The issue isn’t the car, I’ll be blunt… Android audio outputs are garbage for the most part… amplifying garbage doesn’t make it any better sadly

 

I'm aware that an audiophile would look down their nose at an Android headunit.... The fact is I have installed a 'sound booster' app and if delicate with its settings to avoid the sound being driven into distortion it is possible to increase the volume to useable levels and despite the sound not being what an audiophile would describe as acceptable its half decent, good enough for my commute to work where I mainly listen to podcasts and radio.

I'm just not a fan of apps that have to be started to have working etc...

This being why I asked if there is such a thing as a 12v 3.5mm amplifier something basic that is hardware as opposed to software.

If I was an audiophile I'd have bought a branded head unit and fitted it in the main part of the dash and done a full fat install.

I've spent the last 26 years working full time in the music industry, to properly please my ears would cost

 

Ignoring the Aux input and the Android screen output being garbage, which i see mentioned on reviews for these screens even by non audio people, sounds like the Android screen output level isn't high enough.

You would hope that a screen for a specific model car would work well.

How is the sound level if you use a different source, like your phone into the aux in?

You haven't missed a volume control somewhere in the new screen? Swipe down doesn't pull anything up?
Dug through all the settings on the screen?
Is there Developer settings page behind a menu?

Have you tried contacting the seller about it?

Otherwise a little USB powered headphone amp would be the ticket. Will almost certainly still sound "wooly" but at least it'll be louder.

 

Thanks for your advice... The seller is close to useless... I wouldn't recommend buying a battery operated toothbrush from Erisin.

I have checked the output levels in the head unit and they are flat out, I haven't found any back end menu system, not sure how to find... Guessing a bunch of things to press to get to that it if exists on this one...

To use the head unit you have to hit the 'disc' button on the oem control unit. As a temporary work around before getting this head unit I had a blutooth adapter which has a 3.5mm cable that I connected to the AUX socket in the glovebox and the volumes and quality were not that much different to this head unit.

I downloaded a software booster from the google play store and it works it take the volume to a decent level, the quality isn't terrible not for podcasts and radio, trouble is having to open the app each time I get into the car before opening spotfiy or tunein radio.

I'll have a look for a headphone booster, As the 3.5mm cable is located behind the original head unit I was hoping to find something that would be 12v something I could position and leave out of site... No rechargeable batteries etc...

 

Hey, I was actually about to do this to my w204 c350 but didn't last second. You have any pics of what it looks like?

Which one did you get? Is it worth it?

 

Try 4x4shop.ca. They have many vehicle specific carplay touch screens. The one for my audi works well.

 

Good luck, I had one in a Nissan and it lasted 5 days before it started “not working” biggest waste of time went with the stock headunit instead.

 

When I read 3.5mm output into the factory aux, I immediately assumed it is not an actual headunit headunit, just a screen that can display the factory system video but also run android auto/carplay and feeds the audio into the factory system via the aux.
Common setup to get carplay/Aa into the various pre-carplay Lexus.

Re reading the post and not being familiar with Mercs, realise this may not be the case. Still my earlier advice stands, check your settings including your phone, check with the seller, and if that fails a $40 USB powered headphone amp will let you listen to podcasts while you follow Google maps.

 

The new unit is just a screen, or a tablet pc for the car running Android 13. I suppose you could argue that it's a gigantic chinese phone as it also has a SIM slot.

It gets connected by taking the big caged connector out of the back of the OEM head unit, and adding a piggy back loom. On the W204 Merc which uses the NTG 4.0 system the after market screen see's the audio transfered via the cars's AUX channel, it's a 3.5mm jack to 3.5mm socket :-( I belive the later versions transfered audio differently and so adding the screen to a later model would likley not see the same rubbish audio signal and low output.

To use the screen you have to press the 'disc' button on the dash and scroll down and select AUX. You only need do that once it remembers there on in....

It's quite clever but lacking in many area's. At £260 I can't really complain as adding a decent branded afternmarket complete head unit would see it positioned in a less appealing location and the cost probably 3 times as much... Which defeats the object of buying a low mileage 16 year old car as a stop gap whilst my new company finds it's feet. lol

 

those units are not really about sound quality. they are about providing function to old cars. I have one in one of our cars so I could get car play function in that car. The sound quality is not bad, but didn't expect much from it since it uses they AUX in.

I looked at several units on amazon and ended up grabbing a Jensen unit from Crutchfield. Again, not that I think jensen is great or better, it was the other units on amazon I had never heard of. Just went with a name I had previously heard.

I have never heard on any booster for the aux in, not to say there is not something out there just have never seen one. I was a local shop about a month ago. The gentleman there had a volvo like mine. He didnt want to use the aux in for the unit he purchased. The shop was able to hard wire his unit in and bypassed the aux in. It was a lot of work for basically a 150 dollar unit but I get why he wanted it done. I think he paid close a grand in installation costs to have it done.

 

So far, had to do a firmware upgrade and they walked me through it.

 

What would really be cool is to have the ability and knowledge to work in the back end of the Andriod software to tailor it to suit an individuals specific needs... A big headache I guess

 

hello, the sound output through aux will be distorted and the sound quality is completely inferior to the original car. Connecting a 12v amplifier will not improve it. Some merchants' Android screens can output sound and make calls through the original car Bluetooth. I think it is better to use the original car Bluetooth.