Another type of Chinese double din

CDTi · 26th November 2010, 17:28

Some of you may be aware that I recently sold the double din that I purchased from Sean (Radioguy) because I intended to build a carputer.

A few days after I sold my headunit, I came across this system by Hualingan. This has been mentioned on here before and the general feeling was that it was not worth a punt due to its single din size (at the rear), no USB mod possible (probably) and the fact that its an unknown quantity with almost no back up, unlike the excellent support that Sean gives on his stuff.

The Hualingan unit is actually a BMW unit and I discovered that there is a lot of info out there on BMW forums about it. The general feeling is that its as good as any other Chinese DD at the same price, if not better. So my terminal curiosity got the better of me and I purchased one. Price was £330 plus shipping from the UK.

I have it for a few days now and have tested it extensively on the bench and its now installed in my car. I have to say that I am extremely impressed by its quality and appearance. It is obviously very different to Sean's unit on here. Here are some of the things I've found so far:

- much nicer GUI IMHO and it can be customised
- much better radio screen with the RDS name as part of the screen - not an add on
- iPod improvements - better iPod screen, remembers the last song and iPod switches off
- different coloured button lights (red, blue and purple)
- Tomtom audio clipping is fixed!!
- excellent radio reception
- phonebook, but its very fiddly

There is also a possibility of firmware updates from Hualingan to address little problems. There has been at least one update since the unit came out and I understand there is another in the pipeline.

Complaints so far - nothing big but...

- I had to give the top mounting lugs a shave as it wouldn't fit the dash
- Hualingan haven't made a proprietary front trim for the Rover version of the headunit. They just (literally!) hacked off the mounting lugs. Its not really a problem and can't be seen when fitted.
- iPod cable is very short
- there is an annoying button-press beep that can't be turned off. If I was keeping this system, I would have to disable this.
- cannot change the boot logo (yet!!) but the stock one isn't too bad with the Rover and MG signs
.
There is analogue TV and no TMC on mine.

I have tried iGo, Primo and TT on this and they all work fine.

I have taken some pics this evening to show the system installed. Please note that I have left the protective plastic on the screen as I will probably sell this headunit on again. I have already purchased the basis of my carputer and it was never my intention to keep the Hualingan.

I hope to do a vid tomorrow to show it in action but have a look on youtube for "E46 Hualingan" and you will find lots of stuff.

Of course, the biggest concern with this system is the fact that we have no "Radioguy" supplying them. Sean may look into this, but at the moment most of these come from China and we all know the difficulties that can arise when dealing with a Chinese Seller.

As previously mentioned, I will probably sell this next in a few weeks once I have played with it. But I have to say I am very impressed with this Hualingan.

Edit: I have added an external mic to this unit - see here.

vindaloo · 26th November 2010, 17:49

Is it compatible with steering wheel controls & is it easy to fit? In your opinion is it as good as Sean's unit or better?

If you're are selling in the near future I could well be interested as I am contemplating Sean's unit but could be swayed to this. Perhaps you can PM me with an idea when you may be selling & a price.

Thanks
Jim

STUBIE · 26th November 2010, 17:52

Just a little bit of useless information but I actaully told them that this unit would fit the Rover 75 if they modified the fittings. Must ahve been 6 months ago.

Stubs

CDTi · 26th November 2010, 17:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by vindaloo

Is it compatible with steering wheel controls & is it easy to fit? In your opinion is it as good as Sean's unit or better?

If you're are selling in the near future I could well be interested as I am contemplating Sean's unit but could be swayed to this. Perhaps you can PM me with an idea when you may be selling & a price.

Thanks
Jim

Yes, its fully compatible with the steering wheel controls and was very easy to fit, once I had shaved the lugs.

So far, I would say this unit is as good as Seans but obviously it looks quite different. Some people may prefer the GUI on Seans over this, but its probably down to personal choice.

I will send a PM.

CDTi · 26th November 2010, 18:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by STUBIE

Just a little bit of useless information but I actaully told them that this unit would fit the Rover 75 if they modified the fittings. Must ahve been 6 months ago.

Stubs

Yes, they just removed the side lugs and supplied a different loom.

The guy I bought it off said the BMW unit was £100 dearer.

Mr Edd · 26th November 2010, 18:15

I quite like the GUI on this unit compared to the Chinese one, which looks a bit like windows 3.11 to me.

Edd

CDTi · 26th November 2010, 18:47

Some pics of the adaption I made to the top mounting lugs:

It wasn't difficult. A tin snips made quick work of it.

I'll try and get more pics tomorrow in the daylight of the unit fitted.

sturmovik · 26th November 2010, 19:42

What is the sound quality like (in comparison to say, a Symphony, and Sean's DD) ?
Thanks,
Kevin

matt1301 · 26th November 2010, 19:50

I like the look of that unit, however there is a 3rd unit for the E46 made by a company called 'dynavin' and it seems to be the closest to the oem bmw 16:9.

LINK. However it is considerably more expensive, although does appear to have top notch GUI and finish.

I cant see why this would not work in our cars as it has the ISO plugs on the back.

CDTi · 26th November 2010, 20:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by sturmovik

What is the sound quality like (in comparison to say, a Symphony, and Sean's DD) ?
Thanks,
Kevin

I never had a symphony, but the sound on this is as good as any of the (6

) headunits I have had.

Quote:

Originally Posted by matt1301

I like the look of that unit, however there is a 3rd unit for the E46 made by a company called 'dynavin' and it seems to be the closest to the oem bmw 16:9.

LINK. However it is considerably more expensive, although does appear to have top notch GUI and finish.

