Does anyone have a navigation system installed in their A4. Any info useful, such as compatibility with radio system. I was thinking of buying the alpine cva-1000. I don't really know much about them. I know I don't want AutoPC. That's about it. Thanks.

Mike,<p>I have a full nav/stereo install in my A4. Too long to discuss here. E-mail me directly with your questions.<p>Eric

eRIC THANKS,<br>I got your message right after I posted. Check E-mail.<br> Thanks again

come on guys, don't hide the info. :-) i'm very interested too. please email me also.<p>thanks<br>nike10

Systems come and go out of my A4 as I work on different "smart" car projects. Car navigation has come a long way but companies have not agreed upon standard formats for the CD-ROM. NavTech seems to be the leader and that is who we work with. They have impressive software (http://www,navtech.com) but they also provide teh software for the AutoPC :-{. There is a big push by Sony, IBM, Pioneer, Honda and Mazda to launch a new generation of software for the navigation systems.

Eric,<p> Yeah.. post details... it's more useful (to some) than some other discussions that are on this board!<p>Cris

nt<br>

Sorry about not posting the details on the site originally. I was not sure if all of the stereo/nav stuff was ill placed in this forum. I didn't want to use up bandwidth, but since people are interested here it is.<p>I started with a 98.5 2.8 QMS with Bose. Originally I was going to do a simply subwoofer upgrade. First I installed a two channel amp and two 8" free air subwoofers mounted to the bottom of the rear deak with some simple work with MDF board. This setup sounded quite nice but being anal I started to hear the other deficencies in my system.<p>Next change was to replace the 2 channel amp with an ADS 640 (6 channel amp) to power the sub and the stock speakers. This helped a lot because the system was receiving a lot more clean power. After a day or two I started to hear the lack of clarity of the head and speakers....you know where this is headed. Finally I decided that I sould either do the entire thing or stop complaining.<p>The system consists of MB quart speakers in all the doors. Front doors have the quart adapters and the rear doors have custom adapters for the Quart 5 1/4" speakers. I originally had 6 1/2" in the rear doors installed but felt that having 5 1/4" all the way around made the rear fill blend better with the front channels. All of the speakers were rewired. The front speakers are wired to the crossovers that are mounted under the rear seats (tons of room here for extra toys). All the door panels received a heavy coat of dynamat (The doors now make a much nicer thump when closed--as well as decreasing resonance in the audio system). <p>The Alpine CVA1000 is mounted in the dash with a dash kit. Originally had custom wood cut to DIN size, but I ran into lots of problems. My interior was the flat (non shiny) wood and we had a hard time replicating that look while still protecting the surface wood. After many hour of work (looked great) the mosture totally killed the wood. Thumbs up to the OEM stuff. Makes you appreciated what goes into making these parts. Hence I settled for the stock wood with the black platic trim plate. The control module for the CVA1000 is also mounted under the rear seats. <p>My CVA1000 is attached to a ERA-G320 signal processor. This gives digital time alignment and equalization. This is a hide away module with the face plate custom mounted in the center storage console. From this processor the signal goes into two ADS amps (640 and 440). The six channel powers the front and rear speakers (front is bi-amped). The four channel is bridged and powers my stealthbox. <---Oh yeah, I changed to the stealth box for its clean appearence. Also, an alpine changer is mounted in the trunk.<p>The NAV module is also mouted in the trunk. It is totally controlled by the CVA1000. The GPS sensor is mounted seemlessly on the dash. It really blends well. Wires are connected to the sense headlights (for diming the system), vehicle speed, and reverse. These sensors combined with an internal yaw sensor help the system correct for GPS inaccruracies.<p>All of the stuff in the trunk is custom flush mounted. Up front my cigarette lighter has been changed to a bass gain (bass control) knob. 12V power has been moved to the center console. I have also wired in a TV tuner (<----NO FLAMES PLEASE!!!!). I only use it when I am waiting for someone to finish their makeup or something. Never used while driving. It is however illegal to have any such equipment in the 50 states. <p>How does it work:<p>NAV: Really well. I have used it to find many unfamiliar addresses. If you use it to find fimilar addresses as you would to test the system, some wierd thing somethimes happen. It plots the shortest distance. The shortest distance is not always the quickest. The system once and a while loses its position slightly. No big deal as if you go off course it will replot your route. Life saver when you don't know where you are. Basically it will get you there, just not always in the fastest way. I think it is more fun than usefull as I never got lost that often anyway. Very usefull when stuck in traffic. I have found many new short cuts that I never knew existed.<p>STEREO: Sound is great. Imaging could be a bit better as the midbasses are mounted too low in the door. The free air subs do a decent job.<p>Whould I do it again? <p>Probably not the same way at all. But that is the usual response from techie tinkering people.<p>If I could do it all over again I would dump the NAV and go for a straight audio install. The rear doors are a terrible location for speakers. They are actually closer the the listener than the front midbasses. Time alignment helped to fix this in my car but the rear deck would have been a lot better location. I would definitely go with rear deck speakers and a custom sealed sub box if I could do it again. The Alpine ERAG320 is very noisy also (due to its A to D and then D to A converters). Probably would dump this piece also if I had more ideal speaker locations. I brought this problem to Alpine's attention and was pretty much blown off. Told me they have never heard of such problems. B.S. because I have talked to a few Alpine reps. that know of the problem. <p>Sorry for the extreme length of this post. Hope it is helpful. Please feel free to ask any additional question. Best thing the do is to post on the forum and e-mail me directly at the same time. I've been a bit busy and don't always have time to check the forum. This way I will know to check the forum.<p>Happy motoring!!<p>Eric<br>98.5 2.8QM H&R race/Koni sport, Remus, Avantgarde 2 piece wheels, and lots of credit card debt from all of the other mods!! Hahaha!!<p>P.S. To see the alpine equip. check their web site (www.apline1.com) if you have not seen the CVA1000.