[frankmehta]

I have been very quiet on the forum off late. My 2 soldiers, my Polo GT TSI and my Crio are munching the miles and I have no complaints. I have modified them enough to my satisfaction and hence not added anything more, since the cars are running beautifully.

The one thing that has constantly kept me on my tenterhooks is car audio. There is NO limit. Even the Sky isn't the limit. There's so much scope to improve in that aspect, that I have always been open to the concept of change, with respect to audio.
I have always managed to have some serious kit in all my cars.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/car-en...ght=frankmehta

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/car-en...ght=frankmehta

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/car-en...ght=frankmehta


I have even dabbled with a CAR PC at some point!
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/car-en...ght=frankmehta

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/car-en...ght=frankmehta

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/car-en...ght=frankmehta

Now, when it came to my Polo, I have gone through 3 different Android head units. The functionality of an Android head unit is akin to an entry level Android phone, hence it does everything, but with a level of mediocrity that leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to Audio quality and the way it handles high bit-rate files. So, in the 2nd half of last year, I switched over to the RCD330G.

I am running a fully active setup with Stereo Integrity TM65 mids and M25 tweeters, both powered by a Hertz HE-4 amplifier, taking full advantage of the XBL^2 technology! (I am in love with that tech, and I have always dreamt of having them in my car.)
The sub-stage is handled competently by a Morel Supremo 12 sub, powered by a 1551w Clarion Digital Amplifier.
The above is handled by a MiniDSP 6*8 DSP and I love the results that this setup gives in my Polo.

I was just about well settled and loved the sound in my car, when suddenly the CES happened, and Alpine launched the HALLOWED ILX-F309, or the Halo-9, as they would like to call it. The DAY it was launched, I wrote it down in my dreamlist (yes, I own a dream-list and records state that EVERYTHING that I have penned down in that list has come true, even if I felt it was near impossible!) I was so enamoured by it's HUGE but YUMMY display, the floating design, the build quality, the stability and the UI. I kept watching videos on YouTube, salivating at the beauty of this unit!

Life happened, over the last few months, and we became busy, what with a small new-born infant in the house and everything else taking a backseat in comparison. Cut to MAY and my friend just randomly called me from the US asking if I wanted something. I didn't think for even ONE second, and I asked him to send me his address.
Ordered the Alpine Halo 9 online, and it was promptly delivered to him in a day. The wait started.
Fast-forward to a few days ago, I received my friend with a lot of love (for the package) and made sure I had booked a timing with my installer for the next available slot. Unboxed the unit at home, the moment I got it and I couldn't believe the quality and robustness of the unit. It really felt like a premium unit and I couldn't really wait till the next Saturday (which was the first available slot with Amol from Reliable Radio.)
I waited for Amol's update because I was busy with patients in the first half.

The phone rang. YAYyyyYYY!!!!!!!
The HOLY GRAIL of Aftermarket Audio Units was installed in my car! Dreams do come true, and this is testimony of that! MOST LIKELY, INDIA'S FIRST!

I have lots and lots of photos!

Please feast on them. Audio Quality, UI and Functionality are just top-class. More in detail in the subsequent post.

[frankmehta]

I've had the unit for almost 20 days now. Here are some of my observations about it.
1. Android Auto and Apple Carplay are both present on the head unit. I bought this unit to experience both of them, as I own an iPhone X and a Google Pixel 2 but to be very brutal and honest, Carplay is absolutely useless. No maps in India (as of now, because iOS12 apparently allows Google Maps and Waze), ASBOLUTELY rubbish Siri and an overall lackluster performance while driving (for eg: You can't ask Siri to play a song from Amazon Music or Google Play Music. It only works with Apple Music). Interface and looks-wise, Carplay has it nailed and is a much better looking and sorted UI than the ghastly looking Android Auto. Sound-wise, too, it's a little better with the iPhone X than the Pixel. The iPhone 6 doesn't sound as good, though.
Android Auto is much better functionality, has better voice recognition and grabs songs from any app, as long as it's installed on the phone. Google Maps and Waze both work beautifully, and so does navigation. Android Auto gets the work done, though it badly needs a better looking interface and better fonts.

