stereo question...

[RYU]

As luck would have it I remember buying a bulk order of these to give away to clients. Well, I found a leftover stash of them last night! All this time I thought this was an iPod only device (I don't use Apple) but in fact it's a BT controller and a 3.5mm output device as well.

I'll give this a shot but it might be exactly what i'm looking for. If it works out i'll have a RYU garage sale of these for pennies on the dollar.

http://www.alpine-usa.com/product/view/ex-10/

 

[RYU]

Update: I hard wired this into my DD last night as a "proof of concept". Works perfectly. Alpine makes some nice products.

I can provide more of a review for anyone is interested but this retails at $170ish so it might not be on the radar for most of you.

As luck would have it I remember buying a bulk order of these to give away to clients. Well, I found a leftover stash of them last night! All this time I thought this was an iPod only device (I don't use Apple) but in fact it's a BT controller and a 3.5mm output device as well.

I'll give this a shot but it might be exactly what i'm looking for. If it works out i'll have a RYU garage sale of these for pennies on the dollar.

http://www.alpine-usa.com/product/view/ex-10/

 

[Hapa88]

I just bought 2 of these like 5 minutes ago to try in my wife's IS250 and my Mazdaspeed3 with an extra USB cable and usb car charge. I'll let you know how they go:
http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10827&cs_id=1082704&p_id=7364&seq=1&format=2

Price was 18.88 each + 0.90 for the USB cable (+ usb car charger). I used a 10% off coupon code: infocomm12

Alright, just got these and installed them on my two cars.

They definitely aren't audiophile quality.. that's for sure.

Pluses:
+ super easy to install and connect.
+ Pairing is easy.
+ Sound quality is overall fair to good for the car (about the quality of 96kbps streaming internet audio so Dave would definitely disapprove. :biggrin
+ inexpensive and convenient. No more wires!!

Minuses:
-there is significant amount of humming and hissing when using low end USB car chargers. I first used the $1.22 Monoprice charger and it hummed like crazy through the speakers... swapped it out to my Belkin charger and the humming virtually disappeared (tried it on both cars with both chargers to confirm).
-Even though the pairing stays, you have to manually "connect" to the device each time you get into the car. I wish it had an auto-connect feature.

I still have yet to test it on the home system to get a better idea of the audio quality.. I also want to test the A/C powering to see if there is any EMI issues too.

 

[TURBO2GO]

Bluetooth is always a compromise. May be convenient for some of you guys (I don't know what is hard about plugging in one cable because you have to charge anyways), but sound quality and reliability will never be like a good hardwire.

 

[RYU]

Bluetooth is always a compromise. May be convenient for some of you guys (I don't know what is hard about plugging in one cable because you have to charge anyways), but sound quality and reliability will never be like a good hardwire.

Turbo, I'll (surprisingly) beg to differ. This alpine unit has far exceeded my expectations in use, sound quality, and convenience. I run a full alpine system in my dd, albeit circa 2005, but all top of the line stuff. The signal processor on this ex10 does some kind of sorcery because it sounds good. Probably 85% of my old McIntosh setup which itself was 300% better than anything OEM at the time.

For the convenience and stealth, im happy. My tired ears dont notice the difference.

 

[TURBO2GO]

Turbo, I'll (surprisingly) beg to differ. This alpine unit has far exceeded my expectations in use, sound quality, and convenience. I run a full alpine system in my dd, albeit circa 2005, but all top of the line stuff. The signal processor on this ex10 does some kind of sorcery because it sounds good. Probably 85% of my old McIntosh setup which itself was 300% better than anything OEM at the time.

For the convenience and stealth, im happy. My tired ears dont notice the difference.

Ok maybe an exception with this particular device, but don't you have to charge your phone anyway??

Does this auto connect everytime? I have yet to see a Bluetooth device that connects 100% of the time on exit and entry.

 

[RYU]

let me add...

