Dension 500 Gateway vs. Mobridge ABT2010

[videoaddict]

Hello,

I am looking for some advice from the collective wisdom and experience of this forum.

I have just purchased my first Porsche, a 2004 Cayenne S, which has screens in the rear seats, so I think this must be PCM 2.1?

My previous Audi (1999 A6 2.4) had an Alpine iDA-X305S installed for audio and it's iPod integration was superb. Obviously the situation in the Cayenne is a little different as it has the MOST interface and the PCM system installed. I am looking for a system which will give me the best possible integration between my 160GB iPod Classic and the Porsche PCM system. Based on the research I've done I cannot find a system which is as sophisticated as the X305S displaying cover art, but both Dension and Mobrdige seem to provide systems which allow the iPod to be put away and then controlled from the main screen in the car.

Which of these system has the best sound quality? The Alpine takes the audio from the iPod digitally and processes it through it's own internal DAC's for maximum sound quality, do either the Dension or the Mobridge do the same? Which is the easiest to use? I've heard the Dension emulates an autochanger and it's operation can be a little esoteric. What is the Mobridge like in this respect?

Finally, regarding the phone module, do either of these units have any issues with Samsung Android handsets? It's not a deal breaker but it would be nice if the system could work with my regular handset.

Thank you for your thoughts and avice on this matter.

Best wishes,

Dave

[mankey]

I use the Dension Gateway 500 on a 911 that has PCM 2.1 and it's ideal. There are others, but the big features for me are being able to load music onto a USB stick as well as phone integration. Sound quality is pretty much the same, since you're still using the same method of output.

Do you still have the Apline? Although you have MOST, as long as you don't have Bose you could install it in place of the PCM.

[videoaddict]

Hello,

Thanks for your input.

Keeping the Alpine would be a great idea, but the center console in the Cayenne is this one :-



I figure I have to work with what I have here, but it's good to hear the Dension 500 is working reliably for you and it's flexibility with USB media.

Thanks and best wishes,

Dave

[alexisn]

It is possible to use a after market unit with a Bose fit. You have to use a replacement loom to by pass the MOST.

[mankey]

videoaddict said:

Hello,
Keeping the Alpine would be a great idea ........

You should still be able to do it. There are 2-DIN surrounds that will cope with the space left by the PCM, like this one:

http://www.caraudiodirect.co.uk/con-ct23po01-ct23p...

alexisn said:

It is possible to use a after market unit with a Bose fit. You have to use a replacement loom to by pass the MOST.

Yes I know, just thinking of the ease of doing it.

[Kilsoj]

Hi

I am in the same situation with a 911

From what I can find out you can't source the bt1500 part of the gateway500 anymore to enable Bluetooth with it.

Very happy to be corrected though

[mankey]

Kilsoj said:

From what I can find out you can't source the bt1500 part of the gateway500 anymore to enable Bluetooth with it.

Think you're right. Bluetooth now seems to be integrated into the new unit.

I may be selling a GW500 with BT1500 in a couple of months, but only maybe.

[kingston12]

I think that the Dension and the mObridge both mimick the CD changer in the same way and I have never heard that one has better sound quality than the other.

Dension had problems with their BTA1500 phone addon for the GW500 which is prboably why they integrated it on the latest redesign. My older GW500 and BTA1500 have both been rock solid, though, so it is possible to get a good one!

[videoaddict]

Thank you all for your feedback. Your insights have already potentially led me down an alternative path which I will be investigating.

I had taken it that the removal of the PCM unit would be a huge undertaking and no ordinary head unit would fit, but given that there are aftermarket kits avaiable to allow the installation of a double DIN head unit, not to mention the fact that I'm being quoted over £500 + fitting for both the Mobridge and Dension units, I am seriously thinking about the prospect of the complete removal of the PCM head unit(which I'll keep should I resell the vehicle in the future) and install a complete Alpine Double DIN head unit like this one :-

http://www.caraudiodirect.co.uk/alp-inew920r-alpine-ine-w920r.html

This would seem to offer more sophisticated navigation and iPod integration than the PCM + Dension / Mobridge combination for a similar price.

If anyone has actually done this then I would be interested in your feedback and thoughts on this.

