My install experience with a Dynavin e39 unit and a DSP M5.
First things first... This may seem like a DIY thread but I assure you it is not. It is merely my story and my experience with the product. It does include install, but it is not extremely thorough. Mainly because I did not do the install 100%. I had an experienced installer with me from start to finish. I you insist on using this information and mess up your car, I cannot be held responsible for your actions. If you use any of this guide for your own install you are doing it at your own risk.
Intro:
This thread is for informational purposes only. I noticed facts about these units are scattered everywhere on these and other boards. If you are on the fence about getting a unit this thread is to give you a grasp of what you are getting into as M5 owners.
This unit needs no introduction but you can Google the name and find their site with ease I'm sure.
Why would you go non-oem in your M5??!!
The main reason I installed it, aside from the massive amount of features, my 2000 M5 had horrible stock Nav. The mk2 is awful. Don't get me wrong (& no offense to you 2K models out there)... it gets the job done by all means, but it's just not that great of a system.
Then there's the features... specifically the ones that called my attention were: bluetooth calls and streaming audio, dvd, usb compatibility, backup camera ready, data DVD playback, Digital TV ready, and of course aux inputs and outputs if you decide to expand your viewing to more then one video device ie: headrest tvs or fold down screens.
Install:
My 2k M5 came with DSP and navigation as most NA M5s do. DSP amplifiers, unfortunately, are a pain in the ass. I believe the issue is they communicate with the ibus in order to keep the amp turned on... thus giving you music to your speakers. With aftermarket headunits installed you have to bypass the DSP amp or trick it into working by relocating the OEM board monitor. After seeing a few write ups for X5's and pix... i decided this wasn't the route for me to take. It's one thing to relocate a mid in a huge X5 and something completely different to try and move a board monitor in an M5. What I ended up having to do was remove the DSP amp and rewire the existing speakers to this amp and run RCAs instead of using the oem harness.
The first step for me was to remove the DSP amp and all the other radio/nav components. This process is simple. I took out every possibly unneeded component and bracket. I planned on mounting the new amp on the existing one, but we pulled it out for more elbow room.
Here is a pic of her naked:
Next we, needed to splice the oem small pin connectors and figure out what wire went where and re adapt them for the new amp. I believe the dsp amp is either a 10 channel or a 12... this meant I had to use multiple speakers on a single channel. DouglasBaker from M5board mentioned that most people went with an alpine pdx-5, a 5 channel amp, when removing their dsp amps. I decided to stick with what has proven to work and went with the pdx-5.
We spliced them accordingly using a battery to figure out which was which. 3- FL, 3- FR, 2- RL, 2- RR for all the speakers in the car. We left the rear deck subs disconnected because they are awful and I believe one of them had blown. The fifth channel runs a small 10" pioneer sub in my trunk that is responsible for mostly all of the bass in my car. We decided that would be best since we weren't running crossovers for any of the speakers. I know all the audiophiles will hate me now that I've said that, but it sounds fine right now and until there is a problem it will remain crossover-less.
You can see where we chopped the old DSP harness and started figuring out which wires belong to which speakers:
Once we adapted all of those to the new alpine connectors we were ready to run power to the amp:
The power cable was connected in the above location and run underneath the trunk trim to the other side:
Now it was time to run 3 pairs of RCA cables (front left and right, rear left and right, and sub-woofer with a y adapter{for some reason the dynavin is only a single rca for the sub}) from the trunk to the front where the dynavin will soon be installed. Lets get that 16:9 outta there.
Now to replace the existing OEM NAV bracket with a mid equipped non nav e39 radio bracket (this part was a bitch so i took minimal photos):
Basically you have to pull off the entire front dash to pull the bastard out of there. Here is what it looks like installed with the OEM door pannel broken off (yes it can be removed, but i felt like breaking something at that point):
We had to remove the lower portion of the dash near the steering wheel to run the RCAs... the paneling, on mine at least, sucks to remove! lower door trims as well as driver's side seat padding where the seat belt rests. We ran the 3 sets of RCAs and switch cable for the amp through here. You can see the OEM wiring harness is still in tact:
Now we have RCAs run to the trunk so we can install the amp and plug everything in:
Looks great and mounted on a custom board on the OEM bracket!
