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Solid state music player

5K views 15 replies 9 participants last post by  Keyan 
#1 ·
Does anyone know of a head unit that will work like a usb mp3 player. I don';t want to have to burn discs but I want a way to get my music from my computer to my car. I've looked at all the ipod options but they all seem like crap. Anybody seen anything interesting.

Shawn
 
#3 ·
If you're main goal is to get music from your computer to your car, I found that the most economical way to go is with a MP3/WMA CD head unit. Then all you need is a CD burner for your computer and you can burn CD's with around 150 songs per CD.
 
#6 · (Edited)
ipod, ipod, ipod.

yes, all the commercially available ipod interfacing solutions are crap, excpet mine ;). but if your head unit has aux inputs, you're in luck. i have my ipod dock hardwired into 12V and also hardwired into my aux inputs on my head unit. no FM modulators or crappy interfaces to dilute the sound quality. the 24-bit DAC insures high quality analog signal is getting sent straight into the head unit. just plunk down the ipod in its dock, and voila-- your ENTIRE music collection at your fingertips-- plus the ipod will charge while you're listening to it! and you don't have to burn a single CD. it is the #1 most convenient method of having your music collection at your fingertips (if you hook it up my way). no competition. end of story.

i do like alpine's idea, i think it's great, but $400 for only 16GB??? plus you don't get the CD option if you just want to pop a CD in instead. i already have 27GB of music on my 40GB ipod. but you can now get ipods with 60GB hard drives.

 
#7 ·
does'nt alpine have a intertface that plugs directly into an ipod that lets you control the ipod from the head unit, if so does that one sound decent
 
#9 · (Edited)
it's not really off topic. just getting into details.

jjos-- yes, some new alpines (the 2004 Ai-net compatible models) have an optional interface (KCA-420i) that plugs into the ipod and lets you control it from the head unit. it does also provide 12V charging for the ipod, like my setup, and unlike my setup, allows you to search song/artist/album/etc and also control things like FF/REW. but it's just a cable that connects to the ipod to carry the audio signal and the data that controls the iPod. it's not a dock that mounts to the car. so your ipod just sits there like a cell phone with no "home".

but if you shelled out the cash for the alpine, the $100 adapter, AND a $30 ipod dock, THEN that would be the ultimate setup.

yevRPS-- i do have to change tracks/FF/REW etc on the ipod itself, since the head unit can not control the ipod like the new alpines can. the head unit sees it as an audio source and nothing more. but i like being able to mount the ipod in its cradle. the ipod is also backlit, and it can be programmed to stay backlit as long as it's in use. i have it set that way, so at night all the song info and REW/FF/PAUSE buttons are backlit and i can see everything nicely. i only wish there was someplace i could mount the dock higher than where it is now, but i have not found a better solution.
 
#10 · (Edited)
MP3 player
This is another option. You can load your music straight from your computer with the included wireless router. No cd burning needed.
Kenwood also makes a "music Keg" which plugs into their headunits like a cd changer, but is a hard drive to store your digitall music. It has a removable card that you load your music onto with your computer. When the music is loaded, you just plug it back into the keg in your car and you are ready to go.
 
#14 ·
#15 · (Edited)
keyan, thanks for that thread! makes me wish i had a tib! that was the first idea i had-- to just open the ashtray, and pop the ipod in. and, just like on the tiburon, my ipod dock did fit perfectly in the ashtray (after i trimmed down the little plastic tabs inside the ashtray). but the major problem is that, in the end, it didn't work on the elantra. when the ipod is in the dock, it is tilted back about 25 degrees. when the ashtray is pulled all the way out to its bump stop, the ipod can't fit in the dock since the top of the ipod hits the HVAC controls. the ashtray need to come out at least one more inch, which it cant (even if you remove the bump stop, the ashtray only comes out an additional 1/2" before falling out). even if it did fit, it would hide the HVAC controls when in the dock. so that's why i had to use the lower console in the end. oh wells... it looks like the tib's ash tray is larger and also pulls out a little farther. i wonder if the 04 elantra's ash tray (the push-type) comes out any farther than the 01-03... ??
 
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