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Anybody know if there’s a simple standalone (non-OBDII) head up display for stuff like navigation and lane departure warning? Digital/numerical GPS speedometer would also be nice but not required. It just seems like everything available is  and a lot more than I would ever need or want in my direct field of vision.
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Apr 12, 2022 20:40
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Advent Horizon posted:Anybody know if there’s a simple standalone (non-OBDII) head up display for stuff like navigation and lane departure warning? Digital/numerical GPS speedometer would also be nice but not required.
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Apr 14, 2022 04:54
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That's one scenario where buying a new car makes so much more sense. Nearly every single Toyota has those as standard features, and they actually work pretty well.
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Apr 14, 2022 15:53
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Yes, but then you’re in a new Toyota. I prefer my old Toyota.  None of this is anywhere near a ‘need’. Even the lane departure is just something that would be kind of nice, and I know some dashcams have it.
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Apr 14, 2022 16:58
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Your lane departure warning is the car you crushed like a can making a *ping* sound under your wheels. You might feel a light vibration in the steering wheel too.
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Apr 14, 2022 17:23
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Which, if any, of the steering wheel control adapters will work with the Atoto/Joying HUs? I'm thinking about the S8 QLED for the LX470, but really don't like their strap on remote option.
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Apr 19, 2022 13:59
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toplitzin posted:Which, if any, of the steering wheel control adapters will work with the Atoto/Joying HUs?
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Apr 19, 2022 18:49
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Yeah they appear to be pretty good about compatibility, my Joying unit had about 3 different protocols you could use via a jumper. I left it on the default and it worked in the Volvo with a crux adapter. As long as it gets the signal you tell it what function to use for that signal.
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Apr 19, 2022 19:57
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LloydDobler posted:Yep. Even the base settings like using 24 hour time and time zone were reset. The SD card is recognized and loaded. So this hard reset must have corrected something I did during setup because ever since it did it the unit has worked really well. Like the only thing that has gone wrong is that my background switcher app changed the resolution randomly. I went in and set it back to native and otherwise it fires up with the key almost instantly and starts playing as soon as I hit play. No full reboots, no weirdness or refreshing the library or anything. So I can say I'm happy. I'm still dialing in the settings, the tweeters with my new polk components are super harsh and not mellowing as I use them. I'm just worried about dialing back too much treble because I don't want things to sound muddy. A 30 band EQ is not necessarily a good thing in this case. I have to do a lot of adjusting. But that's half the fun as well. It also has different bass boost characteristics than my old Kenwood which makes the bass a little too tightly centered on one frequency. Still dialing that in too.
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Jun 4, 2022 01:03
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Is there a current new decent cheap double din car play deck out? I have had that hikitty in my cart for like 6 months and it’s down to $70. I’ve got a camper coming with the double sun removed where it had a Japanese nav head in there need to put something decent. But it can be a dumb double deck that’s fine but if this would be alright by consensus might as well stuff a CarPlay one in there
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Jun 9, 2022 00:44
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So I picked up a '97 C-Class and in the interest of keeping it original looking I'd like to leave the original tape deck in/mod in a bluetooth module to replace the CD changer controls and input. That said, since the deck is fairly underpowered I'll need a high level to line level converter. Is there any consensus or opinion on which ones are good/bad etc? Ideally 4 channel to 4 channel or 4 channel to 4 channel plus subwoofer output (for later on)
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Jun 15, 2022 18:30
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I've been really happy with AudioControl, though I'm just using a 2 channel model with the optional bass knob to get sub signal from my rear speakers. 2 channel plus sub output is $99, the LC6i is $169.99 and does six channels. https://www.crutchfield.com/p_161LC2IB/AudioControl-LC2i-Black.html The bass knob uses regular RJ11 telephone wire to connect back to the converter.
