Dynavin N7-PRO Multimedia GPS System....NEW FOR 2020

[jeffb325]

Now that the new N7 PRO units are shipping.....its time for a NEW THREAD

DYNAVIN N7 PRO

Dynavin has updated their lineup to the new N7-PRO head units. An update on the already solid N7 platform, the new PRO models have all the same extensive features from the N7 but add the ability to run Apple Carplay and Android Auto via the iLink USB connection. These phone based interfaces allow you to utilize your phones music, navigation, communication, and connectivity functions, while keeping your hands on the wheel and your eyes on the road.


If you are not familiar with these new technologies you can learn more here:


https://www.apple.com/ios/carplay/


https://www.android.com/auto/


The goal of this thread is to keep all the relevant info and discussions in one place for future users of this forum. Please lets try to keep this thread about Dynavin and try to keep it informative, Q & A stuff....try to leave opinions and speculation out of it, there are already 100 other pages of that. Thank you in advance.

As always, they are available in a variety of shapes and sizes to fit the BMW E46, E39, E53, E90,, and an assortment of Audi, VW, Porsche, Mercedes, Chevy, Jeep, and Ford models.


Details can be found on Dynavin's website, http://www.dynavin.com


Or our website: http://www.jandtdistributing.com/


Also you can download the install guide from our website's E46 page if you want to get an idea of what its about
http://<b>https://www.jandtdistribut...tion-setup</b>








Im just going to go over the new and significant stuff here....there are lots of old dynavin threads here on the forums but to see the BIG ONE that started it all, and get a look at what the install is like, look here, all really old info now but still lots of good stuff in there:
Dynavin D90 (V5) thread: (The Big One!) https://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=793437


And the for the last 6 years of previous generation N6 and N7 discussion you can go here:https://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=1044105 and here: https://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=1191033






What's new?




Much of this post is carried forward from the previous N7 post so we will cover the new stuff first. The N7 Pro adds Carplay and Android Auto compatibility via the USB iLink connection. Simply plug your phone into the included iLink USB module (typically installed inside the dash)








And you will be greeted with:


Carplay



OR


Android Auto





Its that easy, select apps like Google Maps, Waze, Text messaging Music, Spotify, Pandora, etc...

















Similar to the Bluetooth function in the Dynavin the steering wheel phone button can be configured to active your phones voice functions (right side knob does the same), so you can navigate, make calls, send text messages, play music, etc. all without taking your hands off the wheel.




Now for the stuff that carries forward from the previous N7....




Source Selection Screen


Like previous Dynavin units the MODE button brings up a source selection screen, large easy to press on-screen buttons display your most used sources for easy selection. These screens on the N7 Pro are much cleaner and subdued compared to the past brightly colored N6 "windows" looking tiles.







Swiping the screen side to side reveals the various settings menus and ALL of the potential sources.







The front panel also includes a programmable hard button....its the one with the 4 squares on it....you can select what you want it to do, I use A2DP bluetooth streaming a lot so I set mine to that but you can set it to access the sound menu, the camera function, aux in, whatever you want quick access to...







Digital Music: IPOD/SD/USB/Internal HD


The ipod, SD, USB, and the internal 4GB storage functions all share the same basic interface. Simple and intuitive, with selections for artist/album/song/playlist, and in the case of SD and USB, additional selections for folders/video files/picture files. The list can be swiped up and down AND a quick jump alphabetical search allowing you to jump to any letter in the lists so large libraries are no longer a problem to navigate.





Also in the name of simplicity the ipod now just plugs into the USB plug, no more proprietary cables, no more need for lighting adapters for the newer apple devices. Just use the cables you already have. The unit comes with a USB extension to get the rear mounted USB media plug to the glove compartment, console, etc... and we also have on our website flush mount USB plugs and ipod to USB cables if you want to do something a little more custom.




Album art now displays alongside the track info. As you can see, clean and refined is what Dynavin was after here....
Interestingly apps like pandora display similarly (from my iphone at least), displaying track info and album art.















BLUTOOTH PHONE


Dynavin's bluetooth phone is as clean as ever, will display your phonebook, and has a quick alphabetical search function to jump to any letter in the alphabet. As before it works with the phone buttons on your steering wheel.


