[scanspeak]

Originally Posted by Eturnulrs704

Nice. Did you top mount with adapter or back mount?

It's a BMW-specific upgrade from Focal so it mounts the same as the original equipment.

https://focalaustralia.com.au/product/1560/

[scanspeak]

Originally Posted by dakine_surf

Not enough for what I am looking for... I don't want to look down or cover the vents, just looks too tacky in my opinion. I could totally make a housing to fit the upper dash vent/center speaker location but then you still have a very ugly silver H/U without a face... maybe you could take the stock H/U face off and cover the joying unit... either way none of it is ideal in keeping a stock or OEM+ looking interior.

I've done a bunch of high-end systems in my BMW's and Mini's and always retained the stock H/U for a clean look... Aftermarket no matter how good it is still looks cheesy IMHO.

I agree in that I don't want to cover the vents and I also strive for an OEM look.

I don't mind looking down at the screen as that was the standard setup in my E46 and frankly I hate the way large eye-level head units are dominating car interiors today. The AV unit should always be secondary to the driving.

A lower, less in-your-face position is fine with me, as long as it integrates well and doesnt push the HVAC controls into a bad position. The mount I'm using tilts the screen up a few degrees which helps. I won't know how well it actually fits until the unit arrives.

[dakine_surf]

Originally Posted by scanspeak

I agree in that I don't want to cover the vents and I also strive for an OEM look.

I don't mind looking down at the screen as that was the standard setup in my E46 and frankly I hate the way large eye-level head units are dominating car interiors today. The AV unit should always be secondary to the driving.

A lower, less in-your-face position is fine with me, as long as it integrates well and doesnt push the HVAC controls into a bad position.

I agree, but those older nav's were feature lacking and didn't require a lot of looking or touching... most everything was controlled with hard buttons and didn't require too much attention.

I guess now that it has a digital out its at least worth a try to see if there is a good option... the single din unit with a faceplate at least doesn't require the HVAC controls to be relocated which is my first issue with these systems and I would go nuts aesthetically if things weren't flush

[Eturnulrs704]

Originally Posted by dakine_surf

Interesting... I wonder what we could get away with in our cars... I guess that looks better than I thought... that is the wide narrow screen... the 9" or 10 would probably block the A/C vents.

Yeah all those AVIN units that piggyback off the aux are trash, the look is cool and the way it mimics ID7 and so on is nice, but the aux-in is a dealbreaker... and most guys on here have no idea what quality audio even sounds like... so all they see if flashy apps. I'm looking for quality audio 1st... so maybe there is some light at the end of the tunnel for this android units... Especially if you are going to replace the amp at the same time and go with something like the match or A/F.

Very true.. most of them are.. it's rare to find one that is capable of good sound without throwing the bank at it in supportive hardware.. I usually start from the speakers back.. speaker, cables, amp, processor, then head unit. That way I can see if it's something I want to keep or replace for better SQ.. since I know the rest of the parts are quality, and will sound good without the stereo..

[Eturnulrs704]

Originally Posted by dakine_surf

Not enough for what I am looking for... I don't want to look down or cover the vents, just looks too tacky in my opinion. I could totally make a housing to fit the upper dash vent/center speaker location but then you still have a very ugly silver H/U without a face... maybe you could take the stock H/U face off and cover the joying unit... either way none of it is ideal in keeping a stock or OEM+ looking interior.

I've done a bunch of high-end systems in my BMW's and Mini's and always retained the stock H/U for a clean look... Aftermarket no matter how good it is still looks cheesy IMHO.

Well to each his own.. I can dig it.. I usually wait til I buy another car then I start ripping into it cause I get bored looking at it, after a while it gets dated, and needs a refresh to stand up to todays tech.. plus it's cool for when my daughter's are in the car to keep them busy and off there phones.. a lil movie for them while on the road works wonders.. and it adds to saftlt with backup cam without having that huge hump in the middle of the dash like OEM.

[Eturnulrs704]

Originally Posted by dakine_surf

I agree, but those older nav's were feature lacking and didn't require a lot of looking or touching... most everything was controlled with hard buttons and didn't require too much attention.

