp source can give pretty bad results even on a good amp, but at the same time, the preamp section of these units might be clean enough to provide a good usable signal to an external amp.
Though it would be cool if the new internal amp Joying is using is actually good! Be nice to not have to spend money on an external amp if I can avoid it...
ElmoTheDestroyer said:
Yeah, I was looking at picking one of those up, I'm just curious, if I'm not happy with how that sounds, if using a good external amp will actually provide "really good" sound quality vs. the internal amp. I know that using a crappy preamp source can give pretty bad results even on a good amp, but at the same time, the preamp section of these units might be clean enough to provide a good usable signal to an external amp.
Though it would be cool if the new internal amp Joying is using is actually good! Be nice to not have to spend money on an external amp if I can avoid it...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't set your set your hopes way too high, after all we are talking about 300-400$ units here. If the sound quality is the top priority these are not the ones to look at, with or without an external amplif. Very good sound quality is expensive. Most (like me) pick these up for the convenience of having an navigation, backup camera, access to various streaming apps and so on... the list is long. My original Ford headunit is head and shoulders above these Chinese units when it comes to sound quality, FM Radio reception/ sound quality.... but it also lacks so many features that you find in a modern headunit that I find them useful enough to give up on the original headunit high sound quality.
edit said:
Don't set your set your hopes way too high, after all we are talking about 300-400$ units here. If the sound quality is the top priority these are not the ones to look at, with or without an external amplif. Very good sound quality is expensive. Most (like me) pick these up for the convenience of having an navigation, backup camera, access to various streaming apps and so on... the list is long. My original Ford headunit is head and shoulders above these Chinese units when it comes to sound quality, FM Radio reception/ sound quality.... but it also lacks so many features that you find in a modern headunit that I find them useful enough to give up on the original headunit high sound quality.
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lol, yeah, I'm not expecting super high quality sound... I have an older android unit in my truck now, so I know how it feels to have crappy sound.. Just debating if it's worth spending the money on an external amp to help things out... Not sure if it'd be worth the expense/trouble to install, or if it would just make crappy muddy sound louder.
Love the convenience of these units though, especially compared to my 20 year old stock CD player, talk about a huge technology update!
Suppose I'll just get one of these new Joying units with the new digital amp and hope for the best...
Thanks again for the info!
I have one and should have it running in the next week. It's my understanding that if you enable an external amp with the new units the surround sound is disabled and the old app is enabled. In other words you lose all the fancy adjustments if you use an external amp. I have a few cars and one of them will use an external amp and I'm only just hoping for less heat from the new design. On another car I'm hoping to bypass the original amp with the new unit and drive it right from the joying unit.
Of course sound is pretty subjective so I'm doubtful even if I say its better that that is meaningful to anyone else in their car etc. A the end of the day I like decent sound, but the android functionality is my primary need. One of my cars is a Honda Element. This thing has so much road noise a person might be throwing their money away if they went with premium quality.
400 bucks can either be a lot for someone or less significant for others.
well now the Sony Android Auto unit is down to $400. I was actually never unhappy with the sound of my Joying, but holy **** the sound is dramatically improved with the Sony:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/an...-xav-ax100-t3647891/post73238321#post73238321
However, I do miss the full functionality of Android, so I'll be going back to either Joying or Seicane. But after having that Sony, i may look into adding an amp or a DSP or something to try to get that sound
i got the new Joying with the Amp and DSP, and I think it sounds pretty great.
CadillacMike said:
i got the new Joying with the Amp and DSP, and I think it sounds pretty great.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Separate amp or the new class D amp internal?
pounce said:
Separate amp or the new class D amp internal?
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Click to collapse
It has the internal amp, one with the gold plate on the back
CadillacMike said:
i got the new Joying with the Amp and DSP, and I think it sounds pretty great.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you please tell us more? Maybe compared to the Sony?
The old Joying is ok as long as you install Viper.
