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[Help! ON] iPod + car = musak?

InfestedGnomeInfestedGnome Registered User regular
edited September 2007 in Games and Technology
So basically I went to Bestbuy today to find some sort of device that can take music from my iPod and put it through the CD player on my car. I talked to the guy and he said I could use this headphone to headphone cord if the cd player in my car had a headphone jack(I wasn't sure if I had one, Ive never seen a headphone jack on a car CD player, except maybe a custom one, thats just dangerous) or use this device that broadcasts it as a radio frequency that costs anywhere from 50-100 dollars (D:). So i bought the headphone cord cause it was only 4 dollars and would be worth it if my car had a headphone jack. But it didn't so now I'm looking at alternatives

I could just get a whole bunch of cds to burn my songs onto, but I don't wanna be flipping cds in all day and my car's cd player is renowned for scratching the CDs to unplayability OR find some other option. I swear there was a device that you could slip into the CD player and hook up to your iPod or whatever, does anyone know if these things exist? Opinions? Onions?

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Posts

  • Homestar GunnerHomestar Gunner Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    http://www.monstercable.com/productdisplay.asp?pin=3029

    That's what I use. I found it for $40, but if you look on eBay, it is a lot less.

    Homestar Gunner on
  • Ah_PookAh_Pook Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    i recommend you get a cd player with a line in. my experience with FM tuners was bad, but ymmv obviously.

    Ah_Pook on
  • captainkcaptaink TexasRegistered User regular
    edited September 2007
    If you live in/near a big city, an FM tuner will not do you much good. Too much interference.

    captaink on
  • Mmmm... Cocks...Mmmm... Cocks... Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    Ah_Pook wrote: »
    i recommend you get a cd player with a line in. my experience with FM tuners was bad, but ymmv obviously.
    Yea, quite frankly why are you gonna want to be shelling out like 50+ bucks for one of these when you could get an awesome new CD player for about 100 and have the crisp sound of a direct line, there are some pretty awesome CD players out there now to. Honestly with those tuners it just won't be as clear and you'll have to change the station occasionally and it gets annoying.

    Mmmm... Cocks... on
  • DigitalDistortedDigitalDistorted Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    I've done a ton of iPod installs in cars. What kind of car is it? What kind of head unit do you have?

    I highly recommend against any FM transmitters, as they are unreliable and the sound quality is terrible. And they make you have more cables and shit in your car. However, if you don't have a deck and can't afford to buy one, you'll pretty much have to. Some stock decks have cables that can be purchased to create an auxilliary input.

    Have you given any thought to how you want to control the iPod? Most single-din decks don't offer very good control, so i usually recommend a dock solution.

    DigitalDistorted on
  • InfestedGnomeInfestedGnome Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    Welllll its not really my car, Im still in college doing an internship at home so I'm using my parents other car, so it's not technically mine, and I don't want to pump money into something that might go to my little brother, so I need a temporary fix

    InfestedGnome on
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  • FencingsaxFencingsax It is difficult to get a man to understand, when his salary depends upon his not understanding GNU Terry PratchettRegistered User regular
    edited September 2007
    FM tuner seems to be your best bet, then.

    Fencingsax on
  • Fatty McBeardoFatty McBeardo Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    The best temporary fix is either an FM transmitter or a cassette adapter, depending on your car. Otherwise you're better off with an aftermarket head unit w/ iPod integration, or some kind of OEM/third party iPod integration for your car. The latter is what I ended up doing - a company called DICE makes a kit for my particular car.

    Fatty McBeardo on
  • Mmmm... Cocks...Mmmm... Cocks... Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    Ah yes, I forgot about tape adapters, they really are one of the best ways to go.
    Cheap and not to bad quality, and no worries of static.

    Of course a lot of cars don't have tape decks anymore.

    Mmmm... Cocks... on
  • RucioRucio Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    I have a cassette adapter, and I love it. In my mind, it's the best way to go if you have a tape deck.

    Rucio on
  • BedigumxBedigumx Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Product_ID=149006

    Assuming you have a tape deck, this is the best thing to own for your ipod. It charges your IPod as you use it, volume is controlled through the car and adapter, not the IPod itself, and you control the songs through the ipod itself. I bought all my siblings this because its the best thing ever made by man.

    If you don't have a tapedeck then this post is moot

    Bedigumx on
  • Ah_PookAh_Pook Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    he specifically mentioned having a cd player in his car, but if its got a tape deck then a tape adapter is definitely the way to go.

    Ah_Pook on
  • Death of RatsDeath of Rats Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    Get a cd player with a auxillary line in port. They rock.

    What the guy at best buy was talking about wasn't a "headphone jack", but a line in jack. Most new CD players have one. They look like headphone jacks.

