Kensington LiquidAUX - Highly Recommended

[SooneratND]

Just installed one of these in my new car and, after spending a few days driving around with it, I highly recommend it.

http://www.redestelecom.es/Archivos/Contenidos/200807180003/Liquid%20AUX%20for%20ipodi.jpg

http://us.kensington.com/html/14492.html

I got a new Lexus IS250 afew months ago and had been looking for a way to interface my ipod. A simple cord into the aux input worked great, but I also wanted to charge and to change tracks without having to fiddle with the touchscreen all the time on the phone (bad idea while driving, as I soon found out). Lexus wanted $300 plus installation to get this done -- no thanks.

I had seen this particular solution online, but was skeptical of how it actually performed. and how it would fit in my car (I HATE to have wires running everywhere... I like things to be hidden) However, when I was killing some time at the Apple store the other day between appointments, I saw that they had them in the physical store. Perfect! Now I could try it out and take it back with no shipping hassles if I didn't like it.

I got it and plugged it in to my car as soon as I got home. It consists of a simple 12v plug with two wires: one to plug into to the dock connector on the iPhone and the other to plug into the aux input on the vehicle. Mine is installed completely out of sight in my center console.

You also get a nifty remote to attach to the steering wheel. It's small, unobtrusive, and looks really sharp. Made of sort of a matte rubberized plastic that molds to the sterring wheel, with soft velcro securing around the back. It completely blends in with the black leather on the steering wheel in my Lexus IS250. I mounted mine on the bottom left side, just under the spoke with the other audio controls for my stereo. Out of the way while driving, but still easily accessible.

The audio sounds great and the remote works perfectly. The only problem I had at first was an annoying buzz coming through the audio. It varied with RPM and gearing, so I knew it was coming from the car somehow, not the LiquidAUX unit. I quickly diagnosed the problem as ground interference from Lexus not properly grounding the 12v supply in the console (thanks for nothing, Toyota). Problem was easily solved by ordering a ground loop isolator from Crutchfield (http://www.crutchfield.com/S-mW61MVi7zxj/p_127SNI135/PAC-SNI-1-3-5-Noise-Filter.html) and placing it between the 12v supply and the aux input. Now it works great, with nothing but great sounding tunes coming through the stereo.

Kensington LiquidAUX- $60
GLI - $20
Total cost: $80 plus 5 minutes of my time to install.

Lexus cost for same functionality: $300 plus installation costs.

I think I got a pretty good deal.

[Tu13es]

Hmm, cool. I was previously using a cheapo dock-to-aux cable for my old iPod but recently was thinking it'd be really useful to have one that charges the iPhone as well. Looks like the LiquidAux is a good way to do this, though it is a little pricey.

[batcatman]

From Amazon "Kensington can provide you with a ground loop isolator free of charge by calling Kensington's Technical Support team at (800) 535-4242. Please provide the serial number of your LiquidAUX product when you call Technical Support, and the company will arrange to ship you the ground loop isolator."

Could have saved u another 20. Me planninf to order it too, but saw some horrible remote reviews with 3GS. Is urs 3GS?

[ihonda]

there is a guy who sells these on ebay for around $25.00-$30.00 shipped, i bought one so i would know, just need to be on the watch for him. i believe he lists under different names because they always ship from same place. his name i purchasesd from was dragonw

edit;

http://cgi.ebay.com/KENSINGTON-LIQUIDAUX-CAR-KIT-IPHONE-IPOD-33429-REMOTE_W0QQitemZ160343054646QQihZ006QQcategoryZ58350QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

$23.00, also the 2-year warranty period that kensington offers is STILL VALID, just provide them a copy of your ebay/paypal reciept.

[Tu13es]

there is a guy who sells these on ebay for around $25.00-$30.00 shipped, i bought one so i would know, just need to be on the watch for him. i believe he lists under different names because they always ship from same place. his name i purchasesd from was dragonw

edit;

http://cgi.ebay.com/KENSINGTON-LIQUIDAUX-CAR-KIT-IPHONE-IPOD-33429-REMOTE_W0QQitemZ160343054646QQihZ006QQcategoryZ58350QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

$23.00, also the 2-year warranty period that kensington offers is STILL VALID, just provide them a copy of your ebay/paypal reciept.