You were right about the poor quality of the Phone's 3.5mm amp. I ran via hard wire from the 3.5mm headphone > RCA > AUX input and that was a compromise. The sound was tinny and base response wasn't so great. Was it ok... sure. Ignorance was bliss? It was ok for me for years since it was about 90% of what a CD sounded like in this same car and I have a "EQ" to compensate. I guess the amp and signal processor on better units like this EX10 is far improved than the phone's built in 3.5mm. I also use to incur some engine noise when my phone would switch tracks and when it was plugged in. Now absolutely no more. It's like Analog vs. Digital. Digital (BT) wins here in terms of noise suppression. What bothered me about my old setup was constantly plugging in wires and the engine noise. I also toned down the EQ overlay from my existing system and instead using the built in preset EQ from the eX10. It has something like Flat, Dance, Pop, Rock, Jazz, Electronica etc.

I've had it sitting in my pocket forever. In 1 hr of use.. i see very little use of batt life. I did have it plugged in last night since I was dually using the Navigation which still plays thru the BT. It's rather all very seamless.

It also knows to turn on your last played song from the playlist at about 5 secs after it pairs itself to each other. As long as your phone's BT is on.. it autoconnects every time. I can also fast fwd, stop, pause, play from a simple remote. I wish it had a better BT on-screen interface like it does when plugged into an iPod. I guess the BT protocol isn't as robust because it doesn't show what song is playing or any other song title/playlist info. It will auto play your last song on entry of vehicle and it will pause upon exit or when BT loses connection (I don't know if this is an embedded feature/setting in either my phone or the EX10). Though, it did hiccup one time I got a call. When it auto switched from music to phone call and then hung up again, it wouldn't play music for some reason again. I had to turn it off and on and reestablish the pairing. This happened in one of the 6 phone calls i've had so far in the car. Btw.. the mic is UGLY but the sound quality is acceptable according to my coworker. My sis said I sort of sounded like I was in a tunnel but she said it wasn't a problem.

It's pretty much changed my driving experience. Then again.. i've been an electronic/technology hermit for the past 8yrs. In any event, very happy camper here. I can't wait to try it on my NSX when I get it back in a few weeks. Though i'll still be restricted with the mediocre Bose system in terms of volume and fidelity.

 

[TURBO2GO]

I still don't think it's the best solution. The 3.5mm jack is probably not "poor quality", it's output voltage is too low. The Bose wants to see something much higher.

How about this. When I get into the car, I click my phone into its base. I'm done. I'm not hooking up any wires. The audio is fed to the amps, the phone charges, it's all hardwired, and my phone calls use a mike and my car speakers without Bluetooth. The phone is ALWAYS smart enough to know what sound to route where, when to pause, when to resume, etc.

If this unit is working for you, it's good, but what is the point if fast forwarding or going to the "next track" on a phone. This isn't a CD. you either want your playlist, or you want to simply choose a song. And these more intense functions can't be done by a remote. I've gone up and down and through this. The best interface is... The phone itself. If you get rid of all the wires, if it clicks in, if it charges automatically, if the sound quality is good, you won't bother with Bluetooth. In your current situation, which is rather unusual because you want no head unit but the rest stock.... You might be the only one... I think the alpine is probably clean. They make good stuff. But I'm not sure this thing is a great solution for most others.

 

[PHOEN$X]

I have a Sony MEX-BT3900U in my Accord, and I find that the USB connection to my iPhone sounds noticeably cleaner than Bluetooth streaming, and has higher dynamic range. In my NSXs, I installed the USA SPEC PA11-HON iPod Adapter, and the sound from the 30-pin connector and RCA→3.5mm plug seem pretty close to me.

5 Reasons Bluetooth Streaming is a Passing Fad

^^That said, I still use Bluetooth for streaming internet radio in my Accord because the quality of those streams aren't the greatest to begin with, and I like the convenience factor for short trips. On long trips however, I always plug in the USB cable.

Here are a couple more links that talk about Bluetooth (A2DP) audio quality:

http://www.edmunds.com/car-technology/car-audio/wireless-audio-streaming-bluetooths-second-act.html
http://soundexpert.org/news/-/blogs/bluetooth-audio-quality-a2dp

 

[Russ]

How about this. When I get into the car, I click my phone into its base.

