Bluetooth options for GS

StuckinOhio

New Member
Messages
7
Hey everyone, I know this topic has been discussed previously, primarily the yatour and loudlink units. I was curious if anyone has tried out the more universal mini iso adapters. I've found two, one with a small dongle here


And an "upgraded" version here


Curious if anyone has tried these and if they are worth bothering with or if I should just go with a loudlink and call it a day.

And for those with a loudlink, what are your long-term impressions of the unit?


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hunta

Member
Messages
405
I think for most people with a GS the fact it's a standard 2 DIN stereo as opposed to an integrated head unit (e.g. 4200) is a big advantage in that you can just swap it out for something more modern with integrated Bluetooth, DAB, even a flip screen. Lots in here on the topic if you dig around a bit.

You can always swap it back if you're keen on being able to restore to factory spec.
 

Mr S

Member
Messages
821
Not sure about yours, but trying to talk on the phone in my GS would be pretty pointless.
 

MrPea

Member
Messages
3,012
I have an aftermarket head unit in mine and it's great for the few occasions when I want to play recorded music in the car. It's also very much appreciated by other people to be on the phone when I play them live music from my tailpipes! Even better with the roof down.
 

Chimaera500

Member
Messages
189
I tried all of the units you mention on my GS

The first generic unit worked fine, but I had to manually make a connection on my phone each time. Worst part was background/ static hiss noise that was always present. Not too bad, but I wanted it to play music from my phone so a fairly clean connection was important. You could make calls OK.

Next I tried the Yatour which was better when I managed to get it to connect, but would randomly take ages to establish a connection at all. May have been just my particular unit.
Next the Loudlink, the best by far and worked as it should.

Unfortunately, I then realized that the Becker HU was not really up to much so replaced with a Pioneer with integrated BT. Sound quality was miles better, but this then showed up the standard amp as being a bit rubbish so replaced with a Focal unit. Slippery slope! my entire system has since been replaced.

If you dont change the headunit, I would advise to go straight to the loudlink. Its worth the extra.
 

safrane

Member
Messages
16,747
Given the age of the tech in the standard Becker unit, I would remove and keep but fit a modern head unit with all the bells and whistles.
 

MrPea

Member
Messages
3,012
Other option is to upgrade the sound system inderneath the car and leave the valves open. Anyone who wants to talk to you can leave a message and you'll get back to them when you're not listening to music.
 

MarkMas

Chief pedant
Messages
8,795
Hey everyone, I know this topic has been discussed previously, primarily the yatour and loudlink units. I was curious if anyone has tried out the more universal mini iso adapters. I've found two, one with a small dongle here


And an "upgraded" version here


Curious if anyone has tried these and if they are worth bothering with or if I should just go with a loudlink and call it a day.

And for those with a loudlink, what are your long-term impressions of the unit?


Sent from my Pixel 4a (5G) using Tapatalk

For music (from Spotify on by phone, in my QPV) I have been very happy with the Anker Soundsync plugged into my USB (power) and Aux (audio).
Have been planning to add an inline amplifier, but not yet done it.

 

StuckinOhio

New Member
Messages
7
Thanks for the feedback everyone. I've definitely read through all the previous stereo upgrade threads but hadn't seen too much in the way of feedback on the generic units.

I've installed many an aftermarket radio and as mentioned, the becker unit is a fairly straightforward swap with a more modern headunit so that's an option I'm considering of course.

The only thing holding me back is wanting to keep things looking stock which is where the loudlink unit comes in.

The car isn't a daily driver so I don't really care about hands free phone usage or xm radio so the benefits of a new headunit are limited to sound quality, better interface, more power, and a lighter wallet when it leads me down the path of replacing all the factory speakers!

My car is still on its way to me so I don't know yet how poor the audio quality is of the becker unit.

So I guess to be more specific, loudlink or newer single din headunit like the Pioneer DEH-80PRS?
 
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Chimaera500

Member
Messages
189
I too wanted to stay OEM but in the end I realized that it was going to be a big compromise on sound and functionality. I didn't want some flashing beeping monstrosity in the dash either!
I went for the DEH 80 PRS. Its a pretty awesome head unit and does just about everything I could possibly need including auto setup, time alignment and DSP. Whilst obviously not standard, It looks perfectly respectable and you can even adjust the colours of the display to match the rest of the cars instruments perfectly.

