So this Friday I had the Pioneer AVH-X8500BH DVD Receiver installed in my 05 LS using the Beatsonic Kit. I have ML with Nav so I had to use the MVA-24L kit. I ordered through Beat-Sonic. They were great to deal with, very fast delivery and the product was well put together. I chose to have a stereo shop install it but I think I could have easily have done it myself and saved some money especially since they were not familiar with this kit and that added to the time plus they couldn't figure out why there was so much distortion. I ended up calling Eric with Beatsonic and he ran me through somethings that I will need to adjust to get rid of the distortion. Overall the kit is dead on. The panel matches the existing perfectly. I will follow up on my review once I dial in the sound. I might also upgrade the speakers. For anyone else that has installed this kit maybe you can give me some pointers on getting rid of the distortion. Overall I am very pleased!

 

That looks pretty good. It gives the dash a slightly updated look by removing the cassette player.

Thanks for sharing (with pics).

 

Looks good!

From what you saw, was it a simple splice/solder install with the beat sonic kit? Did you swap out any of the components/ add a sub in the trunk?

How do you like the pioneer? I was considering that unit as well.

 

i'd upgrade the speakers and since yur add it, slap on 2 12w7. that what i did . the kit was plug and play, couple wires was need to butt connect. the instruction tells u everything. there is no way for u to get rid of the distortion, yur speaker is being power by two amps i believe. stock and DD unit

 

Thanks.

I didn't see the install but it was pretty much plug and play as stated. I have not added any other components. I actually like the unit alot, still learning it's features but overall I'm pleased. Just need to get the sound issue resolved.

Your correct, How did you deal with the distortion? Did you bypass the ML Amp all together and go with an aftermarket amp? Your input is appreciated.

 

i went all hertz hi-energy and used alpine amps for mids n high. alpine powering the sub also. one thing ppl didnt tell me that with the beat sonic, u'll get distortion. even searching and asking ppls on forum. but i never regret upgrading my system tho, they sound amazing. but if u upgrade yur speakers, make sure u tune it the right way, DD1 . i fried a tweeter when i got bored n pushed it pass its limit hehe.

 

Sweet, thanks for the info. I'm taking the car back to the audio shop and they are going to run through somethings posted on Beatsonic and try and dial in the sound for me.

 

if i remember, i had the stock volume at 20 and DD at 15 to 20 but if u want louder, u would have to adjust the stock alil higher. even after all the tweeking, the mids werent there for me.

 

Just picked it up from the shop, they were able to dial it in a little more. Sounds much better so I am happy. Next up will be to change out speakers. So far I love it.

 

Couple questions about this kit......

I see that it's basically plug and play so you don't have to cut and splice. That's all well and good but I don't want to use the ML amps, speakers or ANYTHING else.... And, I sure as hell don't want distortion!

Why couldn't I just use a double din head unit, splice into the amp leads to the trunk, replace the amps in the trunk and then the speakers in their locations? That way I don't have to rewire the entire car as I'm using the wires to the trunk and the wires from the trunk to the speakers.

If I (or an installer) do things the way I've described above the only thing I would need would be a faceplate. Also should be able to get the steering wheel controls to work with the new stereo if I get the proper interface.

I also see where they quote you can still use your Nav with this kit.... Would my method screw with the functionality of my Nav or Climate controls? If so will I need to wire something differently.

Also where can I get a faceplate without spending $400 for this kit?

I don't want to move to a 460 just to get MP3 and Bluetooth.............

 

I agree best way is to get rid of the ML amp and speakers. If you have to keep ML amp then at the very least make sure the head unit you buy has line out outputs that you can send to the ML amp. Sending speaker level outs (all ready amplified) from the head unit to the line level inputs on the ML amp is 100% wrong way to do it. The ML amp ends up amplifying the head unit amp's distortion about 1000x. If you want to end up with anything remotely approaching audiophile quality you have to use line level outputs from head unit for any inputs to an amp. Speaker level outputs to an Amp is clear example of garbage in garbage out.