Anyone have any experience with Insane Audio?

[BigRed97]

Thanks for the information. I have decided after I bought the pac ch4 adapter that I’m going to install the Stinger Heigh10. Seems to be more of what I’m looking for in a touch screen.

Keep in mind you will lose all control for factory settings that are accessed through the radio. And there will be a problem with it not shutting off when you take the doors off(and killing the batteries).
This will be a problem with all aftermarket units that don't have custom CAN Bus integration. Until a company comes out with some sort of interface, if that's even possible.

The IA unit does not have this problem(most settings are covered and more are being updated)

Just some info to consider before spend a good chunk of money either way

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[Darkamek]

What settings will I loose by switching? The Heigh 10 will have the reverse camera and climate controls. As well as a bunch of other features that the IA radio has it seems.

It seems that the Insane Audio and Alpine unit both use the Idat-a Maestro for the canbus. I’m not sure what Stinger is using with theirs. I can give them a call on Monday and speak with them.

 

[BigRed97]

The IA does not use the maestro or any other interface. It's all internal programing.

You'll lose control of setting for AUX switches(if equipped), auto heated seats, accessories time out, to name a few..I don't know all of them off hand...but basically ANYTHING that is controlled through the factory radio will be lost.

If these aren't things you use then you don't have to worry about it. I don't know if the maestro has the the doors off taken care of or not but that's an issue as well

 

[andrew8404]

Do they have wireless CarPlay yet? I heard they were going to add that.

 

[BigRed97]

I'm an android guy so I can't speak to that.

That being said...there is NOTHING that this unit needs car play or Android auto for...everything can be downloaded and run natively

 

[jimonfly]

I'm an android guy so I can't speak to that.

That being said...there is NOTHING that this unit needs car play or Android auto for...everything can be downloaded and run natively

I can confirm that. I installed mine a few weeks ago and have been adding apps since. Everything works great. My only complaint so far is that my local cable company app (Spectrum) is not compatible with the unit so I have to cast the end of the football game to the unit while waiting to pick up dinner last night.

 

[drBassman]

Here is my experience with the InsaneAudio JL3001 head unit in my 2020 Gladiator Sport-S. I upgraded from the 7" Uconnect radio.

The factory radio has one big connector, and 4 other smaller wires that attach. The Insane Audio unit, on the other hand installs by plugging into 4 of the 5 factory connectors, and has its own GPS antenna that the you must install. Some of the wires coming off the big connector loop back and plug into other spots on the head unit. If you have the factory premium sound, you have to change around 2 of the wiring connections. There are several (7 or 8) wiring harnesses that plug into the back. There are 2 or 3 external boxes that loop into the mix. The end result is an absolute rat's nest of wiring that you are left to (somehow) neatly tuck into the dash as you install the radio.

After I went through everything to install my Insane Audio, the backup camera did not function. It took me *DAYS* to contact IA support via email, and to schedule a phone call to troubleshoot. It turned out one of those external boxes was bad, so they sent me a whole new one, and that fixed the issue.

When I first received the radio, it was configured so that the music would continue after switching the engine off until I opened a door.. The IA support website had a firmware update. When I installed the update, this feature went away. With the update, the instant you push the button to turn the engine off, the music stopped, the unit powered off. When I asked about this, they said it is the fix so that the radio shuts down when the doors are removed. Odd, now, instead of being able to remain in my truck until the song I'm listening to is done (something I do OFTEN), I now have to leave the engine running until I'm ready to cut the radio -- There was no option to change this, and I preferred the old behavior. QUIRK

Two weeks after installing IA JL3001, the screen stopped working -- I could only see anything on the screen when it was dark outside. Again, I contacted IA support. The had me remove the radio & send it back to them. They had it for SEVERAL WEEKS to repair it. I was told I'd get a brand new unit; instead I received the same unit I had sent them, only with a new screen installed. I installed the radio, and was pleased with it. It sounded great, and I was starting to become accustomed to all the quirks.

Two days after I got the unit back, sound stopped coming out of the factory premium audio subwoofer. It had worked great when I received the repaired radio. Now all my music sounded tinny and crappy without any bass punch that was there before. I reinstalled the factory 7" radio & the subwoofer immediately worked again. At this point I said, "three strikes & you're out! A $1429 radio should be HIGHER quality than the factory radio. IA support wanted to schedule a phone call to troubleshoot. At this point, I WAS DONE TEARING MY DASH APART AND REMOVING AND REINSTALLING THE RADIO!!!!

Here is a list of the quirks that I observed:

• It didn't remember the volume setting between power off & power on. It always changed the volume back to a pre-set *LOUD* value. A car radio volume should NOT change between power off & power on.
• The backup cam image was grainy & pixelated, stretched to full screen size & distorted b/c screen aspect ratio not same as camera.
• IA media player inadequate for my 3,000+ song; 200+ complete album media.
• Music didn't continue playing after turning engine off. Immediate silence with (virtual) key off. All modern factory radios that I am aware of keep audio going until you open the door.
• The radio runs Android, and as such, one could load any Android app that plays sound -- apps like Spotify, i Heart Radio, TuneIn, Poweramp, MediaMonkey, etc. Unless you were using one of the pre-loaded apps on the radio, on engine startup, the radio would NOT start media in the same spot where you left off -- thus *EVERY* time you start engine, you have to futz with radio for desired content.
• Bluetooth pairing with my phone was hit or miss -- sometimes it auto connected on startup, sometimes it didn't
• Joining Wifi hot spot on my phone was also hit or miss. Usually, if I was playing streaming media, I'd have to manually connect radio to wifi hot spot.

