Another "How cheap is too cheap?" radio thread

[14Accent]

While searching Amazon for an inexpensive 2 DIN head unit, I came across this unit:

7" Touchscreen Radio

After the 20% coupon and tax, I paid a little over $33 shipped, plus $7 for the Metra wiring harness. I installed the unit this afternoon, utilizing the factory mounting brackets. I did have to modify the bracket mounting holes slightly to center the unit in the factory bezel, but in the end everything fit nicely.

The sound is acceptable out of the gate, replacing the 25 year old OEM speakers would make a world of difference but that isn't in the cards.

 

[dishdude]

They couldn't come up with a better name than Hodozzy?

 

[14Accent]

They couldn't come up with a better name than Hodozzy?

The name makes me think of Matthew McConaughey at the beginning of "The Wolf of Wall Street".

"Fugazi... Fugazzi... it doesn't matter. It's not real, it doesn't exist" (Paraphrased, and edited for language haha).

If you Google the model number of that unit, you'll find it's sold under at least 10 different names. The unit itself is nothing more than a shell containing the display/front control section and the rear, "functional" section. It allows the factory to use the same 7" front panel while swapping out the "brains", which run from a basic Tuner/Bluetooth/AUX unit all the way to Android 4G/WiFi/GPS/backup cam units.

 

[jhellwig]

So no preamp outputs on it? I like how they used the standard composite jacks for all video inputs. That this is all off the shelf so makes it cheap. I am surprised it even has an amp in it.

 

[SC Maintenance]

The question is how long will it last.

 

[eljefino]

LOL I just picked one of these up for either my Town Car or Camry. Haven't decided, but the first will be the proof of concept.

Despite its ebay description to the contrary, mine also included a little back up camera. Son of a Gun!

Let us know how yours works out and I'll do the same.

 

[wander2039]

We have a very similar unit in the Focus. Darn thing resets itself at random. The only thing it does well is the Bluetooth which is all my wife uses. Good thing won't keep the time or any radio presets. The last jvc never had a issue so sure it's not the car.

I went way more expensive for the RV. Hopefully it works good.

BOSS Audio Systems Elite Series BE7ACP-FT Car Audio Stereo System – Single Din with 7 Inch Double Din Touchscreen, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Bluetooth Head Unit, Radio Receiver, No CD Player https://a.co/d/gLn7xlp

 

[KS-Ryan]

I bought an ATOTO A6 double din head unit from Amazon for $169. It has wireless Apple Car Play and Andriod Connect. For the money, it's been amazing.

 

[14Accent]

LOL I just picked one of these up for either my Town Car or Camry. Haven't decided, but the first will be the proof of concept.

Despite its ebay description to the contrary, mine also included a little back up camera. Son of a Gun!

Let us know how yours works out and I'll do the same.

Mine not only came with a backup cam, it came with not one but TWO remote controls! The standard credit card form, and a steering wheel mount unit.

This isn't the first Chineseium head unit I've installed lately. I installed this very unit in my old lady's Spectra, along with 2 similar units in both our WJ's, plus a third model type in my second WJ. All have functioned without much issue, although each has had it's own quirk.

The unit in her Spectra refuses to change or store the button backlight color. Regardless of selection, it's stuck on "Auto" mode, which cycles between all the available color options. My unit doesn't have this issue.

The 2nd unit I installed in my WJ had an odd quirk that prevented the treble setting from being stored after system shutdown. Every time I fired her up, I'd have to navigate to the audio menu and manually change the treble from +5 to 0 and back again. Bass did not suffer from the issue.

The only other issue I came across related to the clock. One of said models had a habit of losing it's clock memory every few dozen boot sessions. No other settings would be lost, but the internal clock would reset to 24hr scale and 12:00. Even more strange... allowing 5 or so minutes gave said unit time to suddenly recall the correct time, which would hold until the next cycle.

 

[michaelluscher]

Atoto seems to be the better of the cheaper off brand units
John Ross has put a few in, they seem responsive

 

[Tdbo]

They couldn't come up with a better name than Hodozzy?

I'm sure the quality went in before the name went on.

