Just bought an R53 that had a system installed - pretty high end stuff ten years ago when it was put in by a prior owner. I am a bit of a tech snob and NEED CarPlay in my cars. There are some really crappy quality single-din CarPlay stereos on Amazon / eBay, and few from quality manufacturers. While scouring the internet options I found some classic Ferrari owners are installing this unit from Power Acoustik and have nothing but praises for it.
I installed it yesterday and it sounds fantastic, and moreover it’s as responsive and functional as the oem CarPlay stereo in my Infiniti suv. It’s a great option if anyone is looking to upgrade their technology in their 1st gen.
That's hilarious. I purchased the same and installed it in my 300ZX on Saturday night. I agree with quality and responsiveness. I'm super pleased for the relatively low purchase price. I did the firmware update to use AA.
The only downsides are the form factor and sound quality. The faceplate is non-removable and is about 3mm bigger than a traditional single din in all directions. It has plenty of inputs and outputs to use secondary amps, cameras, antennas, etc. Unfortunately the sound quality is just so-so. I wasn't using a super high-end deck before, but this definitely has a more muted sound profile. I don't expect to ever ditch the HK setup in my R53, but if I do, this is the route I would go.
Funny - I was just about to create a thread with this exact setup. Had it a while but was waiting for my HK enabler to come from across the pond.
Saw so many S2K/older Porsche/Ferrari guys raving about this quick and cheap fix to modernize their older cars. I have to figure out my SWC since the adapter I was given doesn’t work but it’s not a deal breaker for me.
Looks great! You will definitely dig it. 2 weeks in and I’m still really impressed with the stereo! My car had a quality system installed when I bought it that bypassed the HK setup, but mine sounds incredible with a 60x5 amplified system / sub.
Looks great! You will definitely dig it. 2 weeks in and I’m still really impressed with the stereo! My car had a quality system installed when I bought it that bypassed the HK setup, but mine sounds incredible with a 60x5 amplified system / sub.
just needed something to modernize it and not have to use a BT Transmitter. Eventually I’ll update the audio some more but after reading a couple months+ of feedback on all the other platforms, I said why not? Definitely look forward to using it more now
Holy hell! That's aweomse - both the fuel and temp needles are visible in the photos! haha. Must just be reflection becuase they are both definitely there. lol
Holy hell! That's aweomse - both the fuel and temp needles are visible in the photos! haha. Must just be reflection becuase they are both definitely there. lol
ya the picture make them look like they’ve disappeared
side note: which dash trim/kit did you use? I noticed the one I bought doesn’t fit around the face of the unit since it’s a bit bigger than a normal single din. Mine slides out ever so slightly
What wiring harness did you get? My r50 has steering wheel controls. Was the wiring up part pretty simple?
also kind of weirded out that Walmart of all places has a head unit everyone wants.
The Walmart thing is a preference but I think it just depends on what you’re buying. I remember seeing this brand in Fry’s and Best Buy as a kid making audio stuff but it’s only $140 so I didn’t care all that much. Definitely exceeding expectations.
The harness I bought and used was from NewMiniStuff.com based in the UK. Wiring up part was super easy, they actually have a YT channel with videos on how to do it but pretty straight forward stuff.
I found a wiring harness that retains steering wheel controls at audio powerhouse dot com with the adapter for the car. It’s another 100 but I think I want the controls for volume since I would lose the volume **** with this head unit.
I found a wiring harness that retains steering wheel controls at audio powerhouse dot com with the adapter for the car. It’s another 100 but I think I want the controls for volume since I would lose the volume **** with this head unit.
nice! Let us know if that harness works or not. I have seen a lot of people with HK and getting harnesses from even Sonic or Crutch and it still didn’t end up working with audio.
I do need to check my wires bc my SWC works intermittently- didn’t do a great job crimping one of the wires but it was my last crimping plug I had
But this was another big reason I liked and went with this unit bc it still has actual buttons
I will say that at a month in, I haven't found a single downside to the headunit at all. It wirelessly connects fast and consistently, and does everything I want it to other than one thing - I would love to have the screen mirrored to a windshield mounted LCD screen so I can see waze and where the fuzz is ahead of me, even though I am screaming at 3k rpm's at 70 mph (I am used to cruising at 95 mph at 2500 rpms in 6th gear in my vette - haha).
My car runs a 60wx5 amp and a JL Audio stealthbox subwoofer, so most any headunit will sound decent enough, but this setup sounds fantastic and is very adjustable in the settings. I steering wheel control adapter works also, but I find I tend to use the buttons on the stereo more than the steering wheel for no real reason. I wouldn't worry about installing a swc adapter again if I were doing it over.
Ya I tend to use the actual buttons on the unit vs. SWC but it would be nice to have them working for volume or shuffling between songs but not a deal breaker
I'll bite on this setup once android auto is working! Reviews state they claim to support, but it's not yet been added.
double check some of the S2K and Ferrari forums. It didn’t originally but I am almost positive some started mentioning they came out with an updated model that does include it.
To any of you that have purchased the above stereo and have HK.
