I recently purchased my CLK and the radio was the standard Audio 10 with a CD changer in the glove box.
The sound of the standard stereo IMO was not the best and was somewhat lacking sonically in a car of this quality and in my mind was top of my list of things to change. I had done some research on options for the CLK, single DIN, Double DIN with adapters, Command (way too expensive for me). I stumbled upon the Dynavin units which are Chinese made units very similar to the 2 DIN devices you see on eBay.
I found a lot of information regarding the Dynavin units on the BMW forums and while physically they look different in the BMW's, to fit in with the BMW trim, the devices are in essence the same. Dynavin make this unit for BMW, AUDI, VW and Mercedes i believe.
I was a little apprehensive regarding the purchase, as £570 is quite a lot of money for me to spend on a stereo, especially a relative unknown chinese brand (unknown in high street terms), but I was swayed by the OEM look of the unit.
My needs were, MP3 capability, USB connectivity, GPS sat nav and the obligatory CD and radio. In addition the Dynavin unit plays DVD's and has the ability to plug in DVB TV, Reverse Cam and an Aux device. Also keeping the steering wheels controls would be a nice to have. The Dynavin fits all my needs as far as the specs are concerned
I got round to fitting the unit today and gave myself the whole day to do the install as I have installed two or three stereos in the past in past vehicles and know they can take some time. I was very pleasantly surprised to find the whole job very easy to do, from removing the trim to installing the new unit. This is definitely a DIY job, it was a doddle. The hardest part was routing the USB and IPOD cable through to the centre arm rest console and to some degree squeezing all the cables in behind the unit.
I have had a quick test of the unit including the GPS and I am very impressed. Firstly the sound quality, the Dynavin is a definite upgrade in terms of sonic ability compared with the Audio 10 unit (no amp). I have had £200+ Alpine and Pioneer units in the past and this is eaily comparable with those units, no problem. So I am very happy with the sound. I was contemplating the need to change the speakers before i fitted the Dynavin, but know I'm not sure i need to as the sound is a vast improvement to my ears.
The steering wheel controls work a treat in terms of volume up and down, and to my surprise the phone buttons now work as well, which was a very nice unexpected bonus. When the Dynavin unit is paired with your mobile (very quick job) and your mobile rings, press the button on your steering wheel to answer the call and hang up, great stuff. Also if you press the call button on the steering wheel the Dynavin unit dials the last number dialled, maybe handy, not sure, but all a bonus.
As I said I routed the Ipod and USB connector through to the centre console which makes adding those devices very easy and accessible. I tend to put most of my MP3's onto my USB and play from there, but I have just purchased an Ipod as well so I will let you know how that goes.
As for the interface I found everything very easy to use, I programmed my favourite stations in very quickly, wait for the RDS info to come up on the screen before you add the stations to memory and they will be stored as Radio 2 etc, as opposed to the frequency number.
The USB interface is OK, the screen is split into two, the left side showing the folder structure I believe and the right side showing the tracks. You cant see all the track name until you select the track, this may be altered I'm not sure. Not a big hiccup but as I say not the best. This interface is used for CD's as well which I suppose can be viewed as a positive or negative as most CD units I have used in the past only display the current track!
The GPS sat nav runs on top of Windows CE, the rest of the units functions are hardware operated, only the GPS is run from WinCE. This basically means you insert a micro SD card with your sat nav programme of choice on (must be WinCE compatible) and run your sat nav, assuming you have pointed the screen button to the correct exe (simply config change on the Dynavin).
My unit came with iGo Primo installed and to be honest it seems fair, time will tell based on its route choices, but graphically it looks well and the quick local route I tried was calculated quickly. I will hold judgement though until I have used it in anger. Other sat nav options include Tom Tom, which is what I will choose if I fall out with the iGo.
I have included a few pics below of the before and after. The GPS antenna is placed above the stereo circled in the photo and it seemed to pick up eight satellites very strongly.
To remove the stereo you need to do the following:
I will let you know how i get on with the unit in the coming months for those of you who might be considering buying one.
