# Valor - The Oppo of Car Audio



## Icon Master

As many here know "Oppo" is the brand name for a Chinese company that makes extremely good, low cost, award winning DVD players. Valor as it turns out is a Chinese company that makes DVD mechanisms and also auto audio systems that also tend to be low in cost but high in features.


I just installed a Valor double-din NVG-670w in my old Lexus ES300. This unit has a built-in wide 6.5" lcd touch screen. The unit has built-in Navigation, AM/FM Tuner, DVD/CD Video/Audio Player, BlueTooth, iPod Digital and Analog interfaces (the latter both require optional cables but the interface is built into the unit). Inputs for SAT radio and a backup camera are also included. The Navigation system data is contained on a removable SD card - not on a DVD - so it is fast and easily updateable via the internet using a PC with a USB/SD card reader. I am told by tech support that system firmware updates will also be uploadable via online CD image as they become available.


The unit also has 5 amplified channels of audio output and a 5.1 channel Dolby Digital decoder used when playing DVD's. The sub woofer channel is not amplified.


Unlike the Pioneer all-in-one the security on the DVD unit can be defeated while the car is in motion since it is based solely on the handbrake switch. Pioneer's all-in-one sense motion from the Navigation and turns the fron zone DVD video off. The Valor unit has two separate zones also with remotes for each.


So far I am very pleased with the unit. From what I have read it will play all types of DVDs, SVCDs, VCDs, CD's, etc. I have yet to try out these options other than a standard DVD movie and a music CD. The navigation works fine as does the AM/FM radio which has three FM "bands" each capable of holding 12 channels. It does not have any program sensing option as of now. The AM band also holds 12 stations. I put in a backup camera and it works just fine. I also added a surface mount center channel speaker from Pioneer. It does help with the voice imaging on DVD's as does the same in a home theater.


The 5.1 scheme has fallen out of favor in the auto audio market. Many lines have dropped the option all together. I was told by the sales rep that a car was too small to notice the effect. Frankly that is BULL!!!! 5.1 sounds great in my four door passenger car. I think the reason why 5.1 has been pulled is because the young folks who the aftermarket car radio system is targeted simply don' want to pay for it. All they want to do is blast their subwoofer into the next dimension. They could care less about six channels of audio. They want one super channel of subwoofer!!!










That is too bad since it really does make movies sound great even in the confines of a car. Since I do not know how well the unit will hold up I don't want to say it is truly the "Oppo" of car systems but even the Oppo DVD players, while they function extremely well, are not the toughest built dvd player units. I have yet to see/hear a DVD or audio CD skip a track with the Valor so it does seem to be solid. I should add that while it has adequate power output with its five built-in amps, for those here who want to scorch their ear drums the unit does also come with five discrete channel outputs for use with external amps.


If any one else here has a Valor unit or does buy one feel free to post your findings here or perhaps we could even open a Valor specific official thread.


For more info on the company and its products check out their web site;
http://www.valormultimedia.com/


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## txangler

Seen em havn't heard much of anything positive about em. Oh and you can overide or defeat the video security feature on the Pioneer units. Though the AVIC Z2's shipped after July 1 are very tough to do.


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## rmalbers

The guy at the local store that sells them, among other higher priced stuff, says they have a 30% first year failure rate but I don't see why they would sell them if that was true.


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## txangler




> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *rmalbers* /forum/post/0
> 
> 
> The guy at the local store that sells them, among other higher priced stuff, says they have a 30% first year failure rate but I don't see why they would sell them if that was true.



That's what I hear. To answer your question about the reason some car audio shops sell them. It is all about price. A large portion of car audio/video consumers buy on price alone. Valor makes a motorized single din flip out dvd/cd tuner that is very popular and retails in the $500 range. Only Jensen competes in that price range with a similar unit. The same thing from Pioneer, Kenwood etc goes for about $700-$750.


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## Icon Master




> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *txangler* /forum/post/0
> 
> 
> That's what I hear. To answer your question about the reason some car audio shops sell them. It is all about price. A large portion of car audio/video consumers buy on price alone. Valor makes a motorized single din flip out dvd/cd tuner that is very popular and retails in the $500 range. Only Jensen competes in that price range with a similar unit. The same thing from Pioneer, Kenwood etc goes for about $700-$750.



Price was certainly a factor for me too since I put it in a rather old vehicle but more importantly it was the features. There is a test report on Valor's web site taken straight from the trade publication "Performance Auto & Sound." At the conclusion of the article the author says that the ITS-710WT tested was the most feature laden unit he had ever seen.


