[Dino_Donis]

Great Post...I'm thinking of installing one of these in my TTS, it currently has RNS-E with Bose, do you know if it will be a straight forward installation or does the Bose complicate things? Does it come with all the required cables/adapters etc? Will my roof GPS antenna plug stright into this unit?
I'm quite compitent with eletronics etc.

Cheers

 

[Dino_Donis]

Removing a rns-e to fit a xtron ???
To gain what ??

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

RNS-E is very outdated now. I don't use the sat nav as only 4-digit postcode entry, the maps are expensive and its just very clunky entering stuff plus I have the older model which only supports 2GB SD cards which is very frustrating. Also not able to stream bluetooth music from phone. I use my phone for sat nav and i have a choice of what app to use - i usually use Google maps/Here...
I've had my TTS for over 5 years now and feel it just needs modernising inside - and no I can't afford a MK3!

 

[Dino_Donis]

Do you know the maximum MicroSD card size that can be used? can they be filled up?
Is it possible to put a large flash device say 128GB on the end of the USB cable and play all the audio files?

Is the unit supplied with the correct adapter cable to between the loom and new unit?

Did you get the OBDII adapter?

Cheers

 

[Dino_Donis]

Thanks for the update...i think I might buy one

 

[Dino_Donis]

I've just recieved my unit today so will be installing it later..I have RNS-E+Bose+Sub Will be interesting to see how it sounds. I had a quick look in the box and the unit looks quite good and really mirrors the RNS-E original unit but the screen is slightly larger as doesn't need the rotating bezel etc. A couple of guys here where I work have just bought them for other cars and have been impressed...

 

[Dino_Donis]

So I just did a temporary install of the Xtron unit in my TTS which has RNS-E + Bose Plus I fitted a removable sub some years ago I have a control for it upfront so I can fine tune the gain, cut off frequency & phase. I've had the TTS for over 5 years so I'm well used to the sound. I was disappointed after I bought the car as I thought that the Bose system lacked really low bass hence why I fitted the sub...
I've only had a quick play so will just summarise my initial thoughts:-
Pros
> The unit looks good both when its on and Off and looks very similar to the RNS-E unit
> The installation was very simple just a case of removing the old unit and connecting up the loom.
> It is very customisable as it runs android. Lots of settings to tweak.
> Lots of connections options, Wifi, Bluetooth (Phone & music streaming),DVD, Aux in, Camera Inputs etc.
> Cheap (£300) compared to RNS-E (£1,800 option).
> Use whatever Sat nav app you like.

Cons
> The sound quality is not as good as the original unit, Its not as rich, less dynamic range especially at the low end. I can tweak it to some extent with the built in equaliser plus my sub controls but I think without a sub the sound would be fairly tinny, fine if you are not into punchy bass but I am
> The Micro SD cards are only SDHC compatible - max of 32GB and won't play SDXC cards. I believe the same is true for the USB but have't tested yet.
> The unit take about 1 minute to boot however there are setting to prevent it from shutting down fully so it comes on straight away if you make a quick stop (programmable up to 2 hours).
> Although supplied with a gps antenna, it would have been good to have been supplied with an adapter to plug the roof one in for better reception.

I plan to fit the unit properly at the weekend so will update after that...I guess my initial thoughts are good however there is a sacrifice on sound quality to have an massive improvement in functionality and features....

 

[Dino_Donis]

I can't seem to turn the unit on when the ignition is off, I had a look for a setting but can't find it even in the factory settings section. is there a wiring change that I need to do?

 

[Dino_Donis]

I'm also having an issue whee if I start the unit up with the engine off and say start music playing with a 3rd party app when I start the engine the unit goes blank for a short while and comes back on but the playback doesn't resume..I have to start it manually....I hope I don't need to resort to putting a big capacitor on the power input!

 

[Dino_Donis]

I wonder why the Chinese Android units are slow to boot in the Audi's, My friend has one in his mk5 R32 and it is up and running almost instantly when the car is started?