Awesome! Why so cheap?

[ihonda]

no clue, but i can testify that it was 100% brandnew, box was a little scuffed, i somehow managed to break it and contacted kensington about warranty, i provided the receipt and they FedEx Ground'd me a brand new set and told me to throw away the old one.

[SooneratND]

From Amazon "Kensington can provide you with a ground loop isolator free of charge by calling Kensington's Technical Support team at (800) 535-4242. Please provide the serial number of your LiquidAUX product when you call Technical Support, and the company will arrange to ship you the ground loop isolator."

Could have saved u another 20. Me planninf to order it too, but saw some horrible remote reviews with 3GS. Is urs 3GS?

Wish I would have seen that...lol.

I've used it with both the Touch and the 3GS, both work fine. I got that "accessory not supported by iphone" message the very first time I connected it, but I disconnected it and plugged it back in and haven't seen it since.

No problem at all with the remote. Works well and looks nice.

Matt

[Alexwithad]

Hmm, $80 seems expensive then I see this other on ebay for $23! I might have to invest in this

[Alexwithad]

Wait, does this allow you to change the song on the iPhone(without remote) or does it lock it up and say device connected like many other devices?

[jbanger]

Lexus wanted $300 plus installation to get this done -- no thanks.

lo, so you spent how many thousand $ on a new lexus but wouldn't pony up on a measly $300? :rolleyes:

[Tu13es]

Wait, does this allow you to change the song on the iPhone(without remote) or does it lock it up and say device connected like many other devices?

o.O would be interested to hear about this as well.

[Tu13es]

lo, so you spent how many thousand $ on a new lexus but wouldn't pony up on a measly $300? :rolleyes:

It's pretty easy to do the iPhone install yourself and save a that chunk of money. It's not pretty easy to build your own Lexus.

[batcatman]

lo, so you spent how many thousand $ on a new lexus but wouldn't pony up on a measly $300? :rolleyes:

Ur analogy makes no sense at all, neither does it contribute to the ongoing discussion. :D

[Kadman]

I've been using one of these for a couple of months now and it works very well. I'm actually using it in connection with a cassette adapter as my 2004 Audi S4 lacks a line in. Quality is great considering the connection method.

[SooneratND]

Wait, does this allow you to change the song on the iPhone(without remote) or does it lock it up and say device connected like many other devices?

Mine hasn't locked up at all in the week I've owned it and played with it. Remote works to both change the song and to wake the ipod up after starting the car. I found also that if you turn the car off, it cuts power to the ipod and puts it to sleep. Upon starting the car again, pressing play on the remote will pick up right where you left off. Pretty slick!

on edit: just read your post closer and realized I didn't answer your question directly. -- I haven't played with it a ton, but my wife grabbed the touch it was connected to in the console yesterday and chose a song directly without it locking, so it worked at least once that way with no problem.

[SooneratND]

lo, so you spent how many thousand $ on a new lexus but wouldn't pony up on a measly $300? :rolleyes:

Correct. I have the money to buy a Lexus because I don't waste it on things like paying someone else $300-$400 to do something I can figure out how to do myself for far less.

Plus, I find it enjoyable to do things myself most of the time. It's fun to solve the puzzle.

[EarthDawn]

Correct. I have the money to buy a Lexus because I don't waste it on things like paying someone else $300-$400 to do something I can figure out how to do myself for far less.

Plus, I find it enjoyable to do things myself most of the time. It's fun to solve the puzzle.


HEHE... wel said !!!

and it looks like a clean install as well

[Mr. Gates]

HEHE... wel said !!!

and it looks like a clean install as well

I think he pulled those pic's off the net,.......

[SooneratND]

I think he pulled those pic's off the net,.......

True, but it was a clean install. The phone, aux input, and 12v charger are all in my center console, completely out of sight. The only thing visible in my car is the small remote on the bottom left side of the steering wheel. I can't stand wires around my car, so this was a big selling point for me.