2. The Head unit has ONLY ONE USB port! The port is extended into the glove box, which means a dirty wire sticks out from the glove box and looks messy. Wireless Carplay and Wireless Android Auto are not available in the head unit, which are disappointments.

3. The display is WVGA in the times of full-HD as a bare minimum. The resolution is also a disappointment. Carplay looks good, but Android Auto looks sad on the screen. The black levels of the display, though are not a patch on AMOLED screens and it doesn't go pitch dark. There's no LCD bleed or uneven brightness anywhere, so the panel is of great quality. The Display is BRIGHT, and it has a Brightness sensor, so it reduces intensity and changes some elements of the display to look good

4. There is a MAJOR brickbat in the software that doesn't allow one to access many features of the settings etc. unless the handbrake is pulled. In case of the Polo, it senses the handbrake via CANBUS, which is a hit or a miss, shockingly and the impulse doesn't always go through, or I am doing something wrong. Looking for a workaround as of now.

5. The build quality and stability over bad roads was suspect, but it has cleared those aspersions with flying colours. The unit doesn't rattle nor wobble nor move. Alpine has their engineering just right there.

6. The unit starts up VERY quickly and has a sweet looking Alpine logo that starts up with the car ignition.

7. Radio doesn't allow you to switch through presets with the steering button. Instead, it tunes to the the next available frequency, hence you may miss stations that are stored as presets.

8. The unit DOESN'T support 2-way active as the Crossover settings are fairly limited.

9. Call quality is beautiful, but the mic performs better with Android than the iPhone, which confuses me. The good part is, there's a mic level button while the call is on, so one can adjust on the fly.

10. LOTS of settings, but there's no setting that adjusts the time based on the GPS signal from the bundled receiver.

11. The capacitive buttons at the bottom of the screen aren't satisfying and have no haptic or tactile feedback.

12. The SOUND QUALITY: Well, this is why someone buys a head unit, and I whole-heartedly feel that Alpine has nailed it when it comes to the sound quality. There's a level of detail and resolution in the sound that was lacking in the earlier units I've owned and that means that the current equipment is sounding even better than it did, before installing this unit. I am fully satisfied and I can say it brings a smile to my face every time I play music. The best part about the sound is that Android Auto and Apple Carplay don't use Bluetooth to send the audio signal to the head unit. They use the cable, which means that the sound is top-notch and isn't coloured, or loses detail via Bluetooth transmission.

13. The unit is PROHIBITIVELY expensive as of now, and sells for a SHADE above the cost of an iPhone X 256 GB in India. THAT, I feel is a bit too much to pay for the novelty and engineering behind the unit.

These are my initial impressions of the unit. More as I use it further....

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the ICE Section. Thanks for sharing!

[Sankar]

Frank, is 9" screen size the major selling point of this head unit? I was checking out the unit after i saw your post as a possible upgrade to my 8890BT but single USB and no HDMI is a no go.

In 8890BT i have used the HDMI to hook up an Amazon firetv stick and using one usb port to power the firetv stick and using the 2nd USB port to power the dedicated 4G wifi dongle. There is an additional SD card rem-storage slot in front so not missing the used up USB ports. I miss a nice looking capacitive screen in 8890 and this is the only downer. I wish F309 had better connectivity and with its big screen it would be perfect.

If screen size is not paramount then Kenwood DDX 9 series seems very good, dual USB, HDMI, air mirroring, capacitive screen with good enough resolution, and High-res audio certified. Have they launched the units here in India? India website carries the model though. Pio 9190 also came up with capacitive screen, but specs does not seem as good as Kenwood.

[frankmehta]

Originally Posted by Sankar

Frank, is 9" screen size the major selling point of this head unit? I was checking out the unit after i saw your post as a possible upgrade to my 8890BT but single USB and no HDMI is a no go.