I guess now that it has a digital out its at least worth a try to see if there is a good option... the single din unit with a faceplate at least doesn't require the HVAC controls to be relocated which is my first issue with these systems and I would go nuts aesthetically if things weren't flush

https://www.ebay.com/p/2225920283?ii...AaAllPEALw_wcB

Believe me if there were worthy options with up to date tech, big screens. That didn't have that God aweful chin at the bottom. I would be all over it. OEm is just so dated in these cars. I like the screens for my kids to keep them busy and for safety backing up. Also for diagnostics with boost. One of my 5 series has one that looks pretty good but not perfect. I'm currently also waiting for the one in the above link for my alpine 540 that's coming from CHINNNA.. that looks to be all screen and a perfect OEM-ish fit.. gonna try that n see how it looks.. sound isnt an issue since I have more than enough supportive equipment to make it sound good. Plus it's a street battle loud competition vehicle. (Ground pound). One is all stock just updated head unit with a more SQ vibe, the other is full comp audio. Custom doors 15 inch subs n all..

[Eturnulrs704]

In order to pick a good unit for sound. You have to be sure and get one with a good Dac, and also the support has to be there in the actual CPU. Slot of the older units and some of the newer ones are using outdated hard ware that was basically just to get the units sold.. but then they started upgrading the hardware for better sound as the support available through the updated CPU tech.. also it became cheaper to develope.

[PORTMOODY]

Originally Posted by dakine_surf

Interesting... I wonder what we could get away with in our cars... I guess that looks better than I thought... that is the wide narrow screen... the 9" or 10 would probably block the A/C vents.

Yeah all those AVIN units that piggyback off the aux are trash, the look is cool and the way it mimics ID7 and so on is nice, but the aux-in is a dealbreaker... and most guys on here have no idea what quality audio even sounds like... so all they see if flashy apps. I'm looking for quality audio 1st... so maybe there is some light at the end of the tunnel for this android units... Especially if you are going to replace the amp at the same time and go with something like the match or A/F.

The more square 9" and 10" units from joying will definitely either block the vents above or the climate control below. I did measuring and the 10.25" rectangular unit is almost a perfect fit in terms of height and width. It will just be in between lower climate control and vents without encroaching on either and it will extend on the sides to the edge of the dashboard on the driver side, if perfectly centered. There is a question of how that will work with the bracket spacing on the back but it will be very close. I am attaching the picture for reference as these dimensions are almost perfect for our dash.

The last hurdle from measurements I believe would be the depth that our HU sinks into the dash. IIRC there is 20mm that it sinks in and the brackets on the screen provide for exactly 20mm, so that will be very close. Joying does have a 9mm extension they will include if you ask and another member who installed on his 1 series said there is some adjustment on the brackets to allow for more protrusion. I think about 22mm would be perfect to the point that it sits right outside of the recess and fills the space perfectly. Once one of us tries this we will get clarity. From the measurements, the specs, and cost IMO this looks like a sweet spot

Originally Posted by dakine_surf

Not enough for what I am looking for... I don't want to look down or cover the vents, just looks too tacky in my opinion. I could totally make a housing to fit the upper dash vent/center speaker location but then you still have a very ugly silver H/U without a face... maybe you could take the stock H/U face off and cover the joying unit... either way none of it is ideal in keeping a stock or OEM+ looking interior.

I've done a bunch of high-end systems in my BMW's and Mini's and always retained the stock H/U for a clean look... Aftermarket no matter how good it is still looks cheesy IMHO.

The most clean look I would think would be to get a climate control unit that has the seat heat buttons on it and try to repurpose the rest of the plastic real estate to hide the brain of this unit and you could easily run the cable for this screen up to the dash. Would just need a bracket for mounting it which I am sure someone could fab up. With the way the joying screens are set up there are a lot of possibilities.

Originally Posted by dan4081

I really like how that looks in the 1 series.
I'm still very curious how an Alpine or this sony would look in a E9'.

https://www.sony.com/electronics/in-...ers/xav-ax8000

Unfortunately, I don't see the dimensions on this screen. From the looks of it, it appears to have similar dimensions on the screen as the 9" or 10" joying units which would likely cover the vents or the climate control. Also, you need to factor the recess from the dash and how this unit would affect that. If you are going up with the unit towards the vents then you will hit the dash and need the screen to clear it.

The attractive features on this unit are the buttons and how small they are. I think buttons are really helpful in not getting totally distracted. Also, the tilting function looks like it would come in handy. Lastly, its a reputable brand so the quality control would be a lot less questionable.

[dan4081]

Originally Posted by PORTMOODY

Unfortunately, I don't see the dimensions on this screen. From the looks of it, it appears to have similar dimensions on the screen as the 9" or 10" joying units which would likely cover the vents or the climate control. Also, you need to factor the recess from the dash and how this unit would affect that. If you are going up with the unit towards the vents then you will hit the dash and need the screen to clear it.

The attractive features on this unit are the buttons and how small they are. I think buttons are really helpful in not getting totally distracted. Also, the tilting function looks like it would come in handy. Lastly, its a reputable brand so the quality control would be a lot less questionable.

