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Kensington LiquidAUX

MBHockey

MBHockey

macrumors 601
Original poster
Oct 4, 2003
4,063
314
Connecticut
I received the Kensington LiquidAUX today as I wanted something for my iPhone 3G that would simultaneously charge and provide an auxiliary out cord in one unit so I only have to plug in one cord.

The LiquidAUX is great. It comes with a wireless remote that mounts to the steering wheel and is a very nice addition. The music sounds great, as the audio is sent over the special dock connector cable and utilizes the line out mechanism.

I have heard some people have had problems with "whirring" noises when accelerating but I haven't had to drive anywhere yet. I'll post back with my experiences with that issue after I take it for a spin.

The set up in my car looks a lot cleaner now than it did before. I have coupled the LiquidAUX with a ProClip mount and I'm really liking the combination. It doesn't do hands-free calling, but I find with the windows closed the speakerphone works fine. I might look into a Bluetooth headset just for the car...but it seems even the average ones are quite pricey.

I was able to get it for $49 + shipping off of Amazon (it is $80 from the Apple Online Store).

Here are some pictures of the ProClip + LiquidAUX installation.
 
I got my ProClip yesterday and will have the LiquidAux tomorrow from Amazon. Not sure if you noticed but Amazon has a $10 rebate on the LiquidAux.

I have a Bodyguardz skin on my 3G and that makes it VERY tight in the mount. In fact the mount is "scuffing" the Bodyguardz. The tolerances on the mount are VERY close.
 
MisterEdF said:
I got my ProClip yesterday and will have the LiquidAux tomorrow from Amazon. Not sure if you noticed but Amazon has a $10 rebate on the LiquidAux.

I have a Bodyguardz skin on my 3G and that makes it VERY tight in the mount. In fact the mount is "scuffing" the Bodyguardz. The tolerances on the mount are VERY close.
Click to expand...

I think we missed the rebate "purchase by" date. It was 8/18/2008.
 
MisterEdF said:
Correct, I ordered (purchased) mine on the 18th and it arrived on the 21st so I'm under the wire. Order date is what they use and the invoice is dated the 18th. I just made it. :)
Click to expand...

Nice! I'm really liking mine...it's awesome! I've coupled it with a nice BT headset...so i'm all good to go for the car!
 
I just wanted to update the thread and say that I've been driving with the LiquidAUX for about a week now and have not once heard a whirring noise coming through the speakers.

The sound is fantastic.
 
Are there different versions of this out there? Kensington says it is iPhone 3G certified, but with mine I keep getting the "this accessory is not made to work with iPhone" message. Are other people getting this message? I just bought it from Amazon last week.
 
I got that message 1 time. To stop it I removed the plug from the cig jack and the iPhone, plugged it back into the cig jack, then hooked up the iPhone (in that order) and have never seen it again. If you keep seeing it, it probably is a bad adapter.

eja said:
Are there different versions of this out there? Kensington says it is iPhone 3G certified, but with mine I keep getting the "this accessory is not made to work with iPhone" message. Are other people getting this message? I just bought it from Amazon last week.
Click to expand...
 
MisterEdF said:
I got that message 1 time. To stop it I removed the plug from the cig jack and the iPhone, plugged it back into the cig jack, then hooked up the iPhone (in that order) and have never seen it again. If you keep seeing it, it probably is a bad adapter.
Click to expand...

I also saw this message exactly one time. It was a fluke though, because I unplugged it and replugged it in and it went away. I have not seen it since then any plug it in to the LiquidAUX at least once a dayl
 
Must be something wrong with mine then, since I get the message every time. :(
 
Just purchased the liquidaux (I believe what I have is the K33429US). I've read a lot of reviews about the sound quality being really good but, of those reviews, they never really mention what they're comparing it to, and I've assumed that they are probably comparing it to FM transmitters. Of the reviews that compare the sound to what you get from an aux line directly into the headphone jack on the iphone, they usually say that the volume of the sound is greatly reduced and that the bass is a little muted. I'm getting the same results (lower volume and much less bass when compared to an aux line in the headphone jack). Just wondering:

1) has anyone had a similiar experience
2) of those that are saying that the sound is good, how does it compare to when you plug your aux line directly into the headphone jack
3) could this have anything to do with the model number (I've seen that there is a similar looking K33428US)
4) is this an unavoidable result of running the aux line through the power adapter (ie. will the sound through the headphone jack always sound better than it does through a combo power adapter/aux line).

thanx in advance for your comments!
 
Hi!

I have a question concerning the LiquidAux too :)

I want to combine the LiquidAux and a Brodit holder in which you can install the dock connector of a Griffin poweradapter. To know if it might work with the LiquidAux, I need the measurements of the dock connector it uses. I hope someone in here is so friendly to measure them out for me! ;)

Greetings,

D-Fence
 
I have a LiquidAux for sale (sold my iPhone) as well as a PROCLIP iPhone 3G swivel mount if anyone is interested (just the mount not the base). PM me if interested
 
Won't Work for me

This product won't work for my car because this product only plugs in horizontally and my cig lighter is vertical. Any alternatives to this product that could give me the same results?
 
dipdog said:
Just purchased the liquidaux (I believe what I have is the K33429US). I've read a lot of reviews about the sound quality being really good but, of those reviews, they never really mention what they're comparing it to, and I've assumed that they are probably comparing it to FM transmitters. Of the reviews that compare the sound to what you get from an aux line directly into the headphone jack on the iphone, they usually say that the volume of the sound is greatly reduced and that the bass is a little muted. I'm getting the same results (lower volume and much less bass when compared to an aux line in the headphone jack). Just wondering:

1) has anyone had a similiar experience
2) of those that are saying that the sound is good, how does it compare to when you plug your aux line directly into the headphone jack
3) could this have anything to do with the model number (I've seen that there is a similar looking K33428US)
4) is this an unavoidable result of running the aux line through the power adapter (ie. will the sound through the headphone jack always sound better than it does through a combo power adapter/aux line).

thanx in advance for your comments!
Click to expand...