The sound of the standard stereo IMO was not the best and was somewhat lacking sonically in a car of this quality and in my mind was top of my list of things to change. I had done some research on options for the CLK, single DIN, Double DIN with adapters, Command (way too expensive for me). I stumbled upon the Dynavin units which are Chinese made units very similar to the 2 DIN devices you see on eBay.
I found a lot of information regarding the Dynavin units on the BMW forums and while physically they look different in the BMW's, to fit in with the BMW trim, the devices are in essence the same. Dynavin make this unit for BMW, AUDI, VW and Mercedes i believe.
I was a little apprehensive regarding the purchase, as £570 is quite a lot of money for me to spend on a stereo, especially a relative unknown chinese brand (unknown in high street terms), but I was swayed by the OEM look of the unit.
My needs were, MP3 capability, USB connectivity, GPS sat nav and the obligatory CD and radio. In addition the Dynavin unit plays DVD's and has the ability to plug in DVB TV, Reverse Cam and an Aux device. Also keeping the steering wheels controls would be a nice to have. The Dynavin fits all my needs as far as the specs are concerned
I got round to fitting the unit today and gave myself the whole day to do the install as I have installed two or three stereos in the past in past vehicles and know they can take some time. I was very pleasantly surprised to find the whole job very easy to do, from removing the trim to installing the new unit. This is definitely a DIY job, it was a doddle. The hardest part was routing the USB and IPOD cable through to the centre arm rest console and to some degree squeezing all the cables in behind the unit.
I have had a quick test of the unit including the GPS and I am very impressed. Firstly the sound quality, the Dynavin is a definite upgrade in terms of sonic ability compared with the Audio 10 unit (no amp). I have had £200+ Alpine and Pioneer units in the past and this is eaily comparable with those units, no problem. So I am very happy with the sound. I was contemplating the need to change the speakers before i fitted the Dynavin, but know I'm not sure i need to as the sound is a vast improvement to my ears.
The steering wheel controls work a treat in terms of volume up and down, and to my surprise the phone buttons now work as well, which was a very nice unexpected bonus. When the Dynavin unit is paired with your mobile (very quick job) and your mobile rings, press the button on your steering wheel to answer the call and hang up, great stuff. Also if you press the call button on the steering wheel the Dynavin unit dials the last number dialled, maybe handy, not sure, but all a bonus.
As I said I routed the Ipod and USB connector through to the centre console which makes adding those devices very easy and accessible. I tend to put most of my MP3's onto my USB and play from there, but I have just purchased an Ipod as well so I will let you know how that goes.
As for the interface I found everything very easy to use, I programmed my favourite stations in very quickly, wait for the RDS info to come up on the screen before you add the stations to memory and they will be stored as Radio 2 etc, as opposed to the frequency number.
The USB interface is OK, the screen is split into two, the left side showing the folder structure I believe and the right side showing the tracks. You cant see all the track name until you select the track, this may be altered I'm not sure. Not a big hiccup but as I say not the best. This interface is used for CD's as well which I suppose can be viewed as a positive or negative as most CD units I have used in the past only display the current track!
The GPS sat nav runs on top of Windows CE, the rest of the units functions are hardware operated, only the GPS is run from WinCE. This basically means you insert a micro SD card with your sat nav programme of choice on (must be WinCE compatible) and run your sat nav, assuming you have pointed the screen button to the correct exe (simply config change on the Dynavin).
My unit came with iGo Primo installed and to be honest it seems fair, time will tell based on its route choices, but graphically it looks well and the quick local route I tried was calculated quickly. I will hold judgement though until I have used it in anger. Other sat nav options include Tom Tom, which is what I will choose if I fall out with the iGo.
I have included a few pics below of the before and after. The GPS antenna is placed above the stereo circled in the photo and it seemed to pick up eight satellites very strongly.
To remove the stereo you need to do the following:
- Open the ashtray and pull up the gear lever surround
- Unclip the ashtray and move to one side out of the way
- Remove the outermost screws on the centre dash trim
- The centre dash trim can now be removed by gently prying it free from its securing clips
- Installation is reversal of the above.
I will let you know how i get on with the unit in the coming months for those of you who might be considering buying one.