I recommend experimenting with the external mic location for best results but the mic is pretty forgiving so most locations that work cosmetically, should function pretty good as well. There is a bluetooth level and mic gain adjustment here as well so that you can fine tune the mic sensitivity to your specific install.







My favorite feature.....there is a setting in the bluetooth that allows you to activate your phone's voice functions (Siri or Google assistant). This allows you to do anything with your phone hands free, make calls, request music, dictate text messages, etc...












BLUETOOTH AUDIO STREAMING (A2DP)


As with the N6, the Bluetooth audio streaming quality is now as good as plugging in, It connects pretty much immediately and works with apps like pandora, stitcher, etc... in addition to your standard media apps. In addition track info is displayed on the screen:







The steering wheel control buttons work as well, including in apps like pandora. I find that this is now my go-to choice as a music source.




RADIO, CD, DVD etc...


The radio is what you would expect, 15 presets, RDS, Pretty standard stuff here. Settings for different regions etc...







Starting with the Dynavin N7 all Dynavin radios are Sirius satellite radio ready....some of you guys have been asking for that for years! The N7 Pro comes with a cable that allows you to use the "universal" Sirius SVX300 tuner, plug and play with your Dynavin.


Sat radio is found in the same area as the AM/FM screen when USA is set as the region in the system settings menu....Here are a couple pics of it in action (pics happen to be on our new Dynavin GM unit....not a BMW but you get the idea...):










The N7 Pro plays CDs, DVDs, etc.... same as always.









NAVIGATION


As with previous dynavin units we are able to offer our units with pre-installed, licensed iGo Primo navigation software. Although its likely most of you will just be using Google/Apple/Waze Maps via the iLink function, iGo is well established and has an easy update path available via their website www.naviextras.com,


Its clean and intuitive, easy to quickly search and enter addresses, all the maps are already on board so no internet connection is needed. With the newer higher res screen on the N7 and N7 Pro the icons etc... are a little smaller on the screen while displaying more info. This is an "on board" nav system, same as an OEM system, so if you are in a weak cell reception area you may find it more useful than the phone based systems.







REVERSE FUNCTIONS


As always the new Dynavin N7 Pro will work with a reverse camera, but dynavin continues to refine this function to work with PDC (parking sensors, if your car has them) and is completely configurable within the settings menu. You can have just a backup camera, PDC, backup cam WITH PDC displayed, or nothing at all.









AUDIO FUNCTIONS


Dynavin is going after a higher end audio market and as such has a lot of good audio features in the N7 pro. Time alignment, three band bass/mid/treble AND a 9 band EQ with separate sub control, 4 volt RCAs for clean signal transmission to aftermarket amps, and 24bit burr brown D/A converters....you old school audio guys will know what thats about.


Most of you guys probably dont know what time alignment is or what to do with it but its probably the single biggest factor affecting sound quality in a car stereo environment, this adjustment allows for you to delay the speakers at the 4 corners of the car independently so that the sound from each reaches your ears as the same time....basically putting YOU in the "sweet spot". Ive been running time alignment of one kind or another for a couple decades now, in my opinion its a MUST HAVE for any higher end system. One thing to keep in mind though is setting this wrong can also make your system sound terrible so its important to at least understand the basic fundamentals of time delay before you jump into this setting. Also keep in mind this is optimizing ONE spot in the car at the detriment to the other seating positions. So if you regularly listen to music with passengers you may not want to use the delay settings, set them all to 0.


Setting it up is pretty easy though, just sit in the drivers seat and measure the distance from each woofer (the bigger speakers) to the center of your head (roughly), enter those values into each corner of the dynavins delay settings. Now listen, does the sound appear centered and focused in the car? Bass solid? If so, you are done. If not, try adjusting one side up or down while you listen to what effect it has on the sound, listen for the sound to come "into focus" and become solid in the center of the dash.







9 band EQ, self explanatory:







There is now a more advanced OEM amp integration setting....it allows you to variably set the output level of the head unit to better match your factory amp, if you find that the volume level is too high in your car and the adjustment too abrupt, turn on the factory amp setting and lower the level until the desired results are achieved. In our particular E46 shop car, turning the setting down almost all the way works best. If you are using an aftermarket amp via the RCAs....you will want to leave this setting off.