There's a setting to keep the unit in standby mode so that if you stop for a while the unit will come on straight away on my Xtron this can be set for a maximum of 2 hours before the unit shuts down and has to boot up fully after that...

 

[Dino_Donis]

So today I've been thinking of how I could improve the sound coming out of the Xtrons unit, I initially thought about changing the internal DACs but that obviously has risk and warranty issues. Then I had a brainwave about using an external USB sound card/DAC but wasn't sure if the drivers would be supported by Android. A quick Google and it looks like Lollipop does have native support for these device I read a few articles. So it might be possible to add one of these devices to the USB and so bypasses the poor internal circuitry.. The one drawback is that I think the support for fading will probably be lost? but that's no big deal. It should be possible to connect the RCAs in the wiring loom to DAC/Soundcard instead of the unit (via loom/connector)...I think I'll buy a cheap one to test it...

Here a link to an interesting article:-

http://www.phonearena.com/news/Andr.../news/Android-5.0-Lollipop-supports-USB-DAC-audio-devices-we-go-ears-on_id66399

The DAC in the article is a bit pricey (£139) to experiment with (see below) but there's plenty of cheap ones on Amazon..

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8...mdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9046111&hvtargid=kwd-46241616209&ref=pd_sl_8isx3xo1ga_b

 

[Dino_Donis]

Looking at the ISO connector that came with mine it will be easy enough to bypass the internal amp with a decent external amp to sort the sound out possibly...... if the sound quality is that shit I will be trying that approach lol

Looking at how my loom is wired is uses the RCA outputs from the Xtron unit - it comes out of the HU then into a transition board which is encased in heat shrink then then goes to a load of RCA connections which then have mating connectors which interface to the Audi wiring look (to amps). The sound is still disappointing - I have Bose!

I did improve things a little bu going in the factory settings and adjusting the levels under VOICE menu. I turned the system up to max (20) then allows the unit to reboot...

I also tried connecting a USB soundcard which is supposed to be natively supported by Lollipop (works fine on my phone via OTG adapter) but no output from Xtron??? I can only assume they stripped out a load of functionality for this car version??? Shame as this would have been a great sound improvement option....

 

[Dino_Donis]

Some photos of Xtrons unit and comparing to RNS-E in my TTS

 

[Dino_Donis]

So I had a look at the thing in heat shrink that is between the outputs labelled RCAs on the Xtron and the RCA connectors on leads... it's actually an active circuit almost certainly amplifiers... I'm not sure why they are needed if the unit actually outputs RCA level signals... maybe this is the source of the poor quality?
I also installed some USB sockets in the glove box next to the ipod doc, I had to cut a bit of plactic away as well as make the hole of course...

 

[Dino_Donis]

Excellent investigative work Dino and everyone else who'd chipped in on the Xtron units.

I've very keen to get one of order but at the same time I'm going to be very picky on the SQ of the unit. So I understand fully, the root of the course is the poor quality internal amp? I'm planning on running an external amp(s) for a lovely set of aftermarket components I've got and sub in the boot

Its not as simple as that unfortunately..The root causes seems to be the Digital to Analogue conversion/pre-amps. So putting external amps on will not cure the problem. This is exactly how I'm currently using the unit i.e. pre-outs (RCAs) then using the car's Amplifiers (Bose). The ideas I have tried are as follows:-
1]
Do the conversion and pre-amp externally using a USB souncard - Tried this and although it worked with my phone did not work with Xtron unit even though it is running lollipop which supports the USB sound devices.

2]
Sending the sound to external bluetooth receiver - Doesn't appear to be supported either!
Another option might be to see if the amplified output i.e. speaker outputs are any better - would need a speaker-to-RCA adapter though....

 

[Dino_Donis]

Hi all and thank you Dash for allowing me to kick off this thread.