Do not compare onder units with Joying Intel based units...
I have all amplified on my car, with Joying 2Gb Intel unit (not the new ones with digital amplifier), but applyied some on stock audio cars and sound is not worst than pioneer, kenwood, sony 100-200€ units.
But to made the sound better, disable LOUD and on Car Settings app, on the code protected menu, on balance sound option, put the sound bars on 0 (zero). Now you can volume up without distortion and the sound will be more clear.
ElmoTheDestroyer said:
lol, yeah, I'm not expecting super high quality sound... I have an older android unit in my truck now, so I know how it feels to have crappy sound.. Just debating if it's worth spending the money on an external amp to help things out... Not sure if it'd be worth the expense/trouble to install, or if it would just make crappy muddy sound louder.
Love the convenience of these units though, especially compared to my 20 year old stock CD player, talk about a huge technology update!
Suppose I'll just get one of these new Joying units with the new digital amp and hope for the best...
Thanks again for the info!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
edit said:
Can you please tell us more? Maybe compared to the Sony?
The old Joying is ok as long as you install Viper.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got the install done very late last night.
So I only got to listen on the way in to work, and I don't have everything set up yet. But I think it sounds about as good as the Sony.
Beast Mode activated
Here are some pics
Can you please share .APK for this amplifier app ?
ElmoTheDestroyer said:
HI
All of the bad sound quality issues I've read about in regards to various Chinese Android head units seem to be related to the internal amplifier/chip from what I can gather.
If you use the pre-outs and run a good quality external amplifier, is the pre-out signal clean enough to sound good, or does it still sound bad, just with more power behind it?
Thanks!
--ElmoTheDestroyer
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, the problem isn't with the amplifiers. The amplifiers they install may be somewhat small, but they're not bad units. The problem is in what they send TO the amplifiers, which will be exactly the same if you use an external amplifier.
All that an amplifier actually does, is makes the sound LOUDER. If the sound that you are amplifying is full of noise, artifacts, and clipping, then those *painful* bits of sound will also be amplified.
I know this thread is a blast from the past, but in searching xda i am having a hard time finding if any of these android headunit make clean sound out the RCA.
I have a Sofia unit from about 2 years ago, and have never been able to get rid of whine of the engine across rpm range (especially if engine is running with headlights on) i have a good grounding kit under the hood, quality 4 gauge power and ground to amp, tested PAC SNI-1 Noise Isolators on both front and rear RCA, have even tried a Axxess AX-ANR1000 Power Noise Filter. All to no avail.
Is there any units that are better for clean output?
merdok said:
I know this thread is a blast from the past, but in searching xda i am having a hard time finding if any of these android headunit make clean sound out the RCA.
I have a Sofia unit from about 2 years ago, and have never been able to get rid of whine of the engine across rpm range (especially if engine is running with headlights on) i have a good grounding kit under the hood, quality 4 gauge power and ground to amp, tested PAC SNI-1 Noise Isolators on both front and rear RCA, have even tried a Axxess AX-ANR1000 Power Noise Filter. All to no avail.
Is there any units that are better for clean output?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Filtering noise out of a system like that can be a bit of a daunting challenge.
There are a ton of different places where the noise can be brought into your radio from your car;
1) ANY electrical connection between your car and your radio. This includes power+, power-, and even all the different *signal* wires, like ACC, headlights, reverse, etc.
2) RF. This is a really challenging one to deal with, because if your alternator is blasting out a whole bunch of RF noise at a frequency in the range of 20-40,000 Hz, and if that RF gets picked up by an audio wire pre-amplifier, then the amplifier will take that noise, amplify it, and play it on your speakers.
You've tried a power noise filter.
Have you tried connecting the ACC line to the filtered side of that filter instead of the ignition? Have you tried disconnecting ALL of the other signal lines coming into the radio?
Now about the RF part.