LIGHTING AND SCREEN


Dynavins have always had matching button lighting, not a big deal, but FYI, the buttons match the other buttons in the car and dim with the dash light dimmer. Nice and OEM.




Another feature new to the N7 is that you can change the accent color of the interface to match the color scheme of your car....most of the text in the interface is white on black so I'm just talking about the accents and lines on the various screens, on the older N6 these accents were always red....On the new N7 there are 4 colors to match the 4 common automotive interior lighting scheems:





In most of the pics on this page I have it set to orange as that happens to look good in the E46 orange lit interior. But I also like the looks of blue....







Now this next thing may not sound like a big deal at first, but for day to day, real world use....its HUGE. The LCD dimmer can be configured in multiple ways and the dimming amount is fully adjustable. There is an onboard ambient light sensor as well. SO you can set the unit up to dim when your headlights come on OR when the sensor sees its getting dark, or you can dim it manually. There are pros and cons to each approach and the overall ambient lighting where you are at and your headlight use habits will dictate which setup will work best for you. The adjustable LCD dimmer looks great as it does not just darken the screen as most "dimmers" do, it dims the backlight, so there is no "LCD glow" at night. Between the nicely dimmed screen and the clean white/red on black interface this is the best looking aftermarket unit at night ive ever seen


A night pic in my E92,









E46 night pic.....







SCREEN.


Starting with the N7 models Dynavin has a new screen that is a BIG DEAL....Screen visibility has always been an issue in the past, especially on the E46 and E53 since the screen is angled back where it can be hit with both direct lighting from above, and the reflection of the back window. The N7's new screen is both VERY black and resistant to washout, but is also anti glare and resistant to reflection.


You can see in the pics throughout this post that the screen is very high contrast and unlike many LCD screens, it is VERY black in color. In the picture below I tried to make a worst case scenario....I opened the sunroof to let the sun shine directly on the screen from behind the car, then I put the camera into position where the back window was reflected directly on the screen. Note that you can still clearly see the text on the screen, even in this challenging situation.







This pic is from my actual driving position, the rear window reflection is only in the corner, sun still shining directly on the screen though.







In addition, the touchscreen is capacitive, so it is much more responsive and accurate than on old units.






ETC...


You can set the boot screen to whatever you like. Put it on a SD or USB and select it as your boot screen, real simple. A word about start up.... The N7 has about a 20 second boot time BUT dynavin has done something clever, the unit starts booting when you unlock or open a door. So in regular use, running errands, that sort of thing, you wont see much of that boot time. I like things clean and OEM so I went with this in my personal car....







Dynavin has moved the Canbus (or iBus in these BMWs) interface inside the unit on the N7....so the wiring is somewhat simplified and there are no external modules to install. In addition this allows updates to the CAN interface via firmware updates. No special tools or hardware required, simplifying things for everyone.







The N7 uses an oem style Fakra antenna plug on the unit so that the cars antenna can plug directly into the unit without any adapters. One less thing to install, one less thing to go wrong. For those of you with the old style antenna they provide an adapter.











There is still an OBC display but at least on the E46 it doesnt show much....just a couple temps, not all the readouts will work with every car, your results may vary:









On my E92 there is a lot more, the newer canbus based cars have more data available, still though it depends on the particular model, options, etc...:







Finally, a word about updates. As with the N6 and N7, the N7 Pro has updatable firmware. Dynavin has built into the unit an easy update path so that as they develop and activate new features it will be easy to update the units. Don't expect huge, earth shattering, changes in the firmware updates. But just know that refinements, bug fixes, and new features are possible, and easy to apply to existing units.






Finished look:











Ill keep adding to this post as we go, ill try to make it a inclusive resource for all the new, relevant, N7 Pro info.