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Jun 16, 2022 19:16
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I ordered a Spotify car thing it is here. I am thinking I will just use it hooked to my 80s/90s era receiver and equipment in the house. Will post when I open it up it’s here I’ve just got a lot of packages to go through. Anyone have one? Opened the box not sure I want to mess with it today 
everdave fucked around with this message at 21:05 on Jun 16, 2022 |
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Jun 16, 2022 21:00
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everdave posted:I ordered a Spotify car thing it is here. I am thinking I will just use it hooked to my 80s/90s era receiver and equipment in the house. Yeah I got one back during the invite/beta thing. Honestly I liked it a lot. Then I upgraded my unit to an in-dash 7" Android Auto unit. I still like the Car Thing better. If you use Spotify a lot it's a no brainer. However, just so you're aware - all it does is act as a controller for your phone. Your phone is what has to be hooked up to whatever stereo you're playing. The Car Thing itself doesn't produce any audio. Which is obviously not an issue in a car, but if you're hooking it up to a local stereo you'll need to have your phone connected to that stereo via aux or bluetooth (via aux adapter since yours is old).
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Jun 16, 2022 22:11
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BonoMan posted:Yeah I got one back during the invite/beta thing. No please tell me that is wrong, yes I’m 100% Spotify fiend. I have to plug my phone in? If so this is going in the garbage that can’t be right? I can’t open tonight I hope that is wrong but thank you I’ll see…dang it
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Jun 16, 2022 23:19
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everdave posted:No please tell me that is wrong, yes I’m 100% Spotify fiend. I have to plug my phone in? If so this is going in the garbage that can’t be right? I can’t open tonight I hope that is wrong but thank you I’ll see…dang it Yes there's no aux or audio output *from* the Car Thing. It merely acts as the controller for your phone. It's meant to be used in the car (obviously hence the name) so that's not really an issue. But using it as a home stereo controller obviously would be.
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Jun 16, 2022 23:25
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That is, in fairness, how head units with Android Auto and Carplay work, too. They're just handy "second monitors" that directly connect to a traditional head unit and trigger your phone to send the video and inputs via that. IDK if the Spotify unit has navigation
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Jun 17, 2022 00:09
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Wasabi the J posted:That is, in fairness, how head units with Android Auto and Carplay work, too. Well, not quite. Android Auto/CarPlay units do get the audio (and video) signal from your phone, and probably stuff like maps data etc so they can display it - but the key feature with AA/Carplay is that it doesn't use the phone's lovely DAC or shittier headphone amp to get the audio signal out. It gets a digital audio signal from the phone at whatever bitrate the source is pumping out, and then uses the DAC on the car play unit to convert it to an analogue signal for the amp (either the built-in amp or via RCAs on the back if you're running separates). This is a huge advantage over bluetooth, as most head units only support lossier formats such as aptx or SBC at best. I once compared the sound quality coming from spotify (which is already compressed even on the highest quality setting) on the built in head unit in a 2018 Hyundai Tucson via bluetooth vs android auto, and it was actually significant - and this is a factory head unit, not a $400 Alpine or Pioneer with good quality DACs. If you're using lossless audio sources like ALAC/FLAC, Tidal's audiophile tier or similar, it's going to be even more pronounced. Aux in still requires the phone's audio hardware which is not going to be as good as even a factory head unit these days (as most of them are contracted out to someone like Clarion, JBL, H&K etc), and also you kinda want to be able to charge your phone in the car. Cool if you have a wireless cradle, but that's still $50 you could have put towards some speakers or a better head unit. Bluetooth is fine for most, as road noise and the actual listening environment in a car means you're not really going to notice that much difference - but if you're bothering to upgrade parts of your system in the first place, you'd be a little nuts to not go AA/CP these days, as it's a huge baseline improvement in quality. Don Dongington fucked around with this message at 02:47 on Jun 17, 2022 |
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Jun 17, 2022 02:44
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So I can’t Bluetooth to the car thing? Well I spend an insane amount of time buying anything reading reviews I got a $20 off email on this and played the wicker. Good lesson to learn
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Jun 17, 2022 03:32
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everdave posted:So I can’t Bluetooth to the car thing? Well I spend an insane amount of time buying anything reading reviews I got a $20 off email on this and played the wicker. Good lesson to learn I mean yes it connects to your phone via Bluetooth. But that's just for the control function. You connect to the car thing via Bluetooth then from your phone to your car via aux from phone or Bluetooth as well.