I only have two complaints with the unit thus far. One is that when the LCD is turned down in brightness at night it is still too bright. The other is with the Bluetooth microphone pickup which is built into the unit and not a remote mic hung from the sun visor. The microphone works fine with my voice but it is so sensitive it also amplifies the air noise outside the car. As I go faster I have had folks complain that they are hearing a loud hissing noise and it is not coming from the A/C blowing on the mic which I have seen happen with other units.


I plan to call them on these two issues. I don't know if these are firmware fixable but other than those the navigation works great, as does the AM/FM radio. The iPod digital interface at this time won't handle iPod video but the analog iPod interface does. The backup camera is just way cool to have and the dolby digital surround sound is stunning when playing DVD's although it can be dangerous. I was playing a DVD when accelerating from a turnaround lane. Just when I went to accelerate a horn honking sound from a street traffic scene came out of the right rear channel. It sounded so realistic I momentarily deaccelerated looking for the source of the horn thinking it was from outside the vehicle. Yes the sound quality and separation is that good.


The unit is a keeper even with its flaws and the price isn't bad either. Why spend way more and get less.


As to the first year 30% failure rate... It has a one year warranty if purchased from an authorized (and not e-Bay) dealer so if it fails I get it fixed or replaced. The Oppo DVD players are not the best made units either but they are arguably the best DVD players out there for standard def DVD's. These Valor's are probably the best deals with the most features in the Auto Sound market.


I have one correction to make. The unit did come with the digital iPod cable. I had to only buy the analog cable for the iPod.


Icon Master


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## msmith_JL

The reasons why 5.1 audio is not common practice in aftermarket car audio have much more to do with the difficulty of installing a capable center channel and spectrally balancing the channels than with any desire to have "just bass".


Even when done to an extremely high level of installation integrity, boundary effects make it very difficult to spectrally balance the channels, which makes it very hard to get good sound out of a 5.1 system. Achieving good sound with 2 channels isn't easy either but it is far easier than with 5.1 in my experience.


Best regards,


Manville Smith

JL Audio, Inc.


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## Feirstein

Actually the new Sony MEX-DV2000 multi-channel/SACD/Dolby Digital/DTS automobile receiver is the new OPPO for cars! It offers superb performance and can be picked up on the net for about $200.00. It is setup with amps for 4.0 and has outputs for 5.1 with external amps, plus it plays video DVD's with two analog video outputs.


Richard


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## rmalbers

FWIW: The other thing I noticed about the Valor compared to the more expensive units was the speed that it reacted to the touch commands. I'm not sure in real life use if that would be any issue at all but it was very noticable when playing around with the different units. I'm still haven't decided what to buy. I'd like a USB input, I don't have an ipod. I need video (for rear camera with the boat, etc.), I don't need GPS/map. The price range and number of units on the market is crazy.


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## BizarroTerl




> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *Feirstein* /forum/post/11186559
> 
> 
> Actually the new Sony MEX-DV2000 multi-channel/SACD/Dolby Digital/DTS automobile receiver is the new OPPO for cars! It offers superb performance and can be picked up on the net for about $200.00. It is setup with amps for 4.0 and has outputs for 5.1 with external amps, plus it plays video DVD's with two analog video outputs.
> 
> 
> Richard



But no DVDA


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## AmanteNYC

The price on Valor NVG-670W just went down to $915.00 here's a link http://www.autotoys.com/x/product.ph...0&bestseller=Y 


I think i am going to grab one of this comparing it to pioneer D3 which is seeling for $1000 but bluetooth and ipod connection is seperate and will go around an extra $400. Installation looks straight forward ad dont need to look for the speed sensor like other navigation system.


Just wondering what map is being used in navigation? Tele-atlas or Navteq? It should be interesting hooking this up with stock infinity amp and speakers for a 2005 Mitsubishi Montero ... i found a mitah adaptor to hook them up. I also saw someone hook a pioneer D3 to a montero and what he did is move the ac controls where the cd changer is located here is a link http://www.mitsubishi-forums.com/t25...ation-pics.htm


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## AmanteNYC

Installed this unit Valor NVG-670W with Mitah adapter cause i want to keep the infinity amp and speakers ... here are some pics


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## Feirstein

While it is true that the Sony MEX-DV2000 will not play the DVD-Audio portion of a DVD-A disk, it can play 5.1 Dolby Digital and 5.1 DTS, including those formats encoded with higher bit rates and sampling frequencies. It can also play the high resolution PCM stereo tracks placed on DVD audio disks, such as those put out by Neal Young.


