ninjamyst

Anyone has any recommendation for an aftermarket dvd/navigation audio system for the TSX? I plan on NOT getting the stock navi and adding in an aftermarket in dash dvd/mp3/navigation system, hopefully one that can still use the steering wheel's controls.

xenonhid

Pioneer plans to unveil their lastest Navigation AVIC Z-1 at the 2006 CES show in las vegas in January. I would wait until early Spring of 2006 unless you need one now.

Supposed to have Bluetooth, 30 gb hard drive, and other goodies!

ninjamyst

Thanks. I don't need one right now but within a year or two. Just exploring my options =). I heard many good things about the Pioneer D1 so I will see what the Z-1 has.

925tsx

no offense dude, but i really dont see the point of that.
when its all said and done, you will prolly spend more money than if you just got the car with navi.
why dont you just get the navi, and install a dvd player?

ninjamyst

The stock navi is $2,000. I can get an aftermarket DVD/mp3/navigation player for $1,000 or so. That's $1,000 in savings.

925tsx

eh, id spend the extra grand...thats just my opinion.
your already spending what like 26 grand? if you can afford that, you can afford an extra 2 grand to complete the package.

laee3

i agree besides its worth the 2 grand

Tsx536

I think if audio sound is a higher priority then navi, then aftermarket is a great route to go. It's only about half the cost. With the OEM deck you do not have mp3/dvd playback ability and you only have two controls for the sound. You can only adjust the bass and treble and that's it. I wish the OEM deck had a lot better sound adjustment. Even VW has control for the mid range.

barristar

I wouldn't pay $2K for the navi. Navigation systems, like anything else, get out moded, too quickly. SO people end up driving around in cars with out-dated navigation systems. Think about in 5 years, when technology updates the navigation systems like 10 times. It would be like putting an 8-track system in your car in '75.

Save the $2k and go get a Garmin nuvi. It has SiRF. (Most current car systems don't.) It plays mp3s, which you can run to your aux jack. And most importantly, you can take it out of the car with you when walking around unknown streets, or when you’re riding in another car.

925tsx

^ your crazy.
the navi, is upgradable first of all.
second of all, my ipod plays my mp3's
third, i got gps on my cellphone.

how does a navigation system get outdated, when you can just buy a new dvd-rom and update it?
i dont need my navi to give me weather info, traffic, sports scores, etc, etc, etc, althought it would be nice, but i only use it to find my way, as long as you have the most current map in there, it is goin to do its job.
the car looks so clean with the stock navi unit, why buy the car, rip out the head unit, and install an aftermarket system, that costs half as much, not even close to half as good? by the time you buy the necessary electonic equiptment, and pay for installation, youll prolly be over a grand.

barristar

Dude, what's with the hostility?

As someone who has worked with GPS's for a while, i remember 5 years ago when they did the 20 year roll over of the time clock in the gps satellites. Many people with older systems just had to throw it away. Things like that happen all the time. GPS systems still have problems with leap seconds. See http://www.technologynews.info/001615.html One change the wrong way in that system and your out! Thank goodness American corporations will once again bully the international community and as a result, change time itself....

Are you saying that navis now are the same as when they first came out? Maping graphics change, antennas change (which correlates directly to accuracy, i.e. SiRF) even the freaken satellites that broadcast gps have changed. There are many old gps devices in the trash right now and it has NOTHING to do with dvd based upgrades.

Your cell phone is a great example. Phone companies have used EOTD, TDOA & GPS for tracking purposes. Now EOTD & TDOA are fairly obsolete. GPS will continue to change as companies like OnStar, XM-traffic and others attempt to integrate their services into one device. Much of that is a hardware change, not software.