Thinking of pulling the plug on the setup, but also thinking about adding a rear camera for added convenience with the lack of rear visability in my R52. Ive located several cameras that are integrated into the license plate lights. Have any of you added the camera and or used one before?
As for me having HK, researched and will pickup the HK enabler from HKEnabler.co.uk at around $178. I want to keep my MFSW buttons active. Did any one use the additional RCA speaker out from them for the AMP Inputs?
It stinks as the h/K system sounds so good you dont want to gut it and use the steering wheel. If you have a stock system non h/K/no steering wheel controls, you just upgrade the speakers to the brand you love.
It stinks as the h/K system sounds so good you dont want to gut it and use the steering wheel. If you have a stock system non h/K/no steering wheel controls, you just upgrade the speakers to the brand you love.
Got this from you guys thinking it came w/ all the necessary adapters to make a plug&play conversion...but no.
Separately got the metra R50/53specific 1Din mount kit + the conversion & antenna harnesses from amazon
Still not a direct fit. The screen top hits the bottom of the speedo cluster trim & would need a spacer I can 3D print....or dremel the dash trim...which I am not a fan of.
Now, this unit is still sitting in my parts bin. ECStuning, I suggest you bundle this item w/ the proper kit for each make & model. This was a letdown. Apologies for the poor review. Others have to know......
Still stuck w/ stock here.
Thanks for the update, we updated our description to be more clear. I believe the screen thing is the slight adjustment on the cage/headunit to dash alignment and the tilt of the display to dash. Also did anyone install a aftermarket head unit before? I know sometimes those can beat up the plastic stereo holder location before hand.
Also trying to find someone that can make us a adapter for these older units to make them fully plug and play. Seems the Metra unit is now BO, NO ETA for the h/k set ups.
If it still does not fit you can return it. Please reach out to our CS team and let them know.
Thanks for the update, we updated our description to be more clear. I believe the screen thing is the slight adjustment on the cage/headunit to dash alignment and the tilt of the display to dash. Also did anyone install a aftermarket head unit before? I know sometimes those can beat up the plastic stereo holder location before hand.
Also trying to find someone that can make us a adapter for these older units to make them fully plug and play. Seems the Metra unit is now BO, NO ETA for the h/k set ups.
If it still does not fit you can return it. Please reach out to our CS team and let them know.
Appreciate the response. I will try to make it work by 3Dprinting a spacer sandwiched ether between the mount points & the Metra 1Din adapter or between the metra & the HU. Disadvantage & trade-off: the HU wont sit flush relative to the AC & switch modules. Just need some downtime.
Again, hope you can bundle everything needed for the gen1 MINI crowd to spare them the route I dint expect to go thru. Prior to this, haven't had any hitches from ECS shopping.
Thinking of pulling the plug on the setup, but also thinking about adding a rear camera for added convenience with the lack of rear visability in my R52. Ive located several cameras that are integrated into the license plate lights. Have any of you added the camera and or used one before?
When it comes to adding a backup camera (something I am considering to add to our R52S due to the poor rearward sightlines), I would likely mount the camera in the same way that I did for my 350Z and Ram Cummins.
The camera is on a metal license plate-style bracket, but I tucked it behind the plate and the camera hangs over the plate for a cleaner look. Same here.
Has anyone purchased the Power Acoustik CP-71W and the HK kit from InCarTec and had the SWC work? I have the system installed but the SWC doesn't work. I bought all the fit and adaptation parts from InCarTec, they have everything you need, facia adaptor, antenna adaptor, HK enabler and SWC cables...but you do have to buy from the UK and you have to figure out the correct wiring for the SWC. The sound is great, the fit is pretty good though the CP-71 is a bit taller than their facia adaptor, and the HK button does change the HK sound settings as it should. For the SWC you want to buy the universal cable...but again I haven't found a source who is using their kit and has the SWC working. Others I've seen use a kit from eBay that is sold from a guy in Germany, it has dip switches for the different SWC cable configurations, the InCarTec kit uses jumpers on the SWC cable connection.
The CP-71W user manual shows a 3 conductor SWC cable and it is terminated in 3.5mm jack. So I believe it has to be one of 3 configurations but I can't get it to work. Also their harness has a 4 wire harness coming out of it that doesn't connect anywhere and I'm wondering if that's the issue...but their support has been less than helpful and it says nothing about it in the user manual. This (seemingly) extra harness isn't in the photos on their site or in their directions and doesn't plug in anywhere. Also their troubleshooting talks about grounding a purple wire...but the purple wires (one each with and without black stripe) are for speaker connection. And another troubleshooting step is to confirm the firmware in the harness but there's no way to do that.
Wanted to give an update here as I finally got my steering wheel controls to work. Unfortunately at this point I would NOT recommend InCarTech...while the HK system does work properly I could never get the SWC to work with their parts and their customer service went dark and stopped trying to help or even confirm the steps to rest the SWC module in their harness. My solution was to purchase the Metra Axxess ASWC-1 and replace the InCarTech SWC module on the harness with the Axxess module. Easy enough to do, just 3 wires. Then follow the directions on the Axxess web site for the Mini and boom the SWC work. So happy with the end result.
