iPods and cars

[Nobody Girl]

I've always used an FM transmitter to listen to my iPod in my car. It broke a few days ago, but I've decided not to get another one. (It worked fairly well, but I never could get a completely static-free connection, and it was a pain on road trips.)

 

So... how do you guys listen to your iPod in your car? Has anyone had an iPod-compatible stereo installed? Any suggestions are appreciated.

[bjorn_skurj]

The best way would be to have a direct plug-in to the stereo. Second best is the cassette adapter strategy. (If you have a somewhat older car.) Third is the FM, though my friend has one of those things and it sounds not at all bad.

[bobbob1313]

I have the auxillery cable plugged in and it works great. It only distorts if you have both the ipod and stereo at max volume.

[caliber66]

I have one of these

 

 

Transmits the song info to your radio display, if you have a newer radio. Like the iTrip it replaced, it works best when we set it to play and then tuck it under the sun visor so it's right next to the antenna.

[anodyne]

i use the tape deck. i'm thinking of replacing my wife's car stereo with a $99 pioneer deck that has an aux input.

[Atticus]

I have the itrip (I think that's the right product name--it's been sitting in the trunk for about 3 months now). I am obviously not a fan, but then again my 8 year old car stereo is a POS to begin with.

[isadorah]

I have a Panasonic C3333U (or something like that) car stereo that has a direct line from the stereo to the ipod, the bottom port and not the headphones. the sound is perfect, completely seemless. the ipod is stashed in the glove box and the interface to switch songs and such is through the actual stereo. the downside is that the interface is very tedious and cumbersome, i never switch around what i am listening to except to skip to the next song because the interface is awful. if you want to listen to a band, you get it to "artist" and then have to click each time until you get to the artist you want, talk about painful if you're trying to get to a band that starts with a letter near the end of the alphabet, like, oh i don't know, Wilco.

 

I would recommend the direct to the car stereo option though, just explore the interface options on the different stereos. It was around $250 for the full change out, pricey, but worth the investment.

 

I had the Monster FM transmitter. AWFUL. if you get an FM transmitter, I highly recommend the one put out by Belkin.

[OOO]

The iPhone is out now. You have to throw away all iPods. duh.

[Blue and Green]

My setup is a Alpine head unit with a direct cable link to the head unit. It can read all the tracks and folders on the display. The sound quality is awesome but it wasn't exactly cheap.

[Katie3]

I have a cheap $10 FM transmitter that generally works quite well, in my small town anyways, on road trips to bigger cities where there are more stations around its not too great.

[owl]

I have a Sony CD player that has a 1/8" input jack for iPods. I don't even listen to CDs in my car anymore. The stereo cost about $65 to buy and install at Circuit City. Unbeatable!

[Lammycat]

I've got the Belkin Tunebase:

 

 

 

It runs for about $70 and works with the radio transmission. I've not had much of an issue with it in terms of static. I just drove back from the mountains today and I had to switch stations once up and once back. No big deal. Works great in the city, too. I've heard different reports (not as favorable) from people with the same set up in different parts of the country, though.

 

It stopped working on me about 6 weeks after I purchased it and they replaced it no questions asked. Very agreeable.

 

I'd like to eventually get the wireless (transmitter/no radio necessary) set-up but haven't seen any lower than around $200 yet. I'll wait 'til they get under $100.

[myboyblue]

I've got the Belkin Tunebase:

 

It runs for about $70 and works with the radio transmission. I've not had much of an issue with it in terms of static. I just drove back from the mountains today and I had to switch stations once up and once back. No big deal. Works great in the city, too. I've heard different reports (not as favorable) from people with the same set up in different parts of the country, though.

 

It stopped working on me about 6 weeks after I purchased it and they replaced it no questions asked. Very agreeable.

 

I'd like to eventually get the wireless (transmitter/no radio necessary) set-up but haven't seen any lower than around $200 yet. I'll wait 'til they get under $100.

