[SeanE46]

Off topic but I have the tape deck business head unit I'm stuck with it. I hate having a tape to aux adapter

[SocratesRising]

Am I crazy for wanting incredible sound, great power, state of the art connectivity and yet could give zero cares for a touchscreen AND prefer single din as close to stock looking as possible?

I have a smartphone I upgrade regularly. I have no desire for my in dash stereo to feel terribly dated in eighteen months.

If anyone feels like me and also happens to be an audio expert please enlighten me to the proper path.

[aerpelding]

Originally Posted by Rakshas

I'm as big an OEM ***** as they come and I couldn't be happier with my Kenwood Double DIN DDX9903S with a bezel.

Having had a car with OEM Nav, a car with OEM non-nav, and this - this system blows all other options away in terms of functionality, looks, and sound quality. The guts of these OEM-like options aren't near what Pioneer and Kenwood put in their high end units.

i really wanted to install the DDX9903S, but i didn't believe it would fit? Can i see pics of yours? Did you do the install yourself?

[KubinB]

Avin is crap the avant 2 is useless and there was no support whatsoever I wouldn't eVen consider supporting avin by buying the 3 which will most likely be crap as well... If they couldn't get the 2 right... They surely can't get the 3 right and I believe it reflects on their delayed release.... I'm a software engineer and delayed releases means they can't get it working good enough to barely market. Idk who they have working on their OS but they don't seem to know what they're doing and their test and rework is negligible. I bought an erisin and it's great. It may not have your OEM buttons.... But why would I want something that looks right but doesn't work... Pretty much every car I've owned I put in an aftermarket radio... And those have never looked close to OEM.

Do yourself a favor and get a he functional cheaper units they are all the same out of China anyways and I confirmed this. Had the avin and erisin side by side and compared.

[CLAWHAMM3R]

Originally Posted by TEASE///M3

If you move on to a tablet I'd love to take it off your hands, especially with a custom ROM. I have the stock business radio so anything is better.

Will keep that in mind.

Originally Posted by KubinB

Avin is crap the avant 2 is useless and there was no support whatsoever I wouldn't eVen consider supporting avin by buying the 3 which will most likely be crap as well... If they couldn't get the 2 right... They surely can't get the 3 right and I believe it reflects on their delayed release.... I'm a software engineer and delayed releases means they can't get it working good enough to barely market. Idk who they have working on their OS but they don't seem to know what they're doing and their test and rework is negligible. I bought an erisin and it's great. It may not have your OEM buttons.... But why would I want something that looks right but doesn't work... Pretty much every car I've owned I put in an aftermarket radio... And those have never looked close to OEM.

Do yourself a favor and get a he functional cheaper units they are all the same out of China anyways and I confirmed this. Had the avin and erisin side by side and compared.

This guy knows what he's talking about.

[aerpelding]

I've never been a huge fan of Sony units however this design looks like it'll fit in the e46. It's not that expensive and it will still be much better than the Avin and other "oem look a likes". It also does Android Auto AND Apple Car play

It's the Sony XAV-AX100:

[CLAWHAMM3R]

Originally Posted by FastFocus

I've never been a huge fan of Sony units however this design looks like it'll fit in the e46. It's not that expensive and it will still be much better than the Avin and other "oem look a likes". It also does Android Auto AND Apple Car play

It's the Sony XAV-AX100:

I'm redoing the audio in my sister's Tundra and am waiting on this to come in stock somewhere so I can get it for her. Once they bring Waze to Android Auto, it will become a lot more appealing to me. I've been holding off on yanking the Eonon out for a tablet because I want to see how much I like this/Android Auto.

[aerpelding]

Originally Posted by CLAWHAMM3R

I'm redoing the audio in my sister's Tundra and am waiting on this to come in stock somewhere so I can get it for her. Once they bring Waze to Android Auto, it will become a lot more appealing to me. I've been holding off on yanking the Eonon out for a tablet because I want to see how much I like this/Android Auto.

I have android auto in my daily, and honestly i can't stand driving a car without it now. It'll be nice when waze comes however even having google maps in the dash is fantastic. My main draw back with this unit is the display being only 6.4", i really wish it was at least 7" and no buttons... but i can't have everything i guess .
I really would like to make the Kenwood DDX9903S fit, but i think it would be more hassle than it's worth.

[bngl3rt]

Originally Posted by FastFocus

It's the Sony XAV-AX100:

Lovely form factor, I'm especially excited about the fact that it seems to offer a real volume KNOB (not crappy buttons) which IMO should be a requirement for car audio.

Sad to see that the pre-outs are still only 2 volt. If only it had a digital output to make up for it

[Rakshas]

Originally Posted by SocratesRising

Am I crazy for wanting incredible sound, great power, state of the art connectivity and yet could give zero cares for a touchscreen AND prefer single din as close to stock looking as possible?

I have a smartphone I upgrade regularly. I have no desire for my in dash stereo to feel terribly dated in eighteen months.

If anyone feels like me and also happens to be an audio expert please enlighten me to the proper path.

CSL Blockoff plate, Bluetooth and aux capable amplifier, stream directly from your phone to your amp.

Originally Posted by FastFocus

i really wanted to install the DDX9903S, but i didn't believe it would fit? Can i see pics of yours? Did you do the install yourself?

It fits same as every other Double Din - requires a bezel and cutting/resealing your heater ducting. Not nearly as big a chance as it sounds and well worth the added functionality. My heater still works as factory. Pics installed below. I didn't do the install, took it to our very own 12vElectronics and he did an amazing job.

Originally Posted by JamesSJ1

I'm fully in agreement, having put a Pioneer unit in my old Toyota Landcruiser, but that one at least fit very nicely in the OEM spot. In the E46, without perhaps a completely different trim design that I have yet to see, double-DIN units look completely out of place because of the huge space left and right of the screen that is typically just left to black plastic. Currently that's occupied by buttons/knobs.

I used to fret and fret about how bad the bezels looked when I had my MKIV equipped M3. Now, I much prefer my bezel and double din. I'll trade buttons and knobs for a modern, capacitive touch screen any day.

Pics of my DDX9903s installed