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iPod PERFECT and CHEAP ipod direct integration for your car!

V

Viking Quest

macrumors member
Original poster
Jun 28, 2006
49
0
So my dream came true, and only cost me $150. I found a way to direct connect (no FM transmitter) my iPod into my BMW.

I went to my local Best Buy store and bought the Blitzsafe Ipod Interface for my BMW. It took about 30 minutes for them to install and I was listening to my ipod with perfect quality! :D

I would highly recommend this product. (and no, i dont work for the company)

I thought you guys would appreciate this since a lot of people hate those FM transmitters.

So heres the LINK!

By the way, it does work for other cars besides BMWs, so go check if it works for yours.
 
Ugh..

no support for my car. you'd think a 2006 WRX would have some kind of aux. out???? :(

still ipodless in the car until i upgrade my damn headunit *sigh*
 
All it does is connect to the spare rca ports in the back of the headunit, you could do this yourself for a lot less money.
 
I did it for 20 bucks, its a tape player, the sound quility is better then radio! And i can use it in other cars home sterio ect.. also it works with my iBook, only drawback is it needs a tape deck but luck for me all the cars in my family but one have a tape deck
 
AGoglanian said:
Ugh..

no support for my car. you'd think a 2006 WRX would have some kind of aux. out???? :(

still ipodless in the car until i upgrade my damn headunit *sigh*
Click to expand...
I'll take it off your hands if your too upset.:D No support for the 2006 A6 either.:(
 
zap2 said:
I did it for 20 bucks, its a tape player, the sound quility is better then radio! And i can use it in other cars home sterio ect.. also it works with my iBook, only drawback is it needs a tape deck but luck for me all the cars in my family but one have a tape deck
Click to expand...

You can get tape adapters nowadays for £5.00, and a car charger for the iPod even for less (generic USB charger - looks like USB connector but only provides power; charges anything that can be charged from USB).
 
If you have an aftermarket cd player with auxiliary hookups in the back, you can take a monster cord wire and run it from the auxiliary ports to the headphone jack of your ipod for about $25
 
i take it they don't sell a version for a 1967 triumph spitfire MK3 :/
 
pyrex said:
All it does is connect to the spare rca ports in the back of the headunit, you could do this yourself for a lot less money.
Click to expand...

No it doesn't it hooks up through your trunk where a CD changer would hook up. It plugs in the bottom of the iPod and also charges it. I have a 2001 car with a factory system ... it doesn't have RCAs, trust me.

Theres a reason I posted this, it's for people with no AUX inputs and who want better quality audio than FM or Tapedeck (and yes believe it or not, tapedeck is like 1/10 the quality of direct)
 
So this can play any playlist off your iPod? Or do you need special playlists 1-6 (like the original BMW/iPod "integration"). Does it display the track names etc on the headunit?

If it cannot play any playlist then it's significantly less than perfect.
 
robbieduncan said:
So this can play any playlist off your iPod? Or do you need special playlists 1-6 (like the original BMW/iPod "integration"). Does it display the track names etc on the headunit?

If it cannot play any playlist then it's significantly less than perfect.
Click to expand...

It plays as if you were holding it in your hand. It doesn't disable the functions of the iPod, you select the music on the iPod itself.

No, it doesn't show the tracklisting, but my 2001 car isn't able to do that anyways. I bought a holster for it that clips onto my AC vents so it's right next to my steering wheel where I can search my Artists or just select any of my playlists.

It's pretty sweet and perfect audio quality.
 
Viking Quest said:
It plays as if you were holding it in your hand. It doesn't disable the functions of the iPod, you select the music on the iPod itself.

No, it doesn't show the tracklisting, but my 2001 car isn't able to do that anyways. I bought a holster for it that clips onto my AC vents so it's right next to my steering wheel where I can search my Artists or just select any of my playlists.

It's pretty sweet and perfect audio quality.
Click to expand...

OK, so it offers no real integration at all in that you can't control the iPod from the head unit. In that sense it really is just like running RCA inputs into an AUX socket, just in this case it's using the CD Changer audio inputs instead.
 
robbieduncan said:
OK, so it offers no real integration at all in that you can't control the iPod from the head unit. In that sense it really is just like running RCA inputs into an AUX socket, just in this case it's using the CD Changer audio inputs instead.
Click to expand...

Correct, but that's all I wanted. It's not possible for me to run a $20 RCA cable into AUX inputs so I was looking for another option....and found one!

That's my point, for those of us with cars without AUX inputs who want direct input : this is the solution.
 
