2015 CX-5 Pioneer Upgrade

Hi everyone, I've been scouring the valuable info on this site for days. While I've learned a great deal, I'm hoping you can help me with a specific case of installing a Pioneer DMH-W4660NEX in a 2015 Mazda CX-5 with the factory Bose and Nav options.

Will the Maestro SW or Maestro RR work with this configuration?

Any way to keep using the factory GPS antenna and mic with the new setup?

I bought the AXBUCH-MZ6V Backup Camera Retain/Add-On and the TAUSB01B 2012-Up USB Input Retention wire harness, per TheBlooms' recommendations in another post. Do I need to buy any other accessories like a dash kit, harness, wires, etc?

Thanks in advance for any info!
 
Hey, sorry to piggy back off of your post but would this head unit also work for a Mazda CX-5 2015 that does not have Bose? I may consider upgrading speakers if a new head unit will allow for it. I would just like android auto and if possible better speakers. But am trying to get a deal.
 
Yes, you will still need a dash kit. As far as using the factory GPS antenna, I doubt it will work. Didn't the Pioneer come with its own antenna?

Either the Maestro RR or SW will work. But the RR enables more options like gauges right on the stereo via the OBD-II connection. If you don't care about that, save your money and get the SW.

Oh yeah, you'll also need an antenna adapter.
 
How did your installation go? I believe you can retain the backup camera and steering wheel controls, but will lose the Advanced setup (like headlight timeout) of the OEM headunit. Don't think any aftermarket unit is compatible with the factory GPS antenna or microphone. If your car have bluetooth connectivity, then TAUSB01B will not work for armrest USB port retention.

I have the 2015 CX-5 Grand Touring, and am going to install an aftermarket Android headunit. I did a similar installation to my BMW E90, so I have some experience. I plan to install the GPS antenna and microphone to the factory location. I am going to swap out the backup factory camera with a 1080P AHD camera, and replace the armrest USB port with a dual USB ports. Still waiting for all the parts to arrive. Maybe I will make a post when I do the installation.
 
install an aftermarket Android headunit.

When you say "Android", you do mean a good quality Android Auto head like Pioneer, Kenwood, or Alpine, right? Please tell me you aren't getting one of those random no-name Chinesium "Pure Android" radios, because I promise you, as attractive as they seem, *you do not want that*. I tried three different ones. Each was worse than the last.

Ever tried to use a $35 Wish.com Android tablet? Because that's literally what those pieces of junk are.
 
When you say "Android", you do mean a good quality Android Auto head like Pioneer, Kenwood, or Alpine, right? Please tell me you aren't getting one of those random no-name Chinesium "Pure Android" radios, because I promise you, as attractive as they seem, *you do not want that*. I tried three different ones. Each was worse than the last.

Ever tried to use a $35 Wish.com Android tablet? Because that's literally what those pieces of junk are.
I am sorry that you had poor experience with those Android headunits. There are a lot of variances and configurations of them, and if you choose the bad ones, the experience could be poor. However, some of them are very good. I have been using a 10.25" Android headunit on my other car BMW E90 for 2 years. Beautiful big screen, fast processor (Snapdragon 625, mid-tier cell phone performance), supports Android Auto/Apple Carplay, and supports 1080p/720p AHD backup camera. I am very happy about it. Attached is a picture of my Android headunit.
e90 headunit.jpg

The new one I am getting for my CX-5 is the newer uis7862 processor with 4GB RAM (plenty for headunits), even faster than my old one and 12.3" screen. There is a whole section on XDA that discusses about them if one wants to learn more:

 
I am well aware of the whole XDADevelopers threads about them. I deep dove into them trying to get mine to work correctly. Nope. Never did. First one was garbage. Loved the idea of them so much, 6 months later tried another "updated" model. Nope. Trash. 6 months later, yet another "new revision" came out, so I gave that one a go as well. I suffered with that last bastard for a year before I just couldn't take it anymore. Bought a Kenwood Excelon, never looked back.

The absolutely major issue with those cheap offshore radios is the total and complete lack of sound quality. Everything you play through one just sounds horrible. And the radio? Whatever. They hardly pick up any FM stations, and AM is a mere pipe dream. You could literally be looking at the radio tower of the AM station you're trying to listen to, and nothing but static.