Here is the thing. If you're using the pre-amp audio outputs, then that means that you are bringing the pre-amp audio signal OUTSIDE of the protection of the metal box (faraday cage).
The SNI-1 ground loop isolator that you've tried isn't going to do a damned thing if your problem is RF noise. In fact, it is an idiotic part altogether since all it actually does is it converts a signal from one ground reference to a possibly different ground reference. Instead of that, what you should be doing is making sure that there is no potential difference in the ground reference level of the two parts being connected -- specifically, the radio, and the amplifier.
Two things you can do to help with this;
1) Add a big cable from the amplifier chassis to the radio's metal box.
2) Use the highest quality and SHORTEST audio cables possible.
Also... have you confirmed that the amplifier you are using isn't actually the source of the noise?
96carboard said:
Filtering noise out of a system like that can be a bit of a daunting challenge.
There are a ton of different places where the noise can be brought into your radio from your car;
1) ANY electrical connection between your car and your radio. This includes power+, power-, and even all the different *signal* wires, like ACC, headlights, reverse, etc.
2) RF. This is a really challenging one to deal with, because if your alternator is blasting out a whole bunch of RF noise at a frequency in the range of 20-40,000 Hz, and if that RF gets picked up by an audio wire pre-amplifier, then the amplifier will take that noise, amplify it, and play it on your speakers.
You've tried a power noise filter.
Have you tried connecting the ACC line to the filtered side of that filter instead of the ignition? Have you tried disconnecting ALL of the other signal lines coming into the radio?
Now about the RF part.
Here is the thing. If you're using the pre-amp audio outputs, then that means that you are bringing the pre-amp audio signal OUTSIDE of the protection of the metal box (faraday cage).
The SNI-1 ground loop isolator that you've tried isn't going to do a damned thing if your problem is RF noise. In fact, it is an idiotic part altogether since all it actually does is it converts a signal from one ground reference to a possibly different ground reference. Instead of that, what you should be doing is making sure that there is no potential difference in the ground reference level of the two parts being connected -- specifically, the radio, and the amplifier.
Two things you can do to help with this;
1) Add a big cable from the amplifier chassis to the radio's metal box.
2) Use the highest quality and SHORTEST audio cables possible.
Also... have you confirmed that the amplifier you are using isn't actually the source of the noise?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank!
I can confirm it's not the amp itself by a headphone to rca cable from my phone into amp w/o noise.
1.) I need to try running a wire from amp ground to cage of hu. Think better to attach to ground of the case or attach to powerline filter? Going to test with bridge both wires of premium speaker wire. That should be plenty right?
2.) only wires that are a bit longer than needed are the rca. Might be 2ft slack because amp is under passenger seat.
Sent from my ONEPLUS A6003 using Tapatalk
---------- Post added at 02:07 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:24 PM ----------
Wow I think the wire from amp to hu case is going to be the fix! I never thought of that or needed in my years.
Sent from my ONEPLUS A6003 using Tapatalk
merdok said:
Thank!
I can confirm it's not the amp itself by a headphone to rca cable from my phone into amp w/o noise.
1.) I need to try running a wire from amp ground to cage of hu. Think better to attach to ground of the case or attach to powerline filter? Going to test with bridge both wires of premium speaker wire. That should be plenty right?
2.) only wires that are a bit longer than needed are the rca. Might be 2ft slack because amp is under passenger seat.
Sent from my ONEPLUS A6003 using Tapatalk
---------- Post added at 02:07 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:24 PM ----------
Wow I think the wire from amp to hu case is going to be the fix! I never thought of that or needed in my years.
Sent from my ONEPLUS A6003 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello,
I have the same problem "permanent noise in my Android unit". If I understand well, you have solve the problem with a wire from amp to HU. Could you explain more about this fix or a diagram?
Thks a lot

Avin Avant4 PX6 - VERY disappointed with Audio sound quality - help?

Hey guys,
I just finally installed Avin Avant4 unit in my E39 M5 and I am SO disappointed with the sound quality.
