[nitinbose]

Hi Ajay, which photography gear do you use? I guess we should have an offline talk on this. I'm impressed by your skills. I've also been into photography for the last 25 years!

Coming back to the original discussion, I too has a review of the dynavin HU, which was initially tested in my car, when sukesh had come to visit me.

I'm also really impressed by the quality. I would definitely attribute it to the burr-brown chips. As one increases the volume, the entire sound spectrum goes louder, giving the music the way it should sound. Even poorly encoded compressed audio files sound a lot better than the other HUs in the same league. The 24-bit DAC is definitely an improvement in terms of audio quality - for those who know what it is and wants it. It clearly reproduces every sound the way its meant to be heard.

The sound adjustment controls also work very well without any distortion.

The other part which I liked over the blaupunkt was the interface which did seem more friendly, easier to use and does not give a typical 'aftermarket or chinese' look. it does gel well and retains the OEM look.


The CANBUS integration does work well as well as the steering controls. This HU also comes with a host of other features such as GPS, reverse camera, integration with existing parking system etc.

I was planning for the blaupunkt Philadelphia, however, the dynavin HU was a great knock-off! Just that I don't have the funds to buy one right now. I would any day vouch this product and would strongly suggest anyone considering a blaupunkt philadelphia to audition the dynavin HU - I'm pretty sure you would not turn back.

Finally, the build quality is quite comparable to the Columbus unit.

If anyone wishes to know more on this product, they may also reach me - I would only support this product no matter what.

[blr]

With respect to this particular HU, I would like to thank Ajay for posting it here. That got me doing my homework and was able to find a lot of positive reviews on the net from people installing them in their high end vehicles from all German manufacturers. I was able to even find some discount coupons from those threads which I used to buy my HU at a discount.

[nitinbose]

Originally Posted by blr

That got me doing my homework and was able to find a lot of positive reviews on the net from people installing them in their high end vehicles from all German manufacturers. I was able to even find some discount coupons from those threads which I used to buy my HU at a discount.

I'm pretty sure this is going to be some purchase that you're going to cherish for quite some time.

Enjoy and do post the pics of your installation.

Cheers!

Nitin

[blr]

Originally Posted by nitinbose

I'm pretty sure this is going to be some purchase that you're going to cherish for quite some time.

Enjoy and do post the pics of your installation.

Cheers!

Nitin

Hope so; but can you imagine that I still don't have my car in my hands! Just bought the unit because I am travelling to India soon and would like to carry it with me. I am sure there would be a lot more reviews and pictures here long before I get the chance to take the pictures of my own install.

[ajaypjayaraj]

Originally Posted by nitinbose

Hi Ajay, which photography gear do you use? I guess we should have an offline talk on this. I'm impressed by your skills. I've also been into photography for the last 25 years!

Thanks Nitinbose! I am an new to photography. Got inspired last year from a friend who is crazy about photography like I am about cars. He is a Pro and uses Canon EOS 1DX. Taken my first lessons in photography from him as well as online forums. Just last year I bought the Canon EOS M to experiment with photography. It is a mirrorless DSLR and not in the league of full fledged DSLRs but picture quality is good. Even a Pro like him was impressed with the picture quality of the compact EOS M.

All I did was rest my knee on the arm rest, set all 3 parameters and align the grid lines to the reference points and lines of the HU, focus it well and just click. Since the grid lines were used with reference to the HU, even after using one hand to change the screen or page, I could manage to click without panning or tilting much. I never thought of millimeter perfection or anything else. Infact I was hoping these pics are good enough to go on a review thread.

I am a person who has spent lakhs on finding a better aftermarket HU solution for my Skoda. IMHO, the competition does not come close to Dynavin quality and this is coming from a user.

I'm a salaried person who does not hesitate to spend on quality products, especially on things I'm passionate about.

Out of the available products in the market, some will be good and some comparatively poor. Obviously Dynavin is the best of the lot I came across and I mentioned it here.

BTW, I did get the firmware update today and updated the HU.

Originally Posted by blr

With respect to this particular HU, I would like to thank Ajay for posting it here. That got me doing my homework and was able to find a lot of positive reviews on the net from people installing them in their high end vehicles from all German manufacturers. I was able to even find some discount coupons from those threads which I used to buy my HU at a discount.

Thanks Blr! I can understand what you meant as I had my first such experience today! Glad that my review helped you with your homework. Do put up your review once you get your car and gets Dynavin installed.