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Jun 17, 2022 12:42
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There’s also nothing stopping you from using an old phone and hooking the whole mess up to your stereo. Would still be a super-neat solution.
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Jun 17, 2022 23:30
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RIP Paul Walker posted:There’s also nothing stopping you from using an old phone and hooking the whole mess up to your stereo. Would still be a super-neat solution. Will post about it just not in the mood to tackle it today, I have old phones will see I do hope this works
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Jun 17, 2022 23:53
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So the original idea was to use the stock cassette deck in my old C class but this came up on auction and I couldn't pass it up. It's wild how hard it is to find a black single DIN deck with orange backlight with an aux input and preouts. Will definitely be googling plastic polishing DIY youtube videos though.
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Jun 20, 2022 13:41
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Holy oldschool. I never knew Nakamichi made aftermarket head units. e: looking at the specs, that's a damned impressive head unit for 20+ years ago! There's a lot on the market today that don't have 3 sets of RCAs, especially @ 4V (my late model Android Auto JVC only has two sets of RCAs @ 2V). randomidiot fucked around with this message at 16:14 on Jun 21, 2022 |
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Jun 21, 2022 16:11
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STR posted:Holy oldschool. I never knew Nakamichi made aftermarket head units. Right? I was also surprised, this is the 40z, the one above it, the 45z has an extra aux input as well which would have been nice but I can deal with a single one for a Bluetooth module. Finding this sent me down a rabbit hole and ended up reading about the CD-700 they made which is wild, no power output, only a preamp, with an entirely separate dc to dc module. That said, they apparently still sell for $1k used 🫠
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Jun 21, 2022 17:23
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What's the general consensus on a decent mid-high range headunit these days??I've had a bunch of awesome stereos in all my cars but it has been about 12 years since I've build a system because I lost my automotive ADD and everything I've owned has been "good enough", aka has bluetooth and decent enough sound quality. I fully understand that I am generalizing and perhaps mis-remembering. Back in the day, Pioneer was the way to go, or you could get an Alpine unit if you hated money. Kenwood and Sony were alright, and everything else was pretty much either crap or very unit dependent. Kenwood units had some strange EQ they would overlay on their mid range units, and you had to step up to Excelion stuff to get decent quality. JVC had annoying loudness controls that either overly boosted bass or too quiet unless you cranked it. I've always liked the feature set and price point of the mid-range Pioneer stuff, but they do not sell a double din unit that has a drat volume knob. Lack of volume knob was probably my number 1 gripe about my last stereo I had in my A6 for like 10 years. It seems like the main manufacturers pared down their offerings to like 4 things each, and there is a tsunami of no name units that look like they fit the bill but I have no way of actually comparing the relative quality of these hundreds of near identical units help me look plz What I would love: Good sound quality above all else Single DIN with a display that isn't a crappy looking 8-segment LCD OR double DIN WITH A VOLUME KNOB (oldmanyellsatcloud.png) I don't really care about Apple Carplay/Android Auto 2 or 3 channel RCA output less than $400 Aside from the head unit, I'll be having: Infinity Kappa components (havent decided on two way to three way yet) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075ZG8BFT/ref=ox_sc_saved_image_1?smid=A32QR6D7S73KI&psc=1 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B076T2SVHQ/ref=ox_sc_saved_image_2?smid=A1M2AR6046TFJG&psc=1 Rockford Fosgate Amp(s?) Either a two channel and a mono for sub or a four channel with rear channels bridged, depends on how dumb I want to get https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BF6I0RS/ref=ox_sc_saved_image_3?smid=A3L9U1CL0L7Y4P&th=1 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BF6HZ7E/ref=emc_b_5_t A 12" Rockford Fosgate Sub (maybe two 10s? Probably just a 12) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004UFHXOM/ref=ox_sc_saved_image_5?smid=AQH2A184LSYJ8&th=1 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B085Z9BGGT/ref=ox_sc_saved_image_6?smid=A1FGJTEMQOV9RC&th=1 Pretty set on the speaker setup, as Infinity has always been my preferred 'signature sound' for automotive equipment. All of this is going into an 01 Sierra Extended cab