[Lemons!]

I heard that this can be used as handsfree for talking when someone calls, but where's the mic if you don't have bluetooth in your car? Does this also work with the iPhone 3GS?

Also what car mount do you recommend for this? I don't like the ones that mount to the windshield.

[Tu13es]

I just realized that this may not fit with my case (Speck CandyShell). Gah. How bulky is the dock connector? The apple USB cables work fine, but I have a dock-to-aux cable in my car that doesn't fit with the CandyShell.

[apfhex]

Also what car mount do you recommend for this? I don't like the ones that mount to the windshield.
They make a version of the LiquidAUX that comes with a mount sticking out of the 12v plug. May or may not work depending on your car. I suppose technically you could use it for handsfree calling but probably wouldn't work too well with the positioning of the mic.

I looked at getting a LiquidAUX (you know they're $20 cheaper on places like Amazon right?) but reviews seemed to indicate it was cheaply made and the remote fell off a lot (and yes complaints about needing a ground loop isolator, seemingly specific to this unit, but that's only anecdotal). Curious what the OP's experience with the remote has been like.

[SooneratND]

They make a version of the LiquidAUX that comes with a mount sticking out of the 12v plug. May or may not work depending on your car. I suppose technically you could use it for handsfree calling but probably wouldn't work too well with the positioning of the mic.

I looked at getting a LiquidAUX (you know they're $20 cheaper on places like Amazon right?) but reviews seemed to indicate it was cheaply made and the remote fell off a lot (and yes complaints about needing a ground loop isolator, seemingly specific to this unit, but that's only anecdotal). Curious what the OP's experience with the remote has been like.

No problem with the remote. The remote is a piece of rubberized plastic with a rectangle of harder plastic sitting in the center. The center part is designed to be able to be popped out of its holder so you can turn it upside down, pop it back in, and use it on the opposite side of the steering wheel. If you couldn't do that, the controls would be upside down when you moved it from the right side to the left.

I suspect the reviews about the remote falling apart are people who are too stupid to realize it's a feature, not a bug. Nothing has popped out inavdertently in my use. It's too simple to fall apart, really.

As for the ground loop, it has more to do with your car than the unit. Any unit that uses the aux in and charges at the same time would have problems in my car, because Lexus didn't ground the 12v power outlet correctly. If your outlet in your car is grounded properly, you won't need the GLI.

[SooneratND]

I just realized that this may not fit with my case (Speck CandyShell). Gah. How bulky is the dock connector? The apple USB cables work fine, but I have a dock-to-aux cable in my car that doesn't fit with the CandyShell.

Doesn't seem any bigger than the Apple dock connector. Fits fine with my Seidio Innocase.

[SooneratND]

I heard that this can be used as handsfree for talking when someone calls, but where's the mic if you don't have bluetooth in your car? Does this also work with the iPhone 3GS?

Also what car mount do you recommend for this? I don't like the ones that mount to the windshield.

Works with the 3GS. Got the compatibility message the very first time I plugged it in. Replugged it in and it went away, and never saw the message again.

Handsfree isn't advertised as an option with the version I got, and I haven't figured it out if it does.

I don't have a car mount, so I can't speak to that.

[Lemons!]

They make a version of the LiquidAUX that comes with a mount sticking out of the 12v plug. May or may not work depending on your car. I suppose technically you could use it for handsfree calling but probably wouldn't work too well with the positioning of the mic.

I looked at getting a LiquidAUX (you know they're $20 cheaper on places like Amazon right?) but reviews seemed to indicate it was cheaply made and the remote fell off a lot (and yes complaints about needing a ground loop isolator, seemingly specific to this unit, but that's only anecdotal). Curious what the OP's experience with the remote has been like.

That LiquidAUX deluxe with the mount won't work with my car, the position is different.

What's a ground loop isolator? What's it for and how would you use it?

[batcatman]

OP, cud u check if it allows for changing tracks while I am in another app, like google maps? I read this in another review:

"Say I have the music playing, an am using the Google Maps... I hit next on the liquidaux and it exits and goes back to the ipod. These seems to completely defeat the usefulness of the unit!?"

