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Wow. Good find. Just ordered one and will let you know how it works. I have an old mobridge and trying to buy a new one has been painful. This is a fraction of the cost.
Interested as well. Specifically if the music quality is the same as FM or CD.
I sent a note to the seller on Amazon asking for some more specifics and will post any replies. Im cautiously optimistic as I cant find any info about this company online.
I sent a note to the seller on Amazon asking for some more specifics and will post any replies. Im cautiously optimistic as I cant find any info about this company online.
I googled the box in question and there is a couple youtube install videos......so there are apparently people out there who have installed it with success.
I sent a few questions off to the Amazon seller and was impressed to get a quick reply back. Looks like the real deal. At 1/3 the price of Mobidge and Dension its obviously going to create some problems for them.
On Oct 22, 2017, at 6:40 AM, Automobil Pro Audio - Amazon Marketplace wrote:
Hi,
Could you give me the link to the Porsche Rennlist page which mentioned this product? Much appreciated.
1. Yes song names will be displayed on the screen
2. Yes can answer calls with the PCM 2.1 buttons. Models without call buttons will be using + / - buttons, they will act as Answer / End calls
3. Indeed this product just come out not long ago, the user manual is pretty raw and didn't mention much about Porsche installation. But if you are familiar with MOST setup, it's pretty simple.
Here's how:
Method 1)
If you have a CDC you should disconnect the FO cable and close the loop with the FO connector provide;
Then go back to the back of the head unit, unplug the original FO cable and wire in the FO cable provided in our kit, make sure FO connection is correct. Then plug FO cable back into the head unit and the adapter.
Now tap the red / black power cable to a permanent power source. Tap red to the red + yellow cable, tap black to the brwon(ground) cable then it's all set.
Method 2)
If your CDC is close enough let say in the glovebox or in the front boot, then you can just unplug the FO cable and plug into the adapter. Just need to find a way to wire the microphone to a place which is convenience for you. The again tap the power cable.
4. Yes steering remote / head unit buttons can perform basic controls like volume, next / previous tracks and answer / end calls
5. It will auto remember last play positon
6. please see attach image for more information.
OK. So you will be the first to try this out. Hope is all it is advertised to be. Keep us posted on your shipment and installation.
Will do. Hopefully will get it by the end of the week. He said it ships from a US warehouse.
Some additional responses to my questions from the seller:
Is there any issues with Bose PCMs?
1. as long as the head unit PCM2.1 then it’s compatible.
Any difference in sound quality based on the 2 install methods you described?
2. no differences in sound quality
Can it leverage the factory mic?
3. if you already have a factory bluetooth handsfree module installed, you can flip DIP switch 4 of the adapter to “On”. This way your original bluetooth handsfree will retain it’s function, and the adapter will only stream music via Bluetooth.
If you mean there’s a factory built-in microphone (not bluetooth handsfree) I’m afraid you’ll need to forfeit it and use the external mic that come with the kit.
Will it charge from the USB port?
4. it has USB port, it will provide 0.5V charging. It doesn’t communicate with any device though. Only charging and read USB pen.
One more thing, since you’ve got my email, I prefer you to directly order from me. You can pay USD138.00/pc to my PayPal ron@creatfinity.com
Warranty is the same: 30days from purchase unconditional return (buyer pays return shipping), 12months customer send in repair warranty(buyers pay shipping). We will always ship to you for free.
re his last point, I paid something like $145 on Amazon so looks like you can save a few bucks ordering from them direct. As the first buyer im ok paying a few extra bucks for Amazon's return policy...
This is the real deal folks. Mine arrived yesterday USPS. Works as advertised. I feel like my car just entered the modern age and cant believe what a find this is at $148.
The box includes:
- LaPower bluetooth unit which includes 1 mic jack, 1 audio jack, 1 USB, and 1 SD card slot
- Fiber optic cable
- mic
- audio in cable
- 2 cable splice connectors
- 1 fiber optic splice connector
- 2pgs of fairly generic instructions
Install
Installation was pretty straightforward but took some fiddling because I had never done audio work before.
After removing all the trim and sliding the PCM out I first tapped the power cables leading to the accessory port in the passenger footwell with the splice connectors.
Then I tried plugging the new fiber cable directly into the PCM but got a "Amp not present" warning on the PCM. For Bose systems you need to splice the amp fiber cable in the loop. They don't have any instructions on this but I was able to figure out the issue by watching some Dension install videos.
Luckily I had an old Mobridge unit already installed so I figured the easiest route was just to use the same fiber loop it had. The only problem was I had to pull the glove box off to find the Mobridge. They had tucked it under the glove box in the passenger footwell. The Mobridge unit uses a different connector for the fiber cable but you just press a little clip and the connector slides off and you can slide the Lapower style connector right on. Then plug in the cable to the Lapower unit and voila...worked like a charm.
Operation
Super simple and surpassed my expectations. I dare say the sound quality is better than my Mobridge but I dont have enough experience with it yet to confirm.