 

[nwjones18]

I put a cheap straight from China android headunit in my Mazda and I kept it in about a year before I threw it in the trash and put back in the factory head unit. I had it working with apple carplay to some extent. Honestly trying to get it to connect to my phone was hit or miss and the audio/radio quality was down considerably from stock radio. I hope you have better luck, I don't miss the one I had..

 

[14Accent]

So no preamp outputs on it? I like how they used the standard composite jacks for all video inputs. That this is all off the shelf so makes it cheap. I am surprised it even has an amp in it.

It does have a single set of RCA outputs, no idea what "channels" they're connected to, or if they simply output a stereo signal. They worked fine on the last cheapo unit I had in my Jeep, the subwoofer sounded just fine.

 

[97prizm]

Not sure why you wouldn't just get a Pioneer clarion or kenwood deck and it will last 20 us years.

 

[meep]

I don’t know. I bought a $300 pioneer around 2014 and BT croaked in 2 years. I’ve installed about 5 alpines, mid $250s, and 2 of them blew BT also in about 2 years, one was my own. Maybe I’d have better luck with clarion, but the tuning abilities, especially on the alpines, was top notch…. Until they weren’t.

 

[14Accent]

Not sure why you wouldn't just get a Pioneer clarion or kenwood deck and it will last 20 us years.

Fair point, but you're missing the bigger picture: this is a beat up 25 year old 230k mile Camry we're talking about. I'm long past the point of spending hundred of dollars to install a premium system regardless of merit, only to be faced with the task of removing said system upon sale.

I have zero plans to further upgrade the audio, other than possibly a cheap all-in-one subwoofer to give the sound a little "charisma". No upgraded speakers, no amplifiers, nothing.

Remember, this ride only has to survive until summer. My pops caught the new car bug, and his pristine 2018 Accent Limited is up for grabs. Once mine, the Accent will be treated to a full compliment of audio upgrades.

 

[nthach]

@The Critic installed a Boss in his sister’s car, I have a “cheap” Sony XAV-AX150 in my parent’s van. The Sony is slow in CarPlay mode but for radio less than $300 it’s pretty good. The Boss seems quicker than the Sony when I played with it.

I have a refurb Pioneer AVH-2330NEX in my car. Paid $250 I believe, it was a $500 deck brand new. It’s quick, UX is probably the best I’ve used for aftermarket stuff - and unlike the neutered Android 4/5 decks Pioneer made(AVH-4xxxxNEX and the AVIC NEX series) with some questionable programming practices and booting off an “live” RAM disk(Warp!), that often fries the internal SD card this one runs plain-Jane Linux and loads fairly quickly.

 

[eljefino]

Well I got mine in the 99 Camry. The instructions are terrible, but the radio looks like a "7018b."

One quirk: If any of the four speaker outputs are disconnected, the entire unit will sense this and refuse to put out any sound. I had two blue wires coming out of the car and the heavier gauge one was actually a speaker output. It was heavier gauge than most of the others. Strange. The thin blue line (sorry) remains disconnected and irrelevant.

Sound is good enough, reception is good enough, and the bluetooth works. Good because my state lets you use a phone "hands free" but not hand-held.

Haven't hooked up the camera yet. I modified the Camry radio front-to-side bracket to work with this stereo but it sits a little "over-flush" and the factory trim won't snap over it. Need daylight to tweak it some more.

 

[supton]

I get the premise, but I couldn't do it myself, both of the installs I did, I just went with Panasonic (from Walmart, of course). $100 and "knowing" it would just turn on and work? One is over 2 years now and the other is 6 years, so, I had different needs than the OP did.

$40 for six months, cheap kicks if you ask me, even it craps out before then. Odds are, it won't.

 

[eljefino]

So I hooked up the included camera. Field of view is not super wide angle but it gets the job done. Radio had the obtuse graphic "backup sensor" for the +12v feed from the camera/ backup lights. Camera had a captive RCA output on its wire that required me to drill a 1/2" hole in my car. Did it in the underside of the license plate light "shelf" on the rear deck. Need to find a way to caulk this.