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Jun 23, 2022 01:55
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I just dove in to the generic chinese android world and I haven't got it to sound as good as the 15 year old Kenwood Excelon it replaced yet. I think I'll get it there but I'm not recommending them quite yet. I did however want to offer an alternative subwoofer. These sundown audio punch way above their weight. Subwoofer nerds love them because they're low cost due to no frills but very high quality. I just got this exact one for my wagon and it is definitely loud as gently caress. I'm driving it with the 300w sub output on an alpine 5 channel amp and it's pretty impressive. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09FVXX9YM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Kappas are great, I ran them in one car and my only complaint was how bright the tweeters were. I actually ran negative treble in the eq to balance it out. I'm having the same problem with the current gen Polk DB series, I had the last generation in a previous car and loved them. I also love that add-on midrange speaker for the infinitys, I've never seen that before. My convertible is set up for a 3 way component set so I need that. LloydDobler fucked around with this message at 20:03 on Jun 23, 2022 |
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Jun 23, 2022 20:01
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I had a set of Infinity Kappa Perfect 6x9s with the weird rear end tweeters in the package tray of my '66 Bel-Air in high school. They were a little bright but sounded awesome and had no problem dealing with a teenager with poor volume control.intheflesh posted:Gear E: for that bass budget I'd get a SoundQubed HDX3 and a Taramps Smart 3 Bass but I'm an idiot. Lowclock fucked around with this message at 22:23 on Jun 23, 2022 |
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Jun 23, 2022 22:21
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Lowclock posted:Taramps Smart 3 Bass but I'm an idiot. I completely refuse to believe that a $299 on amazon amp that claims it produces 3000 watts RMS is capable of doing so for any extended period of time or at a reasonable THD
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Jun 23, 2022 22:57
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intheflesh posted:I completely refuse to believe that a $299 on amazon amp that claims it produces 3000 watts RMS is capable of doing so for any extended period of time or at a reasonable THD Lowclock fucked around with this message at 00:54 on Jun 24, 2022 |
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Jun 23, 2022 23:33
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These aren’t rocket ship parts if you are like me, high school in early 90’s, seeing what amps and power you can get for a few hundred bucks is crazy. There are YouTube reviewers galore who pour o er these and tear them down. I have no interest in boomin anymore but love watching that crap
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Jun 24, 2022 01:57
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Lookup videos on YT of people testing amps on amp dynos. The Taramps stuff typically surprises. I have a couple other small amps on my list that punch above their weight. One of them is a WalMart Dual of all things. Two of them, actually - a 2-channel and a 4-channel that actual produce their rated output for a Walmart price. Sadly, I think both are discontinued. Sony makes or made a double DIN unit that had an actual volume knob. I went with an Alpine - their cheapest-with-CarPlay. I’m on my mobile, so don’t have the model number handy, but I believe it’s still current. A mechless unit that can pair with a nifty piggyback amp that makes it as a package almost as big as a double DIN with an optical drive.
