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Specific question about sound quality

6K views 21 replies 3 participants last post by  carlman 
#1 ·
I have a 2012 LX. I upgraded the amp and speakers.
In doing so, I improved the resolution of the system. I can now hear how terrible the digital processing is in the stock head unit. Does anyone else hear how thin and digital everything sounds on their stock head unit?
If you don't, great. Keep enjoying what you have and stop reading.
If you're the type of person that can't listen to satellite radio because the swirling digital sounds drive you nuts, then you might understand my disdain for the SQ of this head unit.

My question is.. of those that are bothered by the digital etch of the sound of the stock unit, have you heard the Hong Kong version of this head unit and is it richer, sweeter, or less digital-etched sounding?

This particular sound quality issue is the only problem I'm trying to solve, without creating too many new ones. If the Hong Kong radio sounds average, it will be an improvement. The head unit in my car is one of the worst I've heard for this particular issue.

Many thanks in advance for any comments from folks who have heard this issue and can let me know what they heard....
 
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#2 ·
If you're the type of person that can't listen to satellite radio because the swirling digital sounds drive you nuts, then you might understand my disdain for the SQ of this head unit.
I believe the general consensus is that SIRIUS satellite radio quality sucks. Regardless of the head unit receiving it.

Personally, I can tell a night & day difference between satellite radio (which I don't subscribe to for the very quality issue you're referring to, but have heard it before it expired) and high quality mp3's I've ripped from CDs myself at 256kbps played via a high quality mp3 player through the AUX port or on a micro SD card and card reader through the USB port.
 
#3 ·
Thanks for the replies. I used sat radio as an extreme example of 'digititus' ... A phenomenon of digitally compressed audio. Its the quality of sound that annoys me the most.

Klrman recently updated his system with an hk unit so I was interested in his comparison over stock. He replied earlier but I don't see it now. ?

In any case, I'm going to try the one on eBay with DSP and see if it goes well.

I'll report back once installed.. Which will probably be a couple months..
 
#4 · (Edited)
Yeah, sorry about that. After I reread your post, you wanted to know specifically about the sirius radio and I couldn't help you there. My aftermarket unit is head an shoulders above the stock unit in sound quality and am very impressed with it as I have put it through the ringer and it's great.

I had one bad day with the radio but can now confirm it was the weather as it's been flawless after that and so has the nav/bluetooth/dvd/mp3 etc etc. If you get the one from ebay, make sure the radio "tuner" has DSP as well as their specs say DSP for audio but not for the radio tuner. You'll have one up on me then as the ones manufactured in march have it now.
 
#5 ·
Thanks, Klrman! I never meant to imply that I was interested in listening to satellite radio. Quite the opposite. I absolutely cannot listen to satellite radio at all. This is because of that Digital effect it has on the sound of compression.
 
#6 ·
Ah, I get it now! Yes, it's not very appealing to listen to, I noticed it right away and was happy to see it go. I hope you keep us updated when you install yours as I just could not be happier. Also, just a note that if you do a factory reset on your new head unit whilst playing around with the menus and the Nav won't work, you just need to set the Nav path back to the SD disc. I had a little panic when it did not work until I figured it out yesterday as I was messing around with it. So many fun features on it to play with and now and then I like to test them.
 
#8 · (Edited)
That's the one I ordered! The guy that replies to all the questions is Bobo, so just make sure to relay to him you want the newer unit with DSP for the radio tuner. He's been very helpful all the time and I'm surprised he doesn't lose patience with me as I asked him a lot of questions in the beginning and throughout.
 
#9 ·
Checking in...
I received the unit... So far, the install has gone OK..
I just seem to be missing something. I'll ask the seller.
1- I don't see a way to connect my existing steering wheel controls
2- No usb/aux input.

Also, I have an existing GPS cable in my dash that goes somewhere.. but I'm not sure where... but the connector that came with the radio is slightly different so I'm not sure what I'll be doing there. Why would I have a GPS connection if I don't have a GPS receiver? Seems like I should find one somewhere... and use it instead of a tacky add-on.
 
