That was one of two I was looking at. It's funny how two people can have such dissimilar results with the same product.

 

My stock head unit had died so figured might as well upgrade. I am using it only for radio, Bluetooth and CarPlay but so far so good. I had to tweak some settings to get the subwoofer to work and fix a screen flicker issue.

 

so I ama bit of an audiophile, and had replaced an older pioneer with the be7acp boss.

1. it doesn’t have a hpf (high pass filter)
2. it laggy as f. Takes a couple seconds for the volume to actually move when adjusting
3. Illumination control flickers when headlights are turned on
4. No cross over settings

the ONLY reason Crutchfield sells it, is because they needed a low price point product, the pandemic created chip shortages, and the Boss warranty is longer than anyone else’s so Crutchfield doesn’t lose out if people return them for quality issues.

 

I'm bummed to hear that. Basically to get a touchscreen from Crutchfield, who I usually love, you have to get either a Boss or Jensen unless you're willing to spend $800 to get an Alpine. The Boss stereos get pretty good reviews so I'm disappointed to hear that.

 

In my obnoxious as always opinion, I am sick and tired of screens. I have them in all the other cars and I love that I don’t have one in the Disco. I did the stupid simple Pioneer DEH X8800BHS unit for the 3rd time in the latest Disco. I had to wait a bit as Crutchfield was perpetually out of them due to the “supply chain” nonsense, but worth the wait. When I drive the Disco, I am listening to music. If I need to navigate I just put the phone in a Ram mount and it works perfectly coming through the head unit for audible stuff. The Bluetooth connectivity is ridiculous as it is maybe 10 seconds or less from when I turn the head unit on and it starts playing form my phone. Phone functionality is perfect as well. I actually bought the first one a few years ago based on reviews of how good the Bluetooth connectivity is, and now on my 3rd one, it continues to impress. I can even change the colors of the display to match the colors and shade of the OEM dash lights. But the best part? I’m into it for under $200.

One downside is I lost steering wheel controls, but that is only because the HSE I put it in this time came with the Nav unit, which has a totally separate module for the steering wheel controls, and there was no option. However, I had the HK system in my last D2 (‘00) was able to get the steering wheel controls working through an additional module.

Honestly, I don’t think there is a “cheap” option to get a screen based head unit that is worth a darn for much under $1k. Would I like a bit more volume? Yeah I guess, but then I’m off to the races for better amps and component speakers and blah blah blah. I get all the tunes from my phone easy peasy with good enough sound (now that I put in new subwoofers) for my purposes. If I want to make my ears bleed, I’ll take the S4 and the B&O system in it.

 

I didn’t realize an HSE outfitted with the nav unit used totally separate module for the steering wheel controls -
I did source my head unit, and a steering wheel control adaptor from crutchfield without any inventory issues (great support as well) and the steering wheel adaptor module actually fried, melted and popped fuse in 5 miles of use…

If Bluetooth is the only feature gained with a single din radio - the grom unit was the way to go. A no brainer. Everything is kept factory, phone connects instantaneously, steering wheel controls work, and lights already match. I think after driving a disco for a decade, I suppose I wanted to see a facelift. (Even if it goes back to stock)

My double din radio mod really didn’t cost anything more then the radio & the double din cage. Radio was 250$ double din cage & trim was 15$. Cans of paint & automotive bondo I had already, yet probably another 40$

 

I put in the Boss BE7ACP because I wanted carplay and was tired of having a separate screen for my backup camera. If there was a way to add carplay and backup camera and keep my original Alpine I would have stayed stock. For the price, the Boss has a lot of features (and a physical volume ****) but it really needs a software update to improve the user experience.

For instance...
1. Why can't I do more customization to the UI such as uploading my own background wallpaper or changing the startup screen?
2. Why does the volume temporarily increase when I turn off the vehicle?
3. Radio station PRESETS, why are they so easy to unset?
4. WHY WHY WHY does the radio station sometimes randomly change to the bible-thumper station?

The hardware is also obviously bottom-dollar and it turns on very slowly when the temperature is below 20F. The most persistent issue I have is that I will sometimes get speaker pop when changing radio stations. Does anyone know if that would be due to wiring through the Alpine amp or possibly coming in through the antenna Y cable that I used to connect both vehicle antennas to the single antenna input on the Boss head unit? I can easily try disconnecting one of the antennas but bypassing the Alpine amp seems like can of worms.

 

I’m running the rca pre outs to 2 aftermarket amps. I do not have this issue with popping.

 

I installed the Jensen CAR110W and its great. I have the HK system and with the Metra 70-1786 adapter and the PAC SWI-CP2 kit for using steering wheel controls - it took me about 2 hours from start to finish. Sounds a ton better, no feedback or pops, steering wheel controls all work and it has wireless carplay - so it connects within seconds of turning the key.

best non-drive train $500 I have spent on the Disco.

Even forced me to work on upgrading the rear subs because it works and sounds so much better - I suddenly enjoy listening to music in it...

Jensen CAR110W

 

You just did that head unit to hide your warped dash. (says the guy who has a warped dash too (soon to be resolved!!!!!)



Yep, it was news to me too and it explained why Crutchfield wouldn’t sell me any of the adapters. This is the OEM part that was attached to the bracket the OEM head unit rests on. I had to look up the PN to confirm it is for the steering wheel controls. Might be fun at some point to see if I can reintegrate it, but I’m not holding my breath.