Android Capacitive Head Unit Review + Sound System Upgrade by Kee Audio
08-15-2015, 08:12 PM
#1
Android Capacitive Head Unit Review + Sound System Upgrade by Kee Audio I actually did this upgrade approximately 3 months ago. I'm posting now because I wanted to use the system for awhile before making a final conclusion. Please be advised though I am NO radio head and the initial purpose of this install was to restore sound to a factory system that was virtually dead (not just poor performance but almost completely stopped working.) So this isn't delivered to compete with high profile sound systems or break any rules or records, it was intentionally done to restore life to my sound system. This is only to show what this overall system has to offer.
This thread is also to thank Ian @ Kee Audio who worked with me from start to finish to bring this dream to a reality of which to this date is still expanding and I'm greatly appreciative of.
I replaced every bit of my sound system except the factory amp, wiring, and the antenna. New head unit, all six new speakers from Kee Audio. I will go into detail below:
The Head Unit: Capacitive SC GPS Navi Android 4.4 2 Din 7"
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Capacitive-SC-GPS-Navi-Android-4-4-2-Din-7-Car-DVD-Player-Stereo-Wifi-3G-Camera-/261881576206?hash=item3cf95bbb0e&vxp=mtr
INSTALLED:
There is alot of speculation about the Android Head Units. After using one I will say some of it is true, other bits are very exaggerated. Before I go further I will state this, IT IS LARGER THAN A DOUBLE DIN! Not by "much" but enough to require shaving around the radio bezel (Thanks Ian). Shouldn't be a deal breaker (especially since I wasn't the one shaving it
).. It still looks very factory.
Second I need to address why I went with this unit. I know most people who go this route use tablets, and maybe justly so as Tablets offer better specs, newer O.S. than the Head Units do, however; at a cost the tablets require a lot more fabrication and additional parts. All in all the tablet route is a bit more expensive, not by a tremendous amount, but a noticeable amount. I'm not bashing tablet users, very good creativity being put into those systems.
Overall:
For the price of this HU and what it offers, its pretty unbeatable FOR ITS LEAGUE. Will users who currently have tablets installed in their dash have their itch resolved by this head unit? I would say, probably not, mainly due to having to await it to boot up before they can use it, although the boot time isnt horrible, it is present. Also the lack of bluetooth support to anything else but a phone and no MIC support outside the phone will probably turn alot of people off. Once again, supposedly the unit does support OBD over bluetooth so supposedly torque will pair up but I haven't tried this yet. There are ways to get around this though. External MIC will pair up with the HU with a USB adapter.
For versatility.. I would say for the application of a CAR, the HU is more versatile because right out the box you can install a rear view camera. You can also add an additional camera as well as install additional display units and audio outputs or even video inputs like an XBox if you wanted to go that far. For ANDROID customization, the Tablet is slightly better simply because it was designed for Android to begin with, runs newer OS, supports a better processor, although the HU isn't so behind that you will immediately find disappointment.
The device offers 2 USB ports on the back and 1 OTG port on the front. The USB ports on the back are "designated" as WiFi and 3G for adapters. I have found that it doesn't matter what you plug in to these ports, the device will see it regardless of what it is, including a USB hub which is exactly what I'm running behind the 3G Port and this allows me to use a USB 64 GB Flash Drive connected to my powered hub. Since it will run any APP designed for Android I am using an app called "External 2 Internal" which allows me to make the device see my Flash Drive as internal storage..pushing the 1GB provided internal hard drive to 65 GB's. I also have a Wireless Keyboard connected to it with a Touchpad mouse, the mouse and keyboard work flawlessly.
For Apps:
I haven't had a compatibility issue for a single app that's designed for Android: Netflix, Pandora, iHeart Radio, SirriusXM, All MP3's and Movies. I can use Teamviewer, Windows RDP, and splashtop all to connect to my PC's at home or work and use them as if I was sitting right in front of them. Waze is friggen bad@ss with the ability to report driving issues at will or see real time traffic re-directions without needing to pull out your phone. Once again, the Google Play store DOES limit the Apps you can download, although the limit is fairly loose, it is present. You can EASILY get around this by either using another App Market, or simply put manually downloading and installing the APK.