But it comes into its own playing multi-channel Super Audio disks. It has very high quality audio circuits and 4 very powerful audio amps. It is not perfect but then it is available for under $200.00.


Richard


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## phidelt

Hi.... couple of weeks ago i purchased a valor dts 660w and had it installed. The reason i purchased it was because it was 1. affordable and 2. it played divx 3. ipod support. the thing is i have cds that have divx movies burnt in as *data and the valor unit would not play them.... i have a philips dvd player i bought from walmart for $40 and that handles them fine..... has anybody tried to play divx files on the valor and did it work? also when i hook up my ipod it just says connecting and its stuck there... i have the new 160G ipod.... i have been searching every where for the answer i even called tech support... nobody seems to be able to help me... can anybody help me please!!!!!


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## AmanteNYC

one problem i noticed about valor and ipod control is its always acting wierd i sometimes touch the ipod menu and all of a sudden it plays the next song. so i hope you did not get that unit on ebay cause valor wont warranty it. i dont know if it got something to the drive space of your ipod i noticed how slow the valor nvg-670w search for music mp3 on a dvd and that is a 4.7 gig space so imagine how much it will take to read a 160 gig. dvix playing i havent tried i am going to find a program to convert regular movies to dvix ... any suggestions?


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## phidelt

thanks for getting back at me....







i got mine on amazon.com ... so i think its covered under the manufactures warranty not sure though.


about the ipod i found out that more ppl are having the same problem.. its something to do with the new ipod... http://discussions.apple.com/thread....sageID=5394131 


ripping dvd to divx http://guides.ircklipper.info/guides...hp?guide=2-2-3 


i think just like icon master mentioned on the first post we should probably start a Valor specific official thread because there is absolutely no valor support forum... or maybe i just cant find it


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## AmanteNYC

it takes alot of time converting a dvd to xvid so i just pop the original dvd's alot simplier


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## kman_av_site

Yep - - I have problems using my ipod with the unit as well...it seems to play song other than the ones I specifically select. It is quite annoying.


BTW, my ipod (iPod Photo) is not that new...it's at least 2 yrs old.


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## gyrfalcon16




> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *AmanteNYC* /forum/post/11698756
> 
> 
> Installed this unit Valor NVG-670W with Mitah adapter cause i want to keep the infinity amp and speakers ...



What do you think of the NVG-670W? Do you know if it uses a hard drive internally for the GPS maps, or do you need to use a DVD? Any idea about upgrade ability on the GPS maps/or other software.


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## phidelt




> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *gyrfalcon16* /forum/post/11989284
> 
> 
> What do you think of the NVG-670W? Do you know if it uses a hard drive internally for the GPS maps, or do you need to use a DVD? Any idea about upgrade ability on the GPS maps/or other software.



The NVG-670W uses the sd car slot for the GPS maps. I dont know anything about the upgrade ability on the maps though.


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## AmanteNYC




> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *gyrfalcon16* /forum/post/11989284
> 
> 
> What do you think of the NVG-670W? Do you know if it uses a hard drive internally for the GPS maps, or do you need to use a DVD? Any idea about upgrade ability on the GPS maps/or other software.



upgrades can be made once available but with a fee ... i bought mine a few months ago and it came with latest map version (i think







)


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## gyrfalcon16




> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *AmanteNYC* /forum/post/11990921
> 
> 
> upgrades can be made once available but with a fee ... i bought mine a few months ago and it came with latest map version (i think
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> )



So what do you think of the unit? Does it have a hard drive internally? I live in Minnesota and am a bit worried about how it will react to a cold car.


Can anyone give a write up of this receiver? The pictures above are cool but description is lacking.


For example, is this a menu bug... or a refresh issue?


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## mxtime

yeah the unit is kinda buggy... It has no hard drive... it uses an SD card slot...