I got the dsp chip with it. (Yes, I've adjusted it, but its the unit components/build quality itself)
I previously had an old Pioneer Avic Z130BT - and have MB Quart components up front powered by JL 300/4 for cabin and a sub with JL 500/1. It sounded great.
I have a feeling the unit may be defective, but not sure if all of them are like this. In which case it is extremely disappointing.
I hear interference at random times, like when using the touchscreen. The carplay adapter sounds a TAD better, but not by much. The highs are just terrible and sound as if it is a poor connection (it is not).
Has anyone compared the PX6 with DSP chip to a Pioneer/Alpine/etc.
I love having the ibus functionality and carplay in one, but the audio quality is just terrible.
Perhaps there are some options? Otherwise I may have to resort to going back to regular double din, and I really don't want to because this one looks 100%.
bea5t said:
Has anyone compared the PX6 with DSP chip to a Pioneer/Alpine/etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not the px6 yet. I have it but haven't installed yet. My px5 is still in there though.
I had a pioneer NEX4200 in my jeep which got replaced with a Kenwood 9903s, which got replaced by my present px5.
If you're strictly concerned with audio quality (out of the box) then you should go to kenwood or pioneer (I don't like Alpine... you pay too much for the name) because the audio quality is most definitely better. Now I say "out of the box" because you CAN make the sound better in these Chinese machines with external amps and sound processors (which I have done).
But I choose to spend additional money making the sound better on my Dasaita px5 because these machines offer FAR more flexibility than my pioneer or kenwood ever could be.
Hopefully I will have my px6 installed next week for further comparison but I can already pretty much tell you that my pioneer nex4200 or Kenwood will sound better. It's tough to beat the sound quality of today's traditional hardware based head units with a Chinese android unit.
I have JL 300/4 going to MB Quart (old school made in germany) components. The minute I plugged in the android and turned on some audio, even before touching ANY settings, I was already disappointed.
The "alive" sound is just gone. You can tweak the highs and EQ and loudness all you want, but its still polishing a turd.
Wondering if anyone has connected a proper DAC to these (but how would it work with front/rear/sub outputs?)
bea5t said:
I have JL 300/4 going to MB Quart (old school made in germany) components. The minute I plugged in the android and turned on some audio, even before touching ANY settings, I was already disappointed.
The "alive" sound is just gone. You can tweak the highs and EQ and loudness all you want, but its still polishing a turd.
Wondering if anyone has connected a proper DAC to these (but how would it work with front/rear/sub outputs?)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah.... I was pretty disappointed in the beginning too. The sound was nowhere near as good as my kenwood, but I was determined to make it fly because of everything else these things can do.
I don't use the onboard amp. I use the front and rear rca outputs to a crossover which CREATES a new subwoofer channel which all (front, rear and new sub) is then fed to a signal processor (Axxess AX-DSP-X Digital Signal Processor) and then on to front, rear, and subwoofer amps.
I still get the odd screen noise to the speakers every so often but it's livable. The sound however is back up to par with my Kenwood.
I think that the big difference between the cheap chinese units and the more expensive ones is not so much the sound output. It's pretty much the same shallow audio across all these units. The difference is in how much processor and screen noise gets passed on to the audio. Some of these machines are just shielded better, with better pc board layouts so that noisy chips aren't near the audio preamps.
I would just absolutely love it if pioneer or kenwood built one of these android machines. It would be a killer machine. Pioneer/Kenwood audio quality mixed with the power of what is essentially an android tablet.
I pulled it out and put a new pioneer instead. The android is just not reliable and has its own quirks. No matter what the audio quality was just not there. Pioneer is levels beyond.
I put a android media player and running ibusapp off that with hdmi into the pioneer - anyone know how I can power the android media player using 12V constant, + ACC? - having the accessory wire send a signal to turn on/off so the android doesnt lose time settings?

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