YES you CAN use Waze or ANY GPS while playing music, regardless of the source (Pandora, MP3, FM, Sirius)
Video:
Data Usage:
Although I intend on buying a 3G card for this device, I haven't gotten to it yet. Note that only a limited number of cards are supported. Also, data connectivity is limited to 3G speeds if you're using a 3G dongle. I still use WiFi from my phone.. It may be better to just get a MiFi device from your carrier as they support higher speeds and you get tech support if it has issues.
My AT&T plan is limited to 50GB's per month and none of these app's have come even close to breaching that. With the four phones I have attached to it I only come up to around 5 GB's of usage on my entire plan and thats using Pandora and Waze for 2 hours every week day and probably an hour any other day.
GPS:
The device has its own GPS program out the box but its not limited to that. Waze and Google Maps work on the provided GPS antenna much like it would on an Android Phone and the GPS antenna seems to be above aquedate as I have never lost GPS reception with.
HU Sound Quality:
Connected to the Factory AMP and Ian's Level 1 Speakers (He may have upgraded me to level 2 but I cannot remember for sure)... There was no disappointment. While this is not a top of the line Pioneer, for $500 in parts for 6 speakers and the head unit even Ian himself specifically stated "That... doesn't suck." So the Head Unit is much better than the stock head unit in sound quality, but no you're not going to get $500 HU performance out of it yet doesn't leave anything to be desired either... So for the price I think its quite good. I eventually developed a chirp that would occur once every 5 minutes or so and it got fairly annoying but updating the head unit's MCU seems to have fixed that issue.
This thread is also to thank Ian @ Kee Audio who worked with me from start to finish to bring this dream to a reality of which to this date is still expanding and I'm greatly appreciative of.
I replaced every bit of my sound system except the factory amp, wiring, and the antenna. New head unit, all six new speakers from Kee Audio. I will go into detail below:
The Head Unit: Capacitive SC GPS Navi Android 4.4 2 Din 7"
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Capacitive-SC-GPS-Navi-Android-4-4-2-Din-7-Car-DVD-Player-Stereo-Wifi-3G-Camera-/261881576206?hash=item3cf95bbb0e&vxp=mtr
INSTALLED:
There is alot of speculation about the Android Head Units. After using one I will say some of it is true, other bits are very exaggerated. Before I go further I will state this, IT IS LARGER THAN A DOUBLE DIN! Not by "much" but enough to require shaving around the radio bezel (Thanks Ian). Shouldn't be a deal breaker (especially since I wasn't the one shaving it
).. It still looks very factory.Second I need to address why I went with this unit. I know most people who go this route use tablets, and maybe justly so as Tablets offer better specs, newer O.S. than the Head Units do, however; at a cost the tablets require a lot more fabrication and additional parts. All in all the tablet route is a bit more expensive, not by a tremendous amount, but a noticeable amount. I'm not bashing tablet users, very good creativity being put into those systems.
Overall:
For the price of this HU and what it offers, its pretty unbeatable FOR ITS LEAGUE. Will users who currently have tablets installed in their dash have their itch resolved by this head unit? I would say, probably not, mainly due to having to await it to boot up before they can use it, although the boot time isnt horrible, it is present. Also the lack of bluetooth support to anything else but a phone and no MIC support outside the phone will probably turn alot of people off. Once again, supposedly the unit does support OBD over bluetooth so supposedly torque will pair up but I haven't tried this yet. There are ways to get around this though. External MIC will pair up with the HU with a USB adapter.
For versatility.. I would say for the application of a CAR, the HU is more versatile because right out the box you can install a rear view camera. You can also add an additional camera as well as install additional display units and audio outputs or even video inputs like an XBox if you wanted to go that far. For ANDROID customization, the Tablet is slightly better simply because it was designed for Android to begin with, runs newer OS, supports a better processor, although the HU isn't so behind that you will immediately find disappointment.
The device offers 2 USB ports on the back and 1 OTG port on the front. The USB ports on the back are "designated" as WiFi and 3G for adapters. I have found that it doesn't matter what you plug in to these ports, the device will see it regardless of what it is, including a USB hub which is exactly what I'm running behind the 3G Port and this allows me to use a USB 64 GB Flash Drive connected to my powered hub. Since it will run any APP designed for Android I am using an app called "External 2 Internal" which allows me to make the device see my Flash Drive as internal storage..pushing the 1GB provided internal hard drive to 65 GB's. I also have a Wireless Keyboard connected to it with a Touchpad mouse, the mouse and keyboard work flawlessly.
