Help me sort out this IPOD stuff, please

[JMc]

Okay, here's the deal. I've got a C5 with the Bose head unit with a CD player. No changer. I'm satisfied with the sound of the Bose. I don't want to get rid of it at this point. I just dropped $3k on an Eclipse for my wife's car, and don't want to spend that kind of bread again right now. Besides, I've got a vert and feel a little uncomfortable running with a nav unit in there. Theft magnet. Anyway, I digress. I've never owned an I-Pod. I've got a Creative Zen MP3 player that I like just fine. But trying to interface it with my stock system seems like a PIA, plus, it doesn't have a charger for use in the car, etc. So, it isn't the best solution. I'm thinking about buying an I-Pod just because the options for installation and control during playback from the head unit seem so much better than anything else, but I hate I-Tunes, and don't want to screw around with all of that baggage. I just want to be able to load my MP3's onto the I-Pod and do what I want to do with my music. I don't own a Mac, and don't want one. Can I simply load my mp3 files from my PC onto an I-Pod without going through a lot of hassle? What would be the best solution for me to store and playback 5,000 songs in my C5? I want to be able to easily load songs onto the I-Pod, then stash it in the car somewhere out of sight, turn it on and control the song selection via my stock head unit. Possible? I need some good advice and a shopping list, please.

[pentavolvo]

There is software that will allow you to just load mp3s with out Itunes

[neile]

In my opinion, you can not achieve your objective of retaining the stock system, having a Ipod connected and controlling selection of Ipod features from the stock head unit.

That said, I have installed the Peripheral's Aux2Car adapter along with the PXHGM4 cable (plug into the HU and the stock harness). This gives you RCA inputs to the HU (fools the head unit into thinking that there is an external CD and it plays cd 1 track 1). Your external device (Ipod, other Mp3 player, car computer) supplies the signal to the AUX port. You use the HU to control volume etc. This is good.

What you do not get is the ability to control the external device in anyway from the head unit.

My Aux2Car experience and CarPC is expanded upon on my web site.

[scott_fx]

neile, you can get an ipod2car that will let you control basic functions on the ipod...track forward, play, pause, ff, rw. etc. i dont know the specifics because i dont need to hook my ipod up since i have an 80 gb harddrive in my car pc anyways

there is no way around itunes when using an ipod, it's the only way to sync up music from your computer to the ipod. you should give itunes another shot though, imho it's the best mp3 player out there...and you dont need a mac

[JMc]

Thanks for all the information. I appreciate the assist.

My resistance to Apple and I-Pods is born out of frustration with Apple that dates back to the mid-1980's. I was ticked off by their policies then and I hold a grudge, ha ha.

After trying a really REALLY poor quality FM transmitting device in the car this past weekend, I guess I'll bite the bullet and pick up an I-Pod and the required interface(s) sometime soon.

I have an extensive mp3 collection and don't want the i-tunes software to $%#! with it in any way. I want to be able to load my music and play it in whatever device I want, whenever I want, without restriction.

Will installing the i-tunes software hamstring me in any way? Do I have to register on line? Or can I just load the i-pod while off-line and not deal with the website and all of that?

[ian1994red]

You have several options. You can even keep you stock HU.

Itunes is easy. You dont have to use the website to be able to load music. For about $100 give or take you can get an adapter that will play your IPOD through an FM transmitter, you just set the radio to say 89.7 and the transmitter to the same, and BOOM, you got IPOD tunes on the factory HU. Did this in the wifey's chrysler, and it sounds good.

[JMc]

Hi Ian,

I know that the FM transmitter I bought for my daughter's I-Pod seemed to work surprisingly well. It plugged right into the top of her i-Pod. I think it was by Griffin, maybe. Anyway, it sounded better than I expected it to.

That's the problem with other I-Pod knockoffs like my Creative Zen. There's just no aftermarket product support.

I tried a cheap FM transmitter I bought at Fry's Electronics over the weekend with my Zen and there was so much noise and distortion in the signal that it was just awful. I tried tuning to different frequencies, lowering the output volume, etc. all to no avail. So, I think in order to get any decent aftermarket add ons, I have no choice left now, but to go the I-Pod route.

One of those "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" deals...

[ian1994red]

Whoa whoa, hold your horsies.

if you already have a transmitter for your current set up lets look at isolating the prob with it first,

Where do you have it pluged in/located at.

What are the product model #'s so I can look at what you have.

[JMc]

Okay, fair enough. I tried a $25 Mercury brand FM transmitter plugged into the aux power in the center console armrest of my C5. I see no model number on it. But according to the website I grabbed the picture from, it's FM T100LCD. The volume level seems weak and there is a significant amount of distortion and noise in the signal. I attribute this to a poorly constructed transmitter. I don't think there is any recourse but to return it for a refund.

[ian1994red]

OK that thing is JUNK.

Take it back and get you money.

Anything with that little of a bandwidth is going to be junk.

Try this, and see if you like it.....

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1069298385668

[JMc]

I was on my way to Best Buy to check out I-Pod's anyway. I'll check out the Belkin. Thanks.

[LarryW]

I'm like you man, I've hated Macs since the 80's (and still do!!), and have always been a PC guy (flame suit on) but I gotta tell you: I LOVE my iPOD

It seems to be the perfect portable audio device for the car environment: reasonably small form factor (but not too small), an extremely intuitive and easy to operate user interface (Click Wheel), and a large storage capacity (upward of 60 GB).

