Stinger Horizon10

Haven’t seen anything on Stinger’s next gen HU the Horizon10. Lots of aftermarket options out there. I’ve always liked the finished look of the Heigh10. Just disappointed that it still has wired CarPlay. Looks like the Horizon10 fixes that with wireless CP and AA. Can’t really find any side by side comparisons. Also looks like the screen resolution has improved. 10.1” 1280x800 HD Screen vs 1024x600. Another change is the IP65 Weather Resistant Display. Just thought I’d start a thread for anyone interested. I’m definitely considering it.

 

Has anyone used a topo mapping app like Onyx Off Road or Gaia on a Stinger? Just wondering how smooth the UI is. Is it a pinch and zoom similar to a tablet? Trying to decide between a Stinger or just using something like an iPad mini. Definitely don’t want a clunky UI.

 

I am very much looking forward to getting these in the shop. I have volunteered to test drive the shop demo in my ride. If that gets approved, stay tuned for pics!

 

Curious if itll have MaestroRR(iirc) support to allow control of accessories through it like the Kenwood does

 

My guess would be no since they will want you to use a PAC module. All of the kits come with pac modules for SWC and whichever AP interface it needs.

I dont think Idatalink list stinger as one of their supported brands.

 

I just looked at the horizon10 as I wanted to see whats different between it and the old height10... height10 being $200 off on crutchfield.

Well, I didnt look far, but the horizon10 has built in integration for the audiocontrol dsp systems! Im so in for this. I hate having to get my laptop out any time I want to change something in the dsp.

 

Horizon 10 - WIRELESS carplay. That in itself has me wanting to test drive this, but the DSP integration is super cool!

 

Wireless CP/AA, Improved Resolution, Weather Resistant and Faster Processor. I held off on the Heigh10. Didn’t feel going from wired to wired made sense at this price point. Doesn’t look like they’re giving me a reason to not spend money now.

 

One thing about the Horizon 10, you can't install apps on it. I checked with their tech support a couple weeks ago about the memory and storage. I was told:
We don't have the specs for memory or version of Android as those are only relevant when adding apps to the radio.
We don't allow the adding of apps to our radio.
Yes the USB is limited to 128GB
And
All our apps are updated with the firmware releases we have. Our individual apps don't have updates separate as we develop all our own apps

That's not a deal killer for me, but it's not what I was hoping for either....

 

Is there an advantage to adding apps directly to the HU? Wouldn’t you just use apps through CP or AA?

 

https://youtu.be/uYdvdF9pNxU?si=jEc1ZN87YFBzohFn

HEIGH10 vs HORIZON10

Basic compassion…

 

I ordered their Tacoma kit and just finished the install.

I had a Sony XAV-AX7000, which I enjoyed the sound of, but it had some annoying glitches that I was tired of dealing with, so I decided to take a chance on the Horizon10.

The installation wasn't too bad. Take your time, read and reread the instructions, and you should be OK. Step 10 in the Tacoma kit instructions threw me for a loop, and caused some issues later, because there was already an adapter harness plugged into where the recommended harness should go. Once I got that sorted, everything worked.

I have a Pioneer subwoofer under the driver's seat, so I had to change the connector on my power trigger line from spade to bullet, but after firing up the H10 and turning on the subwoofer in the audio settings menu, it worked as it should.

I did not bother with an of my old Sirius radio connections, as I don't use it anymore.

I used the GPS connection from the truck, but the H10 never grabbed a signal. Granted I had the truck in the garage the entire time, but I would have excepted something. I might try ripping the system out again and using the GPS antenna that Stinger supplied. It's only used for automatic time setting, and perhaps a compass, so it's not a crucial item to me.

All of the steering wheel controls worked except for the "hold to mute" button, but the large volume button on the H10 can be tapped to mute the system.

A quick review:

The screen is huge! Coming from the Sony, with a screen smaller than the OEM radio, the H10 screen takes up a lot of real estate, but looks great. I was shocked by how heavy the screen itself was when I unboxed it. I thought it would be light, but if weight is any indication of quality, it should be a sturdy unit.

The backup camera quality is still crap, but that's to be expected.

I was worried that the H10 wouldn't compare to the Sony in terms of sound quality, but it sounds fantastic to me. I play high quality MP3s via USB for all of my music, and they sound just as good, if not better than, the Sony.

Boot time is slightly on the long side, but not long enough to really complain about.