    Death of Rats on
    No I don't.
  • InfestedGnomeInfestedGnome Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    Yeah I have no tapedeck sadly, so any of those options are out :(

    InfestedGnome on
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  • ZimarooskiZimarooski Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    JVC KDG230


    It has a front auxillary input, which is what that headphone to headphone cable plugs into.

    It costs $100, so you get free installation.

    And Circuit City is cool, so whenever you end up getting your own car, you can take it back to them and they'll remove the JVC radio and reinstall the factory one free of charge, that way your brother doesn't get JACK. :]

    Zimarooski on
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  • KahnindustriesKahnindustries Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    What make and model is the headunit in the car? Or if it is OEM stock what year and model is the car.

    Almost all have extendability of some form I am using the aux in feed on my pioneer. It plugs in where the multichanger etc plug in.

    Almost all oem headunits allow for multichangers and somewhere in the world someone has a multi to aux converted cable for it.

    Mine cost me £12 charges the ipod and took me 10 minutes to fit.

    FM transmitters all vary in strength so if you buy cheap crap you get cheap crap. I know I went through 3 in the range £7 to £10 before buying the £40 garmin one and it is in a league of its own. Overpowering stations if need be.

    Kahnindustries on
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  • PheezerPheezer Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited September 2007
    If you're buying an FM transmitter, buy it online. Much cheaper.

    Pheezer on
    IT'S GOT ME REACHING IN MY POCKET IT'S GOT ME FORKING OVER CASH
    CUZ THERE'S SOMETHING IN THE MIDDLE AND IT'S GIVING ME A RASH
  • DVGDVG No. 1 Honor Student Nether Institute, Evil AcademyRegistered User regular
    edited September 2007
    http://www.monstercable.com/productdisplay.asp?pin=3029

    That's what I use. I found it for $40, but if you look on eBay, it is a lot less.

    Conversely, I had this same item and it completely died within a week of ownership. Obviously these things happen with electronics sometimes, but I've pretty much decided that all FM Tuners are rubbish unless you're out in the sticks.

    DVG on
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  • InfestedGnomeInfestedGnome Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    DrDizaster wrote: »
    If you're buying an FM transmitter, buy it online. Much cheaper.

    This thing seems too cheap to be legitimate, thoughts?
    http://www.gethightech.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=IP-1975&Affiliate=nextag

    Also, I just found out that my dad has a FM tuner he uses occasionally so I'm gonna borrow that for the time being, but I want a decent one for myself in the future

    InfestedGnome on
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  • PheezerPheezer Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited September 2007
    I would be much quicker to go through eBay than a site called gethightech.com

    Especially with the protections offered to buyers by paypal.

    Pheezer on
    IT'S GOT ME REACHING IN MY POCKET IT'S GOT ME FORKING OVER CASH
    CUZ THERE'S SOMETHING IN THE MIDDLE AND IT'S GIVING ME A RASH
  • mausmalonemausmalone Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    In this respect I really lucked out ... my car is just old enough to have a combo CD/Cassette deck stereo. It won't need replacement until line in becomes more widely available. So it's $1 cassette adapter for now, $2 1/8" headphone cable in the next car I buy.

    mausmalone on
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  • InfestedGnomeInfestedGnome Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    DrDizaster wrote: »
    I would be much quicker to go through eBay than a site called gethightech.com

    Especially with the protections offered to buyers by paypal.

    Hmmn, how about this then?

    InfestedGnome on
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  • Mr_GrinchMr_Grinch Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    I got this FM transmitter and despite it being budget looking, it's fucking fantastic. The range on it is good enough that any cars following me (if on a group trip out) can tune in:

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/LineX-Wireless-Transmitter-iPod-MP3/dp/B0002CRIFG/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/203-4409129-0832731?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1190579874&sr=1-1

    In fact, mine was stolen so I'm gonna buy another one (It's got bad reviews on there but it's honestly been superb for me)

    Mr_Grinch on
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  • noir_bloodnoir_blood Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    Ah_Pook wrote: »
    i recommend you get a cd player with a line in. my experience with FM tuners was bad, but ymmv obviously.

    The man speaks the truth. When I bought my zune, I bought an fm tuner with it, and it completely sucks. I mean, I can hear my music, but there's so much fucking static. I just bought a new car, and it has an mp3 player plug in. Was wondering how exactly that worked, but it looks like it's the headphone jack thing. I'm going to have to go to best buy.

    noir_blood on
  • SeptusSeptus Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    What make and model is the headunit in the car? Or if it is OEM stock what year and model is the car.

    I've always been told this, and my car(2001 Mazda Protege) actually does have a Disc change button on it's unit, but I'm 99% sure that it has no way to plug into one of those adapter cables.