That wud be a big dealbreaker for many of us!!:(

[SooneratND]

What's a ground loop isolator? What's it for and how would you use it?

Whenever you have both power and audio signals being handled by the same device, there is a risk of interference if the power supply is not grounded properly. In essence, the audio wire picks up interference from the power cable and you get an irritating whine in your music. It only happens in certian vehicles, when the 12v plug hasn't been grounded properly.

To solve this, you can either take apart the 12v plug unit in your car and ground it properly, or you can simply plug in a ground loop isolator, which is basically just a filter that blocks out this unwanted interference (although you have ot be careful to get a good GLI, so it only blocks the bad signal and you don't end up losing frequencies you want in the process).

[Lemons!]

Whenever you have both power and audio signals being handled by the same device, there is a risk of interference if the power supply is not grounded properly. In essence, the audio wire picks up interference from the power cable and you get an irritating whine in your music. It only happens in certian vehicles, when the 12v plug hasn't been grounded properly.

To solve this, you can either take apart the 12v plug unit in your car and ground it properly, or you can simply plug in a ground loop isolator, which is basically just a filter that blocks out this unwanted interference (although you have ot be careful to get a good GLI, so it only blocks the bad signal and you don't end up losing frequencies you want in the process).

So does Kensington give this out for free?

[SooneratND]

So does Kensington give this out for free?

If you read the thread, posters are saying that the amazon page for the LiquidAUX says that Kensington will give you one for free if you call them.

I did not know that when I bought mine though. If I had, I would have at least tried the free one to see how it performed before buying the one I am using now.

[MrScott]

Recently purchased the liquidaux -- haven't been able to avoid the "accessory not supported" consistently. Sometimes it doesn't pop up, sometimes no matter how many times I plug/unplug/reboot I can't get rid of it. I wouldn't mind if I could just dismiss it but when the message pops up the remote doesn't work. This is on an iphone 3G. I'm going to try backing up/restoring.

[crocodiluQ]

Did anyone find a solution to the biggest problem of this device, the fact the it will completely drain power of the ipod if left in car with engine off ?
When I turn the engine off, it pauses the iPod as it should but it does not allow it to go to sleep mode => battery is drained in the morning.
EXTREMELY annoying to unplug it every day and plug it in back in the mornings.
I've search the internet and besides a lot of people complaining about this, I couldn't find any solution.

[JNGold]

@SooneraND,

I have a 2008 Lexus IS250 and I opted for the $300 integration kit. For convenience and functionality, it cannot be beat. While what you say is true and the Kensington solution is certainly accomplishes song selection at a much cheaper price, I think a MAJOR feature of the integration kit is song and playlist selection on the built-in GPS navi screen. The ability to interface with the larger GPS screen while driving is head and shoulders above reaching for the smaller screen of the iPod. plus the obvious built-in steering wheel controls is a plus. For simple song fwd/rwd, the Kensington solution sounds great. My integration mount is in the glove compartment so I don't need clips and such which I find such a PIA. I put the iPhone in the glove, have it charge and have the BT connect to the BT integration.

Also another advantage to having the integration is that the music is lowered any time the GPS issues a voice command then return to the playing level after it completes. I can't tell you how many time in the past using a media player and a GPS where I would have to make the music lower just to hear a voice command.

I also have a 2003 Saab that my wife uses with her iPhone. That only has an AUX in jack, so I might have to check out for that car. I am little hesitant about having something on my steering wheel. Can the remote be mounted elsewhere?

Here is the integration kit in iPod/iPhone mode:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3414/3511697888_5a264a3711.jpg

[crocodiluQ]

I installed the remote on the hand brake. Very convenient :)

No info from anyone on the power drain ? :(

[ProwlingTiger]

Glad my Ford has this function built in.