I cant see why this would not work in our cars as it has the ISO plugs on the back.

The Dynavin is, again, a Chinese unit but almost twice the price.

If I was spending that kind of cash, I would buy a Pioneer/Kenwood/etc unit.

26th November 2010, 17:28	#1
CDTi This is my second home No longer in the MGR club Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Tipperary Posts: 3,933 Thanks: 35 Thanked 51 Times in 35 Posts	Another type of Chinese double din Some of you may be aware that I recently sold the double din that I purchased from Sean (Radioguy) because I intended to build a carputer. A few days after I sold my headunit, I came across this system by Hualingan. This has been mentioned on here before and the general feeling was that it was not worth a punt due to its single din size (at the rear), no USB mod possible (probably) and the fact that its an unknown quantity with almost no back up, unlike the excellent support that Sean gives on his stuff. The Hualingan unit is actually a BMW unit and I discovered that there is a lot of info out there on BMW forums about it. The general feeling is that its as good as any other Chinese DD at the same price, if not better. So my terminal curiosity got the better of me and I purchased one. Price was £330 plus shipping from the UK. I have it for a few days now and have tested it extensively on the bench and its now installed in my car. I have to say that I am extremely impressed by its quality and appearance. It is obviously very different to Sean's unit on here. Here are some of the things I've found so far: - much nicer GUI IMHO and it can be customised - much better radio screen with the RDS name as part of the screen - not an add on - iPod improvements - better iPod screen, remembers the last song and iPod switches off - different coloured button lights (red, blue and purple) - Tomtom audio clipping is fixed!! - excellent radio reception - phonebook, but its very fiddly There is also a possibility of firmware updates from Hualingan to address little problems. There has been at least one update since the unit came out and I understand there is another in the pipeline. Complaints so far - nothing big but... - I had to give the top mounting lugs a shave as it wouldn't fit the dash - Hualingan haven't made a proprietary front trim for the Rover version of the headunit. They just (literally!) hacked off the mounting lugs. Its not really a problem and can't be seen when fitted. - iPod cable is very short - there is an annoying button-press beep that can't be turned off. If I was keeping this system, I would have to disable this. - cannot change the boot logo (yet!!) but the stock one isn't too bad with the Rover and MG signs . There is analogue TV and no TMC on mine. I have tried iGo, Primo and TT on this and they all work fine. I have taken some pics this evening to show the system installed. Please note that I have left the protective plastic on the screen as I will probably sell this headunit on again. I have already purchased the basis of my carputer and it was never my intention to keep the Hualingan. I hope to do a vid tomorrow to show it in action but have a look on youtube for "E46 Hualingan" and you will find lots of stuff. Of course, the biggest concern with this system is the fact that we have no "Radioguy" supplying them. Sean may look into this, but at the moment most of these come from China and we all know the difficulties that can arise when dealing with a Chinese Seller. As previously mentioned, I will probably sell this next in a few weeks once I have played with it. But I have to say I am very impressed with this Hualingan. *Edit:* I have added an external mic to this unit - see here. __________________ 'Tis better to be silent and be thought a fool, than to speak and remove all doubt. Last edited by CDTi; 18th January 2011 at 18:33..

26th November 2010, 18:15	#6
Mr Edd From the Horses Mouth 2012 Honda Oddessay and 1996 Ford Ranger Truck (Splash) Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Fort Myers, Florida Posts: 1,045 Thanks: 0 Thanked 13 Times in 7 Posts	I quite like the GUI on this unit compared to the Chinese one, which looks a bit like windows 3.11 to me. Edd __________________ I'd be dyslexic if I could spell ti.

26th November 2010, 18:47	#7
CDTi This is my second home No longer in the MGR club Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Tipperary Posts: 3,933 Thanks: 35 Thanked 51 Times in 35 Posts	Some pics of the adaption I made to the top mounting lugs: It wasn't difficult. A tin snips made quick work of it. I'll try and get more pics tomorrow in the daylight of the unit fitted. __________________ 'Tis better to be silent and be thought a fool, than to speak and remove all doubt.

26th November 2010, 17:49	#2
vindaloo Ex Owner MX-5 ND2 RF Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Leigh Posts: 6,574 Thanks: 462 Thanked 799 Times in 524 Posts	Is it compatible with steering wheel controls & is it easy to fit? In your opinion is it as good as Sean's unit or better? If you're are selling in the near future I could well be interested as I am contemplating Sean's unit but could be swayed to this. Perhaps you can PM me with an idea when you may be selling & a price. Thanks Jim

26th November 2010, 17:52	#3
STUBIE This is my second home Back in a Rover Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Peterborough Posts: 4,926 Thanks: 131 Thanked 357 Times in 261 Posts	Just a little bit of useless information but I actaully told them that this unit would fit the Rover 75 if they modified the fittings. Must ahve been 6 months ago. Stubs

26th November 2010, 19:42	#8
sturmovik Avid contributor Rover 75 CDTI saloon Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: SE London Posts: 134 Thanks: 0 Thanked 4 Times in 4 Posts	What is the sound quality like (in comparison to say, a Symphony, and Sean's DD) ? Thanks, Kevin

26th November 2010, 19:50	#9
matt1301 Avid contributor 75 Cdti Auto Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Bishops Stortford, Hertfordshire Posts: 151 Thanks: 1 Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts	I like the look of that unit, however there is a 3rd unit for the E46 made by a company called 'dynavin' and it seems to be the closest to the oem bmw 16:9. LINK. However it is considerably more expensive, although does appear to have top notch GUI and finish. I cant see why this would not work in our cars as it has the ISO plugs on the back.