For Apps:
I haven't had a compatibility issue for a single app that's designed for Android: Netflix, Pandora, iHeart Radio, SirriusXM, All MP3's and Movies. I can use Teamviewer, Windows RDP, and splashtop all to connect to my PC's at home or work and use them as if I was sitting right in front of them. Waze is friggen bad@ss with the ability to report driving issues at will or see real time traffic re-directions without needing to pull out your phone. Once again, the Google Play store DOES limit the Apps you can download, although the limit is fairly loose, it is present. You can EASILY get around this by either using another App Market, or simply put manually downloading and installing the APK.
YES you CAN use Waze or ANY GPS while playing music, regardless of the source (Pandora, MP3, FM, Sirius)
Video:
Data Usage:
Although I intend on buying a 3G card for this device, I haven't gotten to it yet. Note that only a limited number of cards are supported. Also, data connectivity is limited to 3G speeds if you're using a 3G dongle. I still use WiFi from my phone.. It may be better to just get a MiFi device from your carrier as they support higher speeds and you get tech support if it has issues.
My AT&T plan is limited to 50GB's per month and none of these app's have come even close to breaching that. With the four phones I have attached to it I only come up to around 5 GB's of usage on my entire plan and thats using Pandora and Waze for 2 hours every week day and probably an hour any other day.
GPS:
The device has its own GPS program out the box but its not limited to that. Waze and Google Maps work on the provided GPS antenna much like it would on an Android Phone and the GPS antenna seems to be above aquedate as I have never lost GPS reception with.
HU Sound Quality:
Connected to the Factory AMP and Ian's Level 1 Speakers (He may have upgraded me to level 2 but I cannot remember for sure)... There was no disappointment. While this is not a top of the line Pioneer, for $500 in parts for 6 speakers and the head unit even Ian himself specifically stated "That... doesn't suck." So the Head Unit is much better than the stock head unit in sound quality, but no you're not going to get $500 HU performance out of it yet doesn't leave anything to be desired either... So for the price I think its quite good. I eventually developed a chirp that would occur once every 5 minutes or so and it got fairly annoying but updating the head unit's MCU seems to have fixed that issue.
08-15-2015, 08:13 PM
#2
Now for the Speakers...
At first I was skeptical about spending for speakers mainly because I just wanted to restore my audio system but I met with Ian @ Kee Audio himself at Gathering 19 in Atlanta and he showed me first hand what the speakers offer and the quality is lightyears greater than stock. They are carbon fiber and will not break down easily. They also come with the versatile tweeter (for the fronts) which makes them a popular option for 4th gens as they're universal between Camaro's and Firebirds since the tweeter can be relocated. The factory wiring will match right up to it by splicing off the connectors of your old speakers and splicing them into the new ones.
Overall I'm VERY pleased with the system. Ian @ Kee audio did the entire install for me as I have never touched a HU before. The wiring from the HU matched up with the Metra adapter which adapted into the factory harness without issues.
Install Photos:
Old Speakers:
New Speakers:
At first I was skeptical about spending for speakers mainly because I just wanted to restore my audio system but I met with Ian @ Kee Audio himself at Gathering 19 in Atlanta and he showed me first hand what the speakers offer and the quality is lightyears greater than stock. They are carbon fiber and will not break down easily. They also come with the versatile tweeter (for the fronts) which makes them a popular option for 4th gens as they're universal between Camaro's and Firebirds since the tweeter can be relocated. The factory wiring will match right up to it by splicing off the connectors of your old speakers and splicing them into the new ones.
Overall I'm VERY pleased with the system. Ian @ Kee audio did the entire install for me as I have never touched a HU before. The wiring from the HU matched up with the Metra adapter which adapted into the factory harness without issues.
Install Photos:
Old Speakers:
New Speakers:
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09-23-2015, 04:25 PM
#8
Havent had the opportunity to but I went ahead and checked some Android forums and found out it wont work directly. I think you have to root the unit (which is very easy to do with redmod 0.1.6 - I did it to mine with no issues) and make some adjustments, this is still unconfirmed though. I have kind put the head unit and other additions on pause while I focus on paying the car off lol as I didn't wanna get carried away and find my project on a tow truck. But I will figure it out when I can. I believe it IS possible it just takes some working around to do it.
09-23-2015, 09:23 PM
#9