Now the Dynavin install itself. Basically the dynavin just snaps into place once you plug in all of the peripherals ie: Ipod, usb extensions, gps antenna, external mic, backup camera, any aux video devices, and of course the power adapter. My installer spliced the new harness with the amp's power switch to complete the circuit. Now we just have to get all of this mess cleaned up:
A closer shot of the new power harness that plugs into the dynavin:
Let's do this:
Finally up and running in iPod mode (works good):
Ran the iPod to the glove box along with two usb extensions:
Ran the external mic near the oem location:
I'll figure out a way to get it in the oem spot soon enough:
Amp up and running 100% (night shot):
Custom Nav Loading screen:
Running iGo Primo through the SD card:
Custom Nav Exit Screen:
Review bursting at the seems with opinions: All in all this is a great concept. All cars in the future will eventually be coming with these from the factory... That and/or I'm just a giant geek. It's a great product but it is unfortunately made in China and thus it isn't the most sturdy/reliable product. It comes with a one year warranty from the manufacturer which is great. Unfortunately my first one was DOA with ZERO RCA output! You can imagine my dismay after installing all day to finally pop it in and have zero audio. Luckily the guy I bought it from was on it. I shipped mine back and he shipped me another one the same day. Having all of the wiring done it was easy to just pop it in after I got it. Worked great and the guy even bumped up my sd card to iGo Primo instead of iGo8. Worked great for a few days then one day i decided to switch discs and it wouldn't take my disc. GREAT!@@@#(#( friggin loading mechanism wasn't working. It eventually fixed itself, but then malfunctioned again.
I let the distributor know again and he got back to me quick and shipped out another one before I even sent mine back (sweet less down time on my radio). Installed the new one and it's been working good. None of the other downfalls of the previous 2. Until yesterday that is... I have been trying to get a working copy of the newest version of igo primo. This has been a constant trial and error process as it can be with most software found on the net. So i have been continually popping in and out the miniSD cards as I play with different settings and try new things. This last time I tried to put in the card it didn't fit properly. On closer inspection I noticed that I had apparently displaced a guide or something that holds the drives in place. Now either I'm a huge ogre that breaks things or these units are semi brittle... at 5'10" 190lbs i'm far from an ogre. haha. A bit more quality and this would be a phenomenal product.
Function-wise however, this unit can't be beat. It does everything you can ever imagine. It even has internet capabilities. Of course this is only by purchasing the internet package from dynavin directly or downloading a hack from one of Dynavin's developers trying to pad his own wallet for about $40 + the cost of a WiFi adapter. Radio, mp3 cds/dvds, integrated iPod hookup, nav (virtually any kind you want to load on an microSD card), bluetooth phone calls and streaming music, as well as retaining an oem look and feel... Last I checked a comparable units from alpine, jvc, or even pioneer all start at around $999 bare bones. I paid $699+ CA taxes. Great deal... the issue of longevity comes into play. Reputable companies vs less reputable Chinese units. It's up to you in the end. I love my unit even with the short comings it has. I've heard some issues are in the works to be fixed with an update, but time will tell. I'm good as long as the hardware holds up.
A couple downfalls of the units software include the inability to change tracks while in Nav mode. Some say it works on their units, some say it doesn't. Some blame the recent update released by dynavin. I can honestly say I am running the newest update and it doesn't allow you to change tracks while in nav mode. You have to switch to the player side of the dynavin change the track and toggle back to nav. Kind of a pain in the ass. The iPod... decent looking interface shows the track title, album, composer and a progress bar on the run time of the track. The screen has a purple tint to it though, where as the rest of the menus are black. But, why can't every input retain the track title view?!! The music CDs are in a windows 95 file browser format, USB... windows95 format, SD windows95, data CD/DVD... you guessed it windows95. Sure these are little gripes that I ignore because the unit is great in all other aspects.
