I need an I-Pod friendly headunit.

[teh DIRT]

So I got my free i-pod yesterday from www.freeipods.com , but my headunit does not support it. Anyone know of a headunit that does. Im not looking to spend over 200. used would be cool too.
-pete

[S4toSTI]

The aplines are amazing right now with the ipods but the connector alone is 100 bucks i think so to do it you would need to find a 100 dollar head unit. I think you need to have fred sneak one out the back for you.

[teh DIRT]

FRED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! haha

[andru1313]

do they make an adapter for your headunit? I have an enfig one. It runs from my CD aux out and plays thru my speakers. I put my radio on cd and I have to control the ipod thru the ipod not the radio. Only negative. It also charges my ipod.

If I had to buy a headunit for ipod purposes, i would have to go with alpine.

[teh DIRT]

im not sure if there is an adapter. There is an AUX out in the back for amps and subs im assuming

[S4toSTI]

do they make an adapter for your headunit? I have an enfig one. It runs from my CD aux out and plays thru my speakers. I put my radio on cd and I have to control the ipod thru the ipod not the radio. Only negative. It also charges my ipod.

If I had to buy a headunit for ipod purposes, i would have to go with alpine.
The subaru's are weird its not like u can buy a icelink for them and be done none of those people make such a thing for subarus yet it sux alot.

[andru1313]

ahhhh! that kinda sucks.

[igo4bmx]

get a cheap pioneer and the ipod adapter for the prioneer...
i ordered one this week and will install it soon
when my car is running, i can show you how it works ;)
and it works right through the headunit

[NirvanCol]

i just bought an alpine CDM-9821 off my friend...has an input for an Ipod. he used his ipod with it...worked well. i dont know how much he got the cable for though, as he included the cable with the head unit. head unit is usually around $140. if i am correct, the cable you would need is an "M-bus to mini-plug" as shown here for $13:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5794824090&category=60208


i like the head unit so far, simple, but easy to use. and i know the ipod works well with it.

[WKderF]

ok, so i just found this thread. Pete: you have to deide how much you want to spend and how well you want to control the ipod. there are 2 ways you can go:

1: get an ipod ready head unit & the necessary adapter (the head units start around $200 and the adapter is around $100) with this setup the ipod itself is controlled by the headunit itself, NOT the thumbwheel on the ipod. its a cool feature which sends the display info from the ipod to the display on the headunit. which is nice, however this means that the more number of lines of display you have on the headunit, the easier it will be to read file & folder info. the added bonus is that this $100 cable will also charge the ipod as u use it. and as far as sound quality goes: this is the better option due to the fact that it does not use the headphone jack but rather the port on the bottom, this means that the signal going to the headunit will be at the proper volume level, and will sound its best. Troll has this exact setup so u can see (and hear) for yourself.

2: get a headunit that simply has an aux imput and the necessary cable (headunits start around $150 and the cable is around $20) this option still gives u a digital quality signal, but all control is done on the ipod, not the headunit which means u have to take your eyes off the road & funble with the loose ipod in you hand. u also have to balance out the headphone volume level when u connect it so it doesnt sound too powerful or distorted.

as for the brands, Alpine, Pioneer, as well as Clarion offer direct plug adapters, as well as the 2nd option cheaper aux imput. alpine has been tested to be the most user friendly, although there havent been major complaints about clarion or pioneer for that matter.

best thing to do is check things out for yourself, and wee what type of headunit u might like and how much you want to spend. both options work, and will let u listen to your ipod through your speakers, so its just a matter of how much ease of use you want to pay for. either way - let me know what you decide and i should be able to hook u up!

Fred

[sfd]

I have a new pioneer using the ip bus (aux input) just ran a normal stereo dual to single cable and called it a day. The ip bus adapter was $30 off cardomain.com shipped and $2 for the splitter cable. Yes I do need to use my dell mp3 player to change songs, but it's no more distracting than looking at my radio and scrolling things. I can hold my player in my hand and it put it at eye level.

The positive from using an ipod specific adapter is obviously extra head unit control as well as charging. But considering the block charging isn't good for the batteries, it's kinda useless.

Anyway, yea anything can be hooked up if it has an aux input. Alpine and Pioneer and many other makers now offer ipod adapters.

BTW I gotta say, I was in a car with the Griffin FM Tuner (the like $50 or $60 one) and the sound quality was pretttttty damn good IMO. If you want a cheap and quick fix, I'd advise it highly. But make sure its the Griffin Ipod backed FM transmitter that picks a specific frequency. It's the common one.

[smoger]

if you are going with a method that requires the music to be controlled through the ipod itself, you can get a mount for the ipod that sits in your cupholder from belkin. i have a dell dj and they make the same thing for my setup, in the srt it's great because we have a cupholder right in the center in front of the armrest.. so when i am using my DJ it is easier to reach than my head unit it.

also i should note that in my neon i use a belkin tunecast II fm transmitter and it works great if you are ok with FM quality sound. honestly if you have a stock sound system there is probably not much point to spending more.

in the srt i use an input direct to the head unit.

just my almost half a nickel