Retrofit DAB

[NiceCupOfTea]

Hi all,

Looking to retrofit DAB to my wife’s 2013 Mazda CX-5 SportNav. It has all the usual satnav/infotainment stuff which she wants to keep, so not looking for a double DIN or a new screen - likewise I have an aversion to wires and extra little screens, and anything that transmits via FM is out too.

It has a USB in, so I was hoping something like either the Dension DBU3GEN or AutoDAB USB would be the ticket. Both are the thick end of £200 which is a bit pricey but if they just work and integrate nicely I don’t mind.

Does anybody have any experience with these or can suggest something I’ve not seen? Neither of these two seem to be available for many places and reviews seem to be from 8 years or so ago so I wonder if they’re out of date now…

Thoughts?

[NiceCupOfTea]

I use that in one of my cars but really looking for a transparent DAB solution here

[NiceCupOfTea]

TEKNOPUG said:

Good DAB reception just needs a proper external aerial like we used to have for FM. But they are all hidden inside the car/windscreen, which is terrible for reception. Try the Denison but at £200, I'd buy a 2023 double din, rather than tack on £200 to a 10 year old HU.

Thanks, appreciate what you're saying but the issue is loads of other stuff, not just the stereo, is linked through the screen and then that becomes inaccessible.

[NiceCupOfTea]

gmaz said:

Try one of these for less outlay.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pure-Highway-Audio-Adapte...

The aerial effectiveness will vary depending where you are. A DAB/FM splitter may work for you, but the Pure unit has a non standard aerial connector.

Thanks; really looking for a discreet option and I have a personal dislike for FM transmitters.

I am aware of the foibles of DAB reception, I have an aftermarket DAB in my MINI which works OK with an aerial splitter but is patchy. I use TuneIn in my BMW which gets similar results but really want something that chats to the built in stereo with USB and displays station name etc. There are a couple of options but both seem a little elderly and rather expensive...

[NiceCupOfTea]

craigjm said:

I think what you are looking for does not exist. There is no such device that will plug into your standard kit and be both discreet and allow you to operate dab radio from your current screen. The neatest solution has already been stated above which would be internet radios on your phone either Bluetooth or aux in to your current system

No, there is - literally the Dension DBU3GEN and AutoDAB USB do just that. I was just wondering if anybody had any experience of them or knew of a better/cheaper alternative.

Personally I don't find extra screens and trailing wires to be a neat alternative and the idea of using an FM transmitter makes me feel physically sick Internet radio is fine and as stated I use it myself this is for my wife who definitely cannot be arsed with all that. I have looked into double DINs, and I'd lose access to non audio/nav functions, reversing camera, and the control wheel on the dash by all accounts.

[NiceCupOfTea]

gmaz said:

NiceCupOfTea said:

gmaz said:

Try one of these for less outlay.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pure-Highway-Audio-Adapte...

The aerial effectiveness will vary depending where you are. A DAB/FM splitter may work for you, but the Pure unit has a non standard aerial connector.

Thanks; really looking for a discreet option and I have a personal dislike for FM transmitters.

I am aware of the foibles of DAB reception, I have an aftermarket DAB in my MINI which works OK with an aerial splitter but is patchy. I use TuneIn in my BMW which gets similar results but really want something that chats to the built in stereo with USB and displays station name etc. There are a couple of options but both seem a little elderly and rather expensive...

The 400 model is bluetooth, not FM.

I can't see anything in the specs that says it connects to your car stereo via BT - I suspect it means you can connect your phone to it via BT but that Pure to car is FM. Happy to be proved wrong though...

[NiceCupOfTea]

craigjm said:

I can understand all of your issues because I have them to I like to keep things looking as they are. The Dension unit basically mimics mp3 input and you scroll through the channels as if it’s next track on your iPod. It provides very little information and is really laggy with 20 seconds or so between each station so it isn’t easy to scroll and you can’t get a station list up and just go to the station you want. If that works for you then good stuff but anything that looks and acts properly integrated does not exist. Also, in terms of dab antenna depending on what your current antenna is you can get dab adaptors these days to use your current antenna so you may be able to get away without having something stuck to the screen

Thanks, that's useful to know. I use an aerial splitter in my MINI and the compromise is worth it for me so I don't have extra aerials on the screen. Not sure how annoying the lag will be, I don't think the Mrs. is a serial channel switcher so may not be an issue. There's a vid on YT where it only seems like a 5-10s delay so maybe it's not so bad...

[NiceCupOfTea]

Timothy Bucktu said:

Get an Alexa Auto. That way you can link the radio station app skill to Alexa to play your favourite radio stations or playlists. Plus the quality will be far superior (like, actually noticably better) than DAB.

That looks interesting- is it any different from asking Siri to play internet radio though?

[NiceCupOfTea]

Waah.

I think I’m going to abandon the whole thing. I think the Dension (and possibly AutoDAB USB) units are the closest to doing what I want, but it’s a ridiculous amount of money. The other ones with little screens look crap IMHO, best ones seem to be a discontinued Kenwood one and the Pure Highway 400 which has a load of crap glued to the windscreen, wires and the controller runs off batteries (been there, done that and they are a PITA and never work on cold mornings).

If I could find a Dension for under £100 second hand I’d probably go for it, but they’re hardly available anywhere and seem like pretty much obselete tech.

There are little USB dongles that seem to be for Android head units but I doubt they would work. And swapping the whole screen out lose access to all the built in stuff

I’m glad my car is crap and old and uses single DIN stuff. Got a nice Alpine DAB/bluetooth stereo that does the job perfectly…

[NiceCupOfTea]

Those last two do look good, but neither actually have DAB. I don't understand the point of the GROM if the car already has a USB input, it seems to add a USB input...

I think I've talked my wife into using TuneIn as there doesn't seem to be a decent solution. I'm still intrigued by the Dension/AutoDAB solutions as they would seem to be the best fit but seem extremely expensive and hardly any reviews...