Crispy3M

G'day Folks,

Picked up a 2004 GX 470 today and wanted to say hi and ask a few questions.

First off, great forum. I did a LOT of research on here before buying and many of the threads helped greatly.

Now, the unit I picked up is the Non-Nav but has the Mark Levinson. I've read several threads with regards to replacing the HU but just about every one I found (I think) was replacing a Non ML HU. Does anyone have any input as to sound quality loss/gain when replacing the ML HU with another HU? I'm very pleased with the current sound quality of the ML. It's not as good as one I had a chance to listen to in a RX 350, but very nice non the less.

I'm looking only for Bluetooth capability for both phone and streaming along with XM Satellite capability. If I could get away with a single Din, there are several great units that will work but I haven't been able to find any threads where the poster went with a single din solution.

I've used the Kenwood Double Din Nav/Bluetooth units in the past but have not been impressed. I was thinking of going with Alpine this time.

Any comments would be greatly appreciated.

Best Regards,

Chris

mann777

Crispy welcome to the CL & GX forum, Congrats on your purchase of the truck,
Now coming to your query since your truck is equipped with premium factory audio system. Upgrading here would be a problem as they work to function as a whole unit. There will be built in equalization circuits, factory amplifiers and non-standard impedance speakers. You may be able to change out the head unit with the proper premium adapter, but changing the speakers may be out. This is purely my view.
Maybe some GX members could chip in if they have gone and modded their ML to Non-OEM audio products.

tz693

My GX has Nav and ML. I believe the HU is Pioneer. Only the Amp and the Speakers are ML. Swapping the HU with a quality after market one should not degrade the sound quality much. PM me if you need the diagram of HU.

Crispy3M

Pioneer... ok, that's perfect. That means that there would probably be no big change in sound as long as I used the existing amp/speaker combination.

Thanks very much.

Has anyone tried a Single Din solution? I have Nav on my iPhone so I don't really need to spend a ton of money on a Double Din Nav unit...

Thanks again!

Chris

Crispy3M

Have many gone with the Vais Solution for Satellite Radio?

In particular, the SL3X?

Crispy3M

Not a whole lot of interest in this thread I guess...

In any event, for any who are curious and have the old units without Nav , Satellite Radio & Bluetooth, I'll share my findings.

For Satellite Radio, I went with the kit from Vais Technology (SL3X) - I'll report back later on quality. For Bluetooth, I went with the Blueant S4. It offers true hands free operation when paired with my iPhone 4S and I am very pleased with the quality of sound. Another plus, IMHO, is that not having it transmit to the existing radio, as it has it's own speaker, I can listen to the ML radio in the truck while still getting turn by turn driving instructions from the Blueant via my GPS on the iPhone 4S.

I think this approach is a valid alternative to the expense of buying another HU, the Instal Kit, another Satellite Tuner Kit and finally, the harness/adapter to allow for steering wheel control. I figure I saved a little over $1000.00. I went the new HU route in my X5 and wasn't really pleased with the end product, but then again, I'm very **** about the factory look and function of my vehicles. With the money I saved, I purchased an HID kit from XenonDepot

Any questions, don't hesitate to contact me.

Johnny Rad

Not sure which Vais unit I'm using for XM in my '08 GX, but its been virtually flawless. I had issues with the unit not updating itself properly with new channels, but I finally got it resolved. The function of the unit and integration (aux input) otherwise into my ML / nav screen has been great.

Crispy3M

Thanks very much for the reply. I get mine on Monday and am looking forward to installing it. The commercials associated with regular radio are killing me

RickC5

I believe the SL3X is the very same Vais XM unit I installed in our ES350. Had a problem within 60 days where the XM simply wasn't coming on--first intermittent, then permanently dead. Vais replaced the receiver (NOT made by Vais BTW) after I sent them the bad one--turnaround was only 2 days. Anyway, Vais customer service is outstanding and I totally recommend them!

Crispy3M

Well, got the Vais SL3X on the weekend and installed it today.

So far, my observations are:

1. Sound quality is slightly below average, in my opinion. I've had several units, both Sirius and XM, and while none of them sound amazing, this one is lacking a little more than the others.

2. Integration is glitchy. When starting up the truck, the unit loads and displays a line of random numbers and doesn't play. All you have to do is select FM, AM, etc. or cycle the power on the radio and it begins to work. (Update... after 24 hours of running, it seems to start up fine some times and not others)

3. Steering wheel controls can not cycle through presets, only channels.

4. Artist and Song info does not automatically update, you have to push a button to refresh. - This seems to be working fine now?

5. Presets only scroll one way. Ie. When you get to the end of your presets, they don't loop back to the first so you have to back up through them again. (Fixed this by deleting all presets and adding them again)

As it stands now, I'm not in love with the Vias SL3X, but it will do. That is just my opinion... you understand. The BlueAnt S4 on the other hand, is a major score! I've had several callers tell me that they can't believe I'm using a hands free device in my truck. A+ BlueAnt!!!

Cheers,

Chris