My conclusion -- there are features of the IA unit that were extremely cool. However, with all the idiosyncrasies encountered, the implementation was alpha software quality at best. Having 3 things that broke so soon compounded my experience towards negative. In the end, my Insane Audio experience could never justify the $1429 price tag. I got a refund. I found the factory 8.4" unit at @AllMoparParts.com for $1241 and I am much happier with that upgrade.

 

[Mike - Stinger Off-Road]

Keep in mind you will lose all control for factory settings that are accessed through the radio. And there will be a problem with it not shutting off when you take the doors off(and killing the batteries).
This will be a problem with all aftermarket units that don't have custom CAN Bus integration. Until a company comes out with some sort of interface, if that's even possible.

The Heigh10 infotainment system is now available as part of a Jeep Gladiator kit with all the needed integration components to ensure you won't lose ANY factory capabilities. In addition, all digital controls such as HVAC can be controlled directly from the screen or factory buttons. You won't even lose your steering wheel controls and can reprogram what the steering wheel buttons do if desired. In addition to all factory settings, you will add off-road features such as transmission or coolant temp gauges, pitch & roll gauges, and battery voltage which can all be overlayed on one of 4 camera views available on the 10" HD screen. The Stinger screen will read and display open or disconnected doors and give you a visual guide to drivetrain information including your steering angle while descending an obstacle off-road. All for less than the factory radio upgrades available.
Check it out on the Stinger Off-Road website:
https://stingeroffroad.com/pages/jeep-wrangler-jl-gladiator-jt-radio-upgrade

 

[BigRed97]

The Heigh10 infotainment system is now available as part of a Jeep Gladiator kit with all the needed integration components to ensure you won't lose ANY factory capabilities. In addition, all digital controls such as HVAC can be controlled directly from the screen or factory buttons. You won't even lose your steering wheel controls and can reprogram what the steering wheel buttons do if desired. In addition to all factory settings, you will add off-road features such as transmission or coolant temp gauges, pitch & roll gauges, and battery voltage which can all be overlayed on one of 4 camera views available on the 10" HD screen. The Stinger screen will read and display open or disconnected doors and give you a visual guide to drivetrain information including your steering angle while descending an obstacle off-road. All for less than the factory radio upgrades available.
Check it out on the Stinger Off-Road website:
https://stingeroffroad.com/pages/jeep-wrangler-jl-gladiator-jt-radio-upgrade

Good to know there's other options coming out for people to choose from.

What about control for the factory aux switches, and automatic cold weather heated seats/wheel ?

 

[BAT]

The Heigh10 infotainment system is now available as part of a Jeep Gladiator kit with all the needed integration components to ensure you won't lose ANY factory capabilities. In addition, all digital controls such as HVAC can be controlled directly from the screen or factory buttons. You won't even lose your steering wheel controls and can reprogram what the steering wheel buttons do if desired. In addition to all factory settings, you will add off-road features such as transmission or coolant temp gauges, pitch & roll gauges, and battery voltage which can all be overlayed on one of 4 camera views available on the 10" HD screen. The Stinger screen will read and display open or disconnected doors and give you a visual guide to drivetrain information including your steering angle while descending an obstacle off-road. All for less than the factory radio upgrades available.
Check it out on the Stinger Off-Road website:
https://stingeroffroad.com/pages/jeep-wrangler-jl-gladiator-jt-radio-upgrade

Thats nice

 

[Mike - Stinger Off-Road]

Do they have wireless CarPlay yet? I heard they were going to add that.

Good to know there's other options coming out for people to choose from.

What about control for the factory aux switches, and automatic cold weather heated seats/wheel ?

You will retain your factory aux switched and heated seat controls as well as full HD for cameras, steering wheel controls, USB ports, and more. Along with flush-mountable USB ports and a HDMI port, this will also have a digital fiber optic output that's DSP-ready, a 15-band equalizer with visual display, and 6CH output with subwoofer.

 

[khockey02]

The Heigh10 infotainment system is now available as part of a Jeep Gladiator kit with all the needed integration components to ensure you won't lose ANY factory capabilities. In addition, all digital controls such as HVAC can be controlled directly from the screen or factory buttons. You won't even lose your steering wheel controls and can reprogram what the steering wheel buttons do if desired. In addition to all factory settings, you will add off-road features such as transmission or coolant temp gauges, pitch & roll gauges, and battery voltage which can all be overlayed on one of 4 camera views available on the 10" HD screen. The Stinger screen will read and display open or disconnected doors and give you a visual guide to drivetrain information including your steering angle while descending an obstacle off-road. All for less than the factory radio upgrades available.
Check it out on the Stinger Off-Road website:
https://stingeroffroad.com/pages/jeep-wrangler-jl-gladiator-jt-radio-upgrade

This is definitely interesting. Do you have any videos of the unit in action?

 

[Mike - Stinger Off-Road]

This is definitely interesting. Do you have any videos of the unit in action?

Hey Kalem,
We will be releasing some videos over the next 2 weeks to highlight all of the features. Subscribe to our YouTube channel if you want to follow along, or I can let you know in here!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClkSp16D8elVGz09zx8moNg/videos

 

[Darkamek]

Just placed my order for the Heigh10. Guess I will get rid of this AP4-CH41 R.2 with optical sensor that I didn’t get to use and my 7 inch radio.

 

[Mike - Stinger Off-Road]

Just placed my order for the Heigh10. Guess I will get rid of this AP4-CH41 R.2 with optical sensor that I didn’t get to use and my 7 inch radio.

I'm excited to see pictures! Let us know what you think once it is installed.

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