I've gotten to like iTunes, but like you, I initially was turned off by it (seemed kind of clunky). But the latest revisions seem to have fixed a lot of the issues that I saw (maybe I've gotten use to them ).

But if you're going to use an iPod in your Vette (through the factory head unit), I would highly suggest that you go the DIRECT CONNECT route into the factory head unit.

I've been using this: mp3yourcar.com for the past year and a half and absolutely love it

It does everything that I need: power on/off the iPod from the factory stereo, direct audio connection into the factory stereo, and allows me to control volume from the factory stereo. It provides limited control of the iPod's music library (Prev Track, Skip Track, FF, and RWD).

I say limited because you can only navigate through your iPod's music library sequentially; you don't have the ability to navigate through any of your Playlists or jump from one artist/song to another on the iPod like you can by using the Click Wheel. And since the factory head unit is not capable of displaying track/song/artist info, I wasn't all that interested in this ability anyway...

I keep my iPod within easy reach in a special cupholder docking station

Kind of OT here but I just put the Alpine CDA-9857 head unit into my DD and it is phenomenal!!

I bought it solely for the display and iPod integration and boy does this baby deliver!! But I'm still not ready to remove and replace the stock stereo in my Vette just yet...

[Shangreer]

I have one of the AuxPod adapters that allows you to connect your Ipod to the deck that I will sell. I paid $189 shipped...installed it and then replaced the deck 2 weeks later. Like new. $100 takes it and the adapter for the C5 CD. Takes all of 2 minutes to install....10 if you remove the CD changer and put it in storage. I should warn ya though that these IPOD adapters can be cranky. Use the random setting on the Ipod instead of on the Head Unit and you should be OK.

And ITunes is a resource hog but it works well. You can use it to add MP3s already on your system to your Ipod or to rip new ones from CD.

PM me if you want it.

Shan

[JMc]

Thanks for all the replies, gents. I finally crossed over to the dark side and wound up buying a 30 gig I-Pod yesterday, then wrestled with getting the i-tunes software installed for several hours. Microsoft technical support proved to be pretty inept, but I googled the error messages I was receiving and finally tracked down my problem to a registry entry and as soon as I changed the value, I was off and running.

In general, I really dislike the I-Tunes software. I'm still not quite getting the joy I was hoping for, so I downloaded Music Match Jukebox Plus and I'm in the process of supertagging all my music files to make the loading and sorting a lot easier. I also purchased a Griffin docking charger/FM transmitter combo, but I think it may go back. If I keep it, it will be for the ease of adding my songs to whatever vehicle I'm driving, but I think it's going to be clunky and in the way of too many things in the 'Vette.

I'm hoping to have some songs loaded and ready to test out later today. Larry, thanks for that link to the Neo box. That sounds like the way I'll want to go, I think. I've got at least 15 days to return the Griffin unit to Best Buy for a refund if I'm not happy with it.

Thanks again, guys. I've been missing my music.

[Shangreer]

Good luck getting it all going.

And you are right, iTunes is not the greatest. It gets a little better the longer you use it.

And you will definately want to return the FM transmitter, if you keep the Ipod. There is simply no comparison to the audio quality of direct connect vs. FM.

[JMc]

I totally agree regarding direct connect vs. FM. I'm just not looking forward to the labor involved with that kind of an installation. I don't have a changer in the trunk, so it's not just a simple swap. I'll need to access the back of the head unit, right?

[JMc]

Well, I took the Griffin charger/holder/FM modulator back to Best Buy for a refund. Just as I had feared. Sounded like total crap. I've heard better AM radio stations. So now I guess I'll have to buy one of the hardwire kits and go for it. I'm thinking about modding my console to accomodate the I-Pod. Has anyone done anything like that before to achieve a custom, integrated look? Too bad there isn't an aftermarket armrest cover with an indented area towards the front for flush mounting your I-Pod as well. That would be cool, I think.

[pk1]

[JMc]

I like the I-Pod docking solution -- a lot! Where did you get the unit that the I-Pod is plugged into like that? I'd like to do something similar, I think, replacing either the ash tray or the cigarette lighter, but retaining the hinged cover to keep everything hidden.

[LarryW]

pk1, WOW!! that looks nice

JMc, it's funny you mention a flush mount solution into the center console lid for your iPod; I too had contemplated this and went so far as to buy another console lid

It wouldn't take that much work to do; I had thought about putting the cutout for the iPod all the way forward (and having a shop redo the "pleather" around the cutout) and fabricating a shelf or pocket for the iPod to reside in. I was using a clear plastic protective case for my iPod similar to this: Contour iSee20 iPod case

I had thought about cutting away the top part of the iSee20 case and using the lower part as the shelf (the idea was that if you opened the console lid, you could see the back part of the iPod ).

There's enough clearance between the layers of the console lid to do this I believe .

But I abandoned this approach mainly because I wanted to retain some sort of docking station setup for my iPod...

I ended up buying a special docking station that fits inside of the "cupholder" (vendor is called: 2point5.com). I love this setup because when I physically remove my iPod, I can close the "cupholder" lid to retain total stealth



If you're interested in something like this, contact Matt Turner: matt@2point5.com