Lots of features but frustrating interface... Even when the screen is calibrated some of the buttons are to close together... I just found this link though.. I wonder if you can update this firmware to the Valor NVG-670w... They look exactly the same... But you need some kind of code to download anything, and I'm not sure if its even a firmware...
vapine.com/En/Product/Detail.asp?Id=111


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## mxtime

I couldnt link the last time (didnt have enough posts) so here is the link

The interface looks way better than the valor one...
http://vapine.com/En/Product/Detail.asp?Id=111


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## oapy123

thats a ton of features for a low price, but personally I'd rather go with a trusted brand that isnt going to bug out on me


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## AmanteNYC




> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *mxtime* /forum/post/12067483
> 
> 
> I couldnt link the last time (didnt have enough posts) so here is the link
> 
> The interface looks way better than the valor one...
> http://vapine.com/En/Product/Detail.asp?Id=111



very interesting and the face looks the same ... im sure there's a way to change the interface ... valor gotta do something about the firmware too.


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## mxtime




> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *AmanteNYC* /forum/post/12082972
> 
> 
> very interesting and the face looks the same ... im sure there's a way to change the interface ... valor gotta do something about the firmware too.



Yeah, what I'm thinking is that if you update the valors firmware to the skypine's then the interface will change to it as well.. I only see downloads for 9228 and 9218 here http://vapine.com/En/Support/Down.asp?ClassId=4 

Anyone read chinese?


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## Mechanic

You guys should have looked into a carPC before investing good money into this.


I have a 1-Din motorized LCD VGA touch screen like this one that automatically retracts when not in use. Cost me around $300 for the touch screen monitor. It can be installed in anything from a 1-Din to a 2 Din dash with a $19 "aftermarket radio" install kit. Mine happens to be a GM 1.5 din, and it still only took me about 20 minutes to install.


The carPC attached to the touch screen monitor cost less than $700. Its based on a miniITX MII12000G motherboard with 6 channel audio. Here is a pic, it installs in my car in seconds with two nylon/velcro straps, so I can easily bring it with me into the house if I want and I have another PC to play with.










It has a DVD-RW/CD-RW player, 120 GB hard drive, a USB bluetooth dongle with phone control, voice navigation GPS, and a Pantech PX-500 3g EV-DO rev A. card (e.g. always-on mobile broadband internet access). The PX-500 was free with my cell plan. I also have the carPC connected to a Linksys WRT54G as an access point, so any authorized WiFi capable device in the area (such as my PDA) also has internet access. The touch screen replaced the original AM/FM tuner, so I simply added a PC integrated HD Radio receiver which is controlled with the touch screen.


It runs the familiar Windows XP operating system so the interface is completely modifiable, here is one I use. The image of the lady which appears first (for quite a while) is actually that of the artificial intelligence (AIVMS) which is similar to Fords Sync system.


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## AmanteNYC

or get this if you have a double din opening http://www.***********ducts.globalso...0000091908.htm 


this is with two single dins


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## Aychdot

Amantel, I followed your link. please explain how that works and where is the link to the single din unit. Looks interesting!


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## dontbugme

Hi, I like to purchase this unit as well. My second choice is the Kenwood DNX5120 but Valor is $200-$300 cheaper. I just have some questions to users who own one:


1) when in navigation mode, does songs coming in from AUX IN continue to play?

2) does song titles displays when on navigation screen?

3) this review has been a while, how is the unit holding up so far? any potentially foreseen problems in the future?


Thanks in advance.


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## mookie318

Any more updated reviews? I am thinking of this unit. I was thinking of geting pionner avic z3. Then changed mind thought I should do car pc if I was going to spend that much $. Car pc intimadated me about where to place & what to buy. This looks like cheap viable solution.


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## decaynyc

I just purchased an AVIC D3, they're 700 bucks at best buy and it comes with the bluetooth kit. pick up the ipod cable on ebay for 10 bucks and you're all set.


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## mookie318

does avic d3 do dual zone for headrest video for kids?


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## pkaye1

I just had the 670w installed and quite like the nav. and bluetooth. However, when I turn off my vehicle to run a chore and then return, the radio does not start up on the station that I had on before. It simply starts playing whatever is in the number 1 position..also any manual sets to a particular station don't seem to hold...In addition, when I try to set the clock as per instructions, the time will always revert back to 12:00..Yet, when I enter an address into my nav, it does hold....thanx for any suggestions out there?


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## randycandy




> Quote:
> I just had the 670w installed and quite like the nav. and bluetooth. However, when I turn off my vehicle to run a chore and then return, the radio does not start up on the station that I had on before. It simply starts playing whatever is in the number 1 position..also any manual sets to a particular station don't seem to hold...In addition, when I try to set the clock as per instructions, the time will always revert back to 12:00..Yet, when I enter an address into my nav, it does hold....thanx for any suggestions out there?