I'm saying, save the $2K and get something more flexible. You don't have to agree...but name calling is weak...

ninjamyst

I wanted the navigation before. But after seeing how my friend never uses her navigation on her '06 TSX, I realized that it just isn't worth the $2k. I agree that it makes the interior lots more luxurious and the voice feature is way cool. However, I don't see myself using it much to warrant the $2k. I rather get an aftermarket dvd/mp3 player. And since I am getting that, I may as well throw in the aftermarket navigation system for a couple hundreds more. I am also worried about upgrading the nav. Doesn't it cost like $100+ for the people with '05 TSX to upgrade to '06 TSX nav software?

925tsx

dude, by the time the navi in the tsx gets that outdated, i wont have the car anymore.

JTso

iTrader: (2)

Dude, chill and be happy with your own purchasing decision and let other people make theirs. Just because you bought the car with Navi, it doesn't mean it's the best and only game in town.

minkl81

iTrader: (2)

925tsx

dude, are you smoking crack???
chill???? how am i not letting other ppl not make their own decision?, im just arguing my point.
i read his post, he is stating that the navi gets outdated, which i understand, and agree with.

then i replied stating by the time the navi gets that outdated, i wont have the car anymore, so i dont have to worry about it.

i think its dumb to get an aftermarket one cuz if his statement is true, then his shit is gonna get outdated too.
he stated his opinion, i stated mine

i think your the one that needs to either chill, or myob.

S14 n Tsx

I agree with him about the not using navi as much but I personally think having OEM navi is better then after market one because having the OEM navi brings the better value of the car then after market dvd/navi. The only thing I don't like about OEM navi is that I can't play any movie... I'm thinkin about getting another dvd player.

S14 n Tsx

I understand where you are coming from but easy!!~ I'm not sure when thats going to happen though. outdated???? 5 more years??

BEETROOT

Or you could get an aftermarket deck and have this in one unit.


The thread isn't about you. No one cares if you use an ipod, cell phone, or if you plan on selling the car before it gets outdated. He asked about the best aftermarket navi, if you don't have anything to contribute on this topic I suggest you "myob".

fsttyms1

^I agree.^


Not every one has a ipod, and not every one has a cell phone with GPS. Some want a all in 1 unit which is far better than having 3 seperate units/devices

This thread was about asking for a recommendation for an aftermarket dvd/navigation audio system for the TSX, not telling him that what he wants would be to buy a GPS phone, IPOD and the oem setup.

Irfo

Getting back to the original question, I just did a fair amount of research on Navs because I wanted to get my girlfriend one for Christmas, and I concluded that the Garmin 2720 was the best non-installed car-based unit out there right now.

But a lot depends on what you're looking for in the first place. You can get a Garmin iQue that works with/on a Palm, and you'll have a GPS that's easy to carry in a pocket wherever you go, but is hard to work while driving a car. Or you can get a car-based unit like the 2720 that has some portability, but is mainly for cars, and looks like an obvious add-on inside one.

Or you can get a Pioneer AVIC-N2, which mounts into a single DIN slot like a car radio, and looks like a car radio until you press a button and the screen slides straight out, ready to be pivoted so you can see it. That one plays DVDs, too.

So, you need to decide what you really want out of the unit, in terms of capability and style. For my girlfriend I wanted one with Bluetooth as well (so she doesn't feel too outclassed by my new TSX), but about the only place I found that was on Tom Tom units, and I hear their maps are old.

So I finally decided the market is not ripe, and she'll get a Nav on some future holiday...

dipkat

But if you replace the Stock Audio system + Navi with an after market unit, then you will not be able to use th steering wheel controls. Most importantly, you will not be able to use the voice recognition system to control the audio system/ Navi

Tsx536

Another cool thing about aftermarket that wasn't mentioned is that you can now get NavTraffic. Currently the RL is the only car with this available OEM. I'm not trying to add fuel to this OEM vs. aftermarket debate, but it's a big feature that I thought I should mention.

Irfo, I've actually heard very good things about the latest generation of Tom Tom's. You should take another look at them.
Also, if you're interested in seeing an N2 in the storage bin area. Click on my sig.

