Install Experience of Caska DVD/GPS Unit

[fleecyears]

Hi There,

Just thought I'd share my user experience regarding the CASKA CA-109A DVD/GPS Unit for the Mazda CX-7 2010 model without the Bose stereo.

I ordered this unit off eBay.

7"HD LCD DVD GPS RDS iPod SD BT for 2010" Mazda CX-7 - eBay (item 150504266975 end time Mar-07-11 1229 PST)

The Caska unit arrived from China to Australia in 5 days, which I believe is very fast. James the guy who will respond to all your questions is very helpful. When it arrived in Australia I did not have to pay any import duties or taxes, because the unit was < $1000 AUD.

To start with, the whole install process only took about an hour. The centre console side strips come off very easily by using the tip of the screw driver at the bottom and prying it forward (towards back of cabin).

Once the strips are off, you just remove a few screws and the standard Sanyo unit will just come out. Just ensure you unplug the original cable fastners from the back.

Once the unit is out, just slide the new unit in and re-connect all the existing cables to the Caska supplied cables along with the Hazard light. Note, you do NOT have to cut any wires. This model is a pure "Plug & Play" unit with NO modifications or cutting of any kind.

I actually placed the GPS aerial at the top of the centre console just under the plastic cover and taped it down using the Nashua Gaffa Tape. The reception is still very good and this way there are NO visible cables what so ever. Note the Caska unit came pre-loaded with the latest Australian Maps dated 2010 from iGo.

Another thing is that the radio reception for both AM and FM is very good and did not notice any performance loss compared to the original Sanyo unit in the car.

I placed the iPod connector under the centre console as you will see in the pictures and is the perfect place to store my iPhone.

The unit is very fast and only takes about 8 seconds to boot. The iPod functionality is still not perfect and as far as I can tell the unit will not play movies stored on the SD card, but will play the movies quite happily from a DVD or CD.

As you can see from the pictures, the unit fits perfectly, go gaps and the colour matches as well. In fact, I believe the unit fits even better than the original Sanyo unit which came with the car. This thing looks so original, you cannot tell the difference if the unit was factory fitted (Note; I am a very, very fussy person).

The Original rear vision camera monitor remains intact (wanted it that way), works perfectly and the red information screen on top also shows all the correct information. The steering controls also work perfectly with the Caska.

Hope this information helps anyone interested in such a unit. Overall verdict, very pleased.

Kind Regards,
FleecyEars

[Raider]

Nice first post! Keep us posted how it works long term.

[JHahn7837]

That looks great! I love the look along with the built-in mic, mini usb port, and sd slots. I need to find one of these that fits my 07!

[ryandlor]

Look alot better than mine...

[fleecyears]

I'll keep you posted regarding longer term reliability.

The iPod setup is a litte quirky and the SD card file browser is awkward to use.

Otherwise, no real complaints thus far.

[JHahn7837]

Can you take a picture at night with the lights on? I am curious to see how the unit lights up.

[fleecyears]

Okay, here are the night time pics. Enjoy...

[JHahn7837]

Looks pretty sharp. Thanks.

[katsudon98]

Hi there,

I have been thinking about buying the same style unit. How much SD memory does it support to play MP3?

I have the 2010 Lux sports. Will the Cask unit affect the bose sound system in my car?

[fleecyears]

Originally Posted by katsudon98 Hi there, I have been thinking about buying the same style unit. How much SD memory does it support to play MP3? I have the 2010 Lux sports. Will the Cask unit affect the bose sound system in my car?

Not sure, I'm currently using a 16Gb SD card in mine. There are two versions of the unit available one for Bose and one for without.

[katsudon98]

Thanks for that.

hows the quaity of sound like? Any changes?

I dont have any audio install experiene. Is it easy enough for someone like me to install? (Plug and play right?)

[fleecyears]

I think the unit actually sounds better than the Stock NON BOSE unit, but think the actual speakers that come with the car are absolute rubbish. I'm going to replace them with some "Dynaudio" speakers made in Denmark

Yes, the unit is literally plug and play, no wire cutting, no plastic cutting or manipulation of any kind. Just keep on hand some plastic cable ties and some strong tape (eg Gaffa) to stick the GPS receiver under the centre A/C console cover and obviously a philips screwdriver and flat screwdriver.

[katsudon98]

Would it be any different to install the unit with a bose sound system unit?

[fleecyears]

Don't think there is any difference except that Bose may have a different connector to mine

[katsudon98]

Hey,

I was looking at James's shop on ebay. The unit you purchased was about $720 USD. James is selling a new stock for a lower price if around $650 USD

7" HD LCD DVD RDS TV GPS iPod BT SD USB for Mazda CX-7 on eBay (end time 08-Apr-11 11:56:41 BST)

But unsure the quality and whether it will fit directly in or not.