The thing of it is, unlike your BMW that has a funky odd shaped radio, our first gen CX-5's have standard Double DIN openings. Because of that, there is absolutely no reason whatsoever to not choose a quality, feature packed aftermarket radio from a known reputable manufacturer like Sony, JVC, Kenwood, Pioneer, or Alpine. And the tuners on a quality radio is just so much better than the Wish.com/Alibaba radios. I drove through 3 states on a road trip last winter, listening to the exact same AM radio station! Because of the way AM radio works, that's what you're supposed to be able to do!
 
I think it depends on what your use case is. I never had any problems with my Android headunit for the last 2 years, and the sound quality is at least as good as the original headunit. If one is serious about sound quality, one has to install an external AMP and subwoofer anyway, and these headunits have line out that makes it easy. In terms of radio reception, these Android headunits do not support HD Radio (digital) and can only receive analog AM/FM signal, so if you listen to radio a lot, then maybe it is not for you. I only listen to MP3 or streaming from my phone, so it is not a big deal for me. The 12.3" screen is sweet for Android Auto/Car Play, and I like the highly customization of Android. Load any launcher I want, and it is like a new unit. I can also load Waze or any Android app on it if I don't want to use Android Auto, and the processor is much faster than any of those name brand with small screens.
 
I only listen to MP3 or streaming from my phone

Okay, that explains why you've never noticed just how bad those decks sound. If you were to play an actual CD, or play native WAV or FLAC file without using bluetooth, and you're using some good speakers with that radio, it's straight up nails on a chalkboard! To someone who enjoys a nice sound system, they are straight up unlistenable!

But if you're just after the features, and don't really care about sonic purity or listening to the radio, then it's right up your alley. Because they are full of do-dads for sure.
 
The built-in AMP of Android headunit is nothing special, but it is in no way "junk". It is actually better than many factory headunits. Again, if one is serious about sound, one should invest in an external AMP, upgrade the speakers, add a subwoofer, put in sound deadening to lower the noise floor and maybe even throw in a DSP. Without any upgrade of the sound system, and expecting an Android headunit to sound amazing on its own is just unrealistic.
 
The built-in AMP of Android headunit is nothing special, but it is in no way "junk". It is actually better than many factory headunits. Again, if one is serious about sound, one should invest in an external AMP, upgrade the speakers, add a subwoofer, put in sound deadening to lower the noise floor and maybe even throw in a DSP. Without any upgrade of the sound system, and expecting an Android headunit to sound amazing on its own is just unrealistic.
I fully agree with this.
Also, I installed an Android head unit in my dad's Toyota 2 years ago, and it works better than 90% of infotainment systems I've ever used.
There are similar-looking head units that have completely different hardware; so one needs to make sure they get the most up-to-date hardware. Also, doesn't matter if it's for a Mazda or a BMW; they mostly have the same hardware with different interfaces. This means there is a developer base for these units.
Also, although the amp is nothing special, again, in my opinion, they tend to sound better than stock units. These units are much more complex than an Android tablet strapped on the dash.

Although not now, once the infotainment system on my CX-5 is out of date, I'll definitely swap it with an Android head unit. You can connect a camera to it and use it as a dashcam, you can connect a 360 camera system, you can connect an OBD2 device to it -- I don't know what else I could ask from it. It's funny, because you can even turn on dynamic backup camera guidelines.

I am not affiliated with an Android head unit manufacturer/seller, I just like it when I see an impressive piece of engineering.
 
Yes, there are a lot of similar looking models and the internal hardware is different. Avoid the units that have unknown, MTK or PX6 series processors that could be sluggish. Snapdragon 625 and uis7862 processors are the better ones, and have 4GB of RAM will help.
 
Yes, there are a lot of similar looking models and the internal hardware is different. Avoid the units that have unknown, MTK or PX6 series processors that could be sluggish. Snapdragon 625 and uis7862 processors are the better ones, and have 4GB of RAM will help.
I got one with a PX5/4GB RAM for my dad’s Toyota. Its not as snappy as a high end phone obviously, but overall much better than an average infotainment system. It only feels a bit slow in iGO navigation, but I think iGO is to blame — as it’s just as sluggish on my CX5.
Obviously the 625 will be better though.
 
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