I did it for $15, I have an Alpine Headunit with plug for a 6 disk changer that I don't use. So I got a cable that plugs into that jack and I can plug the rca from the cable right into the iPod headphone jack. Except, I wired it into a Belkin Car charger so I can power the 'Pod via the dock connector, while the RCA from the headunit plugs right into the belkin device, works well for me:D
 
bowens said:
Has anyone ever used the Belking Tunecast II FM Transmitter? http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=3622679
I was thinking about getting this for use with my iPod Shuffle. I think the colors would match the shuffle well, and I like the fact that you can choose any FM frequency.
Click to expand...

I have a friend who uses it with his 4G iPod, and it is the same as any crappy FM Transmitter. Horrid. Not to mention, the fact that Belkin's usually require batteries, so you are constantly replacing the batteries every week or so if you drive and listen on a regular basis (every day).
 
bowens said:
Has anyone ever used the Belking Tunecast II FM Transmitter? http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=3622679
I was thinking about getting this for use with my iPod Shuffle. I think the colors would match the shuffle well, and I like the fact that you can choose any FM frequency.
Click to expand...

I have one of those. It's not bad but you will have to play around to find the right station for tuning it to. I'd like a cable solution but unfortunately I'm too cheap to upgrade the stereo in the Jeep, and the current solution is much better than the initial one I had. I had originally purchased the TuneCast II's predecessor which had only 4 selectable stations and only worked off of battery power.

Pros : Attaches to Belkin 12V car adapter via a cable so you don't need batteries. Covers the entire FM dial in .1 MHz increments

Cons : Subject to interference like all FM transmitters. Hard to find clear stations in larger cities.
 
I live in a rural area in Florida so I don't think I should have a problem finding a station to tune to. The thing I don't understand is this transmitter comes in two models: one white (http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=3622679) and one gray(http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=2603620). But the gray one comes with a power cord and the white one doesn't. They are exactly the same and have the same price. I was going to buy the white one because it matches my iPod, but after reading some reviews I think I will buy the gray one with the power cord.
 
bowens said:
I live in a rural area in Florida so I don't think I should have a problem finding a station to tune to. The thing I don't understand is this transmitter comes in two models: one white (http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=3622679) and one gray(http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=2603620). But the gray one comes with a power cord and the white one doesn't. They are exactly the same and have the same price. I was going to buy the white one because it matches my iPod, but after reading some reviews I think I will buy the gray one with the power cord.
Click to expand...


I am an audiophile so any kind of FM transmitter for my iPod i couldnt stand. If you don't mind the bad quality and searching for stations then get one. But if you buy a "nice" one it's still going to be the same thing. It's not going to sound any better.
 
Viking Quest said:
I am an audiophile
Click to expand...


obviously, since you are running the stock headunit.

jk



btw, Viking Quest Rules!

VICTORY!!!!!!


and yes, its just adapting the audio out into the harness tricking the headunit that the ipod is a changer. not bad if you want to retain a stock deck and use the pod to control.

I had the alpine adapter for my DVD deck, and the delay was so bad i took it out. I just burn mp3 dvds now. Much easier.
 
Lebowski said:
obviously, since you are running the stock headunit.
Click to expand...
Good Point!! :p
I have the Alpine iPod interface (KCA-420i), and I'm very happy with the sound! I used the aux input method prior to this. The integration is superior.
 
ExileinBlonde said:
Good Point!! :p
I have the Alpine iPod interface (KCA-420i), and I'm very happy with the sound! I used the aux input method prior to this. The integration is superior.
Click to expand...

I wish it was an option for me. My Alpine head unit is too old, but I tried my iPod on one of the newest Alpine head units plus the latest iPod interface and a lot of my music came up with "Not supported" as a title. It's great to know that a Japanese company doesn't support Asian languages. Of course, when connected, it blanks the iPod display, so you can't tell what you're selecting.

It sounded great, though.

It looks as though the AUX in jacks are my best bet.
 
ExileinBlonde said:
Good Point!! :p
I have the Alpine iPod interface (KCA-420i), and I'm very happy with the sound! I used the aux input method prior to this. The integration is superior.
Click to expand...

yup, i had that adapter, but the delay and playlist limit turned me off.

im am glad my deck allows for mp3 on dvd. i can seriously cram hundreds of songs on one disc.

i burn full collections of artist, instead of lugging dozens of discs around.
 
Lebowski said:
yup, i had that adapter, but the delay and playlist limit turned me off.

im am glad my deck allows for mp3 on dvd. i can seriously cram hundreds of songs on one disc.

i burn full collections of artist, instead of lugging dozens of discs around.
Click to expand...
Yea, searching for a particular artist can take forever, I constantly make playlists. In the beginning, I didn't think I could handle the delay, but now there is no way I could sacrifice the sound quality.
 
ExileinBlonde said:
Yea, searching for a particular artist can take forever, I constantly make playlists. In the beginning, I didn't think I could handle the delay, but now there is no way I could sacrifice the sound quality.
Click to expand...

That must be the old box. There is a new connection in a cable that's supposedly much faster and it worked fine in the store.
 
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