Manufacturer: XTRONS
Model: PF75ATTAR
Purchased: August 2016
Retail Price: $495.23AUD (Purchased from eBay store. Was significantly cheaper than the manufacturer website)



Steering wheel integration: Very good. Everything works. The volume scroller works great and pushing in mutes the audio. The voice control button will answer/hang up a phone call. The directional scroller works to change song or radio station. The directional scroller will not work with Spotify.

DIS integration: OK at best. Radio stations are displayed as a mHz figure on the DIS, not RDS name. Volume will show up when you change it, but often will show up and not disappear. If you use the onboard CD deck, it will read out the elapsed time as a 00:00:00 figure. I only use Spotify on my headunit so the top part of the DIS is blank.

Interface: Pretty good for driving. Looks very smart and is easy to use on the move. There is a file manager to reach all the back end stuff but there are 'apps' for CD, Radio, and external. There is a feature called "Element" which allows you to choose any colour for the faceplate illumination. The red matches the original lighting. No need to ground a parking brake check wire either, playing of video while driving can be activated by software. Additionally, there is a "Factory Settings" mode which allows you to get into the back-end of the software. This allows you to do things like alter the functionality of buttons on the face panel and change the Android splash screen to a provided car logo (Audi is included), or you can make your own and apply it. I've made an RNS-E copy which is attached below.

View attachment 1

I apologise if TTForum has reduced the size or quality, contact me if you require it in full size.

Satnav: I elected to use iGo Navigation. Seems as though TomTom has lost their way over the years... I paid $27AUD for Australian maps, an additional fee (I don't remember) for Text to Speech which includes various voices in various languages, some do announce street names. I then paid an additional $5 for alerts which includes speed camera databases. It's very handy. I recommend changing the speed warnings to visual only and then activation of such warnings to 110% of limit. The Audi TT speedometer is very accurate and I was having my music interrupted every few seconds to tell me about my unsafe 1km/h over the speed limit habits. The map purchase includes a visual representation of the speed limit for any road also. The Navi button on the screen can be assigned to the app of the owners choice, it is originally assigned to Google Maps. Pressing the button again will return you to the previous screen... For example, I'm in Spotify and press Navi. It will open iGo. If I want to change a song I can simply hit Navi again and Spotify will fill the screen. Navigation will resume when Navi is reselected.

Media Support: There are two included USB cables which can be installed easily as required by the driver. It snaps into the loom. DAB+ is a separate purchase. A single deck CD/DVD player is installed but all audio formats should be playable. A2DP Bluetooth audio is provided but total rubbish so don't bother. The unit supports smartphone screen mirroring for Android or iOS. It's OK, but I found it unreliable. Will disconnect with no warning after a while.

Connectivity: Bluetooth is great on this unit, allows me to easily pair a mobile phone or multiple phones. Your phonebook will display on the headunit and it will communicate with a bluetooth OBD tool simultaneously. The headunit has WIFI which is perfect as I have it download my Spotify Premium playlists when I arrive home for offline playing on the go. A 3G dongle can be purchased from manufacturer. Don't waste your money on an external microphone, I asked politely and XTRONS threw this in for free as a gift (I wanted them to throw in the ELM327 Bluetooth OBD tool instead :lol: ). The built in microphone works just fine.

Ease of Installation: To somebody more experienced this will be easier. This car uses four anti theft 'slots' to secure the headunit. You need special tools or a rigid thin plastic in each slot to free the headunit. There is a video on youtube of Dension showing how to remove the Audi Symphony. I had a local car audio shop pop it for me, they charged me $20AUD, my local VW dealership offered to do the job for a staggering $250AUD. The loom is very bulky, make sure you tuck it all nicely away before putting the headunit in, the top clips will 90% of the time go in easily, the lower is challenging. Take a better look at the bracket in the car, there's a rail designed for it to slide in on. If it's not in this rail the lower half will not fit. Overall fitment is very good, small gap on right side of unit (closest to driver on RHD) but have had multiple passengers think it was OEM. I used double sided tape and attached the GPS antenna to a metal bar behind the dashboard. Seems to work just fine.