Too much trouble, for me anyway. I like to get in the car and drive without having to make sure my phone is comfortable first. In a way it's like using the Club - something you must do, each and every time you get into (or out of) the car. To some it's no big deal but I see it as adding a complication to life where I prefer to simplify. I guess the phone plays different roles in the car for different people. Some folks are on it all the time and seem to always have it in their hand, so maybe it's natural to plunk it into the base every time they get into the driver's seat. I like the option of leaving it in my pocket, or not, or not having to deal with it at all. At least I didn't go double din :wink:

 

[TURBO2GO]

Too much trouble, for me anyway. I like to get in the car and drive without having to make sure my phone is comfortable first. In a way it's like using the Club - something you must do, each and every time you wn into (or out of) the car. To some it's no big deal but I see it as adding a complication to life where I prefer to simplify. I guess the phone plays different roles in the car for different people. Some folks are on it all the time and seem to always have it in their hand, so maybe it's natural to plunk it into the base every time they get into the driver's seat. I like the option of leaving it in my pocket, or not, or not having to deal with it at all. At least I didn't go double din :wink:

I always charge my phone while in the car. Last thing I want is a dead battery while working. I also don't particularly feel comfortable with my phone in my pocket. My phone is also my nav. I've got it down to ONE CLICK. not a big deal at all. Nothing like a club. Not even close. I love my phone as a head unit, and the navigon app is awesome. It's better than ANY head unit. I can handle one click. Really you gotta be super lazy if one click and no wires is too much. LOL

 

[RYU]

I still don't think it's the best solution. The 3.5mm jack is probably not "poor quality", it's output voltage is too low. The Bose wants to see something much higher.

How about this. When I get into the car, I click my phone into its base. I'm done. I'm not hooking up any wires. The audio is fed to the amps, the phone charges, it's all hardwired, and my phone calls use a mike and my car speakers without Bluetooth. The phone is ALWAYS smart enough to know what sound to route where, when to pause, when to resume, etc.

If this unit is working for you, it's good, but what is the point if fast forwarding or going to the "next track" on a phone. This isn't a CD. you either want your playlist, or you want to simply choose a song. And these more intense functions can't be done by a remote. I've gone up and down and through this. The best interface is... The phone itself. If you get rid of all the wires, if it clicks in, if it charges automatically, if the sound quality is good, you won't bother with Bluetooth. In your current situation, which is rather unusual because you want no head unit but the rest stock.... You might be the only one... I think the alpine is probably clean. They make good stuff. But I'm not sure this thing is a great solution for most others.

You have been the Negative Nancie lately! lol

So I paid my way thru college tuning for pink noise and white noise among other random things 12V A/V related. I'd like to think i've got a decent ear (not the best) for fidelity. So with that said, yes, the BT isn't the best method out there but given the convenience it provides for me and some other folks it's certainly worth the compromise. In the end it's all a compromise afterall. I jam out to the my music just as much as I ever have so that's what important

Definitely glad you've got a setup you're happy with. I know i've been toiling over my own for too long and even the EX10 isn't ideal for i'd love a proper tablet in there. Keep up your build! I'm eagerly watching.

^^That said, I still use Bluetooth for streaming internet radio in my Accord because the quality of those streams aren't the greatest to begin with, and I like the convenience factor for short trips. On long trips however, I always plug in the USB cable.

Agree completely

Too much trouble, for me anyway. I like to get in the car and drive without having to make sure my phone is comfortable first. In a way it's like using the Club - something you must do, each and every time you get into (or out of) the car. To some it's no big deal but I see it as adding a complication to life where I prefer to simplify. I guess the phone plays different roles in the car for different people. Some folks are on it all the time and seem to always have it in their hand, so maybe it's natural to plunk it into the base every time they get into the driver's seat. I like the option of leaving it in my pocket, or not, or not having to deal with it at all. At least I didn't go double din :wink:

^^ this describes my needs/preference perfectly. Willing to give up *some* sound quality for the massive convenience benefit.