Have you seen this when you were purchasing your caska unit?

ive sent some emails to James asking what the differences were but he hasnt replied.......

[fleecyears]

That particular model is designed for 2007- early 2010 models.
I've got a 2010 Dec model, which is why I went for next 2010-2011 model.

[katsudon98]

Sorry just last question,

Does the unit you ordered support Bose as well as Non Bose? You mentioned your CX7 is a non Bose. On the EBAY page, James has mentioned that it supports Bose..

Just a little confused. Are there two different units? or one unit that supports both?

[fleecyears]

They come in two varieties. Same unit, but different connectors for the respective audio systems. Just make sure you order the unit to suit the Bose unit.

Cheers

[Amazon]

Whats with all the brownies in here? You CX-7 guys need to get on it and demand donations and nudes

[ryandlor]

Originally Posted by katsudon98 Sorry just last question, Does the unit you ordered support Bose as well as Non Bose? You mentioned your CX7 is a non Bose. On the EBAY page, James has mentioned that it supports Bose.. Just a little confused. Are there two different units? or one unit that supports both?

dont deal with that James guy..hes a crook...

There are BOSE and Non Bose..one wont work with the other.

If you have BOSE, get the BOSE supported unit. But agian don't buy from that James guy....hes shady. Plus I'll put $20 youir unit wont fit and you'll have to do major cutting.

Also if it is "James Forever" or name is somthing like that..hes opened 10 different ebay stores under different names in the last 2 years.

Go with Alipne or Pioneer....I wish I did...

[katsudon98]

Hey Ryandlor,

Can you confirm that this is the same person that you dealt with??

7" HD LCD DVD RDS TV GPS iPod BT SD USB for Mazda CX-7 on eBay (end time 08-Apr-11 11:56:41 BST)

[fleecyears]

I not sure what the big deal is? It's the same unit with a different connector. One for Bose and one without. As for Ryandlor's comment about cutting, that statement is completely unfounded with this particular unit in it's latest incarnation. As I said before, there is no cutting, no twisting, no extra padding, the unit just slots in and the screws line up perfectly. In fact, it fits better than the original unit with less panel gap. See my picture above.

When you order your unit, just say you have the Bose unit and he'll supply that type of cable. As for James, I have had no issue when dealing with him and he seemed very trustworthy.

Good luck, my next project is to replace the crappy stock speaker cones, with some Danish Dynaudio speakers. Even the CX7 Bose unit sounds awful to my ears, but then again, I am an Audiophile. In the Audiophile circles for home 2 channel audio, we usually mock the sound of Bose as being nothing more than "Mid-Fi" sound.

I may even install a real American made Arcaudio amp in the CX7. I'll keep you posted.

Btw, where does one put an Amp in the CX7?

[ryandlor]

Originally Posted by fleecyears I not sure what the big deal is? It's the same unit with a different connector. One for Bose and one without. As for Ryandlor's comment about cutting, that statement is completely unfounded with this particular unit in it's latest incarnation. As I said before, there is no cutting, no twisting, no extra padding, the unit just slots in and the screws line up perfectly. In fact, it fits better than the original unit with less panel gap. See my picture above. When you order your unit, just say you have the Bose unit and he'll supply that type of cable. As for James, I have had no issue when dealing with him and he seemed very trustworthy.

U just bought the unit so dont get too comfy. As soon as there is a prob with it, don't expect any type of cust service. I have the Same Chinese made unit (or similar) and have nothing but problems. And what Am I supposed to do? Luckily I got mine from a local Dealer, you're dealing Straight from China. So pay your own shipping to send the unit, and you may get a new one back fiixed , probably not...and you'll be out even more money.

Caska has an even better reputation than these other chinese knock offs...these arent even Caska units.

I am just trying to help a guy out...if I had to choose again I'd go with an atermarket Pioneer or Alpine..

[fleecyears]

The unit i have is a Caska CA-109A and comes with a Caska manual and logo on the unit indicating Caska. Maybe they have improved their quality lately as the Chinese are constantly making their products better every year.

Anyway, Ryandlor your unit must be a little different because it involved some cutting right?

[charlie101]

Guys,

Ive got a luxury model 2010, which comes with the SAT NAV, reverse sensors and blutooth....do you know if i get this CASKA model what happens to the old SAT NAV, etc

I only really need a nice looking unit, digital TV and DVD would be nice, apart from the Caska any other recommendations ?

[fleecyears]

Note sure about this one. I know for my car, I have the reverse cameras in this little screen up the top. Even after installing the Caska I decided I wanted to keep it that way and only use the Caska for it's GPS capability and music of course.

[charlie101]

Hey Fleecyear, does your model have digital TV ? I know it comes with Analog and digital is optional extra....hows the quality of the tv ?