The dimensions of the Sony unit are 7.79" x 4.39".
Smaller than the Joying both ways.

Alpine has a similar unit...ILX-F259 but I cant find the dimensions of the screen.

[PORTMOODY]

Originally Posted by dan4081

The dimensions of the Sony unit are 7.79" x 4.39".
Smaller than the Joying both ways.

Alpine has a similar unit...ILX-F259 but I cant find the dimensions of the screen.

That Sony unit would fit pretty well then. I believe I measured 120mm would fill the space from right below where the vent starts to the lowest point without covering the climate controls. At 111mm height that leaves ample room for adjustment and getting it to look quite good. The only thing left to check would be how far it is spaced out from the HU because I think 22mm is about ideal. Have to account for the brackets themselves and where they might contact the dash etc. I think the dimensions on the Sony really make for something that could work quite well.

[scanspeak]

The 8.8" Joying unit is a better fit which is why I chose it. I looked at the Alpine and Sony units and their screens seem too tall for a good fit.

[PORTMOODY]

Originally Posted by scanspeak

The 8.8" Joying unit is a better fit which is why I chose it. I looked at the Alpine and Sony units and their screens seem too tall for a good fit.

Are you just trying to fit it in the recessed part of the dash where the old HU was?

[scanspeak]

Yes, by using this

[PORTMOODY]

Originally Posted by scanspeak

Yes, by using this

Are you going to have to cut inside the dash? Where did you get that housing and how will the climate controls fit?

If they lower the climate controls but still allow them to be flush, I think that is really clutch. That means an even larger screen can be used than the one I was looking at. Would mean a screen could extend up to below the vents and down even further than where the climate controls sit in the stock configuration.

[dakine_surf]

Originally Posted by PORTMOODY

Are you going to have to cut inside the dash? Where did you get that housing and how will the climate controls fit?

If they lower the climate controls but still allow them to be flush, I think that is really clutch. That means an even larger screen can be used than the one I was looking at. Would mean a screen could extend up to below the vents and down even further than where the climate controls sit in the stock configuration.

Yes, this would be key... you could probably do the 10.1 at that point... It just depends on how well everything fits. I would have to pick up an LCI climate control panel to move my butt warmer buttons... anyone know if the LCI part is just plug'n play?

I don't mind moving the controls to get more real estate if it is flush and clean, but all the relocation kits I have seen so far have issues... this might be a real contender...

[scanspeak]

Originally Posted by PORTMOODY

Are you going to have to cut inside the dash? Where did you get that housing and how will the climate controls fit?

If they lower the climate controls but still allow them to be flush, I think that is really clutch. That means an even larger screen can be used than the one I was looking at. Would mean a screen could extend up to below the vents and down even further than where the climate controls sit in the stock configuration.

The housing was found on Ebay and no cutting of the dash should be required. The curved fascia will probably require some dremel work to make the front mounted screen fit flush. The climate controls will move about 5mm forward and 25mm down.

A quick photoshop of how it should look. You can see how a screen any taller or wider will not fit unless you built a spacer and brought it forward so that the screen is then flush with the surrounding trim. Long term I plan to replace the Joying with an Alpine or Sony once they release a widescreen model.




Delivery date is next week.

[scanspeak]

The 9" Sony could potentially work with this fascia though not quite as neat. Hmmmm....

[dakine_surf]

Originally Posted by scanspeak

The 9" Sony could potentially work with this fascia though not quite as neat. Hmmmm....

And potentially the larger screen if it could clear the trim. It would stick out but could at least get it a little higher up.

Not gonna look oem but nothing truly will unless it was retrofitted into the hump or the like.

[PORTMOODY]

Originally Posted by scanspeak

The 9" Sony could potentially work with this fascia though not quite as neat. Hmmmm....

Yeah, it might need that 20+mm to clear the surrounding dash or possibly move lower and cover the climate control a bit. Will be interesting to see how it all lines up when you get it.

[Eturnulrs704]

Here are a few measurements I took a few months ago when I thought about switching to an Android unit..

[Eturnulrs704]

So in theory it should fit. Fine. Since from tip of climate control to the wood grain bottom it 110.mm and the bottom of the wood grain to the top of that lil section wear the climate switch/hazard button is 11mm. So that's roughly 121.04mm give or take. So that screen should fit spot on. And with a single din plate would be sure not to have to relocate the climate control and would garanty no spaces or holes will be seen behind the screen. Just my .02. ����*♂️

[scanspeak]

Delivery of the Joying is expected in the next couple of days ...finally!