Another opinion post, I notice a few of the people on here have opted to go with alternatives to the OEM RNS-E setup in their cars. Some of these setups clearly cost more than the RNS units, so I was just wondering what factors pushed you away from the OEM unit. Also does your MFSW work with the aftermarket units?
I am looking to replace my symphony and I was leaning towards the RNS but after looking at a few of the swank build threads on here, I noticed a few people running other units.
Cheers
Great post idea. I would like to see others thoughts as well. I enjoy the clean lines on the OEM RNS units. Very few after market units look like they flow well in the dash.
Contact are you a b6 or b7 guy. I don’t remember at the moment
I am a B6 owner!
I got the idea after reading through Mdubz thread. I figured if he went outside OEM units, it was probably for a reason… That and good RNS units are getting hard to come by, and they are $$$ especially since a lot are being sold without the antennas and harnesses (some are but a lot are not). $600 can buy you a decent aftermarket head unit
I replaced my OEM stereo with a Pioneer head unit not long after I bought the car. I wanted to get something that integrated audio and video from my iPhone while being able to charge it too. It worked well but didn’t have Bluetooth or GPS integrated.
At some point during my build, that stereo was stolen. To make up for it, 3Zero3 Motorsports bought me a brand new unit which does have all the goodies. I considered just selling it and buying an RNS-E, but I got a lot of good feedback and it also grew on me so I kept it.
I bought a pioneer avh-8400bh for my car. its dvd multimedia blah blah. honestly I got it because 1) it was considered the one of best touch screen head unist you get get at the time and 2) i can stream music with my phone via bluetooth.
I ordered direct plug and play cables from enfig. My first a4 did not have steering wheel controls so I didnt get the harness that allows you to reuse them. I swapped the radio from my a4 to my s4 and i have really enjoyed it so far. it has a lot of features, 75% of them I dont even use
I know this is more wildcat posting here but I found a few good deals looking for a friend and after calling some dismantled car shops. The issue i kept running into was the dismantled car shops had several units but wanted part numbers. Can any old regular b7 S4 A4 RS4 RNS UNIT fit and look rignt…
I have the Gen 2 RNSE with AMI. not exactly aftermarket but i do like it alot. I can now see my IPOD songs, Charge the IPOD, and have full functional everything. I also have traffic updates on it.
Hey everyone thanks for the feedback!
So those of you with RNS Gen 2, does it allow wireless iPhone integration?
My work tiguan has the Bluetooth integration and it is amazing, its easy to call people and it streams iTunes no problem.
My Q7 is a POS. Why the hell they sell that thing without BT media integration is beyond me. It is baffling. Even the fucking Ford fiesta has BT media integration. Also calling people is like trying to conjure satan, you twist the dial in the middle around clicking on stuff and cursing and half the time it fucks up the number.
For those of you with aftermarket units : will they allow BT media integration from a phone? Also do your steering wheel controls work with the aftermarket unit?
Cheers
im not a huge techie, so im not 100% sure about streaming Blue tooth. i just use my ipod. I do know when im on the phone using bluetooth and the WAZE app is on the waze app will talk through the speakers over the person on the phone so Maybe?
Sorry i cant be much help. I can try doing it i guess later. ill look it up and see. (BTW i have android phones and dont use iphones with itunes. I just have an IPOD with itunes).
Yeah I meant will the RNS allow BT connections with phones and with media devices via BT.
So is your iPod plugged in or is it connected via BT?
Well i bought the AMI to go with the rnse (400 extra). So it is plugged in inside the glove box. The plug also charges the IPOD. As far as BT through media (other than phone) im not sure.
i have the alpine ine s920hd receiver i bought aprox 3 years ago. i had it in my jetta but took it out when i traded it for the rs. i love the deck. i almost put it in the rs but decided i would go brand new if i go that route. ive now installed that deck in my g35 and forgot how much i love it. Bluetooth audio is where its at. automatically syncs to my phone when i get in and shows all names and titles. the gps is far superior to the audi unit and when talking on the phone ppl cant even tell im in the car.
i will be upgrading my rs to the newest alpine unit. the s920 was around 900ish 3 years ago so i would expect to spend the same for the equivalent new unit. im hoping i can keep the 6 disc changer functional through the aux some how but i dunno if its possible.
i really wanted to stay oem but fuck it Bluetooth audio is just so awesome.
I agree! Thats why I am debating moving away from the RNS -E
I appreciate your input, I am going to look into this unit!
I’ll throw in my two cents.
I left the RSN-E to go to aftermarket on my S4 b/c I wanted some more line-out and level options (can’t remember model number, and would be irrelevant as it’d be 4 years old now). It was a very hard choice at first because I loved the OEM look. But one I made the switch I was very happy about it and never looked back. Mine had built in pandora, bluetooth, and other options. And at the end of the day, it still looked fairly OEM because most of the area was taken up by a screen just like with the RSN-E.
Anyhow, if those aren’t as big of a priority, and you’re just wanting bluetooth audio, another option would be to look into a USB powered bluetooth dongle for audio. I’ve done this in my Porsche. Basically it’s just feeding a headphone jack to RCA to that AUX/CD-Input to the radio. The radio thinks its the factory CD player actually. And it auto-pairs with my phone. So it doesn’t do the whole phone calls etc, but it does do great with allowing me to stream bluetooth audio/music to the radio.
if u can find one of these used i would buy it its still totally competent. there hasn’t been too many more advances and options in the last few years that this doesn’t have. you could prolly get on for a couple few hundred now. heres a pic of how it looks in my G. i changed the back colours to orange to match the rest of the car but it looked cooler in my jetta when everything was purple and red.
Thanks for the information Gents!
I looked into the BT iPod adaptor dongle, that is a really cool rig!
I am looking harder at the aftermarket units to find out what I will need to make it work in my S4. I have very little knowledge on audio systems or what I will need to install an aftermarket double din in my car.
If you haven’t checked out Dynavin units, I’d look into those. They’re a bit pricey but they come with every bell and whistle, are complete plug and play, and have a very OEM look/feel to them. That’s what I was going to get if it weren’t for the Pioneer unit.
Thanks for the feedback everyone! I am currently checking into the units.
For those who has MFSW do the controls work with your after market units?
for the steering wheel controls its an extra 100-125 bucks for the cable. that’s it. where I go they don’t even charge anymore labour to do it.
Great this is one of the things I wanted to get an answer to, so thank you!