[charlie101]

Anyone ever deal with this mob ?

New Caska Brand 2010 Mazda CX-7 Car DVD Player Radio Video GPS SD TV

They have the DVB-T Digital reciever on offer from what I can see..as well as the unit Fleecyears ordered...might get this , just have to make sure they are reliable dealers...

Fleecyears with the reverse camera do you know if i need some sort of adaptor if I wanted to hook it up to this unit.

cheers

[fleecyears]

I'm not using the TV capability of the unit, therefore can't comment

With the reverse camera, I believe if you don't already have one installed, you'll need the optional reverse camera unit which I believe is around $30 to $50

[briarwood]

any updates on how the caska unit has worked out?

[fleecyears]

Seems to be okay. Just wished the unit could play FLAC files as I'm really into High End audio.
Has anyone managed to get FLAC files working with the CASKA unit?

[ganas]

fleecyears, with this unit how do you manage to get the car clock setup since the buttons are now removed? Does the Caska unit have it integrated in its system setup? Thanks mate.

[fleecyears]

Yes, the clock is an issue with the 2010 CX7 as it's now displayed in the little 4" rear vision camera screen. As a result, it does not update this clock. The only way to get around the issue is to disconnect and reconnect the car battery at midnight.

The older pre 2010 models have the clock integrated into the little red display, which I believe does update using the Caska unit.

Also, I had a need to play high quality audio files (WAV & FLAC) via the SD card. As a result, the only way I could play these files was by installing another media player (CorePlayer) onto the GPS SD card. Seems to work okay, although the interface is a little clunky.

Otherwise, the unit seems to be working perfectly at the moment.

[ganas]

I see, hope caska or other manufacturers will consider adding those buttons into their future design I like the idea of replacing original unit with this satnav system, but still prefer to have all other function works properly. Thanks for the info fleecyears.

[fleecyears]

Okay, i thought I'd share my latest sound upgrade with this group, which has been attached to and controlled by the CASKA head unit. Now have a 16GB SD card filled to the brim with 30kPS MP3 files comprising mainly of great Jazz recordings. The subwoofer level attenuator has been installed next to the TCS Off swtich near the steering wheel.

1. Removed all stock CX-7 speakers (4 in total), which are just rubbish and of the lowest quality.
2. Acquired two tweeter grill covers for the dashboard speaker inserts under the windscreen from Mazda spares
3. Acquired an upmarket Arc Audio 4 channel audio amplifier (made in USA)
4. Acquired 4 Dynaudio mid/woofers (made in Denmark)
5. Acquired 2 Dynaudio tweeters (made in Denmark)
6. Acquired 1 Rockford Fosgate shallow SubWoofer
7. Acquired 1 Rockford Fosgate Subwoofer Amplifier
8. Acquired 2 sets of Dynaaudio crossovers
9. Extensive Dynamat damping material for doors and boot to help reduce vibration
10. Had a custom sub-woofer enclosure made to fit inside spare wheel cavity.


End Result: Real "High Fidelity" sound suitable for Audiophiles, installed completely by stealth, so NO modifications are visible to the naked eye. The unit now comprises of 4 x mid/woofers, 2 x tweeters and 1 Subwoofer.

Enjoy the pics...

All the wiring around the two amplifiers (Subwoofer and Main).


ARC Audio 4 channel amp.


Subwoofer Amplifier from Rockford Fosgate


Actual Rockford Fosgate subwoofer in a custom built sealed enclosure to fit inside wheel cavity


Plenty of Dynamat silver damping to help reduce reverberation.


Tweeter gril covers. BOSE version of car already had these by default, but base model does not.


Cheers,
Fleecy

[ganas]

nice and sleek setup fleecyears, welldone mate!

[CX-Newbie]

very nice, can you change the design of the menues?

[ryandlor]

Fleecy how is the CASKA holidng up?

My Chinese Unit I bought in October just died on me,wont start, wont fuking do a thing and the vendor hasnt got back to me yet...

this guy

Navitouch and trustigo he runs a few diff sketchy busniesses, all sell the same chinese crap.

2007~10 Mazda CX-7 DVD GPS Navigation In-dash stereo 08 | eBay

this unit.

[fleecyears]

Sorry to hear that your unit has died.

Mine seems to be running fine at the moment. I really only us the MP3, Bluetooth, Radio and Satnav features of the unit

[lvdukerider]

Man I almost bought one of those from trustigo after reading this thread a couple of months ago he was out of stock at the time and cheerfully refunded/canceled my ebay order. I guess I lucked out. I think im just gonna save my money and stick with my stock Bose/w nav. I let my Sirius trial expire so now use the bluetooth audio to play music from my cellphone. Wish I had the 7" nav screen though.