A Peugeot 407 Dilemma

challengemaster · 20-07-2014 12:35am

In fairness - you'd have better luck handing a pliers to a monkey than getting halfords to fit something.

JohnBoy26 · 20-07-2014 1:15am

Deleted User wrote: »

Well I've been toying around with the iO Play 2 for a little while now and I can honestly say it's a great little unit, for what it is, but I'd strongly advise against buying one if music is your primary concern (as it is for me).

In comparison to the radio that's in the car, The sound quality is dire (CD player, for example, sounds shockingly better).

The treble/high tones in the iO Play 2 are headache-inducing, and the low tones/bass are pretty much non-existant. It's in-built equaliser is useless and there's only so much my phone can do to help it out. From looking at the wiring diagram that comes with the unit, there's no way it could have been badly wired by Halfords, so they seem to have done an all-in-all good job.

If anyone reads this thread - if you're able to do a head unit swapover (I can't as the 407's different units are too inter-twined), then I'd strongly advise checking out this unit:

http://www.halfords.ie/sat-nav-audio/car-audio/dab-radios-car-stereos/pioneer-fh-x700bt-double-din-car-cd-player

In my 2004 Toyota Rav4, i thought the sound quality wasn't great. With this head unit, i thought it was fantastic (and I didn't need to change or add speakers to make the jump from lackluster to brilliant, either).

I'm hoping that I soon discover there's something obvious I'm missing with regards to the iO Play 2's appalling sound quality, but at the moment it's looking like a fairly shoddy piece of kit. I'm a very disappointed customer.

I'd rank the equivelant alpine higher than those tbh. Over pioneer they boast far better sound quality, aren't as in your your face like the pioneers with their bright flashing lights and text, and don't look as cheap(the new range of pioneers look very tacky imo)

21-07-2014 6:46pm

The equivalent Alpine is probably a hundred times better, but I've only experience of the one that I linked to, and I found it to be pretty great.

With regards the iO Play 2, I brought it to Halfords today. Chap that installed it wasn't in til later (I called around 10am, he was due in at 11:30am). So another chap came out and listened to it briefly, but said he wouldnt do anything to it and would leave it to the other chap as he's the one who installed it.

I played the same song twice - once on CD (great bass, Peugeot's stock system is actually really good), then I played the same song again via the bass-less Play 2, and he agreed there was no bass to be found.

So I left the keys with them and headed off, as i didnt need the car today. Popped back over at 5:30 or so, and the chap that installed it was there. Told me there wasn't anything wrong with it and it was working fine. I brought him out to the car, played the CD/Play 2 comparison and he agreed that there was a noticeable difference in quality.

(just to note, as I was worried it might just be a bluetooth issue, I got a friend who has an iPod to play some music through it, too. The iPod is physically connected by wiring to the play2, so not via bluetooth - the sound was lacking in bass, same as the phones, so i know it's not a phone or bluetooth issue).

So he said he'd order another Play 2 in, and do a swap over of the box inside the glove box. He reckons the wiring is all done properly and the only thing it could be is the box/amp having issues.

If this doesn't fix it, I'll see about bringing it to an Auto-electrician. See If an Auto-electrician fixes it, can I pay him and invoice Halfords (as they can't seem to do it right).

MuppetCheck · 22-07-2014 1:28pm

If the swapping of the box doesn't work tell them you want a refund and get a proper installer to fit it. My experience of an impulse purchase like this in halfords was desperate and the only reason I go there now is when they do good 3 for 2 deals.

23-07-2014 1:18am

Yeah, that's the route I'll more than likely be going down, alright.

Even on youtube, theres a video of a chap installing it and he plays a song through it in the video,and you can even hear the bass on his crappy camera that he's recording the video with. Bit mad to think that I have such an issue. Doesn't make sense. Has to be down to poor installation.

93Cab · 24-07-2014 11:56am

Just reading this thread for the first time! I've just got a 407 with the RT3 head unit ( the double din one pictured in post 4) I've just got an Xcarlink Ipod unit with bluetooth add on, which uses the CD changer port for €175ish. Steering wheel controls do volume, track etc..Just waiting on JBL's to be delivered to replace all the speakers in the car (€130) before I have a go at fitting everything!

25-07-2014 1:27am

93Cab wrote: »

Just reading this thread for the first time! I've just got a 407 with the RT3 head unit ( the double din one pictured in post 4) I've just got an Xcarlink Ipod unit with bluetooth add on, which uses the CD changer port for €175ish. Steering wheel controls do volume, track etc..Just waiting on JBL's to be delivered to replace all the speakers in the car (€130) before I have a go at fitting everything!

What year/model is your 407 that it's got the double din, can I ask?

I have only ever seen a double din in one car in my whole life, and that was a taxi, at Christmas last year.

(not sure what car it actually was though. Just remember it was an estate).

I thought the Double din had bluetooth as standard on it.

93Cab · 25-07-2014 9:36am

It's an 05 407 SW 2.0 hdi which I bought on Ebay from UK. I've been reading the forums since I got it, and it seems there are 3 different types of double din, RT 3,4 and 5. Later ones have bluetooth. Mine is obviously an older unit. In the pic in post 4 you can see it has a keypad on the right along with a sim card slot, where I intend to put a ready to go sim. It might be useful in emergencies! It is'nt touchscreen, but I've updated the maps to 2014 and they're very accurate. It also has voice control, which I havent tried yet! I thought the standard speakers were a bit light sounding, so I'm getting JBL components for the front doors and dash, and JBL two ways for the doors. Speakers arriving today!

05-08-2014 6:07pm

Well Halfords took out the iO Play 2, and now I have a Parrot MKI9200.

The sound is better, but only negligibly. The bass is still really, really lacking.

I was talking to an auto-electrician briefly enough on the phone, and he reckoned that the way it worked was that I'd either get sound, or I wouldn't. He said there's no middle ground, so apparently the sound I have is just what's to be expected of the Parrot/iO Play 2, but I think that's just not true.

I read this online:

http://forum.parrot.com/usa/viewtopic.php?id=4878

When I play audio through the Parrot... the sound is far inferior to my normal factory Bose car stereo, and I can't figure out why.

... am I stuck with tinny, no bass, and not even close to same volume as factory radio?

UPDATE: Answered my own questions... I removed the white box that came with the Quick Connect Harness. Now I'm at more volume than I could ever need, and the sound quality is crystal clear, no difference between factory stereo CD or audio through Parrot...

Does anyone know what that means in English?

A Peugeot 407 Dilemma

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