 

Good to hear. I just bought one today. My new iPod wouldn't work with my old iTrip. The only problem with the Belkin is it won't go down to 87.9 like the old one does. That station seemed to work the best for me.

[welch79]

i don't like any of the fm transmitters. the static kills me. on music, it is definitely bearable, but on longer road trips, when i listen to audiobooks, or when i run into interference and have to find a new signal, they are a pain.

 

about 6 months ago, i bought a high-end kenwood receiver with stereo plugs in the back. i run my ipod into that (aux input setting on the deck) with a monster stereo cable. i just run the cable from the back of the deck out through the ashtray.

 

the sound is great, and i never get any distortion unless i try to push my system above it's natural capability.

[quarter23cd]

I have an Aux input jack on my car now, thank god, because the FM transmitters were driving me insane.

 

The first one I had was a XtremeMac AirPlay, which was okay except for the constant, high-pitched squeal it emitted. It was always there in the background, just quiet enough that you didn't always notice it if you weren't listening for it, but loud enough that it subliminally worked its way into my head and slowly drove me mad.

 

I then switched to the iTrip, which eliminated the squeal, but I found myself changing stations more often and it seemed to have more static and poorer audio quality. Like the first one, it worked best if I held it in my hand (using my body as an antenna, I guess), but if I dared set the iPod down anywhere I would lose my signal.

 

It was almost enough to make me start listening to the radio again.

[Twisted Acres]

Honda Element with aux input for iPod. It is a godsend. Used to use cassette adapter in my CR-V, and the sound was more than acceptable, but a bit distorted and poor representation of the extreme highs and lows... direct input is the way to go. I used an iTrip this weekend in another car, and it was like listening with cotton (or Brillo) in your ears.

[anodyne]

the itrip was fine in my old car that needed the exhaust replaced. i couldn't hear much regardless.

[dannygutters]

If your stereo doesn't have an aux in jack standard, most have plugs for CD changers, you can get a converter dongle that will allow you to plug 2 RCA cables into it, after this just get a Y cable and whee, you have a line in for the ipod. I've done this for a while it's great. I'm not sure what the dongle is called but the'll know at best buy or some car audio place, you may need to order it I don't think it's standard for every player.

[Three dollars and 63 cents]

I got an iTrip when I first got my iPod, and I hated it. It was very staticky, and it was impractical for trips, since I kept having to try to find different stations. I just had a tape deck in my car for a long time, and the tapes to get a discman or iPod to play in the car wouldn't work in it. Earlier this year I had a new stereo installed in my car, and I decided to go with a Sony that comes with an iPod cable in addition to the auxiliary jack. I chose this over just getting one with an auxiliary jack because my iPod doesn't have great battery life anymore, and I like that the cable charges it when it's plugged in. I also like it because I can control the iPod with the remote that came with the stereo, and the information displays on the stereo. It's a little awkward, but it's still better than messing with the iPod while I'm driving. I still usually just play CDs when I'm driving around town, but it's great having the iPod for trips.

[Nobody Girl]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'm going to go with a new stereo; I just need to figure out how much I'm willing to spend.

 

I overheard a funny conversation in Best Buy while I was checking out some stereos.

 

Best Buy guy to customer: Are you looking for something you can hook your iPod up to?

Customer: What does the iPod do?

 

[Three dollars and 63 cents]

I'm not sure if Best Buy charges for installations, but be careful of hidden fees. At Circuit City, I got free installation on any stereo over $100, but what they weren't at all up front about was that I'd have to pay a $75 installation fee for an iPod adapter (which was already $50). That's why I went with a more expensive stereo that's iPod ready. Had I not done research ahead of time, they'd have ripped me off.

 

This is the stereo I got. I'm happy with it so far, both for CDs and my iPod: http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Sony-In-Das...roductDetail.do

[jdmel]

just get a cheap radio with an aux line, get a 2 way aux line for 3 bucks at radioshack