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Car Forum / Honda Cars / August 2005best way to get MP3 into radio?
I have a 2003 Odyssey. It has a radio with cd player. What is the best way to get a mp3 player into the audio system? Is there a good phase locked FM transmitter to use? I got a cheap FM transmitter that plugs in to lighter but its really crappy and drifts of station every few minutes. any thoughts? r >I have a 2003 Odyssey. It has a radio with cd player. What is the best way >to get a mp3 player into the audio system? Is there a good phase locked FM [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >any thoughts? >r There are kits available to allow a direct cable connection to your radio. I think these kits won't work if you have the Navigation system built in, but I could be wrong. Unless you're handy enough to install them yourself, they're going to cost you well over $100. You can Google for threads describing these, but here's one example: http://www.myradiostore.us/auxadapters/pie/factory/no-external-changer/hon03-pc- son.html The reason I'm responding, though, is to say that you might want to consider trying one or two more FM transmitters before going to the expense and trouble of installing a jack on the radio. Your experience is perfectly typical because most of these FM transmitters do not work well. Currently, I found a thing for my daughter's iPod Mini, however, that works very well, indeed. It's called the PODFM by Macally and it was only $35. The important factors in these transmitters are that they get their power from the car's 12V outlet, as opposed to the MP3 player's batteries, and that they're designed well. Your first one apparently got one out of two. I've heard that the units from Belkin are often problematic, but that the ones from Griffin are generally a little better. Anyway, if you find a good one right off the bat, you can save $100 and have a solution that's portable from vehicle to vehicle and doesn't have to go with your Odyssey when you sell it. It might be worth the gamble of trying a different one. Ron > I have a 2003 Odyssey. It has a radio with cd player. What is the best > way to get a mp3 player into the audio system? Is there a good phase > locked FM transmitter to use? I got a cheap FM transmitter that plugs > in to lighter but its really crappy and drifts of station every few The FM transmitters are junk. They introduce hiss if they work at all. There is an empty connector on the back of my 2003 Civic single-CD. This is intended for a cassette or CD changer, but the P.I.E adapter plugs in there. My MP3 player appears as a CD changer that's always on disc one track one. The audio is far superior to the FM adapter. http://www.logjamelectronics.com/piehon98aux.html PIE HON98-AUX Auxiliary Input Converter  Signature--- Clarence A Dold - Hidden Valley (Lake County) CA USA 38.8,-122.5 Have you successfully integrated a Music Keg? You Say it sees a changer always showing disc 1 and track 1. I am currently looking for a way to integrate mine to the factory audio system. I have a couple of Kenwood head units but they won't look right Shaun > There is an empty connector on the back of my 2003 Civic single-CD. > This is intended for a cassette or CD changer, but the P.I.E adapter plugs [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > http://www.logjamelectronics.com/piehon98aux.html > PIE HON98-AUX Auxiliary Input Converter Ive been using the iTrip FM xmitter with the iPod, and it just .. works. Its easy, and the quality is great. Just a little tip there. Otherwise - just swap out the headunit with one that plays MP3. Signaturestrepto Discussions from http://fitfreak.net > Have you successfully integrated a Music Keg? You Say it sees a changer > always showing disc 1 and track 1. I am currently looking for a way to > integrate mine to the factory audio system. I have a couple of Kenwood > head units but they won't look right > Shaun Contact www.phatnoise.com. They make the "PhatBox" (same thing as the Kenwood Music Keg) and sell systems specific to many cars, including Civics with CD changer controls in the radio. They could tell you if their adapters will work with your specific music keg and sell you the adapters. > I have a 2003 Odyssey. It has a radio with cd player. What is the best way > to get a mp3 player into the audio system? Is there a good phase locked FM > transmitter to use? I got a cheap FM transmitter that plugs in to lighter > but its really crappy and drifts of station every few minutes. iPod and Belkin FM Transmitter, Signature"I'm the commander -- see, I don't need to explain -- I do not need to explain why I say things. That's the interesting thing about being the president. Maybe somebody needs to explain to me why they say something, but I don't feel like I owe anybody an explanation. " - George "Dubya" Bush > > I have a 2003 Odyssey. It has a radio with cd player. What is the best way > > to get a mp3 player into the audio system? Is there a good phase locked FM > > transmitter to use? I got a cheap FM transmitter that plugs in to lighter > > but its really crappy and drifts of station every few minutes. > > iPod and Belkin FM Transmitter, I'd never tried the iPod transmitter but FM transmitters have limitations. It won't cover the 15Khz range very well. Tape adapter does it better. But the best sound quality will come from line input. >> > I have a 2003 Odyssey. It has a radio with cd player. What is the best way >> > to get a mp3 player into the audio system? Is there a good phase locked FM [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] >won't cover the 15Khz range very well. Tape adapter does it better. But the >best sound quality will come from line input. All true, but many of us no longer have tape players, and installation of a line input can be pricey, if it's even possible. That's why the FM transmitters will continue to be a consideration . . . and why the search goes on for a good one. Ron I've found that my $10 Tape Adapter works great. Probably better then any FM transmitter on the market. The head/tape unit is Alpine, which might also contribute to the the amazing sound quality. Pars > I have a 2003 Odyssey. It has a radio with cd player. What is the best way > to get a mp3 player into the audio system? Is there a good phase locked FM [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > any thoughts? > r I'd go with an affordable CD unit with an auxiliary input on the face. Wait 'til Best Buy or such has a free installation