Best quality aftermarket mic?

[jrgatfh]

Hey guys,

I'm currently running a Dynavin head unit in the car (although thinking of switching to the Carphonics CarPlay setup). The cheap generic mic that came with the Dynavin unit works fine around the neighborhood, but at highway speeds the wind noise seems to get picked up and people can barely hear me.

Does anyone know of a quality aftermarket microphone with a 3.5mm jack?

Let me know, open to any suggestions.

[9kracing]

On the Avin unit I have I'm able to route phone calls through the factory bluetooth and mic, is that not an option on the Dynavin?

I only use the secondary mic for "hey google" or imputing voice navigation

[jrgatfh]

On the Avin unit I have I'm able to route phone calls through the factory bluetooth and mic, is that not an option on the Dynavin?

I only use the secondary mic for "hey google" or imputing voice navigation

No that’s not an option I’m aware of on the Dynavin. One of the reasons I’m thinking of switching to Carphonics’ setup is that it’s possible to use the factory mic.

Do you get any complaints from callers when using the factory mic? I’m sure it’s better quality than the cheap generic mics but it is older at this point so I’m curious how well it works.

[9kracing]

The car has straight exhaust and stiff bushings, so it's not ideal to have a conversation in anyway... but people can hear me fine, the factory mic is surprisingly good.

I was under the impression the Dynavin and the Avin were basically the same, did you check in all the settings? I can't remember where it was on my Avin, but I was able to chose what device phone calls used, and I just picked the factory setup.

[jrgatfh]

The car has straight exhaust and stiff bushings, so it's not ideal to have a conversation in anyway... but people can hear me fine, the factory mic is surprisingly good.

I was under the impression the Dynavin and the Avin were basically the same, did you check in all the settings? I can't remember where it was on my Avin, but I was able to chose what device phone calls used, and I just picked the factory setup.

Glad to get some feedback on the factory mic. Leaning more and more towards the Carphonics setup.

There’s no setting like you describe on the Dynavin unit. From my limited experience with the Avin unit it’s a lot more versatile with options. Thanks for your feedback, I appreciate it.

[Obioban]

The factory mic is good not because the mic is good but because the computer it gets plugged into (factory bluetooth module) has a good background noise canceling algorithm. Using the factory mic will not solve your issue.

... I haven't found a good solution for this. If I need to have any sort of real conversation while in the car these days, I stick and airpod in.

What it feels like we need is a tiny computer with a mic in and mic out, that we could run background sound canceling on. I'm kind of surprised this doesn't exist (as far as I can tell), as this is not a unique to e46 problem-- it's a general aftermarket headunit in any car problem.

I tried to talk Ted into making this, as he does background mic sound canceling on the bluebus, but he didn't seem sold on there being a market for it...

Feels like an ideal Pi Pico project, for someone who had the knowledge/skills to do it.

[jrgatfh]

The factory mic is good not because the mic is good but because the computer it gets plugged into (factory bluetooth module) has a good background noise canceling algorithm. Using the factory mic will not solve your issue.

... I haven't found a good solution for this. If I need to have any sort of real conversation while in the car these days, I stick and airpod in.

What it feels like we need is a tiny computer with a mic in and mic out, that we could run background sound canceling on. I'm kind of surprised this doesn't exist (as far as I can tell), as this is not a unique to e46 problem-- it's a general aftermarket headunit in any car problem.

I tried to talk Ted into making this, as he does background mic sound canceling on the bluebus, but he didn't seem sold on there being a market for it...

Feels like an ideal Pi Pico project, for someone who had the knowledge/skills to do it.

Thanks for the reply and info Obi and clarifying the factory bluetooth module is what's doing the heavy lifting. I currently pop in an airpod just like you do if I need to have a real conversation.

I've been back and forth with Baris at Carphonics. In the past he made a post stating he could get his setup to work with the factory mic if he tweaks the mic but he mentioned an aftermarket mic still works a little better. This morning he wrote back to me after a successful test where he further tweaks the factory mic and gets equal performance compared to the aftermarket mic (I assume the signal is routed through the factory bluetooth module in both cases).