GROM vs. iSimple Blutooth adapter

Just installed a 08' P204-UH with SAT/AUX in my 05 wagon. Looking to add Blutooth so I can stream music & have hands free phone. A few mentions of both of these adapters being installed but nothing in depth. Any one have either of these and care to share pros/cons, sound quality, functionality, etc.?

Although the GROM website states that the Blutooth versions do not work with the 6 disc in dash stereos, a chat with customer service said "I think it should work as others have purchased it as well", which is neither a confident or negative answer....

Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

I looked at the iSimple bluetooth to add to my uPac SB1 ipod kit...I also have the 2008 radio in my car. Too many reviews about inconsistent performance scared me away from it. I ended up purchasing a Parrot 9200 Mki and attached the audio-out to the uPac's line-in (so the radio's amp would run the bluetooth streaming audio rather than the parrot's built in amp).

Definitely not cheap...the uPac and Parrot with iso harness were about $300 combined. Audio quality on both the phone and ipod/streaming are about as good as you can get with the stock system. There's more than enough space behind the radio to fit the mess of wiring and control boxes for the two units.

With this setup I can hook up two ipods and my phone via bluetooth (one controlled by the radio and the other the Parrot) in addition to the Aux added from the radio swap.

I can take some pics of you're interested in this route.

Thanks for the feedback. The GROM or isimple did sound too cheap to be true, but $300 is a bit steep for what I can do right now. Did you like the PAC system on its own? Maybe that should be my first step. Few pics of the final result would be cool, but don't sweat the install pics as I've been in there a couple times and your right its a cave back there...

*EDIT* does the PAC really not work with the latest IOS software? thats a dealbreaker

I have an iSimple setup in my car.

Fantastic integration, but occasionally inconsistent performance that requires me to pull the unit and reset the module to get BT working again. I thinks it's a hardware warranty issue and I'm trying to get it sorted out with the company.

I'm on iOS 5.1.1 and everything works fine. It auto-pairs and streams no problem. Call quality is great as well.

I looked into other methods, and the iSimple seemed like the best option. I think I paid around $225 or something. I've had it since October of 2011.

I also have the iSimple setup with Bluetooth in my car. Had it for over a year and half now and have had very little problems. I've seen maybe a half-dozen times when it doesn't "turn on" with the car. I just turn off the car and turn it back on and it works fine. Occasionally it may not connect to the phone for various reasons, I may have left the phone inside while starting the car and it was out of range or the bluetooth was off on the phone. It's just a simple matter to reconnect from the phone or occasionally hitting the "2" button (pause/resume) on the head unit works to reconnect to the phone as well.

I mounted a mic up near my rear-view mirror and fished the wire down the a-pillar and sound seems to be very good (no one really complains they can't hear me anyhow).

In all, it works great. Hitting the preset buttons on the head unit give me everything I need and my phone can just sit on the seat and not fuddled with. Voicedial works well. About the only thing that I can determine is that Siri doesn't seem to go through the bluetooth mic. I still need to activate Siri from the phone and speak into the phone mic.

A2DP streaming like this is one of the top things I would look for in a new vehicle. It would make or break a decision to buy for me now that I've had it.

You can get the whole setup for around $160-$170. I got mine at autotoys.com because they had a Q/A section on each product that they actually answer and are very helpful. http://www.autotoys.com/x/_search.php?page=1&q=ISSB571

I too have the iSimple Bluetooth gateway and think its great. Maybe 6 times in the 1 1/2 year it didn't auto connect, and read "no phone", each time it was easily resolved by accessing the settings menu (6 button) to devices and selecting my phone name which initiates the connection. Have had no problems with it otherwise.

I use it far more for streaming audio than for phone communication. I stream music through it 10-12 hours each week while driving. I can't give much feedback on the microphone, but it seems quality and has worked well each time I have used it. In addition to rare phone calls, I use it to dictate emails and texts through Siri sometimes (initiating voice commands using 4 button) and the phone hears and understands me clearly.