#10 · (Edited)
Maybe you have a GPS antenna under the dash somewhere from the factory? I didn't see a GPS cable in my dash, just the sirius cable and the regular am/fm radio cable. There is an adapter that comes with the unit for the am/fm cable to plug into.

usb from dash is disabled and you get a usb cable that plugs behind the unit that you can route anywhere you want. I left it off as I only use SD cards as they have become cheaper than usb lately here.

Will get back to you on the steering wheel controls, but it was plug and play from the main wiring harness that made it all work from what I remember I think.

Their GPS antenna works over here in the mountains with no problem at all and is extremely accurate, so I wouldn't worry about it. I have driven all over the place and gps signal latches on almost instantly wherever I go and I just stuck it on the right side of the left air duct behind the unit. It's solid, doesn't rattle and I don't ever loose the signal.
 
#11 ·
OK, looked at the wiring diagram and I was right. Steering wheel controls is part of the main wiring harness that you plug in the back. Don't worry, it works.

From the main wiring harness of the aftermarket head unit you have, there is also a grey plastic clip with two wires or so connected to it. Just tape that one back as it is not used.
 
#12 · (Edited)
It was a key sequence issue for me... I didn't quite 'get' the steps the first time around.
I went at it again this afternoon and got it all working. Sounds really good, everything works... except one thing... Voice recognition for making a call... major bummer for me. That is the 1 thing I really liked about the 'hands-free' bluetooth radios in general.
I hope I'm missing something but there is no mention of it in the manual in the 'making a hands-free call' section. It is far from hands-free to make a call the way it sits. I'm pretty sure it'll be hands free to answer, though... haven't tried.

If you know of a way to make it how the OEM setup worked, I'm all ears!!!

Used to be I'd push the little button on the bottom left and say "Call Wife" and it'd say back to me "Call wife?" and I'd say "yes". Then it called without me ever having to look down/around, etc.

Installation was technically challenging. You really need to have some experience with installing modern car equipment and identification of things... and not be afraid to break out your dremel or drill when needed. The bracket holes didn't work for me so I had to ream them out a good bit.

Adding a little complexity to my system was a previous installation of a LOC (line output converter) that went to a separate amp and speakers. I had to remove that and ensure all connections were intact.. the installer I hired to do that did an excellent job of allowing me to reverse things. so yay.

I've worked on it off and on all day. I am not doing the backup camera (since I have one in the rearview), and I'm not doing any of the other video stuff with this system.

I put the USB, Ipad, and an auxillary inputs in the glove box.

Thanks for the inspiration,
Carl
 
#13 · (Edited)
I don't see any voice recognition in this unit in any of the menus so I think it's safe to say it does not have it. Not sure if it is hands free to answer either as I always press the green pick up button on the right side of the steering wheel. I know my cell phone has voice recognition, but I never use it. I'll play around with it and see if that can somehow transfer to this unit or not. Give me a few days to mess around with it. This unit always surprises me so there could be a way possibly to make it work.

As for the bracket holes, I just put them on the hard steel backside of my vise and whacked them with a hammer. The indents were gone and they fitted perfectly.

I don't have a separate amp, but I did see the line out for a sub woofer so if you have that, it can be adjusted all by itself in the audio menu using the "next" button after adjusting the regular bas-mid-treb ranges.

Also have a look at the general settings menu and all the other adjustments it lets you do in { Main menu-->Settings-->General } Many things to play around with there from back light settings for day and night, LED color choices and on and on.

I'm glad you got it working and I'll play with it more to see if I can get voice recognition working somehow.

There are also settings in the nav for voice guidance and volume control and also in another menu an "augment" setting for all audio from dvd, mp3, nav, tel and so on, but I have not messed around with that yet.