Thanks and best wishes,

Dave

[mankey]

A few years ago I put not an Alpine but a similar 2-DIN Pioneer unit into a 987 Boxster. It made a world of difference and did everything the PCM 2.1 should have at the time.

I never regretted it.

[videoaddict]

Hello Mankey,

Appreciate your feedback, thanks a lot. As someone who has trod this path, did you have any issues with the MOST bus and the rest of the electronics? Was any kind of bypass required or was it just a straight removal?

Thanks and best wishes,

Dave

[mns1977]

I'd be also be very interested in opinions on whether to swap my PCM 2.1 with an 'newer' solution in a 997 turbo. I'm torn whether to install a MoBridge or rip it out an install something else (whilst keeping pcm2.1 to make it 'original' again when I sell).

Would it ruin the car or enhance it.

[markiii]

seriously suggest you go try one

I really wanted the mobridge but the interface (and I believe Dension is the same) is so slow with a large Ipod capacity like yours, and so clunky it put me right off

I currently have the most adaptor waiting to put a decent HU in

[kingston12]

videoaddict said:

Thank you all for your feedback. Your insights have already potentially led me down an alternative path which I will be investigating.

I had taken it that the removal of the PCM unit would be a huge undertaking and no ordinary head unit would fit, but given that there are aftermarket kits avaiable to allow the installation of a double DIN head unit, not to mention the fact that I'm being quoted over £500 + fitting for both the Mobridge and Dension units, I am seriously thinking about the prospect of the complete removal of the PCM head unit(which I'll keep should I resell the vehicle in the future) and install a complete Alpine Double DIN head unit like this one :-

http://www.caraudiodirect.co.uk/alp-inew920r-alpine-ine-w920r.html

This would seem to offer more sophisticated navigation and iPod integration than the PCM + Dension / Mobridge combination for a similar price.

If anyone has actually done this then I would be interested in your feedback and thoughts on this.

Thanks and best wishes,

Dave

I think it depends on three things - how you use the unit, how much you use the unit and what you are used to from previous cars.

For me, I use the unit to play tracks randomly from a 160GB iPod and the car is only a weekend car, so it is not a particular issue. If I wanted to listen to specific tracks more often and I was in the car daily, the PCM2.1 would definitely annoy me.

My previous car had an Alpine iPod head unit in it, and whilst that unit would be at least 5 years old now it is still leagues ahead of the PCM2.1. That was annoying for a while, but you do get used to it.

The only thing to consider on cost is that the Dension/mObridge really is an easy DIY-fit. I did it myself and I am useless at that type of thing! If I had a bit mroe skill/confidence, I would definitely have gone for a replacement unit.

[videoaddict]

Hello,

kingston12 said:

I think it depends on three things - how you use the unit, how much you use the unit and what you are used to from previous cars.

For me, I use the unit to play tracks randomly from a 160GB iPod and the car is only a weekend car, so it is not a particular issue. If I wanted to listen to specific tracks more often and I was in the car daily, the PCM2.1 would definitely annoy me.

My previous car had an Alpine iPod head unit in it, and whilst that unit would be at least 5 years old now it is still leagues ahead of the PCM2.1. That was annoying for a while, but you do get used to it.

The only thing to consider on cost is that the Dension/mObridge really is an easy DIY-fit. I did it myself and I am useless at that type of thing! If I had a bit mroe skill/confidence, I would definitely have gone for a replacement unit.

Thank you for your thoughts.

The car is going to be used every day, and for me the drive into work and home, whilst only around 30 - 45 minutes each way, is time when I can get issues resolved on the phone, and when I'm not on the phone I have the audio system on, so it's on pretty much every time I get in the car. Likewise from a navigation perspective, I have zero sense of direction, so I am really dependent on a good satnav, and I know the Alpine one, whilst not a TomTom, is still better than the Porsche supplied one from a usability perspective.

In my previous car I car I had the aforementioned Alpine iDA-X305S which really is a superb unit, and it's this kind of functionality I'm trying to achieve in the Cayenne S. Based on what I've seen online from the videos of the Mobridge and the Dension in use, I have reservations about whether or not they'll deliver either the ease of use or sound quality I'm looking for.