[SooneratND]

@SooneraND,

I have a 2008 Lexus IS250 and I opted for the $300 integration kit. For convenience and functionality, it cannot be beat. While what you say is true and the Kensington solution is certainly accomplishes song selection at a much cheaper price, I think a MAJOR feature of the integration kit is song and playlist selection on the built-in GPS navi screen. The ability to interface with the larger GPS screen while driving is head and shoulders above reaching for the smaller screen of the iPod. plus the obvious built-in steering wheel controls is a plus. For simple song fwd/rwd, the Kensington solution sounds great. My integration mount is in the glove compartment so I don't need clips and such which I find such a PIA. I put the iPhone in the glove, have it charge and have the BT connect to the BT integration.

Also another advantage to having the integration is that the music is lowered any time the GPS issues a voice command then return to the playing level after it completes. I can't tell you how many time in the past using a media player and a GPS where I would have to make the music lower just to hear a voice command.

I also have a 2003 Saab that my wife uses with her iPhone. That only has an AUX in jack, so I might have to check out for that car. I am little hesitant about having something on my steering wheel. Can the remote be mounted elsewhere?

Here is the integration kit in iPod/iPhone mode:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3414/3511697888_5a264a3711.jpg

I don't have the navi in my model, so the Kensington was the way to go for me. If I did, I would think hard about opting for the factory set up.


Also, the remote is just a piece of plastic with a loop of velcro on the back, so you can mount in in a lot of places other than the steering wheel. I've actually taken mine off of the steering wheel and been keeping it in my cupholder, as the plastic had some ridges on the back to keep it from sliding and I was concerned they might dig into the leather on the steering wheel and leave marks.

[SooneratND]

I installed the remote on the hand brake. Very convenient :)

No info from anyone on the power drain ? :(

I discovered this problem too. Haven't found a work around yet. So, far, I've been waiting about 5 minutes until there's enough charge for it to begin accepting remote commands again whenever I forget to unplug it.

[AuburnApple]

I've had this for about a year. It worked great for a few months, all the while occasionally giving the "Accessory not supported" pop-up. I had a slight Ground loop problem that wasn't bad enough for me to buy an isolator. After about 6 months the charge function stopped working, as did my remote, so essentially all I have now is an expensive Auxiliary cable. I have a friend that experienced the exact same thing. His no longer charges either. The charge function didn't quit immediately. Initially it began with me having to jiggle the cable to get the charge function to work. Eventually it just stopped working entirely.

[R.Youden]

I am looking at one of these but I have a quick question. How long is the cable from the 12V socket to the iPhone dock connector? At the moment my charger only just reaches the dash and I want to move the iPhone over to the right-hand side next to my steering wheel (in the UK, other way round to you in the US), I guess it won't be long enough but I thought I would ask.

Thanks.

[lochtess]

Hi,

I just purchased the Kensington LiquidAUX for my iphone.
Everything works when my car radio is hooked up.I can
charge my phone and hear the music at the same time.

My problem is when I want to listen to my iphone music without the car radio and charge the phone at the same time I get no sound. It will only work if I unplug the charger from iphone.

Can the Kensington LiquidAUX charge the iphone and
can you listen to music on the iphone without using
the car stereo?

I hope you what I'm saying makes sense.

Tess

[SooneratND]

Hi,

I just purchased the Kensington LiquidAUX for my iphone.
Everything works when my car radio is hooked up.I can
charge my phone and hear the music at the same time.

My problem is when I want to listen to my iphone music without the car radio and charge the phone at the same time I get no sound. It will only work if I unplug the charger from iphone.

Can the Kensington LiquidAUX charge the iphone and
can you listen to music on the iphone without using
the car stereo?

I hope you what I'm saying makes sense.

Tess


I understand what you are saying, but I'm not sure I understand why would you want to do that? Why would you ever want to listen to music out fo the tinny iPhone speakers (can you even hear them in a car on the highway?) when you have car stereo speakers to listen to?

Also, why spend the money on the liquid aux if you aren't going to use the main benefit? A cheap car charger would have been better, it sounds like.

[lochtess]

Yes I would normally use it with the car radio but I would like to also charge it and listen to music in a car doesn't have a AUX as awful as it may sound...