Hooking the iPod up to your car stereo

[Kid_a]

I have heard that this is possible without the kit available from Apple. I have a few albums on my iPod that I'd love to have in the car, but when you burn stuff from your computer on to CD, the quality seems to be worse (or is it just me?)

Is there a way to hook the iPod up to a CD deck? Do I need a special deck, or do most modern decks have the req's "hook-ups"?

For reference: I have the Kenwood KDC-MP6025 deck, featuring..:

KEY FEATURES
- Dual-Zone Audio Control
- High-Pass and Low-Pass Electronic Crossovers
- Maximum Output Power: 50 Watts x 4
- Motorized Slide-Down Removable Faceplate with Carrying Case
- Plays MP3 and WMA-Encoded CD-R/RWs and Conventional CD, CD-R/RW Discs
- Preouts: Front, Rear
- Selectable Rear/Non-Fading Preout
- System Q Sound Control: with User Memory
- LCD Display: High-Resolution Color, with Fluorescent Backlight


AUDIO FEATURES
- 0-Bit Mute: Independent Left & Right Channel
- Attenuator with Smooth Volume Return
- Auxiliary Input
- Dual-Zone Audio Control
- Electronic Audio Control (Volume, Balance, Fader)
- Front/Rear Fader
- High-Pass Electronic Crossover: 100/125/170Hz/Through, 12dB/oct
- Loudness Control
- Low-Pass Electronic Crossover: 50/80/120Hz/Through, 12dB/oct
- Preouts: Front, Rear
- Selectable Rear/Non-Fading Preout: with ± Level Control
- Source Tone Memory
- System Q Sound Control: with User Memory
- Telephone Mute
- Tone Controls: Bass, Midrange, Treble

http://www.kenwoodusa.com/product/redirectFeature.jsp?goToUrl=product.jsp%3FproductId%3D2564

would I be able to rig something up to this deck?

[bruce_eli]

I am not familiar with ipods but I thought this link might help you. link (http://www.honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=968611)

[rahim]

Originally posted by Kid_a


AUDIO FEATURES
- Auxiliary Input


you just need a mini plug to rca adapter it looks like a y adapter

[badseed]

Yeah thats all you need Thug!!:thumbsup:

[Kid_a]

Originally posted by rahim


you just need a mini plug to rca adapter it looks like a y adapter

I have no idea what this is, me =
:banghead: with electronics, what is it and where can I grab one? Where do I plug it in?

[rahim]

http://images.tigerdirect.ca/skuimages/large/C184-40237.jpg

miniplug on one side goes in the earphone jack and rca's on the other plug into the auxilary rcas on the back of the deck. Radio shack, future shop, most electronic places should carry them and they should be cheap

[Kid_a]

Thanks alot, also, is it easy/safe to take the deck out? and also to reinstall.. (I got it installed at a&b sound)

[Kid_a]

ok I got the right cord and stuff.. now its just a matter of taking the deck out, how do I do it? Is there a clip somewhere or something?

[badseed]

Don't be dumb

[Kid_a]

Well shit, I found out I need some kind of key to take it out.. is there any way to get around this?

[badseed]

You know what you were arguementative with me in another thread but I'm gonna help you out anywayz cuz I'm not a hater, with some practice you might be able to get away with this using 2 butter knives. Give it a try but be patient.

[Kid_a]

Yeah, I've been trying that.. WeaponR is trying to tell me what to do..

[rahim]

what kind of car is it?

[Kid_a]

it's not a stock deck, but its a 91 golf

[Mckenzie]

Why not wait for a few weeks for the alpine ipod inerface to come out?

Then you can control the IPOD menus from the deck while it charges....and the IPOD can be in the glove box. All you need is any 2004 alpine deck. Check it out....I cant wait for it to come out.

www.alpine-usa.com

Control Within Reach.

Plugging in keeps you in control. You can quickly search and listen to your iPod tracks directly from your head unit, and even use a remote control. The power to control key playback functions is at your fingertips.

Find Your Favorites Quickly.

With any 2004 Alpine Ai-NET head unit, QuickSearch™ keys, and the ergonomic rotary knob make it easy and extremely convenient to search songs stored in the iPod. You can quickly search through your collection by playlist, artist, or album and find exactly what you're in the mood for. The best part is, it allows you to search for music while enjoying your current selection. When you're ready for your next hit, it's as easy as pushing in the knob.

Song Title, Artist, and Album at a Glance

With every great navigable interface like QuickSearch comes great display information. The Alpine solution displays vital information on the head unit. Identifying your next song selection is simple when you can view artist, album, and song names during playback. All Alpine displays are specifically engineered for the vehicle, and designed to be clearly visible even in direct sunlight. The high resolution, high contrast displays make the information easily viewable from any angle. One glance is all it takes to see what song is playing while you keep your focus on the road.

Get Plugged In and Charged Up.

The KCA-420i connection is designed to be a simple connection, just one plug from the interface to the head unit and iPod. No power wire connections are needed to power the KCA-420i. Better than that, it charges your iPod on your way to the slopes, beach, and any destination.

Keep It Clean, Install the KCA-420i Anywhere.

