anyone upgraded their symphony radio to an aftermarket head unit? im lookin to get a nice double DIN unit but i want to make it as seamless as possible. i have the factory bluetooth calling and steering wheel controls and dont want to lose that. i know crutchfield has all kinds of adapters for this but i want to see what you guys did on here. also, any ideas on what head unit to get? im lookin at this Kenwood Kenwood DDX470 DVD receiver at Crutchfield.com


thanks guys

 

I have not done mine as I have read that it can be difficult. Like you I do not want to lose my steering wheel controls. There are all kinds of adapters and methods to get an after market unit to work pretty well. Not sure I would want to tackle that job myself. Even upgrading the RNS-E takes a little work. Some of the things I saw mentioned were:

1. Getting speakers to work as they got rhough an Audi amp that is powered by the head until.

2. Loss some factory funtionality (SAT radio was one example I saw).

Hopefully someone that has actually done it will be able to let you know better what to look out for. Good luck.

 

i emailed crutchfield and they said they have everything necessary to make it work but we'll see. i got some more digging to do. I dont mind losing the sat radio or ipod hookup since i dont use either. all i want is factory bluetooth calling control because im used to that and like it and bluetooth audio streaming with pandora/app control since i use my phone for music.

does anyone know if the bluetooth calling is integrated into the actual symphony head unit or is it a separate thing?

 

so after more research, it is getting more difficult to make it work seamlessly. apparently to keep the steering wheel controls, you need two separate adapters from a company called PAC. each is about $85, so that sucks. $350 for the head unit, $50 for the stock speaker harness, $170 for two adapters, plus whatever for shipping, tax, and installation/accessories = not worth it for me to add bluetooth streaming. ugh! what a joke.

 

I have this product for sale.
audi a4 s4 rs4 autoradio gps dvd navigation system
Brand new, US$499 include shipping cost to your country.
CANBUS decoder ready for steering wheel control, original BOSE will still work.
Nothing else is needed to buy to make it work.

 

Not sure what you are looking for a new head unit to do that the Symphony does not do. If you are looking for Iphone/Ipod integration that will keep steering wheel controls, with your current head unit, the Dension units are super. I installed one with my symphony II and it is one of the best additions I have ever done. Allows me to integrate my Ipod touch into the Symphony, use the steering wheel controls, and see text displayed on the LCD dashboard display. Easy install that does not change the appearence of the interior.

 

Thanks but I don't use an iPod. I just want to add Bluetooth streaming for my android phone. I think I found a way to do that thru my stock iPod connector. I found the scoshe passport charger thing and now I gotta find a bt receiver that will work with Audi. Can anyone tell me if the iPod hookup is digital or analog? Apparently there is a difference and the first bt rxr i bought won't work.

 

You need to research Enfig Car audio. So far they seems to be the most advanced as far as a full replacement. You wouldn't have the factory bluetooth but you would be able to use the new head units bluetooth with the factory controls though. Also look on youtube for a full A4 B7 replacementdoen by Enfig. It'll show you everything you need to know.

 

I agree on Enfig. That's where I bought the Dension unit. If you give then a call they are very knowledgable on Audi, and could probably help you out.

 

thanks for the info but i dont want an ipod hookup. originally i wanted a new head unit but that got out of hand with adapters and **** so now im lookin at small bluetooth receivers that hookup to the factory ipod dock. like this one,
but i need to find one that will work with the audi ipod dock