- - - Updated - - -

For those of you that need to relocate your HVAC controls down to the lower location to make room for your new head unit, we also now have a relocation Bracket that eliminates the E46 ashtray and puts in its place a couple USB plugs! REALLY useful when installing a new head unit. They come in both the single and individual row versions (details below) and while they all have 2 USB plugs on the front they can be configured on the back side in the following ways:


2 USB connections (for connecting to a Dynavin or other head unit equipped with 2 USBs)


1 USB and one 12 volt harness that connects to the cigarette lighter for use with head units that have only 1 USB. The other USB plug becomes a USB charging port.


Same as the Dynavin Head units, you can find them on our website E46 Page: https://www.jandtdistributing.com/co...ries-1998-2006

















The next question.....Single Row? Individual Row? Which HVAC control relocation bracket do I need for my E46?


Look at your car's buttons. If there are no seams between the buttons and they are all housed in a single assembly, you need the "single row relocation bracket" as pictured below. The single row version is for switches that are part of and pull out as a long, single unit.


(Single Row button style)



If you can see seams between the buttons (as pictured below) or you have one button with a "blank" filling in the rest of the area, you need an "individual row relocation bracket". The number of buttons is irrelevant but what is crucial is whether there are vertical seams between them or not. The individual row version is for switches that pull out individually.


(Individual Row button style)

[jeffb325]

reserved

[Dave Sal]

Is Dynavin going to consider offering a version without a CD player? I haven't used a CD in years and by deleting the CD player, the price could come down a bit and also allow for a smaller footprint in the dash.

[jeffb325]

A few newer designed models have the CD player deleted, E90, Jeep, Mustang, etc... but at this point retooling the E46 to eliminate the disc drive would be more expensive than to just continue to include it, besides while I realize that plenty of people left their discs behind a long time ago there is still a large part of the market that uses them, plus its a DVD player as well and there are plenty of people running DVDs for kids in the back seat etc...

[Brian1960]

A few newer designed models have the CD player deleted, E90, Jeep, Mustang, etc... but at this point retooling the E46 to eliminate the disc drive would be more expensive than to just continue to include it, besides while I realize that plenty of people left their discs behind a long time ago there is still a large part of the market that uses them, plus its a DVD player as well and there are plenty of people running DVDs for kids in the back seat etc...

No support planned for the 7 Series?

[jeffb325]

Its on the list of possibilities but its low priority. We already have the electronics end of things, would need to physically reconfigure some things from the E39/E53 to make it work. Need to get through some more pressing projects first though.

[crdiscoverer]

Hi Jeff,

N7 Pro E39 customer of yours here. I see that the 2.0.0.5 firmware came out a little while ago. Is there some sort of changelog to find out what's being fixed or improved? Do you recommend every unit to be updated or only if it's having issues? Mine has been flawless except for maybe less than elegant audio source switching in Apple Carplay mode: if you have, say, Spotify and Waze and Waze gives you a warning, there isn't a smooth audio transition between the 2 sources, so I'm wondering if the firmware covers that or if it's maybe Apple's issue.

[jeffb325]

No need to update usually if everything is good..."if it aint broke...."

Audio switching is likely a carplay and/or app thing. Reboot your phone if you have not done that in a while, and keep your apps updated for best results.

[nsticka]

any recommendations for amp upgrade to replace stock amp that's not Bavsound? e39 non-DSP

[jeffb325]

Check out the FAQ on our website under the help tab, lots of info there about the E39 DSP system and should point you the right direction. Replacing the DSP amp in a E39 is not a trivial project, its a bit of an "all or nothing" situation.

[Smitherines]

Hey Jeff, I know you've been getting asked for years now, and I see your response to Brian1960 above, but us E38 owners still would love a CD-less unit for our land barges! Been waiting patiently for six years to see if Dynavin was going to release something E38 related.

[garpinc]

A great system so far. Just FYI for installation... there is no longer an internal mic in the N7 Pro so the external mic is absolutely necessary. and it wasn't clear to me b4 that all BMWs don't have DSP and E46 definitely doesn't.

I have one problem so far and it's a big one!!! When my android note 8 is plugged into android auto usb it's battery drains faster than it charges.. I've tried 2 different cables with same result so I'm not sure what the deal is here. If I have to plug my phone into a different charger I lose the android auto functionality I was looking for..