[StarScream]

Originally Posted by ajaypjayaraj

Blaupunkt is a reputed company, no doubts about it. But Philadelphia 835 does not sound or perform like a Blaupunkt at all. I had a good impression about Blaupunkt till I used this specific HU of theirs and my opinion is only about that HU not the parent company which I still believe is good.

I am one of those people who bought the Blau 835 out of a lack of choice regarding CANbus compatibility and without very high expectations. But I have been pleasantly surprised. The sound quality is miles ahead of the stock unit and the radio reception is very good. The sound is fuller and richer and it truly exploits the abilities of my Focal speakers.

Could I have done better? Perhaps but not for this cost and this ease of installation. I have some issues with it and Blaupunkt sent a person to my office to fix it. One outstanding issue remains and they will be back to figure it out. If not, they'll replace it. That is service.

[blr]

Originally Posted by ajaypjayaraj

Even a Pro like him was impressed with the picture quality of the compact EOS M.

OT, but thanks again for that comment! Was contemplating the M2 as the third camera after my Canon DSLR and the Canon Point-n-Shoot. The M2 was never officially introduced in the US, but there were roumours of an M3 soon and even that of Canon discontinuing the M-line. Was on the fence, s may be you got me going on this too like the Dynavin N6!

[nitinbose]

Originally Posted by ajaypjayaraj

Thanks Nitinbose!
All I did was rest my knee on the arm rest, set all 3 parameters and align the grid lines to the reference points and lines of the HU, focus it well and just click. Since the grid lines were used with reference to the HU, even after using one hand to change the screen or page, I could manage to click without panning or tilting much. I never thought of millimeter perfection or anything else. Infact I was hoping these pics are good enough to go on a review thread..

Indeed, the grids do help you maintain the references. Like I said, a good and focused photographer can do wonders!

Originally Posted by ajaypjayaraj

I am a person who has spent lakhs on finding a better aftermarket HU solution for my Skoda. IMHO, the competition does not come close to Dynavin quality and this is coming from a user.

I'm a salaried person who does not hesitate to spend on quality products, especially on things I'm passionate about.

Out of the available products in the market, some will be good and some comparatively poor. Obviously Dynavin is the best of the lot I came across and I mentioned it here.

BTW, I did get the firmware update today and updated the HU.

Quite true: The other feature that I really liked was the integration of vehicle status, which is by default only seen on the multi-function-display. However, dynavin shows a lot more detail on its screen and I really liked the graphic representation. A good job done in the development.

@blr: Do not worry. The installation is not complicated and if the steps are followed, you can get it done in about 30mins!

[blr]

Originally Posted by nitinbose

@blr: Do not worry. The installation is not complicated and if the steps are followed, you can get it done in about 30mins!

Thanks for the reassurance! I like tinkering with stuff and not too afraid of spoiling things. Definitely would give it a go myself!

BTW, the HU will be delivered tomorrow.

[mishraak]

Originally Posted by ajaypjayaraj

BTW, I did get the firmware update today and updated the HU.

Hi Ajay,

Please post your experience of the HU after the update. What all issues did the update fix?

Regards,

[ajaypjayaraj]

Update: Got the first firmware update yesterday. Thanks to BHPian mishraak for pointing it out. As per the file download link, the update file has been released 8 days ago (as of today).

Quoting from Dynavin site -
"Dynos 1.0.1 is available to download now, the changes see below

1. Bugs fixed
2. Add an option to change unit and time format
3. Add an option to adjust the brightness and contrast of video input (Reverse camera/AUX/TV/DAB )"

Update instructions file
dynos 1.0.1 firmware update instructions.pdf

Link to the update file (same as given in the above instructions page)
https://www.dropbox.com/s/33pily036k...ni%29.rar?dl=0

The info page before firmware update


While updating


Screen shots with changes after the update

They have changed the engine oil temp. which previously showed "-60" to "-- --". It would probably start showing the temp. for applicable cars.


Added video input Brightness and Contrast to settings menu


Subwoofer level control works effectively now and range has been changed from "0 to 7" to "-12 to +12"


Finally the info screen after FW update

There is one more change in the settings menu for selecting between USA and EU for changing unit and time format. However the Time Zone bug fix has not been included in this update. It still does not allow changing time zones other than whole hours.

Problem of radio station presets getting swapped still remains. Between my first and second FM station presets, which are Radio Mango at preset 1 and Red FM at preset 2, sometimes both work good. But randomly, both presets play Radio Mango at times and Red FM some times. This is quite irritating and they need to rectify this soon. But this happens between preset 1 and 2 only. Preset 3 never gets swapped with 1 or 2.