Comparison to Hualingan:
No matter how bad this units interface may look it is still head and shoulders above the hualingan unit. It's menus are atrocious along with it's overall contoured design. Don't get me wrong, the hualingan looks great installed on an x5. Fits the curved dash perfectly... but on an e39 there is obvious gaps that for some reason people are ignoring... the illumination on the buttons are RED... they're not even close to the amber that the dynavin mirrors near exactly! I have heard that the hualingan has a very loud fan... although I have heard the same of the dynavin I still have yet to hear the fan... AT ALL.
Okay this rant has gone on long enough. I hope you appreciate the write up and take it for what it's worth. So far, I am the only one that I know of that has successfully installed their dynavin on an M5, let alone, installed one after removing the dsp amp on any car. Would love to compare notes if there's anyone out there!!! Thanks for reading.
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMqFprQYRsQ[/ame]
Also needed to point out that in the video i said that's how you control the ipod with the osd keys... you can control them with the remote or the steering wheel controls. Just an FYI
Last edited by jamesdc4; 12-14-2010 at 02:58 PM. Reason: Repositioned photos
Please re-size photos, i've yet to upgrade my tiny 21.5'" monitor.
lol sorry working on it.
Without a proper image resize your thread is unreadable. Sorry.
Resident Third World Country Advisor
do the steering wheel controls still work? what about making calls with an iPhone 4?
Nice work.
I repositioned some of your photos, but I agree that you need to resize the larger pics to make the thread viable.
Since you're using Photobucket, just...
- hover your cursor over the pic (on Photobucket) and click on "edit" in the blue field.
- Click on the "resize" button at the top under the tabs.
- Choose one of the preset sizes or use the sliders to choose a reasonable size.
- Click on the "apply" button.
- Click on the "replace original" button on the bottom, right.
Your photos will automatically resized in the thread. You won't have to do any cutting or pasting.
Thanks for the thread! Im sure lots of members will find this helpful
Personally I drive around with "Monitor Off" all the time so I dont see the value in upgrading but hey, if its worth it to you, all the power to you.
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Thank, that's actually what i was doing. Some of the changes took and some of them seem to still not have taken. I don't get it??!!! Stupid photobucket/user error. It's a little bit better. I will try and resize them again in a minute.
My dad does the same thing in his 7series... doesn't even listen to the radio hardly ever. But then again he lives in Nowhere, AZ hahaPersonally I drive around with "Monitor Off" all the time so I dont see the value in upgrading but hey, if its worth it to you, all the power to you.
Hopefully I assisted a few members with some good info.
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HAHA what are the odds? Probably pretty good because there's no radio stations out there and at night it's pitch black so the screen is more of a nuisance then anything else.
I just figured out you can turn off the screen by holding down the mute button! Pretty neat! I was kinda sad when the hualingan had the option from the main screen and the dynavin didn't seem to offer the function.
how is it now? I think I got all of them fixed.
Last edited by ThoMa5; 12-14-2010 at 09:59 PM. Reason: Automerged Doublepost
Much much better, thank you.
And great review by the way. It is actually a REVIEW in all the sense of the word and not a DIY or a rant. I'm actually very grateful as I will buy it sometime next year. Sadly the UI shortcomings are Microsoft's fault, Windows CE was intended for ATMs and the like, not for a full-featured car receiver with a touch screen and when they (Dynavin) tried to push it, it showed its ugly Windows 95 face.
Something Linux-based would have looked better, but with far more limited software portfolio.
Last edited by crdiscoverer; 12-14-2010 at 10:50 PM.
Resident Third World Country Advisor
Well actually the Dynavin is built with two separate boards your nav is on the Windows board and everything else is on the main booting board.
Post #177 describes it in detail.
http://www.forums.bimmerforums.com/f...1525768&page=8
Thanks Thoma5 for sharing your experience!
I like your installer's work, very clean job.