MP3's will also run off SD card, the internal 4G flash drive or usb and they are searchable with the magnifying glass icon on the bottom of the audio player screen. If you touch that, a screen pops up and then just touch the small keyboard on the upper right and you can type in just one or two letters and a list will come up with all those songs and you can play songs from that generated list. Like I said, lots more can be done with this unit still.
 
#14 · (Edited)
Bobo replied that it definitely doesn't have voice recognition.
Bad assumption on my part. :(
Every head unit I've looked at has had it.. even cheaper $250 JVC's and Alpine's just come with it... so, I thought it was standard these days...
I'll have to figure out a new way to call without looking at the phone... It does sound a LOT better than the stock unit. It's not hifi but it's not bad. It sounds much richer overall.

edit... more thoughts...

The highs still have a little digital etch... I'm sure there is a ton of jitter in the signal and I can hear that. But, it's not terrible, I can tolerate it. It's a cleaner install overall, without the LOC and better RCA cables, the sound is more musical, dynamic, has a darker background so I can really hear detail.

Beating out the indents would've been a good choice too.. dang, I didn't think of that. I went with scissors over rock. ;)

I'm still working out what I can do. I've asked Bobo how to remove input sources I don't use from the menu. That's the kind of customization I would expect but do not see. I doubt it'll be changeable because it looks built into the software of the radio.

Operation of this unit is not like any radio I've used. I wanted it to be simpler/more intuitive but it is not. It's not difficult, just requires you do things its way rather than what my intuition would tell me. I'm thinking of making a video of what it's like to use this system. I think it would be helpful for most folks that are considering it. If I have some time, I'll do it. I was struggling yesterday with some arm and shoulder pain so doing any extra photos/vids was not on my mind.

The final installation looks as OEM and clean as it could be, which was a major consideration for purchasing this unit. Major pro.

I'm copying some music files to an SD card now that I will check out soon. I doubt it'll play .flac but I'm going to try one and see. There is no list of what types of files it plays but I'm guessing not.

OK, more thoughts later...
 
#15 · (Edited)
Give it a little time and you may be surprised that it is real simple to navigate. It has a lot of things it can do as well as settings for them, so it can be a little much in the beginning but their are shortcuts to many things such as one touch Nav or Radio. I bet it will grow on you in a week or two once you get more familiar with it. Haven't figured out a shortcut yet for playing MP3's if you run it from the internal flash drive or SD disc. Takes 2 steps, media-->audio, but that all takes less than a second or two so I can't really complain either.

One thing I did was program the button under the mute button on the steering wheel to go to the main menu when I press on it. That is real handy I feel. No matter what your in, just pressing that button brings you right back to the top menu and for me it's very convenient.
 
#16 ·
I really only do a few things with my system... and this system was not designed for them. It was designed with video in mind first.. It has a DVR, can play television, includes a backup camera, DVD player, dual zones for audio playback of the DVD.. etc. All stuff I really didn't want but it 'came with it' and I was willing to see past.. and I can.

The GPS/navi feature would be nice but not necessary. Whatever GPS antenna I have in my car doesn't work with this unit. I broke the connector on the one that came with it so I'm not sure what to do there.

It's not difficult to control, just very unconventional so anyone over 40 will need instructions on how to do anything with it... and there will likely be some frustration. I've already heard "I just want to change the channel... what do all these abbreviations mean?"

For me, the design should follow it's primary use, car audio. If it is in a car, it should be easy enough to use that I don't have to remove my focus from the road. A knob goes a long way in that regard. In this case, the ability to do the simple things shifts to the steering wheel... not a problem, I got it.

The biggest factors for me were (are):
1- Retaining the phone integration I had
I get no voice recognition and the head unit mic is unusable. No one can hear me, it is awful unless I lean forward and put my mouth 2" in front of it. Yes, it's on 'high'.
Why can't we use the factory mic? Now I have to figure out where to add the tacky add-on.

2- Improving the sound quality
It sounds better than the stock one. It is now "OK" rather than "terrible". It does not blow me away but it does not suck at all.

3-having a cd player,
It does and there is a bit of a learning curve to get back to it if you leave it.