My installer (and I hear what you're saying about the Densions and Mobridge being DIY fit, but I really am hopeless and would hate to start digging around in a vehicle as sophisticated as the Cayenne and foul something up because I'm inept or ham fisted) is quoting me £120 to install the Dension 500 with Bluetooth adaptor and AVR for the rear view camera I want installing at a later date. With the AVR costing another £200 plus the cost of a Gateway 500 & BT1500, The Alpine unit is quickly looking like being not only the better performing unit, but also cheaper as that already supports a rear camera.

Thank you for your input.

When I eventually do make a decision I will be sure to include some before and after photo's to help other in a similar situation to my own.

Thanks and best wishes,

Dave

[ukwill]

this looks v.interesting:

http://www.amazon.com/ViseeO-WMA1000-Tune2air/dp/B...

http://www.viseeo.com/ugC_ShowroomItem_Detail.asp?...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jT9-gaCU_aY

[kingston12]

videoaddict said:

Thank you for your thoughts.

The car is going to be used every day, and for me the drive into work and home, whilst only around 30 - 45 minutes each way, is time when I can get issues resolved on the phone, and when I'm not on the phone I have the audio system on, so it's on pretty much every time I get in the car. Likewise from a navigation perspective, I have zero sense of direction, so I am really dependent on a good satnav, and I know the Alpine one, whilst not a TomTom, is still better than the Porsche supplied one from a usability perspective.

In my previous car I car I had the aforementioned Alpine iDA-X305S which really is a superb unit, and it's this kind of functionality I'm trying to achieve in the Cayenne S. Based on what I've seen online from the videos of the Mobridge and the Dension in use, I have reservations about whether or not they'll deliver either the ease of use or sound quality I'm looking for.

My installer (and I hear what you're saying about the Densions and Mobridge being DIY fit, but I really am hopeless and would hate to start digging around in a vehicle as sophisticated as the Cayenne and foul something up because I'm inept or ham fisted) is quoting me £120 to install the Dension 500 with Bluetooth adaptor and AVR for the rear view camera I want installing at a later date. With the AVR costing another £200 plus the cost of a Gateway 500 & BT1500, The Alpine unit is quickly looking like being not only the better performing unit, but also cheaper as that already supports a rear camera.

Thank you for your input.

When I eventually do make a decision I will be sure to include some before and after photo's to help other in a similar situation to my own.

Thanks and best wishes,

Dave

In that case, it definitely makes sense. I seem to remember my old Alpine unit being the iDA-X100, a fore-runner of the 305 and excellent with it.

Sat Nav is another reason to ditch the PCM2.1 if you use it every day. For my limited use, I don't mind the old fashioned looking maps and I find it quite fast and accurate. I hate the lack of full-postcode input, though, and that would definitely put it out as an every day unit for me!

[mankey]

videoaddict said:

Hello Mankey,
......... did you have any issues with the MOST bus and the rest of the electronics? Was any kind of bypass required or was it just a straight removal?

Dave

Hi, Sorry been a bit out of touch today.

The bypass I was talking about is merely to do with the MOST bus. With my previous car, a bonus was that it did not have Bose. Whatever people say, it can be tricky (and expensive) to put third party kit in a car with Bose. Since the orange fibre optic cable runs through the PCM, you merely put in a connector that continues the signal (for other signals) when you disconnect from the PCM. The only thing you really lose is the indication on the central display of the radio station, because you're no longer connected - wasn't a big deal for me.

There were some other connections to make, but they were merely speaker cables that went to the back of the new head unit as well as power. I did this abpout 4-5yrs ago but seem to remember it just connected to the existing power connection. It took me a couple of hours, that's all.

As an aside, the Dension is also simple to fit. That was pretty simple. I just took too long faffing around, trying to decide where to site it.

[TKH]

Hi there I have just had a Parrot Asteroid system fitted to a 2007 911

Just brilliant

Bluetooth streaming and calling

Or iPod in glovebox USB and navigate through library with scroll or verbal

£340 fitted

Denison Bluetooth is not the best from what I hear

[mankey]

TKH said:

Denison Bluetooth is not the best from what I hear

No problems for me. 4 years excellent service. Depends what you want to hear.