InCar Entertainment Issue 1 2016

And we’re off! Yes, a new year stretches ahead of us, and this issue kicks off 2016 with some of the best cars and installations we’ve seen in quite some time – outstanding in every respect, from the choice of materials and themes, the colours, the accessories, the installation techniques and, of course, the hand-picked kit that makes the tunes we love. And it’s a diverse bunch. Check out the Commie Sportswagon (fondly referred to as AGIT8). Could you get a more impressive install than this? Are you serious? Talk about attention to detail… it’s absolutely everywhere. Even the subwoofer baskets are given the car-matching paint treatment in House of Kolor’s quaintly-named Texas Tea (some might call it brown). This is without a doubt one of the most impressive installs…

Alpine continues to expand its innovative approach to car marque targeted audio-visual integration, and now has a new solution for Audi vehicles. Alpine calls it ‘Alpine Style’ – and indeed it does add a sense of style to the acclaimed Audi interiors. The new offerings vary from head units with Alpine integration solutions to full system infotainment solutions including amplification and speakers. For example, In the A4, aside from the head unit replacement (which also caters for the vehicle’s own settings and menus), Alpine offers a high quality speaker system with installation solutions for all the componentry, even providing a kit which includes sound deadening material in order to wring the best performance from the system. Similar solutions are also available for the A5 and Q5. The Audi Q5 head…

Sony has announced a new range of high-end in-car audio components with high-resolution audio as a key focus. The new range is headed by the RSX-GS9 media player which will be complemented by an amplifier, a component speaker system and a subwoofer. The RSX-GS9 media player/head unit features an in-built ESS DAC and will be capable of playing just about every format extant, including high-res audio formats including FLAC and native DSD – indeed Sony claims here to be delivering the world’s first DSD in-car player. At lower bit-rates Sony’s DSEE HX up-sampling software claims to improve compressed files to “almost high-res quality”. Sony has also included high quality componentry – premium capacitors, high quality op-amps and a clock generator to improve digital playback, while the unit also uses NFC…

New from Transcend is this fully-featured road recorder device with a few twists that set it apart from the rest of the peloton. The DrivePro 220 ‘Car Video Recorder’ has already received three European awards for its implementation of a host of technologies in addition to its core abilities as a high quality road recorder, for which it features a fast Aptina f1.8 multi-element glass lens and high resolution C-MOS sensor, recording to the included 16GB SD card in full high-resolution 1080p at 30 fps (720p at 30fps is also available and provides added recording capacity). The SD card is automatically programmed to record over the oldest files once it has reached its capacity. Video can be played back via the built-in 2.4-inch 480p resolution LCD screen or transferred to…

Need a double-DIN multimedia navigation system that will squeeze into a single-DIN chassis? Alpine’s $2299 INE-W997D could be your solution – full navigation, smartphone interoperation and even high-res audio playback, all accessed through an ultra-high-end 7-inch capacitive panel. For music, the INE-W997D allows playback from USB not only of MP3, WMA and AAC files, but also high-resolution FLAC audio, plus DAB+ digital radio, RDS and much more. Video and audio can be replayed from iPod or iPhone, while HDMI connectivity allows the addition of DVD/CD players (Alpine’s DVE-5300 CD/DVD player being an obvious pairing), while builtin Bluetooth allows hands-free calling, audio streaming and even voice control directly from compatible smartphones. Advanced sound processing options include crossover, 6-channel digital time correction and dual HD EQ, the latest in parametric EQ technology,…

A couple of issues ago we published a story on Scosche’s range of in-car mobile phone solutions, in particular the MagicMount magnetic mount bracket. We have since had the company’s MagicMount Vent in use for a couple of weeks, and can report on its successful integration (so much so that Scosche will have to break into our car to get it back). The MagicMount Vent is a grip cradle and platform which attaches to your car’s air conditioning vents. A thin magnetic plate attaches to the back of the phone itself (this is so thin you can use many phone covers over the top of it without issues), and allows magnetic mating simply by hovering your phone near the vent cradle. Scosche provides two plate sizes – small for most…