China car stereo unpacking, tear-down and analysis

Car stereo bought from here
www.aliexpress.com/item/autor...
for 12$
This is a tear-down, sound comparison and analysis.
At the end, I am fairly impressed by it's quality at a ridiculous low price.
It will be used to listen to radio and music in my workshop.
Hand/Home made
Do it yourself
Satellites
Toxic male philosophy
Visit racov.ro
You won't be disappointed
#Car, #stereo, #analysis, #unpack

That was a real good explanation video with thorough insights, thank you!

[@jasejj]

With a TDA7388, should be quite a decent performer. Not loud, but that chip amp can be made to sing quite nicely.

[@NatureAndTech]

Very good review, including max output power measurements. Thank you.

[@LuigiFabbrizzi]

Fantastica la tua dimostrazione!

[@esp224]

We have 2 of these units one in each of our cars.( bought about 2 years apart ) the second only weeks ago.They work well,only complaint both have very dim displays.Hard to read in daylight ,passable at night.I have looked for a answer to this problem.So far no luck.Obviously manufacturer does not see a problem!

[@guywiththeprojector]

Extremely nice video. Thanks a bunch!

[@Zodliness]

I purchased one of these small cheap units a couple of days ago for a small motorcycle stereo project. They are honestly not bad for the incredibly small price point, I paid only £8.50 for one. It functions as expected and once you adjust bass, tone and input volumes, the little stereo performs surprisingly well, sounding clear and distortion free. You're unlikely to experience power dipping on a car battery as opposed to a PC PSU, that being said wouldn't adversely effect the output power (4x 28w rms) or add any noticeable distortion at medium/high volumes. I really can't complain for the price and the multitude of features it boasts. If one adds an additional self-powered subwoofer to the rear two channels, this little chincy stereo can be made to sound quite impressive. Lets face it... You get a reasonably good car stereo, costing less than your average packet of cigarettes!

[@thequietkiwi]

You get entry level garbage at the exact price of entry level garbage.

[@juancarlosmedina8796]

Excelente análisis, muy profesional!!!

[@in4gamefun363]

Thanks for enhance review. You deserve more subscribers. One from me. Well done

[@sixoremenos]

Nice video. Mine has a very dim display (close to nothing) and only when I keep the engine running for a while starts showing numbers and letters. All other functions are ok.

[@peterwilson5528]

That stereo was making my Hyundai gets behave very oddly. the engine warning light kept coming on. I had a lot days when I checked everything on the car. the car would behave very oddly like it was about to stop. Then I realized that it has some short because a faint blue light is on when the ignition is off. But the wiring is correct. as soon as I removed it the car runs perfectly.

[@holgerprahl9269]

Thanks for your test, bought it for 10,59€ on ebay today...

[@peterwong3880]

I bought this in China for almost the same price. It is really cheap, with powerful functions and general sound quality.

[@premkumara8962]

Technically its a very Good stereo amp , its got original amp IC though its from china , a good display , mini microporcessor , controller and a display

[@TCreatorO]

Ive bought that radio for 3 cars, they only have 1 issue, after a few years of use, they will start to freeze, and the only way to reset them is to unplug the battery, so you need to install a kill switch for the power cable that goes to the radio, so you dont have to unplug your battery every time that happens

[@thequietkiwi]

Or pull the fuse?

[@TCreatorO]

@@thequietkiwi pulling the fuse may work too, but installing a switch is a safer idea, specially if you're driving and dont have a place to pull over to.

[@pacorbopc]

Hi, how did you start from poorly dim at beginning of video to a very super bright when doing the various testing? I have a very dim unit and cannot seem to find a solution. Do you know if the LCD's can be replaced?

[@Racov]

Hi. It's just the shooting angle. The display is very poor all right. If you look from below or close to horizontal is ok. If you look down to it is almost invisible. I don't think it's worth the effort to replace the display, considering how cheap the whole product is.

