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TrailerTrish

macrumors member
Original poster
Jan 22, 2012
39
0
So my current car stereo is dead anyway and I'll have to replace it, and when I do I want something with a jack I can just plug my iPhone 3G into with a cable and play my music on. I don't need bluetooth, or anything fancy, I just want a jack in the new stereo that I can plug a .3.5mm (?) cable into and play my phone's music on. I don't want to go the FM transmitter route, that doesn't work so well and the sound quality doesn't make it.

Does anyone know of a cheap car stereo that has a jack I can just plug my phone into? Currently I'm using a pair of iHome speakers velcro'd to my dash and plugged into my phone on a holder for my car stereo. I'd like better sound than that.

I don't care about radio, I never listen to it anyway, hate the commercials, I just want to hear my own music over my car speakers off my iPhone.

Thankyouverymuch :D
 
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TrailerTrish

macrumors member
Original poster
Jan 22, 2012
39
0
The JVC KD-R530 should do everything you want. I would suggest the USB connection over just an audio jack because it will act as a charger for your phone as well.

http://www.frys.com/product/6940497...tQhTkansg__.node3?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

There's tons of other equipment out there if you just search for "iphone car stereo" - perhaps you can find others for cheaper.

Hey, thank you for that! It's pretty cool that it would keep the phone charged, and that made me wonder, is there a car stereo that can do this and... with, like, 4 powered USB ports in it??? Oh gosh, next I want an iPad and a 2tb drive in my car with all my music, movies, and tv shows on it... okay they won't fit in 2tb, but if I can get one drive in there maybe I can get all six in there.... can I just connect the iPad to the drives or do I need to put a Mac Mini in there too?

Wow, that would be truly groovy!

Geeking out here....
 
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labman

macrumors 604
Jun 9, 2009
7,786
2
Mich near Detroit
you can get what you want starting at about $100 and yes USb is the way to go this way to if the 5 does come out with a new mini jack it will still sync and work. pioneer, jvc, Kenwood Dennon they all make them just pick style brand and features. I know there are several threads here reviewing car stereo's
 

cvaldes

macrumors 68040
Dec 14, 2006
3,237
0
somewhere else
Hey, thank you for that! It's pretty cool that it would keep the phone charged, and that made me wonder, is there a car stereo that can do this and... with, like, 4 powered USB ports in it??? Oh gosh, next I want an iPad and a 2tb drive in my car with all my music, movies, and tv shows on it... okay they won't fit in 2tb, but if I can get one drive in there maybe I can get all six in there.... can I just connect the iPad to the drives or do I need to put a Mac Mini in there too?

Wow, that would be truly groovy!

Geeking out here....
I've never heard of a car stereo head unit with four USB ports; if there was one, it would undoubtedly be very expensive as it would be a pretty unique device.

My suggestion is for you to get a dual-port cigarette lighter USB charger. Here's the one I have:

http://www.amazon.com/Kensington-K33497US-PowerBolt-Charger-Compatible/dp/B003PU01M4/

The 1 amp port on the bottom is good enough to charge an iPhone, the 2.1 amp port on the top will handle an iPad (which draws more current). One advantage to having something like this versus a stereo head unit with four-ports is that this inexpensive device can be relocated to a different charger in your car, or taken with you when you travel.

When you are traveling, you'll find that many rental cars have AUX IN for a standard 3.5mm plug. You can use a separate cable, but this is actually better:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005LUKCX4/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00

(or similar cable) because it takes the higher-quality line-out audio from the dock connector rather than tapping the audio from the headphone port (which has a poor amplifier).

If you want to use something like a MacBook in your car, you are better off getting a voltage inverter and using your standard AC adapter, rather than buying a dedicated cigarette lighter charger for your computer.

http://www.amazon.com/Power-Bright-PW400-12-Inverter-Watt/dp/B000OOZY5S/

unless you travel heavily with your notebook and need to use it in rental cars a lot.

The inverter naturally lets you plug in a wide variety of appliances (within the power output of the unit).

Don't watch movies while you drive. It's dangerous. Naturally, there are ways to cram lots of media into a mobile A/V system, it's really how much money you want to spend to do so (and how big your vehicle is).
 
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greenchiliman

macrumors 6502
Jul 29, 2010
253
0
Chicago
Search crutchfield.com for stereos for your specific car, features, and price. They also provide instructions and any connectors you need to install.
 

gngan

macrumors 68000
Jan 1, 2009
1,829
72
MacWorld
Hey, thank you for that! It's pretty cool that it would keep the phone charged, and that made me wonder, is there a car stereo that can do this and... with, like, 4 powered USB ports in it??? Oh gosh, next I want an iPad and a 2tb drive in my car with all my music, movies, and tv shows on it... okay they won't fit in 2tb, but if I can get one drive in there maybe I can get all six in there.... can I just connect the iPad to the drives or do I need to put a Mac Mini in there too?

Wow, that would be truly groovy!

Geeking out here....

WTF?

Get a caravan so you can have tons of USB ports, TV, Xbox 360.....
 
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