BEFORE YOU INSTALL: Decide whether or not you want a back-up camera, if not you need to cut the back-up camera wire and tape it with electrical tape.Otherwise when you select reverse, the music will mute and the screen will go black with an exclamation mark in the centre.

So how does it stack up?

Fitment: 9/10
Audio Quality (Standard Audio Equipment): 7/10
Functionality and Flexibility: 8/10
Speed and Performance: 6/10 due to the user being required to clear cache regularly.
Overall integration: 8/10

Total Ranking: 7.5/10
Final Comments: For me, Satnav is mandatory in a car. I'm no fan of standalone GPS, and having a mobile phone free standing in a cockpit is dangerous. The XTRONS integrates well into the dashboard and is very easy to live with for daily driving. I'm pleased with the unit despite the little nigglies such as the poor cache management. Price was fair, it does what it promises to and customer service is excellent. Though, if the car had RNS-E I would likely not have made the change to XTRONS.

I hope I've been able to make the decision making process easier for potential buyers!

Which wire needs cutting/isolating to disable the camera? A colour or pin connection would ne useful to know...Thanks

 

[Dino_Donis]

Which wire needs cutting/isolating to disable the camera? A colour or pin connection would ne useful to know...Thanks

There are multiple wires going into the ISO box, heaps! Some wires are broken out with wax to protect the ends. Look at the one that is labelled for reverse and cut the wire leading into the ISO. Don't cut the wax tipped one!

I don't remember the colour, but on mine is labelled BACK-CAR. From my research, different units had different labels... so if it's different, find the label that you think is the reverse, cut it, and then try the reverse gear before you reinstall. If its still wrong then resolder and try again elsewhere.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks..I was hoping for something a bit more...precise i.e. the pin number on the iso connector or something....I don't really want to go hacking all the wires...

 

[Dino_Donis]

I ordered my PF75ATTA on a Sunday and it arrived Tuesday morning so I would say it was shipped from the UK.
Overall I'm not too impressed with it. The sound quality is my biggest gripe but there are also other things like:-
> The glossy screen is hard to ready at times as I get a glare/reflection from back window!
> I cannot turn the unit on if the ignition is off.
> Hardware buttons/steering wheel controls don't work with 3rd party music apps.
> 3rd party music apps don't resume automatically after powering the unit back on.
> Default music app doesn't support playlists!!!
> Boot time is over 30 seconds.
> No adapter is supplied to interfaces to car's GPS antenna (an separate antenna is supplied).
> The unit can be laggy at times.
> Seems to have a very cutdown Android 5.1 - Doesn't support USB soundcards or casting sound to Bluetooth devices.
> Only supports SDHC micro SD cards (32GB max).
> A hardware button to toggle between running apps would be useful - This may be programmable but haven't sussed it yet!
> Screen is low resolution in today's world. especially compated to my S7 Edge.

I haven't tried out many other features like phone interface etc yet.

 

[Dino_Donis]

Well I'm thinking of returning or selling my Xtron unit...I don't think I can be bothered with flashing new ROMs etc. My principal reason for buying was to have all my music on it as although I have RNS-E I only have the older model which only supports 2GB SD cards...

 

[Dino_Donis]

Found some more advice on settings to improve SQ on standard system by coding the amp settings

See
viewtopic.php?f=19&t=1295977

From Rettro Fit

Also go into 47 sound system
Change your coding to
"Diesel roadster with cloth seats " makes a huge difference

Code 010201070002 as per picture later in post discussion.

I'll try this too

I'm pretty sure i did that when I first got my car some 5 years ago, I'm not sure I noticed that much difference??? Although I did after i installed a sub I'll check at the weekend...