[@Cahfyt]

Aya así son los chinos.. Yo tengo 2 parlantes Pionner de 500 what y me faltan la autoradio , pregunta con cual es mejor la autoradio Pionner, o puedo ponerlo cualquier anplificador que viene con todo y blutube trae además usb??

[@radiocontrolcardevelopment7329]

I like the car radio. I have 2 issues, first is that the startup volume is not always the same, second and more irritating is that the bluetooth mic is not giving clear communication. Any idea to solve it?

[@Racov]

Hello RD. The startup volume at my stereo is around 30 (loud) and it can't seem to accept any other setting. The Bluetooth phone-call is very bad indeed, the person on the other end has a hard time hearing me clearly. I use this stereo in my workshop, and I don't really need the hands-free microphone, just Bluetooth music. I don't think this can be solved, because of the poor quality of the Bluetooth chip inside, not the microphone. Best regards.

[@underpantswedgy]

For the Price of the Unit...do not expect high quality. Inferior products are best avoided.

[@HF1600ie]

Hi. Can you adjust nas treble and "loudness effect" (loud) ?

[@Racov]

Hi Kiko Yes you can

[@hanshansen2398]

Hi, can i disable bluetooth by cutting the black wire and remove the microphone cap? i don't like George Orwell in my car! ;) Maybee i can cut some pins on the IC to kick bluetooth completely out? Thanks

[@Racov]

Yes, you can definitely do this. It will disable the Bluetooth. It's not worth playing with IC pins, as it can be easily damaged.

[@hanshansen2398]

​@@Racov Thanks is done. Pcb was a little different to yours, no black wire was connected to bluetooth antenna. Simple cut the conductor on pcb and removed the micro. Now i can drive without Orwell in the neck! ;)

[@John48778]

Value for money, cheap but best audio car...

[@bryanleiporsado6845]

Does the RCA Output support Subwoofer Amplifier?

[@Racov]

Yes they can.

[@bryanleiporsado6845]

@@Racov thank you very much!

[@k3audio843]

nice video! please tell me how to supply power to it form trans 12v DC. thank you

[@Racov]

Look at the connector on the back. Put together red and yellow wire and connect them to positive 12v. Connect the blue to negative

[@k3audio843]

@@Racov thanks you! i will make it to mini preamp.

[@toincoss]

hi. can the flat flex cable be burnt when connected to a 24v instead of 12v?

[@Racov]

Hi. I don't think the flat flex will suffer the most with 24V, but the electronic part.

[@toincoss]

@@Racov hi. thanks for the reply. im now waiting for my flat flex replacement as I have seen some burnt parts on it. will check on it again once the replacement arrives

[@michelangelotartaruganinja7484]

Eu pedi um desse pelo shopee ta pra chegar dia 26 espero que seja bom mais paguei 89 reais pelo preço deve valer

[@MENSURhhh]

any way to turn off the clock when not in use? kinda scared it will drain the car battery.

[@Racov]

Hey Mensur. I've just measured the consumption in stand-by (clock included) and it's only 30-40 mA. This will drain the battery in about 10 years 😄. Just for curiosity, the normal audio (volume 25) consumption is around 400 mA, and max volume (63) is 3-4 Amperes. I have only two, 8 ohm speakers. So, no worries 👍

[@fernandocardarella1198]

@@Racov Hello Viorel, did you measure the consumption of the red cable (it's which goes connected to ACC key position)? Because I'd like to connect this cable to my alarm system which powers on the stereo when is deactivated. But the alarm output allows a consumption up to 200mA. Thank you

[@dinojovevski8266]

I have the same JSD-520 car radio I connected the same thing, but if you don't drive the car for a few days, it drains the battery, is there a solution? (English from google translate :D) Thanks !!

[@Racov]

The "normal" connection is: Yellow to permanent +12V, Red to ignition contact. When the car's engine is shut, the unit in stand by, preserves the radio memories, shows the clock. When you turn the key, the unit starts automatically. My device draws only 25mA in stand by, absolutely negligible, will never drain the battery. If you have this battery problem, I think you should connect Yellow and Red together to ignition contact. This will kill the radio completely when you turn off the key.