As soon as I powered up the PCM I went to my bluetooth settings on my iPhone and it found "CarPlay". I added it and I was in business. It immediately started streaming to the stereo, the "Tel" menu became active on PCM and the PCM main screen had a new box showing my phone signal strength and phone name.
I made a test call and all good. You can answer and hangup via the PCM buttons. You can skip forward or back from the PCM buttons.
And the pièce de résistance...it remembers the last song played and immediately starts playing from there when you get back in the car. Thank the lord. My old Mobridge unit was obnoxious. Everytime you restarted the car you needed to press CD, wait for the first song in your library to start playing, and then fumble through the menus to select another song.
The only issues I need to check today is mic quality and if I can view songs and playlists from the audio menu on the PCM. It definitely shows the current song being played on the PCM, but on my Mobridge I could view my playlists and songs in the CD tracks menu. I only saw the current song when testing last night.
Its not a big deal if it doesn't, but I specifically asked the seller about this and they said it had this features.
I will be fiddling with mic location this morning. Right now I have it clipped under the steering wheel.
Im going to add a new thread on this once I have finished install because this looks like the new gold standard for upgrading to bluetooth voice and streaming at 1/3 the price of Dension and Mobridge.
This is the real deal folks. Mine arrived yesterday USPS. Works as advertised. I feel like my car just entered the modern age and cant believe what a find this is at $148.
The box includes:
- LaPower bluetooth unit which includes 1 mic jack, 1 audio jack, 1 USB, and 1 SD card slot
- Fiber optic cable
- mic
- audio in cable
- 2 cable splice connectors
- 1 fiber optic splice connector
- 2pgs of fairly generic instructions
Install
Installation was pretty straightforward but took some fiddling because I had never done audio work before.
After removing all the trim and sliding the PCM out I first tapped the power cables leading to the accessory port in the passenger footwell with the splice connectors.
Then I tried plugging the new fiber cable directly into the PCM but got a "Amp not present" warning on the PCM. For Bose systems you need to splice the amp fiber cable in the loop. They don't have any instructions on this but I was able to figure out the issue by watching some Dension install videos.
Luckily I had an old Mobridge unit already installed so I figured the easiest route was just to use the same fiber loop it had. The only problem was I had to pull the glove box off to find the Mobridge. They had tucked it under the glove box in the passenger footwell. The Mobridge unit uses a different connector for the fiber cable but you just press a little clip and the connector slides off and you can slide the Lapower style connector right on. Then plug in the cable to the Lapower unit and voila...worked like a charm.
Operation
Super simple and surpassed my expectations. I dare say the sound quality is better than my Mobridge but I dont have enough experience with it yet to confirm.
As soon as I powered up the PCM I went to my bluetooth settings on my iPhone and it found "CarPlay". I added it and I was in business. It immediately started streaming to the stereo, the "Tel" menu became active on PCM and the PCM main screen had a new box showing my phone signal strength and phone name.
I made a test call and all good. You can answer and hangup via the PCM buttons. You can skip forward or back from the PCM buttons.
And the pièce de résistance...it remembers the last song played and immediately starts playing from there when you get back in the car. Thank the lord. My old Mobridge unit was obnoxious. Everytime you restarted the car you needed to press CD, wait for the first song in your library to start playing, and then fumble through the menus to select another song.
The only issues I need to check today is mic quality and if I can view songs and playlists from the audio menu on the PCM. It definitely shows the current song being played on the PCM, but on my Mobridge I could view my playlists and songs in the CD tracks menu. I only saw the current song when testing last night.
Its not a big deal if it doesn't, but I specifically asked the seller about this and they said it had this features.
I will be fiddling with mic location this morning. Right now I have it clipped under the steering wheel.
Im going to add a new thread on this once I have finished install because this looks like the new gold standard for upgrading to bluetooth voice and streaming at 1/3 the price of Dension and Mobridge.
Got it all buttoned up and working great. However, I hit a little snag in the process...I killed my battery testing it between last night and this morning. Oops. Charged it and back in business.
I attached some pics below.
The seller has been very responsive answering my questions so im impressed. He also sent me their first install video:
1. I cant see playlists and songs in the PCM audio screen, as the marketing image shows in the OP. On the Tracks menu it only shows the current song being played. In the CD list menu you only see "BT Audio" as CD 1. All other CDs are listed as "no_CD". The last CD is marked "Change mode", but I dont know what that does.
Either way this isn't a major issue because selecting songs through the PCM takes forever anyway. But they need to specify it and change the marketing image that implies this functionality.
2. The CarPlay menu on my phone has an option to sync my address book but im not able to see it in the Tel menu. I can only add contacts manually. Also not a big deal but would like to see if there is some trick to it.
I need to spend some more time testing the call and mic quality.
Thanks for the diy The Bruce. I just ordered mine. I had a Dension in my Boxster but sold it with the car and almost ordered another for my 997 until I saw this in Amazon. My Boxster did not have Base so this install is a bit more involved. The video helps for sure.
10-21-2017, 01:57 AM