Performing a firmware update seemed to be easy enough, but I'm not sure that it stuck.
According to Stinger, you should perform a reset on the unit after a firmware update, which kind of sucks, since it's supposed to reset all of your settings, but that didn't happen to me. After the firmware update, the system returned to it's previous state and remained that way after the reset. I wasn't able to find the firmware logs on Stinger's site to verify the system information.
More digging is required.

I'm not sure if the automatic screen backlighting uses its own sensor, or the trucks information, because the screen wasn't dimming when I turned the headlights on and off in the garage. I have the screen brightness dialed way down, so we'll see how it looks in direct sunlight.

Overall, I am impressed so far. It's a heck of a kit. We'll see how it holds up and handles the wicked cold temperatures that are moving into my area.

EDIT 12/21/2024
After using the unit for some time, here are some anomalies that I've discovered:

• You cannot manually set the clock. It can only be set automatically via GPS, but the H10 never got a signal from my truck's GPS antenna. I just installed the GPS antenna that Stinger provided, so we'll see if that works.

• The screen doesn't dim when the headlights are turned on. I'm not sure why, as it's wired into the factory harness. There's a note in the user manual stating that "auto brightness" will only work if an illumination wire is connected, but there is no mention of an illumination wire in the installation instructions.

• One reason I scrapped the Sony and went with the Stinger was because the Sony freaked out and wouldn't play tracks from USB when my truck was below 32 degrees. Once the interior warmed up, it would work. Unfortunately, the Stinger seems to behave in a similar manner, but instead of glitching, it just doesn't enable the USB option until the cabin warms up a bit. It seems more stable than the Sony, but I just don't understand why a jump drive should be affected by cold temperatures. Changing jump drives didn't help.

• I mainly listen to music via USB. The H10 will remember your last used input, but if the USB connection takes more than a few seconds to establish, the H10 reverts to the radio input. That means you have to go back to the main menu, wait for the USB connection to become active, and then select it. This happens about 95 percent of the time when I start the truck. Changing jump drives didn't seem to help.

• Occasionally, when the issue above happens, the H10 will get stuck on one song from the USB. You cannot select another track. Pressing "next" will simply restart the current track. The only solution is to change the replay and randomize settings, and then revert them back to your previous settings.

• If you listen to an entire song via USB, before playing the next track the H10 will play one second of the previous track. Mildly annoying.

I plan to submit the three issues as bugs to Stinger. Maybe they can address them with a firmware update.


Edit 12/22/2024:

After replacing the OEM GPS connection with the GPS antenna supplied in the Stinger kit, the clock and compass are now working.

 

Thanks for the review! Probably going to pull the trigger on one after the holidays.

When using mapping apps like google is the UI more like our phones? Pinch/Zoom/Swipe or the directional arrows? I’d like to run topo apps like Onx Offroad or something similar. Using the directional arrows like older stock head units is pretty clunky. Hoping this will be smoother and easy to navigate.

 

I just picked up the HEIGH10+ during the Black Friday sale for $799...should be here soon. Can't wait to install it.

 

https://youtu.be/-2VAKko0P_k?si=2E67VuEbOtWpDPm3

 

Thanks for the update! Let us know if Stinger follows up with your issues. Having good (or poor) customer support is always important when deciding on an expensive unit like this.

Really curious why the stock antenna wasn’t working as well as the dimming feature.

I listen to pretty much everything wirelessly through car play. Interesting that the issue with USB and cold temps seems to be an issue with both units.

 

HEIGH10 is $599 right now.. thinking of pulling the trigger despite the large cost since I am tired of the single DINs 9-segment style head units crapping out on me. The thing that found it for me was the only HU with optical out on Crutchfield - for my DSP, so I can rip the 6 RCAs out from under my floor, simplifying things. Biggest turn-off is wired Android Auto. Maybe if it were Quickcharge at the same time it would be more ok? But the added features like GPS and camera inputs are exciting

 

HEIGH10 + is wireless AA/CP but for $400 more. At that point moght as well get the HORIZON10. $599 isn’t terrible considering the cost of aftermarket HU’s these days. Let us know how you like it if you pull the trigger.

 

Ya the + doesn't even appear on Crutchfield (I think it's because they are vehicle-specific and I have a 1st gen). The HORIZON10 is $999. Not sure it's worth that for wireless, and the embedded volume knob concerns me since that's what crapped out on my current HU. Do we know if there's an alternate volume control?

 

@ShirtTucker is there an alternative volume control rather than just the front knob?