[@John48778]

Value for money

[@thequietkiwi]

Thanks for the teardown video. However, for $12 it was not worth the time to re-assemble :P

[@99ron30]

Sorry I'm not clever with these things. So is it capable of powering 4x13 watt speakers or 2x26w RMS? I mean I currently have a Sony 4x55W, how much weaker is this Chinese likely to be?

[@Racov]

Hey 99, I currently run this stereo with 2x30W shelf speakers. Home speakers, not car speakers. I can tell you it has no problem with them. It's very loud and clear at high volume. But it becames hot really quick.

[@thequietkiwi]

Your old Sony would kick the ass of this one 10x.

[@mi7hxn]

Guys, can anyone give me a long term review?? I'm planning to change my single din OEM system and this one is pretty cheap in my place. Please tell if you recommend it or not?

[@Racov]

Bought in April 2019. Now, September 2021, it’s still going strong. The stereo is not installed in the car, instead it plays in my workshop everyday. Streaming music from KZbin or listening to the radio, it works great, like day 1. The sound is clear and rich, and very loud, if you want. It heats up very hot, when listening to high volume. The clock and radio memories are lost if you cut the power (disconnect the battery). Every time you power up, the volume is the same (not as you left it), around half the power, which is loud. This is the most annoying thing about this car stereo. The next annoying thing is that it doesn’t have RDS (to show the radio station’s name on display). I like listening to the radio, and it would have been nice to know the station’s name. I’m sure there are more expensive and more capable car stereos out there, but this one is really good for so little money.

[@mi7hxn]

@@Racov thanks a lot mate.

[@nospeed3124]

How To adjust display brightness

[@Racov]

This cannot be done.

[@nospeed3124]

@@Racov cause during thr day the radio very hard to see since its too dim

[@Racov]

@NoSpeed I know. That's the quality for this price.

[@electronicbassboy5180]

Do you know how to fix RCA humming from this ?

[@Racov]

Hey Karlo. If you have good grounding, you are using shielded cables and good connectors for audio and the hum persists, you can’t solve it. It’s the poor quality of the device.

[@electronicbassboy5180]

@@Racov but when I try two different power supply humming is eliminated

[@electronicbassboy5180]

one for amplifier and another again for the Headunit

[@carlosecheverria5561]

hola sabes tengo este estereo y funcionaba bien, per quise hacer una coneccion oara que mantuviera la memoria y las bocinas no sonaron mas, y me aparece un simbolo parecido a un parlante emitiendo sonido en el panel de la radio al centro en la parte inferior parpadeando, tu sabes lo que sera?, si puiedes me das algun correo para mandar la imagen, si me pudieras ayudar te lo agradeceria.

[@Racov]

Hola Carlos. email es yo3rak at gmail.com por favor dígame si el estéreo aún funciona. Tengo un símbolo similar parpadeando en el centro de la pantalla, pero todo funciona bien.

[@carlosecheverria5561]

@@Racov hola tu sabes de que sera ese símbolo ya que lo vi en videos pero esta quieto y en mi radio esta parpadeando,

[@carlosecheverria5561]

@@Racov mande la imagen a su correo

[@jesustorres7190]

El símbolo es el indicador de Bluetooth,si está parpadeando es porque no hay ningún equipo vinculado al autoestereo, si tus bocinas ya no se escuchan quizá es porque hiciste algún corto circuito y se dañó la salida de audio ,tendrás que cambiar esta pieza

[@dean12370]

please for how to fix the voltage drop

[@Racov]

Hey Dean. What voltage drop?

[@dean12370]

@@Racov I don't have a meter, but until he restarts

[@Racov]

@@dean12370 I don't understand the problem. What is happening to your stereo?

