E53 4.4i ***** GA6166X Aftermarket Head Unit Trouble

[Slowpokee]

Greetings All,

Like most stock units, the display got pixilated over time and had the choice of spending $1,000 to replace an outdated unit or $300 for a new version with NAV and read camera. I chose the later.

I ordered a BMW specific replacement head unit by ***** GA6166X with the adapter cables, CAN Bus decoder and rear camera. The connector from the radio plugged into the connector from the stock "Business" unit. I am able to power on the new head unit, adjust the volume from the steering wheel and adjust the dimmer. However, there is no audio. I can hear the amp engaging and a faint hiss from the speakers.

After inspecting the pins and wires, only the front right and left wires are present on the stock connector. Which is strange since in theory there should be sound in the front only. I checked the lines with an oscilloscope and found no audio between the + and - speakers but 5 +VDC between speaker and ground. Out of frustration, I installed the stock unit and the audio came back. Checked the lines and got the same voltages with the stock unit.

From some online digging, the 2nd connector to the stock radio unit is a power and data connection only.

At this point, I don't know if I should order a 4 channel amplifier and use the RCA connectors bypassing the stock amp. My car also has a sub woofer box so maybe a 6 channel amp.

Also read a comment on a YouTube video that the ***** head units only work with BMW X5 with the V6 not the V8 configuration.

[DennisCooper]

Hi,

The brand of the head unit you've purchased is auto deleted on this forum due to the number of issues/problems/complaints other purchasers had and found little or no support for their units. The forum owners didn't really want to be associated with the brand on their site given all the issues and miffed forum members. The same kind of story with this brand has happened on other forums too.

Does your E53 X5 have DSP? if so, then this unit doesn't work with that OEM DSP amplifier. The only aftermarket head unit with compatibility is the Dynavin N6. If you wish to retain your DSP amp and the OEM DSP speakers, then I'd suggest getting the Dynavin N6.

If your car doesn't have the DSP option, then when powered up, connect a speaker to the output of the unit and see if there's audio output, check each channel. If there is output, you know the unit works (for now!). There's no easy way to connect the head unit to the oem amp and it's much easier to uprate the old OEM speakers to new aftermarket speakers and use the head unit to power those. You could then use the RCA outputs and connect to a suitable amplifier, upgrade the speakers to quality aftermarket ones again and they'll sound/play better. The weak area is that head unit, it's not very good at all, so by changing that to a quality brand unit, the upgraded speakers will sound much better.

There are no V6 X5's, there are Straight 6 X5's though which is what I think you mean, also it's not true about these cheap chinese units only working with the straight six cars. Any head unit can work in any X5, it just depends on if you want a totally 'separate' from the oem setup - which is an easy install, or if you want to try and integrate to the oem modules - which is a much harder install/not posssible or worth it.

Cheers, Dennis!

[Slowpokee]

Thanks for the info Dennis. I kinda figured there was something wrong with the unit. The "other" online feedback said great customer support however, after calling a number that never answers, I figured there is no support. I found a 5 channel amplifier online and thought about just connecting to the stock speakers and subs using the RCA out puts from the head unit. Unfortunately, my wife ordered the head unit in early December form eBay and I'm pretty sure we are out of the return policy window.

Given the car has the DSP system, is there something wonky with the stock speakers or intermediate BMW devices in series? Can I connect/splice an aftermarket amplifier to the speaker wires located where the OEM amplifier connectors are?

[DennisCooper]

Hi,

It's been covered extensively on this forum as well as all the others. There's no aftermarket unit that easily connects to the OEM DSP amplifier. There are ways, but its more faffing around and not so great. The Dynavin N6 was made to much better connect with the OEM DSP amp and although still 'clunky' but improved since the initial launch after software revisions, it's still just a bit clunky as you lose the effects settings. The OEM DSP speakers weren't all that when brand new so after years of being inside a car interior, they don't sound all that 'great' overall. If you aren't so bothered about actual sound quality, then do look into selling off the current unit and getting some money back for it and put it towards the N6.

The setup you have now indeed is a bespoke OEM setup from BMW, and uses proprietary signals and protocols for all the modules to work together. There's no external provision to connect via RCA's things like aftermarket head units, disk players etc, it's a closed system. The amplifier internally splits the music frequencies and outputs on dedicated loom speaker cables to each speaker individually. Also the oem driver's themselves have a different impedence rating and there's no aftermarket direct replacement upgrades etc. All the above has been covered many times previously.

When it comes to trying to integrate aftermarket electronics to the oem system, things become more difficult to do, require more messing around to try workaround type hacks, the resulting sound quality isn't improved much or at all and also costs quite a lot more if you *must* go this route. The N6 is the best solution for you in this case, it's also the best chinese replacement unit for anyone in the USA as it's properly supported by Jeff at J&T distributing in Fresno California. If you do decide to buy an N6, ensure you only purchase via him as in case of any issues/problems (which the Dynavin is still prone to) he will provide the proper level of care and support you'd expect.

For me personally, I'd ditch the whole oem audio setup and replace with high quality, reputable and established car audio brands and have a setup that would sound many times better than using a chinese head unit and trying to make the oem speakers work. However, this is because I do love excellent and well reproduced music in my car which anything oem can't hope to get close to.

Cheers, Dennis!

[Slowpokee]

Hi Dennis,

Thanks for the detailed response. Like any project related to this car, it's far from simple. My wife just wanted something to play music with navigation and a rear backup camera. I will phase out the OEM audio equipment overtime as the cost of an N6 is higher than the new head unit with a 6 channel amplifier. Given your response, the stock speakers are not that good to begin with so I will phase them out after I get everything running.

I am also currently replacing the timing chain, guides, tentioners, vanos, water pump, lots of gaskets, o-rings, hoses and all the other parts related to that monstrosity of a project. We have 1 month to get things working for a move across the US and of course need music :-)