In 8890BT i have used the HDMI to hook up an Amazon firetv stick and using one usb port to power the firetv stick and using the 2nd USB port to power the dedicated 4G wifi dongle. There is an additional SD card rem-storage slot in front so not missing the used up USB ports. I miss a nice looking capacitive screen in 8890 and this is the only downer. I wish F309 had better connectivity and with its big screen it would be perfect.

If screen size is not paramount then Kenwood DDX 9 series seems very good, dual USB, HDMI, air mirroring, capacitive screen with good enough resolution, and High-res audio certified. Have they launched the units here in India? India website carries the model though. Pio 9190 also came up with capacitive screen, but specs does not seem as good as Kenwood.

The F309 does have an HDMI port. USB Power can be arranged from a charger. What is annoying is switching between phones and also if one needs to use a USB drive.

The 8890 was one of my choices but there are way better models too. Like the eXcelon version of the same or even a newer model. I decided to drop the idea because the Alpine was on a dream and dreams don’t see logic. Everything else pales in comparison.

My review is very critical of the Alpine because i had very high expectations and had set veg high standards after using high end receptive phones. Car units still have a long way to go when it comes to UI and User friendliness and clearly, they are two generations older than the best lot of mobile phones that we are using.

Honourable mention and highly recommended is the Sony AX5000 if you can do with a few minor compromises. It’s exactly half the cost

[Sankar]

Originally Posted by frankmehta

The F309 does have an HDMI port. USB Power can be arranged from a charger. What is annoying is switching between phones and also if one needs to use a USB drive.

Yes, my bad Alpine does have HDMI port.

Over air mirroring could have helped here? Does it work for Carplay and android auto or is it just for mirroring?

I don't use android auto now, I use firetvstick to mirror the phone if required while using maps etc.

I decided to drop the idea because the Alpine was on a dream and dreams don’t see logic. Everything else pales in comparison.

My review is very critical of the Alpine because i had very high expectations and had set veg high standards after using high end receptive phones. Car units still have a long way to go when it comes to UI and User friendliness and clearly, they are two generations older than the best lot of mobile phones that we are using.

OEM systems lag even further behind. Aftermarket is better in that regard.

Honourable mention and highly recommended is the Sony AX5000 if you can do with a few minor compromises. It’s exactly half the cost

The Sony was on my list but it doesn't seem to have HDMI input and not a real upgrade over Pioneer 8890BT which i have now. It does have better amplification though, which is nice since I don't have an amp.

[Wanderers]

I read this review as well as your earlier DIYs on your car music system. Must say that you are paranoid about car entertainment.
One thing I have noticing for last few years is the paradigm shift in the way people buy, change or select a car entertainment system. Earlier we did all to get better sound and now we go for display or features while the sound to an extent is considered given.

Given a choice I would still love to go for sound but thanks to complicated wiring and warranties issues in high end car, we prefer no change.

[cs_rajesh]

Originally Posted by frankmehta

Honourable mention and highly recommended is the Sony AX5000 if you can do with a few minor compromises. It’s exactly half the cost

Hi frankmehta,
your review came just in time when I am seeking a new head unit and was wavering between Alpine ILX-201 and SONY XAV-AX5000 ((I am lured at the 9" screen of the HALO but i am unable to come to terms keeping a high priced device in the car unattended at nights). Your comments on the display resolution made me sad and on that regard, I favour sony (I am not that much of an audiophile either). I still do not understand why bluetooth won't work for your iphone or android mobile connectivity, pls clarify.

best regards

[navin]

Originally Posted by frankmehta

I have been very quiet on the forum off late.

Aren't we the lucky ones! Just kidding.

Frank you are mad in the most likeable way.

Originally Posted by frankmehta

These are my initial impressions of the unit. More as I use it further....

Just one question. How do you access the Hazard and Rear Defroster switches?

[frankmehta]

The traction control, defroster and hazard switches are right behind the screen. I can reach them easily.