Tsx536

My steering wheel controls work fine. My N2 is hooked up through the AUX. The Pioneer has it's own voice control module. I can control DVD player functions and some Ipod functions with it too.

Not trying to get in a OEM vs. aftermarket battle. That is not the point of this thread. They both have there pros and cons, but from an audiophile's persepctive, I like the audio control and features of aftermarket much better.
The audio sounds is a higher priority to me, then the Navi. I barely ever need my Navi. I usually always know how to get where I'm going. I use the music functionality a lot more than I use the Navi.

This is just my opinion and this it what works for me personally. Ever car I've had has always had big stereo systems in it. I need to be able to control more than the just the bass and treble. The ability to dynamically control the eq is important to me.

I can't wait until the Z1 comes out. It will have harddrive based navi and mp3 functions.

dipkat

Its interesting that you mention the TomTom. With them, not only do you have to pay a monthly premium of about approx. $10 (for the real-time traffic service, you also have to have a compatible bluetooth phone that has a data plan (additional $10). This is because, the realtime traffic response is based on the TomTom unit connecting to the internet using your bluetooth capable phone and downloading the traffic information. Unless you already have a data rate plan from your service provider its a very expensive option. ($20 a month)

dipkat

On a similiar note, I wonder why the TSX navi cannot be subscribed to the XM-realtime traffic service ? Acura RLs use the XM realtime traffic service which simply another data stream from XM. You can subscribe to a music+traffic package for $17 or traffic only for $10. The stock audio system in the 06 TSX's are already XM enabled. I wonder why they did not include the real-time traffic decoder in the Navi system.

Tsx536

Wow I didn't know there were monthly costs involved. Okay, definitely forget my idea then. Sorry for the terrible suggestion.

dipkat

Here's an excellent article on After market add-on GPS systems.

http://www.cobra.com/navone/Business_Week_Final.pdf

The Cobra NavOne 4500 looks like a very good one.

ninjamyst

I think you have exactly what I need =). I also won't use the nav much; I am more concerned about the DVD and audio capability. Did your N2 play dvd out of the box or do i need to hook up an external dvd player to it? How's the quality? Did you have to rip apart the OEM radio or did you install the N2 into the lower storage bin? Can you provide me with some pictures of the N2 in action? Sorry for the many questions, but very interested. Thanks!

dipkat

Same is the case with the Cobra NavOne and the Garmin 2720. You need to subscribe to the real-time traffic service from ClearChannel which owns a natiowide network of more than 1200 FM broadcast stations. The difference compared to the XM service is that the data stream for the real time traffic service is FM based. The problem with FM based traffic data is that it is very much local to the market/metro where you are based. This has a few downfalls. Firstly, if you are traveling interstate you may not get any traffic data as you will encouter wide stretches of emptiness where you may not have ClearChannel radio broadcast. Secondly, if you are in one market and moving/driving into another you may not get advance information on the traffic conditions in the destination market. As an example, if I am driving from Princeton NJ into NYC, I might be able to get the traffic information in central NJ, but I might not know whether I should take the Lincoln Tunnel, the Holland Tunnel or the Verazzano bridge as the traffic data for these could be in the NYC market.
XM on the other hand does not have these drawbacks (I am ssuming)

bysin

You can always purchase a NavTeq license ( http://www.navteq.com/ ) and write your own navigation system to suite your needs. I'm still working on mine, I'll let you guys know on my progress once I have a reasonable release.

Tsx536

What up Bysin. That would be tight man. I know you got the skillz to do it too

laee3

well then, why would you get a navi in the first placE? it will be outdated ANYWAYS... of course in 5 years it will be outdated... you're going to use it now right??? why worry about 5 years later right now..

JTso

iTrader: (2)

Please continue your discussions over at the Audio & Video forum.

https://acurazine.com/forums/audio-video-electronics-navigation-22/