4-able to accept smartphones.
It is able. I haven't tested USB or Ipod yet though.

5-Easy to install and use
If you are very technical it is fairly easy but time consuming. If you are open to a different way of using a car stereo, and explaining its use to others, it is easy to operate.

At this point I'm kind of considering going back to a simple JVC or Alpine that uses a good output DAC and has the few features I want... Good bluetooth phone integration, able to play music from my phone, and a cd player. Everything I've found is just so awful visually and functionally. But there are a few that look OK.. but they all require a big angled insert to put in my dash and make it look VERY aftermarket.

One thing that I'm happy about is that you'd never know I had an aftermarket unit because the faceplate and shape is specific to my car.

So, I solved 1 problem and created 3. Ease of use I can get over, unusable phone operation and no voice recognition are deal breakers. If I can the phone calls to sound good, it'll all work out.
 
#17 ·
I'm just documenting my experience with this HU.. And my opinion of it. However I appreciate you want to help.
I've got all my settings done correctly. BTW, it sounds like I have different audio settings, which makes sense since I have the DSP version.
I feel certain my BT mic is defective. Which sucks.
 
#18 · (Edited)
OK, sorry about that. Just removed my former post. I have the feeling you're mic is defective as well. That is a real letdown. There is a warranty on it, so you could ask Bobo for a replacement. I would like to know how he handles that as that would be important for future business. So far he's been good but I'm guessing you are probably fed up with this unit by now!
 
#19 ·
I went out to check my phone stuff again today, just to double check that it wasn't something I did..
If I put my mouth 1" from the front, I can be heard on the other end fairly well. (on the 'high' setting only) I obviously can't drive like that so I'm looking for plan b. While testing I noticed I can't select anyone from the contacts list or the logs. So, there are all these lists of names and numbers that I'd like to call but can't. I touch them, they get highlighted. That's it. I then go to the number pad and just type in the number to call. It does redial very well. I have a phone with as many features as my 80's football phone that was free with Sports Illustrated.. woohoo.

So, I've sent Bobo an email. He's been 'just ok' about answering questions. He only reads the first sentence and replies to that. If I ask him 2 questions, only 1 gets a reply. So, I don't have a lot of faith in contacting him at this point.. but I'm hopeful he'll make this right.

-C
 
#20 · (Edited)
Could you try going to the "augment" menu in the audio menu and setting Bluetooth volume to +7 to see what that does to the mic? From main menu you would need to touch "settings" then "audio" then "augment". When in the augment menu, you can set bluetooth volume higher and see how that works. I set mine to +2 in the beginning and it works just perfect so I never had to change it and I talk in my driving position never concerned about keeping my mouth near the mic ever.

I can help you with your contacts list. It does work, but you need to touch the contact you want to call "twice". Just like a mouse click 2 times to open a file and then it will call the contact. Another easier way is to just touch it once to choose who you want to call, just as you have been doing and then press the green phone button on your steering wheel and it will call them for you.

Too bad about Bobo. That is not the news I was hoping to hear as he's been fine with me so far, but it's not good for customer relations in the long run if he's not replying to important questions.

Correction: Green BT on steering wheel only dials last number called, so you still need to tap on the contact you want to dial twice to get it to dial. Could be another way as well and will look into it later.
 
#21 ·
Update: HU For sale

I took this unit out of my car after realizing it just wasn't for me. I sold the car months ago and it's just sitting in a box now. My $300 loss is your gain.

Anyone want it? Make me an offer.
Email me at carlman3 at gmail dot com and I'll entertain any offer.

  • It was used about 3 months. It works as designed.
  • BTW, I did get the mic to work and it sounded just fine... But you MUST use the mic that comes with the unit.
  • The GPS antenna connector broke off. It is a standard type of coax connector (for a GPS).
  • Comes with everything else, keep in mind all the parts will be put in a box together, but not all nice and tidy.
Email me at carlman3 at gmail dot com and I'll entertain any offer.
 
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