I've heard many horrid stories of installing aftermarket stereo units on E39s with the "fancy" business stereo DSP system. Did some research and heard that in order to bypass the DSP into tricking the head unit that it's present (amp sends trigger signal to head unit), you must purchase a Hualingan unit called Metra? I had the same Alpine PDX-5 amp powering 2 sets of component speakers on my previous car and they do a great job. I have everything set up and ready to go, got a ridiculous quote from pro. installer saying that it'll be a difficult job to build an enclosure for the subs and to wire up the speakers, I say BS. Will probably attempt to DIY this as I did with my previous system.
Do you know if we can bypass the DSP by removing it and then replace it with RCAs and trigger wire directly feeding from aftermarket amp to head unit? Will this keep the OEM head unit powering on without the DSP unit?
Last edited by htran; 12-15-2010 at 04:29 AM.
Nice work Tom, glad you got everything working well.
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@htran I think its actually the headunit that sends messages to the ibus that keeps the amp on thus giving power to your speakers. That was the big issue of dsp.. installing it with a provided harness didn't mimic the ibus conversation thus the dsp amp was shutting off and no audio was happening. It is possible to run your current system with an aftermarket amp. There is a tutorial/DIY on m5board somewhere. If u Google dsp bypass or removal I'm sure it will come up. X5 guys live for that kind of crap too so xoutpost may be a better place to look.
And everyone Jeff is the guy I purchased my unit from. Amazing customer service! I didn't include his name because I initially wrote this for another board which he is not a site sponser.
You can take the exact same steps I did htran. Just run RCA cables from the back of the unit to the trunk and rip out the oem junk... i didn't hook up the steering wheel controls and i may have needed one of the components i removed to get it to work... so just do your research first.
For what I understand so far relating to your work. You updated your old OEM navi unit to a Dynavin DVN-E39 unit. So with the new Dynavin unit, it doesn't require the DSP amp to power up, so the OEM amp becomes obsolete in a way.
As for me I wanted to retain my OEM head unit, so I will have to bypass my DSP amp with the Hualingen adapter in order to use an aftermarket amp.
Thanks for pointing me to the right direction, much appreciated.
You are thinking about this backwards, you dont need to do anything special if you are removing the DSP amp, its just standard aftermarket install stuff. All the talk of special plugs and relocating components is to KEEP the DSP amp and trick it into thinking you still have a factory head unit when you install an aftermarket head unit. If you install an aftermarket amp the DSP amp is no longer an issue.
There is no Hualingan adapter.....I think what you are referring to (in your earlier post) is just a regular stereo adapter plug made by Metra (they are an stereo install wire and dash kit manufacturer) It is what the guy used in his DSP workaround writeup when he installed the Hualingan, any stereo shop would have these on the shelf.
Last edited by jeffb325; 12-16-2010 at 09:35 AM.
DYNAVIN INFO THREAD: http://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?2127671
DYNAVIN FAQ: http://www.jandtdistributing.com/pages/faq-links
BAVSOUND SPEAKERS: http://www.jandtdistributing.com/collections/bavsound
HOW TO BUY: http://www.jandtdistributing.com
FORUM MEMBERS ENTER DISCOUNT CODE "BIMMER" AT CHECKOUT
There are a few write UPS out there for DIY audio. I'm not sure where in ca u r located but if u r in so cal I can assist u or put u in touch with the guy that did my install.
Much appreciated! You live about 85 miles from me, which is not too far. I thank you for your assistance but I will be alright. I have quite a few buddies who can help me out, besides I like to DIY. Hopefully we can meet up sometime. Are you going to Bimmerfest or Mfest next year?
Best regards,
htran
Last edited by htran; 12-19-2010 at 01:34 AM.
Both hopefully its all planned out with my friends but time will tell. My location isn't up to date by the way. I'm in el monte now.
I have the mk2 and 4:5 screen on my M5...how exactly would you change all the settings that i have now with the Dynavin unit? For example say I want to change from a 12hr day format to a 24hr.
btw that AMP you got here is pretty price..runs anywhere from 300-400$? All said and done this setup runs between 1100-1200$+? assuming you dont need to buy anything else additional and do the install yourself.
Last edited by dookateh; 12-19-2010 at 04:54 AM.
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