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Jun 24, 2022 02:34
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everdave posted:I have no interest in boomin anymore but love watching that crap Same - SMD - Steve Meade Designs is a worthwhile follow for fellow former trunk rattlers.https://stevemeadedesigns.com/home/
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Jun 24, 2022 02:52
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SMD is the real OG I remember back when I was starting to care about stereos and he was building his Civic sedan with two 18s which was just absurd. I think that was on the RF forums lol I've watched a few reviews and amp dyno tests, and I guess taramps are legit. Maybe I'm just old, but it's hard to not have these kind of amps ring the alarm bells of teenagers with computers in the early 2000s overclocking the poo poo out of computers. Sure you hit 4ghz on mom's celeron, but can it play a game for more than 10 minutes? Like yeah this will do 3000 watts, but will it do that at low thd the entire 8 hour drive? I guess I'm just really wary of wandering into the realm of instagram 'stars' who build 10cuft plywood boxes in their tahoes and throw 10k watts at it to have the highest SPL number that week, only to blow up half their setup Maybe I am too old Looks like Nothing double din has a volume knob in Alpine's current lineup, maybe I'll troll craigslist
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Jun 24, 2022 03:31
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We all know that the Ultimate Force in amp teardown and review is Big D over at WillestonAudioLabs Sure, the dyno he uses was built by SMD, but I challenge you to find someone else on youtube who manages to test more amps - including weird poo poo, cheap poo poo, big brand halo stuff, and the odd 40 year old Orion Cheater Amp. He even did a couple of aliexpress-grade pcb amps which was how I discovered him in the first place, when I was looking at grabbing one to play with. Plus he's an absolute crack up. https://www.youtube.com/c/bigdwiz It's the Big D you deserve.
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Jun 24, 2022 04:43
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Goddamnit, guess I'm going down that rabbit hole tonight.
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Jun 24, 2022 07:20
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Barevids also has some good car audio videos if you like amp guts.
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Jun 24, 2022 09:03
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Don Dongington posted:We all know that the Ultimate Force in amp teardown and review is Big D over at WillestonAudioLabs Yeah, he's the guy I was talking about vis a vis amp dyno testing. Here's the wee Taramps test: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zAe7JuPoXM He also tested the $10 @ Walmart Blaupunkt. I bought 4 of them. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBEk9VPsix4 They're not $10 any more, but still pretty cheap. A different channel tested the Dual amps that actually hit advertised power: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFBW9BLZ7RM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23CVp1nczoM
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Jun 28, 2022 01:18
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Update on the Motorola wireless Android Auto dongle. Have had zero connection issues, but for one circumstance: high temperatures. When the car is very hot, it just never connects. If I cool it down by putting it in the A/C air stream, I can get it to work.
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Jun 28, 2022 02:39
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Well thanks for reminding me that BIG D exists. Love his content, but I had only ever seen him in the context of old skool stuff. I guess it is still just shocking to me how far the low end of the market has come in the past twenty years. In high school there was a pretty solid stereo scene, and there were two camps: the guys who subscribed to "buy once cry once", some with daddy's money some with their own; and the guys who would plow through 5 amps and 8 woofers every semester because they bought the low end stuff and it would die very quickly and never meet any advertised claims. Perhaps the overlap between people who: 1) buy the cheapest stuff and 2) won't buy the proper install gear in terms of wire gauge (we had a guy who used CAT5 for everything including tripling it up for power cable because that's the box of cable his dad had in the garage) and 3) never properly set gains and levels and just crank it and send it is pretty large. Aside from the WICKED SICK MONSTER ENERGY 110% ERXTREME branding, I'm feeling pretty good about Skar amps. What am I missing here, would this be stupid to run the front channels then have the rears bridged to a 12"? https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01FXSU756/ref=ox_sc_act_title_12?smid=A2JVCW1GQY516A&psc=1 Should I be wary of anything that claims OEN THOUS AND WATTS in the same context that one be wary of anything or anyone claiming FHAVE HUNNERT HERSEPWOWERS? intheflesh fucked around with this message at 16:07 on Jun 28, 2022 |
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Jun 28, 2022 15:59
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