Car is away till tomorrow but let me know if you want me to send a pic of mine installed.
The Pioneer drops straight in, no additional wiring required if you retain the standard amp.

You may have already found it, but here is my thread with details of the rest of my stereo upgrades.
 

StuckinOhio

New Member
Messages
7
I too wanted to stay OEM but in the end I realized that it was going to be a big compromise on sound and functionality. I didn't want some flashing beeping monstrosity in the dash either!
I went for the DEH 80 PRS. Its a pretty awesome head unit and does just about everything I could possibly need including auto setup, time alignment and DSP. Whilst obviously not standard, It looks perfectly respectable and you can even adjust the colours of the display to match the rest of the cars instruments perfectly.

Car is away till tomorrow but let me know if you want me to send a pic of mine installed.
The Pioneer drops straight in, no additional wiring required if you retain the standard amp.

You may have already found it, but here is my thread with details of the rest of my stereo upgrades.
Would be great to see the DEH-80PRS installed. The time alignment, auto tune, and 5v preamp outputs were very interesting features to me.

How was the headunit install? Just pop out the becker unit, install the pioneer cage and hook it up with an adapter harness?

I don't see myself changing speakers but if it's an easily reversible thing to swap out the head unit I may go that route vs loudlink.
 
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Chimaera500

Member
Messages
189
Couple of pics of the DEH-80 PRS for you. I think it looks pretty good as its quite a simple unit. Great that you can match the colour to any shade you like!
The cars factory plugs fit straight into the one supplied with the Pioneer. It really is a 10 min job to install.

I'm running additional line outs to my 4 channel amp and sub ( L + R for front and rear, and a pair of sub) No need for this unless you are planning to swap out the amp too. The factory amp is fed with speaker level inputs so all is dealt with in the standard connector block.

Dont forget to pick a pair of these up to remove your existing Becker unit.

8441284413
 

StuckinOhio

New Member
Messages
7
Thanks for the pictures! Good to know it's plug and play. Did you the antenna plug right in as well or did you need an adapter? Did the becker radio have a cage that needed to be removed to install the pioneer one? Did you have the auditorium system or the regular stereo system?

I only ask because this site indicated the need for an adapter harness and an antenna adapter. Not a big deal either way as I've made up a bunch of adapter harnesses for my.previous cars but would be good to know before I have the radio out.


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Chimaera500

Member
Messages
189
Ah, it slipped my mind regarding the harness, sorry! Just checked and I purchased the following item which does not require any modification for the DEH-80 to fit our cars. One side to the HU, the other to the factory connectors inside the car. No chopping or soldering needed.


You do also need an areal adapter, I picked one up on amazon also.

As for the HU cage, the standard Becker didn't have one. The DEH comes with one and its no drama to fit.

My car had the Auditorium option with the ASK amp behind the battery in the boot. 99% sure that the wiring behind the HU is identical regardless of standard or Auditorium stereo being fitted.
 

StuckinOhio

New Member
Messages
7
Thanks for all the info. It's definitely a good match to the oem coloring and doesn't look too out of place.

With the DEH-80PRS being backordered everywhere I ended up grabbing a loudlink unit. I guess car audio is seeing the same pandemic shortage as many other industries with people stuck at home and wanting to knock out projects they didn't previously have the time to do.

I'll be sure to update this thread when it arrives and document my experience.

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Chimaera500

Member
Messages
189
When I fitted my loudlink I routed the cables over to the glovebox. I secured the Loudlink box to the ceiling of the glovebox to give easy reach to the USB connectors for phone charging etc. Looked really tidy.
 

Ebenezer

Member
Messages
4,443
Eb - Great to gear. Did you mount your unit behind the head unit or back in the trunk where the CD changer is?

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Since I had a CD changer it was a no brainer to remove that and subsitute the loudlink. Plug and play. Much more involved if you don't have the CD changer as you'll need to patch in the loudlink to the NIT somehow.
Eb
 

StuckinOhio

New Member
Messages
7
So a little update here. Loudlink arrived in the US within a couple days of placing my order. Nice unit and it hooked right up. The becker headunit certainly leaves a lot to be desired though in terms of sound quality and adjustability and when the DEH-80PRS units are back in stock I'll definitely be grabbing one of those for my car.

Anyone else get absolutely terrible FM/AM radio reception on their becker unit? It can barely find stations and even then I get maybe one or two stations max.

For now though, I'm a happy camper as I can stream music from my phone.

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