Question for the audio pros

[adhar]

What do you think of a cheap 2 din gps/dvd head unit from ebay such as this one?

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/7-2-Din-Car-DVD- ... 7C294%3A50

It seems to have alot of features for a cheap unit already located in Melbourne (i'm sure it would be sourced out of China or somewhere).

Also comes with 1 year warranty, but i'm a bit wary of the quality.

Price is my driving factor here as when you add the cost of the av panel set the price is getting up there.

Thoughts and opinions?

Cheers guys,

Andrew

[nytrojen]

What do you think of a cheap 2 din gps/dvd head unit from ebay such as this one?

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/7-2-Din-Car-DVD- ... 7C294%3A50

It seems to have alot of features for a cheap unit already located in Melbourne (i'm sure it would be sourced out of China or somewhere).

Also comes with 1 year warranty, but i'm a bit wary of the quality.

Price is my driving factor here as when you add the cost of the av panel set the price is getting up there.

Thoughts and opinions?

Cheers guys,

Andrew

The features definitely seem very good, and cheap chinese items like this tend to be crammed with heaps of hidden extras. My only concern would be that the audio quality might be sub par, as will build quality. But if you personally inspect it before you buy it, and if you really don't care about audio quality, it may be a decent option.

Personally, I believe that after a while you'll get over the features and may just end up wishing that you spent that little bit more and got a decent branded unit. That's usually the case when I buy cheap stuff. It does the job... but I get buyers remorse cos "if I only spent a little more, i'd be MUCH happier with the performance".

Ultimately, it's your choice. If you really can't justify spending an extra $700 to get an Alpine HU, then you may as well get it. Or spend about $300 more and get a JVC double din (I'd presonally recommend that if you can push your budget a little more). You may save yourself a few heartaches by spending a little bit extra initial capital.

[Talkiet]

I was seriously considering one of these, then I went searching for Youtube reviews of them.

I am no longer considering one.

I don't have the links handy (I literally deleted the bookmarks) but they are easy to find on Youtube... The interfaces look like a train wreck.

Cheers - N

[tmacca]

There's no such thing as a free lunch!

If it is selling on a long list of "features" then it is appealing to a particular market - not one that has audio (or DVD or GPS) quality at the top of it's list.

Brands such as Eclipse and Alpine gained their reputation on performance first (which does include features, but perhaps not every bell and whistle).

I doubt you will find anywhere to listen to this brand - but that should be your guiding rule. Use your ears (and eyes in this case) to make your decision - if they aren't sold in reputable car audio shops there is probably a reason.

[adhar]

Yeah alot of the interfaces look really cheap.

I really should just save up a bit longer and get a decent GPS/DVD head unit like pioneer/eclipse/kenwood/alpine. They may be three times the price but probably worth in the long run.

Nothing worse than buyers remorse! lol

[wassell2381]

If i were going to buy another HU off ebay id get an EONON. I fitted an EO838 to the Prado a couple of years back and it worked well. The sound quality on that was not great so i fitted an amp which filtered out some of the interference. All in all they are what you pay for them!

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/1012-EONON-7-TFT-LCD-CAR-IN-DASH-TV-MONITOR-DVD-PLAYER_W0QQitemZ290320645592QQcmdZViewItemQQptZAU_Car_Parts_Accessories?hash=item4398757dd8&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=65%3A1|66%3A2|39%3A1|240%3A1308|301%3A1|293%3A1|294%3A50

Only prob i ever had was the FM radio signal strength wasn't fantastic and didn't have a very good range. And also make sure you get a unit that comes with an external microphone for the bluetooth as the inbuilt ones don't work well and you have to shout.

Cheers
Dan

[loweart]

Most of the guys have already stated the obvious "concerns" with something THIS cheap, that being sound quality, build quality and useful functionality.

The other thing to be mindful of is the fact that it uses a Microsoft CE operating system. Not that I'm a Microsoft hater, but have you ever used a PDA or the latest smartphones that run Windows Mobile 6 etc and experience some of the issues with applications, file locks and memory issues !

If you need an all in one type unit, you also need to be mindful of how to and where to get the updated GPS maps. Best that you go into a retailer at the very least to try out some of these units first and foremost to gather some idea of true functionality as well as whether they are intuitive to use. Not all GPS units are easy to use, just go into a store and compare the Tom Tom with the Navman S series Platinum and you'll know what I mean.

Basically, buyer beware !

Lok