    I need to get an in-car solution soon, and I may end up having to go to a circuit city type of store, even though it's going to be a massive pain in the ass to leave my car at 10:00 in the morning on a Saturday for the entire day; too much damn demand for those places :(

    Septus on
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  • PheezerPheezer Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited September 2007
    DrDizaster wrote: »
    I would be much quicker to go through eBay than a site called gethightech.com

    Especially with the protections offered to buyers by paypal.

    Hmmn, how about this then?

    Even if it sucks, you're out like $10. And they all pretty much suck equally anyhow so I don't see the risk.

    Pheezer on
    IT'S GOT ME REACHING IN MY POCKET IT'S GOT ME FORKING OVER CASH
    CUZ THERE'S SOMETHING IN THE MIDDLE AND IT'S GIVING ME A RASH
  • Homestar GunnerHomestar Gunner Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    DVG wrote: »
    http://www.monstercable.com/productdisplay.asp?pin=3029

    That's what I use. I found it for $40, but if you look on eBay, it is a lot less.
    Conversely, I had this same item and it completely died within a week of ownership. Obviously these things happen with electronics sometimes, but I've pretty much decided that all FM Tuners are rubbish unless you're out in the sticks.

    That is indeed very unfortunate.

    However, I've never really had a problem with the whole "large area + FM tuner = shit" thing. I live in a rather large/busy city just outside of San Antonio, and after switching to this Monster FM tuner, have had no problems with sound quality.

    That said, yes, a CD player with line in is the best choice. And as for FM tuners, don't buy anything from Griffin. Both the iTrip and RoadTrip are absolute garbage.

    Homestar Gunner on
  • george-xgeorge-x New YorkRegistered User regular
    edited September 2007
    I have this in my car. It connects to my ipod flawlessly, shows all my playlists, etc.

    It's freakin AWESOME. It also picks up Sirius radio, and connects to your phone via bluetooth to show who's calling. You can also transfer music from a usb drive.

    You can use the line out and put it in your tape deck (if you have one), or have it professionally hardwired into your audio system. The latter is better, and it shouldn't take long at all.

    george-x on
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  • DigDug2000DigDug2000 Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    noir_blood wrote: »
    Ah_Pook wrote: »
    i recommend you get a cd player with a line in. my experience with FM tuners was bad, but ymmv obviously.

    The man speaks the truth. When I bought my zune, I bought an fm tuner with it, and it completely sucks. I mean, I can hear my music, but there's so much fucking static. I just bought a new car, and it has an mp3 player plug in. Was wondering how exactly that worked, but it looks like it's the headphone jack thing. I'm going to have to go to best buy.
    I agree. FM tuners just suck. You can pay a lot or a little for one, but they've all sucked that I've used.

    If I was really going to do it right now, I'd get something like (I haven't researched this model at all, but just picked it as an example):

    http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8208129&st=usb&lp=1&type=product&cp=1&id=1165610937597

    Its got a USB in port which means you can connect basically any MP3 player on the market, read the data off it, and then control what plays right through the stereo. They're becoming more and more standard, but most of 'em come with the Headphone Port too so you could potentially control your music there if you wanted. Plus you get the whole USB = charging benefits.

    DigDug2000 on
  • FoodFood Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    I usea cassette adapter. The quality's not perfect obviously, but it's much better than what you'd get from an fm transmitter. You just need a tape deck.

    Food on
  • urahonkyurahonky Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    http://item.express.ebay.co.uk/Audio-TV-Electronics_In-Car-Entertainment_In-Car-Audio-Visual_JVC-KD-G731-CAR-MP3-CD-USB-PORT-CAR-Stereo-Head-Unit-BN_W0QQitemZ120163984719QQihZ002QQptdnZInQ2dCarQ20AudioQ20Q26Q20VisualQQddnZAudioQ2cQ20TVQ20Q26Q20ElectronicsQQadnZInQ2dCarQ20EntertainmentQQptdiZ2604QQddiZ2156QQadiZ2704QQcmdZExpressItem

    I have that one and it's amazing. With the USB port I can use an iPod (I don't have one, but I'm sure it works) or a USB Thumb Drive with .mp3's on it and all the songs load perfectly. I have 0 CDs in my car now, because of it.

    urahonky on
  • InzignaInzigna Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    I heard some new cars come with ports that you could plug in iPods in.

    You could get a new car.

    I'm joking.

    Inzigna on
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  • Mr_GrinchMr_Grinch Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    Honestly, maybe it's just the ones available in the states but the one I posted on the previous page is FANTASTIC, I've drove all over the UK with it.

    Battery life is >150 hours on 3 AA batteries, range is about 45metres (open air) but for parties I've connected it to my pc then turned on speakers at the bottom of the garden and in the living room and had no problems at all, even with people wandering around (With a variety of phones).

    If you get the right FM Transmitter then you should have no problems.

    Mr_Grinch on
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