Another Tablet Cubby Thread (Nexus 7)

[mfeinst]

Originally Posted by cheshirecat

There are quite a few threads on forums that complain about volume on the Nexus 7 being broken with the 4.2 android update.

At this point, I would suggest flashing back to 4.1 and trying it.

I'm on 4.2.2, no issues. Okay, first off, nobody should be doing audio mods without replacing the speakers on a base system. For a little over $100, no amp necessary, you can get a great set. Installation not difficult if you have a modicum of discipline and patience.

Bluetooth signals do carry volume information, but the bulk of the amplification comes from the head unit. Once again, the base unit is horrible. $140 for my HU, built-in BT. No amp, but not needed. OBD II BT transmitter was $25 on Amazon. Ask me for the link if interested; there are 15 bad ones and 1 good one.

The AUX jack on any receiver likely wont sound as good as BT, since it's mainly an afterthought analog input, which means crap quality; this is the biggest weakness of the stock HU, and the volume will need to be turned way up on any input; loss of frequencies tend to occur at this connection.

My N7 is mounted on a heavily cut down stock cubbyhole. I used wire cutters to dig into the felt/plastic material and cut out the borders until the tablet fit snugly. Use the red (extra strength) 3M double-sided tape from a place like AutoZone to mount. A micro USB cable is permanently fixed to the N7; the rubber casing on the cable had to be stripped to allow for angular flexibility of the cable because of the right HVAC vent blocking the path. The wire goes down to the passenger side power jack, which I unmounted from its awful stock position under the glovebox and moved it up under the glovebox overhang. Power supply is absolutely key; N7 is very picky. PowerGEN 3.1A dual charger (NA port) highly recommended for steady supply of power.

I'll go into more detail upon request. Bottom line, components are the make-it or break-it of a functional setup. It can be done under $300 including speakers/HU and tools. Took a lot of trial and error (>30 hrs).