Not only is it easy to connect, you can also fit the KCA-420i under the dash, in the trunk or under the seat for mounting applications. There's no need to worry about the iPod , you can stash it in your glove compartment out of sight and out of mind. Less wires and simple storage keeps your interior clutter-free.





Turn It Up!

As with any digital music and plugged-in portable device, there's always the fear of the loss of sound quality; but not this time. Since the iPod and KCA-420i are connected directly to the head unit via our patented Ai-NET BUS, it will playback all of the music information encoded on your iPod. The great news is that 2004 Alpine Ai-NET head units are equipped with a proprietary technology which enhances sound quality and restores lost detail to compressed digital media. Alpine is always focused on improving sound performance so you can hear the difference.

Make Your Digital Music Sound Like CDs.

MediaXpander™ is an exlcusive Alpine technology that gives a significant boost to sound quality. It provides three selectable harmonic restoration modes for five sources: MP3/WMA, CD, DVD, FM and Satellite Radio (Sirius or XM). MediaXpander uses a 500Mhz processor to recreate the subtleties and nuances that make the music sound real. In essence, only Alpine allows you to make your digital media sound great.

Personalized Sound Control.

Sound customization is taken to the next level with Bass Engine™. We know that every vehicle and music taste is different, that's why Alpine gives you the ability to personalize your sound and your system. With Alpine's exclusive Bass Engine technology, you can customize the sound with EQs, crossovers, and more. The sound can be customized with special time correction technology, which ensures your seat is placed directly in the middle of the music to really bring life to your experience.

Expand Your System.

The KCA-420i can be added to any 2004 Alpine Ai-NET head unit. Now you have the option of enjoying your iPod in your car, and still use your other in-vehicle electronics applications such as a Multi-Channel 5.1 Dolby Digital® system, Satellite Radio (Sirius or XM), a CD Changer, or Navigation.

[Kid_a]

well I already have a kenwood, and its only 2 weeks old, dont wanna get rid of it already :P

[Shaolin]

so you have to buy an Apline deck that supports AI Net, and then buy the deck for 100 bucks.. hmm..

[Mckenzie]

Originally posted by Shaolin
so you have to buy an Apline deck that supports AI Net, and then buy the deck for 100 bucks.. hmm..

Yup...and I guess it has to be an 04 too. I know the older ones support it, but apparently only the 04s work. I got the top of the line 9835, but you can go with the basic ones I guess if you are on a budget.

[barmanjay]

Who installed your deck for you?

When you buy a deck the key's to pull it out come with it,.... you should look into that,... especially if the deck is only 2 weeks old.

[blinkme_210]

The release keys that come with the deck are about 10cm long, and like 1mm thick. Because the catch points are near the bottom of the deck. So your butter knife won't do anything because it's too thick and too short.

[dylancarter]

I am so frustrated. Being a "gotta hoave one now" kinda guy, I rushed out and bought on alpine 2004 CDA-9833 so that I could control my iPod ($100 adapter i sdue out Oct 10th!!).
Here is the problem. My Alpine sounds like total crap compared to the Kenwood Excelon KDC-X769 I have had in there for the last year. I am not sure where the problem lies though. I noticed right away that one of my Image Dynamics CXS 64 Chameleon speakers sounded blown at low volume... but this system sounded fine 10 min ago with my Kenwood. I thought maybe it was a bad connection on the RCA. I ripped the deck back out and very logicaly swapped around all the rca to determine if the maybe one of the decks rca outs was dirty, or maybe I had a bad cable... nothing changed. The right front speaker sounds like crap no matter what signal I feed it. So then I checked the amp. I swapped the speaker wires from left to right thnking that maybe one channel on my Fosgate amp was bad. No change. Front right speaker sounds like crap. All of that done, there is little to do but send the speaker back for testing. BUT IT WAS WORKING FINE!!
Okay, so any way. I turn off all other speakers in the car except the left front Image Dynamics CXS 64 Chameleon. Put in an ORIGINAL CD of music (I tried 3 or 4) and listen to the audio quality. It sucks. It is slightly distorted - just a slight bit - some people wouldn't be able to hear it, but I know my system, and I know what it used to sound like. There is the over unclearness to the new sound.
Now I read everywhere that alpine is great, I know my older Fosgate amp (Punch I think?) is their mid-high end stuff, not best of the best, but IT SOUNDED GOOD WITH MY KENWOOD!

So what gives. Anyone have any similar ALPINE SQ issuse? Is it possible that my deck is b-stock or something (I got it off ebay, but brand new from a reputable seller).

What should I try?

[Tony2]

Another option for factory OEM interface is this gem......

http://www.pac-audio.com/auxbox/default.htm



T2

[bigboom]

check out a product called icelink...they only make it for certain platfroms but if you're lucky they might make it for your car.

http://www.densionusa.com/x/index.php

[dylancarter]

For the money it cost me to upgrade my Kenwood, and by the Alpine adapter, one of these options would be way cheaper.... however, I will assume that you make 6 playlists (to emulate 6 cds in changer), and that is all you can access. The alpine gives you full access to playlists, and browse functions, plus a fairly fast way to get to it all.

Ho hum. What to do, what to do.

[decyphex]

I am just gonna buy one of those tape adapter things for mine... Are they any good?