I would not hesitate to buy this setup again, works well and consistently, great for the price.

I also have the iSimple setup with Bluetooth in my car. Had it for over a year and half now and have had very little problems. I've seen maybe a half-dozen times when it doesn't "turn on" with the car. I just turn off the car and turn it back on and it works fine. Occasionally it may not connect to the phone for various reasons, I may have left the phone inside while starting the car and it was out of range or the bluetooth was off on the phone. It's just a simple matter to reconnect from the phone or occasionally hitting the "2" button (pause/resume) on the head unit works to reconnect to the phone as well.

 

I mounted a mic up near my rear-view mirror and fished the wire down the a-pillar and sound seems to be very good (no one really complains they can't hear me anyhow).

 

In all, it works great. Hitting the preset buttons on the head unit give me everything I need and my phone can just sit on the seat and not fuddled with. Voicedial works well. About the only thing that I can determine is that Siri doesn't seem to go through the bluetooth mic. I still need to activate Siri from the phone and speak into the phone mic.

 

A2DP streaming like this is one of the top things I would look for in a new vehicle. It would make or break a decision to buy for me now that I've had it.

 

You can get the whole setup for around $160-$170. I got mine at autotoys.com because they had a Q/A section on each product that they actually answer and are very helpful. http://www.autotoys.com/x/_search.php?page=1&q=ISSB571

Pushing "4" activates Siri for me.

Pushing "4" activates Siri for me.

Agree with that, yes. However, it just seems that I get horrible results with Siri via the external iSimple mic unless I pick up the phone and talk into the phone mic. Maybe it's just a placebo effect because Siri seems to work perfectly respond good enough on the bluetooth setup on my motorcycle helmet.

The uPac is the older version of the iSimple SB1 (IIRC iSimple and Peripheral used to be separate companies). I purchased it before iOS4 came out and had to buy an upgraded board for it to work with the new iOS. You can still purchase the uPacs but I'm not sure if they are just old stock without the newer board...better off with the iSimple gateway.

The pac system on its own works pretty good and controlling the iPod from the H/U is a real plus. At times the controls are either slow to respond or don't respond at all...I have have to turn the key off to reset everything. The toggling from random off/song/album is not reliable so I just leave it on random song.

My one concern is that power to the ipod through this kit is always hot...time will tell if charging the battery on my ipod 24/7 will take its toll.

Here's a pic of what everything looks like (the mic is mounted where the map lights are):

I know this is not one of you option but I use this

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004CLYJ2I/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B005OB1I60&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0J19515B5ED0MZ5HDYY1]Amazon.com: Belkin Bluetooth Car Hands-Free Kit for Apple iPod, Apple iPhone, BlackBerry,and Android Smartphones: MP3 Players & Accessories[/ame]

It simple and inexpensive and works fairly well as long as you have your windows up.

I know this is not one of you option but I use this

 

Amazon.com: Belkin Bluetooth Car Hands-Free Kit for Apple iPod, Apple iPhone, BlackBerry,and Android Smartphones: MP3 Players & Accessories

 

It simple and inexpensive and works fairly well as long as you have your windows up.

I've thought about getting one of these for our other car. One of the complaints that I think I recall seeing about it, however was that it didn't automatically reconnect to the phone when the car is turned on. You have to remember to manually connect it to the phone every time you get back in the car. Can you confirm if this is true or not?

Thanks.

I've thought about getting one of these for our other car. One of the complaints that I think I recall seeing about it, however was that it didn't automatically reconnect to the phone when the car is turned on. You have to remember to manually connect it to the phone every time you get back in the car. Can you confirm if this is true or not?

 

Thanks.

No it doesn't reconnect automatically but honestly, as long as the bluetooth is turned on on your phone, all it is is pressing one button once you get into the car. Turn on the engine, press the bluetooth button. VOILA! cheap bluetooth with pretty good music streaming.