In addition for future I have a few feature requests:
1) I noticed that if I'm playing Bluetooth and I plug in to USB for power that it automatically changes to android auto and sound cuts off. It's great behavior if nothing is playing but it shouldn't stop what's playing you should have to click to indicate you want to change mode.
2) Add a microphone test facility would be a good touch. I.e you click test, say something and it plays it back to you.
3) support TPMS Tire Pressure Monitoring
4) Add dashcam functionality (which I suppose would be a hardware upgrade since garmin requires a wifi connection)
5) By changing to dynavin I lost functionality in the original navigation head unit. Where can I now see the range left before I run out of gas and the outdoor temperature?
1072.jpg

[garpinc]

This device is definitely an upgrade and I am mostly happy with it. For what it cost though there are a few shortcomings that I think I should point out.


The worst is the phone USB charging problem and it can be quite annoying. It is a great kit otherwise but I didn't anticipate when I purchased this that there would be such a glaring flaw. Would I purchase it even despite this flaw? Yes probably I would but it would have been better to have known this before so I didn't end up disappointed.


Here are the responses from dynavin:


1. My phone does not charge and sometimes even discharges when it's connected via the USB for android auto. Please advise


DYNAVIN: we know that the power consumption of the iLink is higher than the power supply. Whether it will be fixed in the future by a firmware update or a new iLink dongle we unfortunately can't say at the moment.


2. I see online that Android Auto is supposed to use the system GPS rather than the phone GPS. But that does not appear to be the case either with Waze or Google Maps. Please advise if my information is incorrect and what correct behavior should be since obviously the installed gps antenna will be in a much better position than the phone.


DYNAVIN: with ours it is unfortunately not possible for the iLink adapter to access the GPS antenna from the vehicle or head unit. Both with Google Maps and with Waze.


3) You don't have your outdoor temperature or gas range anymore displayed on the head unit. I used to use that all the time with the factory nav.


DYNAVIN: No response yet

[RGBaker]

I don't have the Dynavin Pro yet, tho I'm looking at getting one.

The discharging iPhone while plugged in would be annoying for me; I routinely use my iPhone Google Maps app as my navigation, sometimes for continuous drives over 8 hours or more. At a minimum I expect the device to last the duration, and better, be fully charged when I arrive. So the noted issue is significant to me.

I have other desktop devices that require more than a single USB power feed, and so have a 'reversed' splitter cable that lets me plug a pair of USB males in to a source, and sends both the data signal and the 'doubled' power to the female end of the short y-cable. Perhaps this would work with the Dynavin? Better, if it did, use the y-cable behind the bezel so that the plug in spot intended for device data was 'double powered' -- ideally, using another USB port on the Dynavin device. How many USB ports are on the Dynavin device? How many amps does each supply? Is there an unused USB port on the device, or are all ports forwarded to the bezel?

Cheers,
GB

[Franky goes]

I looked on your website but I could not see if it will work in the ZHP that does not have a factory nor an HK amplifier.
If so, I suppose it is a straight replacement using the factory speakers.
Is it possible to use 4 Ohms impedance aftermarket upgraded speakers ?
Thanks.

[nyc951]

Jeff:

My e90 335i is a very early build. Will the N7 Pro work? What will the iDrive screen on the dash show with the N7 Pro installed?

Also, my N6 would occasionally not recognize the phone paired to it. Is the N7 Pro’s phone software better?

Thanks

[crdiscoverer]

I have had an N7 Pro for many months now and I can definitely confirm that even with a small-ish iPhone XS, the battery can sometimes discharge while plugged in. It really depends on what you are doing via CarPlay.

- If you are playing music while using a navigation app and on top of that you frequently turn on the phone's screen to check something else, then it will discharge. How quickly depends on how big is your battery/screen.
- If you are only playing music then charge remains somewhat stable (not charging/discharging).
- If you really have no other way to charge your phone in your car besides the Dynavin cable, put the phone in airplane mode and you will slowly get it to charge.

A regular iPhone charger is 1A. A regular USB port gives around half that. The Dynavin is giving close to USB or a bit less current. I carry a 2.5A charger and I simply stream music via Bluetooth if my phone is almost dead. Only if I need navigation then I'm screwed.


Overall I've been super happy with the N7 but that is indeed a minor annoyance.