XTRONS Head Unit

James36

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Has anyone installed this Xtrons unit to their car and what are your thoughts?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/153612125388

I have the audi navigation plus, just want to upgrade really and the xtrons unit is android friendly. GPS is slow and unreliable (no live traffic update, I do a lot of miles), no DAB.
 
At our place we remove more of these than we fit and replace them usually with Pioneer or Kenwood units.

I haven't had one in my car for more than a few days so can't answer directly. What I can tell you is that the drop in sound quality even using radio was really and obviously apparent.

BUT for the money you simply can't ignore them.

IMHO Android is rubbish - buggy, crashy, slow, no updates etc etc ...

Have you considered something like the Kenwood DMX7017DABS? They can probably be had for little money as they're a couple of years old, however, have all the features most people want.
 
Has anyone installed this Xtrons unit to their car and what are your thoughts?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/153612125388

I have the audi navigation plus, just want to upgrade really and the xtrons unit is android friendly. GPS is slow and unreliable (no live traffic update, I do a lot of miles), no DAB.
I bought pumpkin audio instead. Perfect after 4 years still going strong looks oem aswell

Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk
 
Hi @James36

So, I've got an Xtrons unit in my Audi S3. Mine is like this, although the Android 8.0 version:

https://xtrons.co.uk/audi-seat-various-android-9-0-octa-core-4gb-ram-64gb-rom-pbx79aa4

My S3 had the RNS-E fitted from factory with the Bose speakers and I didn't like it, had no support for Bluetooth audio or decent Sat Nav so swapped it out for the Xtrons within weeks of buying the car approx 12 months ago. I sold the RNS-E to a fellow forum member for £350 and basically broke even. I don't get why people love the RNS-E so much, I thought it was rubbish. Anyway..

Personally, I like it alot. The sound quality is just as good as the stock system. I did numerous tests on this and found that it was actually better if anything. The sound profile is very good, especially the bass which is plenty loud enough trust me, I'm a serious audiophile with all sorts of high end sound equipment and headphones and honestly sitting in my car listening to music is probably better than my surround sound system at home or my £400 Sony X1000 MK3 headphones. I've never once felt it lacking in quality. Would a more expensive unit sound better? Maybe. I doubt you'd notice. I listen to music generally quite loud and I find it uncomfortable at max volume and it's still crystal clear.

Connectivity is also excellent. I have my Samsung S10 phone setup with a routine to automatically enable the WiFi hotspot as soon as my phone connects to the audio. Within seconds of starting the car, the phone connects to the Bluetooth, the hotspot appears and the Xtrons connects to the WiFi and then has full internet access. Works perfectly every time. That, coupled with a wireless charging window mounted phone cradle really is a decent setup, I never have to touch my phone. Steering wheel controls work fine, and you can setup Google assistant if you wish for voice commands.

I mainly use it for Spotify and Waze or Google Maps. I'd recommend you create your own dedicated Gmail account for your car though and sign in to Android/Maps with that for obvious security reasons.. I like the fact that it is android as I can install anything on it I want. I've sat and watched YouTube on it while waiting for someone. And yes, because it's aftermarket you can watch videos while driving with no restrictions but I don't obviously cos that's dangerous, but it works if you wanted it to.

I fitted it myself, not too difficult, but does need earthing. Fortunately there is screw mounting behind the unit that you can simply loosen and run a wire from and then connect that to the earth cable on the wiring loom provided. The fit is excellent, looks totally stock and you can't tell at all it's aftermarket. The screen could be a little brighter when using it in direct sunlight but hardly worth mentioning, never bothers me.

I also have a couple of their accessories. I have their OBD2 adapter which also connects with BT and works perfectly with the Torque app, easy to create a custom dashboard showing all the stuff you'd like to see from your ECU like boost and fuel injector pressure, temps etc. Scans for fault codes, can do other stuff like tracking.
Also have their front facing dashcam which is alright, nothing incredible but was also like £30 so wasn't expecting anything special. I probably wouldn't bother with the dashcam cos the software to use it is a bit rubbish and it's not brilliant at night but I'm not bothered, I bought it for a laugh more than anything and it has come in handy a couple of times.

Do I have any issues? Just one really... There is a little bit of mild interference through the stereo when no music is playing and the engine is on. It's not loud but it's noticeable and sometimes the pitch changes when you accellerate. Doesn't always do it, it's intermittent but you can't hear it at all when the music is playing and I always have music playing. You can fix this if you wire in a pair of ground loop isolators between the speaker connectors and the wiring loom, it's a 2 minute job. I haven't bothered cos apparently they can kill your bass response so I live with it and hardly ever notice it. .

Phone calls are fine also. The phone app doesn't use my phone's call history and has its own, but accesses your contacts fine and you can store favourites. I don't make alot of calls while driving to be honest but never had a problem with it and always sounds clear. Uses the built in mic in the car, didn't have to wire in the one provided.

I wouldn't for one minute say it's better than a Pioneer or a Kenwood unit. They're also 3x the price though but would it be 3x better or offer me 3x as many features? I doubt it. The Xtrons sounds better than the default system in my mates MK7.5 Golf R minus CarPlay which I honestly don't care about.

As always, do your own research, and yes, your mileage may vary. Seen people who have issues with them and seen people who love them.

Is it a cheap Chinese alternative? Yes, absolutely it is. Will I be able to update Android on it? Probably not. I don't really care. If it ever got to the point I couldn't run Spotify on it I'd replace it but I doubt they'll happen anytime soon and will have probably swapped cars by then.
All in all, for the price Vs what I get out of it I think it's a bargain. Their return policy is brilliant, they sent me the wrong unit initially and swapped it for me within days.

I'd suggest you buy one and try it. You'll know within an hour or two if it's for you or not and it's easy to swap back your original if not and just return it for a full refund. I'd do that before you drop a grand on a Pioneer unit. That was my plan, if it was crap I would have done the same, but it's not so I kept it and still loving it 12 months later.

Hope this helps.
 
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from my own personal experience, I would stay well clear, sound is shocking and lots of interference, apparently this can be sorted if you request a box that silents it, but for the money should come as standard IMO.
was in my car for approximately 2 days before I packed it up and sent it back, and put in the rnse, ok the sat nav is old school but, just use your phone.

save yourself the hassle mate!!!
 
I have a octocore Xtrons in my A3 and generally it's fine but few issues I do have:
  • The fit is a bit crap. Doesn't fit snug and I've had to do a bit of DIY to sort it
  • Rarely crashes- just need to hit reset but still annoying
  • Navigation will close itself on occasion. Just matter of pressing button and then start to get going again
  • Rear bass doesn't kick in until its loud enough. I'm guessing this is the whole Bose issue but I'm not overly fussed
  • The volumes between radio, Spotify and calls are all different. Quiet on Spotify is a deafening phone ring.
I got 2nd hand (basically brand new) for £140 so IMO was a worthwhile purchase.
 

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