MFSW scroll button changing the tracks/radio stations while not in the MFD Audio screen - This problem still remains.

I think the bugs fixed in this update are the ones reported earlier. Hopefully other bug fixes will be released in the future FW updates.

The post update pics have been clicked today... Thanks.

[Siddarth]

Hey Ajay great Review .

I have a couple of Questions for you or anyone else using this product. I have a Laura Petrol, July 2011 model with the regular Swing player and the 1 thing i miss in the car is a good integrated system. the Dynavin seems to fit the bill but i was wondering if it will give me all the features considering i am replacing the Swing player which basically does not have anything much, what i am trying to say is that does it make a difference whether i replace a "Swing" player or a "Bolero" player offered as stock by Skoda, will the functionality be exactly the same or is there some difference?

You mentioned that its a DIY install but for a guy such as me i believe that i have bad luck with Electronics so having said that do we get a complete low down on how to install the player or does the company have some recommended shops that we can go for an install, i am in Mumbai by the way.

I understand that these question can be very annoying but any help will be great help, in fact i have emailed the vagtune guys but no response from them, besides there cannot be a better reply than from a user such as yourself, thank you so much.

Cheers

[YCJ]

Will this head unit work in my Mk1 Octavia?
And if yes what will be the approximate cost?

[ajaypjayaraj]

Originally Posted by Siddarth

Hey Ajay great Review .

I have a couple of Questions, I have a Laura Petrol, July 2011 model with the regular Swing player... i was wondering if it will give me all the features considering i am replacing the Swing player... does it make a difference whether i replace a "Swing" player or a "Bolero" player offered as stock by Skoda, will the functionality be exactly the same or is there some difference?

You mentioned that its a DIY install... does the company have some recommended shops that we can go for an install, i am in Mumbai by the way.

I understand that these question can be very annoying but any help will be great help, in fact i have emailed the vagtune guys but no response from them, besides there cannot be a better reply than from a user such as yourself, thank you so much.

Cheers

Thanks Siddarth! AFAIK, Dynavin integrates to your car type. So whether you swap it for a Swing player or a Bolero radio, it will integrate itself. I think Laura comes with CAN connector. So you just have to use the CAN connector cable provided with the HU for hooking it up. If you have any CAN info. displayed on your OE Swing player, all that will be automatically displayed on Dynavin.

Regarding installation, I think you might need a different dashboard plate to accommodate the VW shape HU like the ones seen in the following link: http://www.superskoda.com/Skoda/OCTA...8-Dash-plates/. Once you have this, it is a simple swap of the HUs. After removing the trim around the HU, you get to remove the 4 torx screws that secure the HU in place. Once the screws are removed, pull the HU out, disconnect the CAN connector and antenna connectors and plug them back behind the Dynavin HU (using the CAN connector cable provided with Dynavin). Since you said you are not familiar with such stuff, you can take it to any reputed ICE installation place or Skoda service centre and get it done. It wont take much time.

I do a lot of homework prior getting some product and hence I can understand it very well when you have questions about it. There is nothing annoying about it and please feel free to ask.

Originally Posted by YCJ

Will this head unit work in my Mk1 Octavia?
And if yes what will be the approximate cost?

Let me just quote the list of compatible cars for Dynavin N6-VW from vagtune.com:

VW Caddy
VW EOS
VW Golf V
VW Golf VI
VW Golf Variant
VW Golf PLUS
VW Cross Golf
VW Jetta
VW Passat CC
VW Passat 3C 06/2005 ->
VW Passat 3C Variant 06/2005 ->
VW Polo (New)
VW Scirocco
VW Touran
VW Cross Turan
VW Tiguan
Seat Leon II * 03/2009 - 10/2012
Seat Altea *
Seat Altea XL *
Seat Altea Freetrack *
Seat Toledo III *
Seat Alhambra
Skoda Octavia II *
Skoda Octavia Combi II *
Skoda Suberb (New)
Skoda Yeti
Skoda Fabia
Skoda Fabia Combi
Skoda Roomster

* Optional panel required if the OE radio does not have a VW design.

Since MK1 Octavia does not have a VW specific double din slot, you actually have much more options and not restricted to VW specific HUs. You have the liberty to go for any good single or double din HU. From Octavia II (Laura) onwards, you have the VW HU specific fascia.

[CRV2010]

So this doesn't work with Vento as its not in the above list.