sale. That FM stuff is open to too much interference. > I have a 2003 Odyssey. It has a radio with cd player. What is the best way > to get a mp3 player into the audio system? Is there a good phase locked FM [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > any thoughts? > r > I'd go with an affordable CD unit with an auxiliary input on the face. > Wait 'til Best Buy or such has a free installation sale. That FM stuff > is open to too much interference. He already has a CD player with an aux input on the back, or would, with an adapter that costs less than a new head unit. http://www.logjamelectronics.com/piehon98aux.html 1999-2004 CR-V and Odyssey Signature--- Clarence A Dold - Hidden Valley (Lake County) CA USA 38.8,-122.5 >> I'd go with an affordable CD unit with an auxiliary input on the face. >> Wait 'til Best Buy or such has a free installation sale. That FM stuff [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] >http://www.logjamelectronics.com/piehon98aux.html >1999-2004 CR-V and Odyssey Great tip for many owners. There are lots of us, though that have no tape player and either a Navigation system or an in-dash CD changer, both of which are deal busters for the P.I.E. part. Does anyone have a suggestion for getting a line-in for a Honda Navi with CD changer? Ron >>http://www.logjamelectronics.com/piehon98aux.html >>1999-2004 CR-V and Odyssey > Great tip for many owners. There are lots of us, though that have no > tape player and either a Navigation system or an in-dash CD changer, > both of which are deal busters for the P.I.E. part. You mentioned price in an earlier post. The PIE adapter was $49.95. The Belkin was $29.95, and the iTrip $34.95. For the difference in quality, I don't think that's a big difference. I still have the Belkin, which I would take with me on a trip for use in a rental car. It doesn't work at all in some vehicles. > Does anyone have a suggestion for getting a line-in for a Honda Navi > with CD changer? If you have an iPod, there are PIE adapters that integrate fully. The piehon98aux works with some Nav units, in spite of their earlier cautions against it. http://logjam.d3datasolutions.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=45 It boils down to three cases. Some Nav units occupy the 14 pin connector, but don't use the pins that PIE uses, so they offer a Y connector. Some Nav units don't use the 14 pin connector, so it's empty and available. Some Nav units are not compatible. If you have a changer, there are active units that "tee" into the connectors and work with those as well. Signature--- Clarence A Dold - Hidden Valley (Lake County) CA USA 38.8,-122.5 >>>http://www.logjamelectronics.com/piehon98aux.html >>>1999-2004 CR-V and Odyssey [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] >The PIE adapter was $49.95. The Belkin was $29.95, and the iTrip $34.95. >For the difference in quality, I don't think that's a big difference. The price of the part is not the point. For those of us who cannot install the adapter ourselves, the cost of the hardware is a minor part of the total expense. >I still have the Belkin, which I would take with me on a trip for use in a >rental car. It doesn't work at all in some vehicles. [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] >Some Nav units don't use the 14 pin connector, so it's empty and available. >Some Nav units are not compatible. Navigation systems with 6-CD changers are not all the same? Honda uses different ones in different models? >If you have a changer, there are active units that "tee" into the >connectors and work with those as well. I guess I'll just have to find a car audio shop somewhere (my city's not big enough to have one unless you include Best Buy) and ask them if they can give me a line-in and what the cost is. Ron > The price of the part is not the point. For those of us who cannot > install the adapter ourselves, the cost of the hardware is a minor > part of the total expense. I put mine in myself. I had to take out a couple of plastic panels and reach up blindly behind the radio, locating the 14 pin connector by feel, but it wasn't hard, and required no particular talent. >>It boils down to three cases. Some Nav units occupy the 14 pin connector, >>but don't use the pins that PIE uses, so they offer a Y connector. >>Some Nav units don't use the 14 pin connector, so it's empty and available. >>Some Nav units are not compatible. > Navigation systems with 6-CD changers are not all the same? Honda > uses different ones in different models? Apparently so. The logjam forum even argues that point, something like "hey, the radio is the same from 1999-2004, why is the 2001 listed separately?". > I guess I'll just have to find a car audio shop somewhere (my city's > not big enough to have one unless you include Best Buy) and ask them > if they can give me a line-in and what the cost is. I had no luck finding one in a retail shop. They all like the FM transmitters, or maybe the FM widgets that actually plug in to the antenna line, which I suppose works better than the free-air FM transmitter. Signature--- Clarence A Dold - Hidden Valley (Lake County) CA USA 38.8,-122.5 >> The price of the part is not the point. For those of us who cannot >> install the adapter ourselves, the cost of the hardware is a minor [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >reach up blindly behind the radio, locating the 14 pin connector by feel, >but it wasn't hard, and required no particular talent. OK! Thanks for the tip. snip >> I guess I'll just have to find a car audio shop somewhere (my city's >> not big enough to have one unless you include Best Buy) and ask them [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >transmitters, or maybe the FM widgets that actually plug in to the antenna >line, which I suppose works better than the free-air FM transmitter. I didn't know about the "widgets." That sounds as though it would surely give FM quality, which is plenty good enough for me, and it sounds as though installation would be much simpler and less expensive. Thanks again. Ron >>I put mine in myself. I had to take out a couple of plastic panels and >>reach up blindly behind the radio, locating the 14 pin connector by feel, >>but it wasn't hard, and required no particular talent. > OK! Thanks for the tip. http://makeashorterlink.com/?C1D73243B remove the standard Honda stereo - Dold - rec.autos.maker.honda --- Clarence A Dold - Hidden Valley (Lake County) CA USA 38.8,-122.5 |
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