[@jockerr19907]

excelent,, whats name is the song 13:14

[@Racov]

It’s a free tune from KZbin called Power

[@Void-rv6xe]

yo could you please help me i bought myself one like this one and i connected the iso connector to it (the adapter) and it just wont turn on and i dont know why

[@Racov]

Hi. The stereo is installed in the car or on the bench? Use a voltmeter to check the voltage. You should have 12-13V between black and yellow. You can connect together red and yellow for a test. It is not necessary to connect speakers.

[@Void-rv6xe]

@@Racov i installed it in my car using a din set. i dont own a voltmeter unfortunately. it says 10 the red fuse thing so maybe its 10V? what is the probability that my radio is just broken? or is it my iso connector adapter

[@Racov]

@Void-rv6xe 10 on the red fuse means 10 amperes. Different thing. So you use an intermediate connector to install the stereo in your car. The chances the stereo is broken are very small. I suspect wrong wiring. If you turn the car key contact, still nothing?

[@Void-rv6xe]

@@Racov yea i turn the electricity on and theres nothing. so should i find a new adapter? and what should i pay attention to. theres a gap in my adapter whereas on my cars cable theres some more metal ends that i think are supposed to be connected. so basically besides power and speaker from the iso connector when u connect car with adapter

[@Racov]

You have to measure the voltage at the stereo connector, black and yellow. There is no other way to tell if the connector is faulty or the stereo.

[@TCreatorO]

The audio on this video is not working

[@Racov]

Thanks for the feedback. It doesn't have a voice over. Just the work noises and subtitles.

[@solsantos7724]

Hello . Why mine is overheating???

[@solsantos7724]

I have the same headunit as yours

[@Racov]

@@solsantos7724 Hi Santos. Mine is getting warm in normal operation. It's not on the car, but in my shop, and I have a pair of 8 Ohms shelf speakers. A bit warm is not a problem. What type of speakers do you use? A lower impedance means more heat.

[@solsantos7724]

@@Racov i use it in my car... stock speakers in the car... HONDA FIT GD 2003

[@watahyahknow]

strarting to understand why the radio doesnt receive so good , theres no shielding on the ribbon cable that extrends the antenna to the front of the unit wouldve been more fair to the test the radio first then unhook it and tear it apart for the rest of the video

[@dronedays450]

really you cant go wrong for the money it does everything it claims

[@oPandaNaBatera]

Muito bom! tô em dúvida se pego um desse, pois queria mais potência e qualidade, mas o rádio que eu possuo já tem 4x25. Hahaha Sendo assim, vou ficar com o meu rádio mesmo 😅 Obrigado pelo seu vídeo.

[@wackenroader]

25w é o total de todas as saídas combinadas, nesses de 4x25w cada saída tem cerca de 7w rms (chega a 10 com distorção), os de 45 tem 12, e os de 60 tem 15 (chega a 20 com 14.4v).

[@michelangelotartaruganinja7484]

@@wackenroader no caso o positron que e 4x50 tem 12,5rms cada saida ?

[@wackenroader]

@@michelangelotartaruganinja7484 em 12v sim, em 14v deve beirar os 20w

[@bozbrown4456]

Pretty unimpressive product. On mine you cannot connect anything to the bluetooth and on USB it crashes randomly in the middle of most podcasts with no way to re-queue them. The Instruction manual is a joke. A real shame as it has all the functionality I require and is cheap but as it is it will be replaced ASAP with something that works

[@Racov]

Hey Boz. You are absolutely right. Mine still works all right, playing music în my shack, but yeah, chances are you can find one which is unreliable. I would never buy another one, especially because other brands (Sony, JVC...) are decently cheap.

[@xxxpoiled]

i have one like this bought to china store 15€ sound good on bt...radio it's not so receiving , simple but hi fi sound

[@vidhichaudhari9030]

❤️

[@cauconde]

Tudo funciona bem, menos o que me motivou a comprar isso 😂

[@Fra96]

this isn't super cheap. there are very cheap car stereo! xD