You don't have your "always on" power cable connected correctly. I think it's the yellow cable. I'm guessing the nav saves the addresses because it writes them to storage.


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## pkaye1

thanx, randycandy...

I took it back to the installer and you were right...he blamed a harness mismatch ... now that part works...however, half way to the east coast, my nav started to forget...everytime I turn off the car and then return, it resets itself to California..consequently, I have to reprogram the route again..tedious...does anyone know where it stores its nav info, and what could have caused this memory loss problem..


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## mxtime

The addresses are stored on the SD card...

I've hacked this unit.. (nvg-670w) It actually runs windows CE 4.2 for the navigation part of it... You can replace the navigation.exe on the SD card with an explorer.exe from windows CE (must be renamed to navigation.exe) and it will bring you to a windows desktop.

There is even a usb port on the back of the unit that is covered. I cut a hole in mine to be able to plug it in... You can plug it into a pc and open via activesync.. kinda cool I've got tomtom running on it, but I cannot get tomtom to find the gps signal...


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## AmanteNYC

wow very interesting that you found that usb input and manage to use tomtom. program in it. They came out with NVG-606w i guess this is the latest one but for some reason they forgot to include the built-in bluetooth. bummer cause i was going to buy the new model for my car but a seperate bluetooth adapter needs to be purchased and no information about it yet. I am going to wait until they release it then i will buy it.


so far after 1 year of using this valor unit i returned it once due to the dvd slot problem but over all experience is great and pretty much satisfied with it specially price wise this unit is now around $700. one more thing is when i recieved the replacement unit it's not by valor anymore just an OEM but everything is the same they even throw in the latest navigation software and maps since the one i returned has the original sd card.


The NVG-606W is cheaper $649 and still packed with features except for the bluetooth.


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## mxtime

NVG-606W has no ipod integration either...

So I have a problem with my dvd also... Your nvg-670w probably had the nav1 originally and they sent you one with a nav2 in it which is able to run the new software.. Also I was talking to someone at another forum and he couldnt find a usb port on his...
http://www.hpcfactor.com/forums/foru...sts=24&start=1 

So anyhow, I've got an email into Valor right now about my dvd player.. We'll see...


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## AmanteNYC

pretty interesting what you guys are trying to accomplish on the other forum you posted. i really liked tomtom cause of its interface i hope you guys get it running.


i end up giving up the navigation and bought a pioneer fh-p8000bt capable of a2dp so i can use my cell as the navigator and mp3 then sync it with the hu.


post something when you guys finally got those other programs running.


one question ... do you know why my navigator when it speaks the voice gets bubbled like its saying " make a rrrrright"?


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## narayan01

Does it support usb drives?


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## AmanteNYC

The FH-P8000BT? yes it does not only flas drives but usb memory card readers as well .... i tried my 4gig sdhc in a memory card reader and it reads it faster than when it boots.


very good HU without the nav.


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## mikegigabyte

Quick question, I just got the valor nvg-606w, and would like to know if the pink brake wire just gets grounded out to play dvd's while driving. One poster said it was easy to disable, and looking at the instructions they show the brake lever and the ground symbol, so that means jsut ground to body and it will work all the time. I havent installed it yet or I would have tried this, probably in a few days.


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## AmanteNYC

yup just ground it the same where the black wire goes it should work fine. have you tried the backup camera feature? thats the coolest thing I've ever installed on my SUV no more hitting those low cars specially when parallel parking.


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## mikegigabyte




> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *AmanteNYC* /forum/post/16930149
> 
> 
> yup just ground it the same where the black wire goes it should work fine. have you tried the backup camera feature? thats the coolest thing I've ever installed on my SUV no more hitting those low cars specially when parallel parking.



The camera rocks, bad thing when first starting the stereo takes about 15 sec to boot up, so now I wait before slamming into reverse so the stereo will show the camera. I also have a bumper guard so I can see that in the camera and get within an inch of another car when backing up, works good for parallel parking.


I noticed the gps overhead view ( the one that shows clouds) makes it lag big time, trying to select gps items it takes over 4 seconds to relay the input, but the other views the gps runs normal.

Anyone have the same problem.


Crutchfield sent me the wrong harness, so they sent me a link for my model, I had to hard wire it in.


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## AmanteNYC

horizonnav.com released an update for Valor 670w for those people who still have this unit


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