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I installed the Alpine ILX-W650 with adaptors from Crutchfield. Although in the end I replaced the Bose amp with one from . One of the reasons that I used it is because of the shallow depth which leaves more room for adapters behind it in the dash and I don't care about being able to play CDs/DVDs. I probably would have chosen a Sony unit with an actual volume **** but my car has the multi-function steering wheel so I use that for volume control.
I also considered the Alpine and Sony units, ultimately ended up going with the Alpine as I'm an Android user, and the iLX-W650 has Android Auto, and the inexpensive Sony units only have CarPlay.
I really did want the volume ****, but went with the Alpine, as they have a two-finger swipe controls for changing tracks, volume, etc.
The Alpine with the Bose amp and speakers sounds fantastic- even in a cabrio with much more ambient noise. The BT phone is practically useless, because of said ambient noise.
There are some quirks with the Alpine- there is no split screen function. If you're using Carplay but listening to the radio, you need to hit the main menu, then radio, then change the station, hit main menu again, to select Waze, for example.
I find the tuner on the Alpine to be *far* inferior to the OEM unit in every way. The reception is absolutely terrible. Spotty reception for Sirius/XM as well- I guess there's no buffering/cache of the signal, so when you drive past a tree/tall building, the signal cuts out.
Both inexpensive solutions, both look much cleaner than OEM. I went with one of the $100 Chinese MOST/fiber optic adapters, and it works just fine.
Your paint match for the trim piece looks very good. Did you buy that finished or have it painted? If the former, who sells the trim? If the latter, do you have a paint code?
Your paint match for the trim piece looks very good. Did you buy that finished or have it painted? If the former, who sells the trim? If the latter, do you have a paint code?
Your paint match for the trim piece looks very good. Did you buy that finished or have it painted? If the former, who sells the trim? If the latter, do you have a paint code?
This is the one that I bought: It's less expensive than the Metra unit, too.
10-30-2019, 11:33 AM
Audio Upgrade 997.1 C2S