I'm having the exact same problem and it's very frustrating! Tried the Griffin Autopilot first. Far too much engine noise and output either too low or too high. Love everything about the Kensington but honestly it sounds like crap in my car. I've had an AUX input for years that I've used with 2 previous iPods and it sounds great. There is a noticeable difference in quality using line out vs headphone out. Why can't either one of these guys simply provide real line level output?? I don't want it boosted of cut, just give me the feed from the phone. It's bad enough that apple required power in order to get lineout (my iPods use a simple lineout cable) but as long as that's the case why not just pass thru the signal. BTW, this works perfectly fine in my volvo with a iPod adapter. Anybody hacked on of these yet?
 
dipdog said:
1) has anyone had a similiar experience
2) of those that are saying that the sound is good, how does it compare to when you plug your aux line directly into the headphone jack
3) could this have anything to do with the model number (I've seen that there is a similar looking K33428US)
4) is this an unavoidable result of running the aux line through the power adapter (ie. will the sound through the headphone jack always sound better than it does through a combo power adapter/aux line).
Click to expand...

For the past couple months, I have been using a direct 3.5 mm to 3.5 mm line from the headphone port on the iPhone, to the Aux input in the car.

I asked for and received a LiquidAux as a gift. The sound quality from the LiquidAux is terrible. In comparison, if I connect through an Apple dock, using the line-out, it sounds perfect—maybe a little quiter, but the audio fidelity is on-par with the headphone jack. The sound from the LiquidAux sounds like it is missing much of the low-frequency audio (bass).

I realize the headphone output may color the sound slightly, which is why I used the line-out from a dock for comparison.

I suspect that the "feature" which controls the line-out when DC is (or isn't) connected is the culprit.

I'm waiting to hear back from Kensington about this.
 
PumiceT said:
I'm waiting to hear back from Kensington about this.
Click to expand...

Here's their reply:
Kensington Support (Mohan Kumar) said:
Thank you for contacting Kensington Technical Support.

In this regard, we suggest you to kindly reset your iPhone as that resolves this kind of issues. You will not lose any songs or data. To reset your iPhone.

Step 1: Toggle the Hold switch on and off. (Slide it to Hold, then turn it off again) .

Step 2: Press and hold the Sleep/Wake Button and Home Button of the ipod touch untill the you see the apple icon.

We hope, this should resolve your issue, for any further assistance please feel free to reply back to this email or you may want to call us on our toll-free hotline number 1800-535-4242, Mon - Fri 07:30 am to 04:30 pm PST.

Regards,

Mohan Kumar
Kensington Technical Support
Click to expand...
I did as they suggested, and as anyone who knows anything about electronics would expect, it made no difference whatsoever. The issue isn't the iPhone. It's gotta be their audio-amplifier circuit in the LiquidAUX. Now, why would they have an amp in there? Because they're allowing the device to control whether the iPhone is sending audio through the line-out or through the headphone output. Therefore, the line-out from the base of the iPhone is being routed through the LiquidAUX, and at some point the audio is getting filtered / altered (for the worse).

Ugh.

I wish I could easily bypass their audio circuitry and reroute the line-out directly to their 3.5mm cable, giving me the IDENTICAL signal that the iPhone dock would be giving.
 
I have had the Kensington Aux for a month, after 2 weeks the remote has given up, will allow one button press every 5 ten mins or so - useless. I get a distinct hum through the speakers if I turn the volume on my stereo above 12 - which is just about enough to hear music when doing 70mph on the motorway. Also the plug is pretty lose in my power socket, slightest knock turns the device off and then I get the "device not compatible with 3g". Basically an expensive device which is useless to me, it is being returned and I am going back to my standard aux cable, sounds much better.
 
I ended up finding the solution for MY problem with the LiquidAUX. I realize this probably doesn't apply to many other users, but just in case, here's my finding:

The aux-in in my BMW 328xi has a setting in the head-unit for adjusting the input level. Based on my experience with using the headphone output from the iPhone or other audio devices, I would keep the aux-in level at a nominal setting. However, the line-output from the LiquidAUX has much less overall power than a headphone output - and it should. That's standard for line-level outputs. Line levels don't need the power to move speaker drivers (like you'd find in headphones), so the voltage is much lower. If I turn the auxiliary input level all the way up on the BMW's head-unit, everything sounds great again!

So, if your stereo has an adjustment for the input level, try turning that up.

I have a feeling the head-unit actually can only REDUCE the input, not boost it. If so, the numbers should be displayed as -5 up to 0, but BMW has it shown as 1 through 6 (if I recall correctly) with a center line. Fairly misleading, but most users wouldn't care to understand!
 
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