Filed under: Audio, iPod Family, Features
Driving along in my automobile, with an iPhone or iPod
Taking a holiday drive with the music blaring is a very American thing to do, but getting your iPod or iPhone to take part has often caused a world of confusion and crude jury-rigged solutions.
Apple has reported that 90% of all current cars are iPod/iPhone enabled, but I have never met anyone who bought one of those cars, so this short article will give you an overview of what's left for the rest of us.
There have been many ideas slung around on how to best integrate your car stereo with an iPod or iPhone. Some time ago we covered a 'complete solution to iPhone car integration. The solutions provided in the referenced iLounge article tells of many combinations of power adapters, FM transmitters, Bluetooth earpieces etc. But that's not the best way.
There is a much more elegant (if expensive) way of doing it, and I would like to scratch the surface on that topic.
I am currently using a Vais Technology SoundLinQ 2 in my Lexus 400h. Instead of plugging into a cigarette lighter, using the tape or CD deck or using any form of FM transmission (which I have never heard working perfectly), the VAIS unit avoids all of that by hard wiring a connection between the head unit and the iPod or iPhone.
In my case the unit I bought was specific for the model of my car and the Lexus navigation system. It allows me to listen to playlists and switch tracks from buttons on the steering wheel, while descriptive text appears on the radio. It doesn't handle Bluetooth, since Bluetooth and phone pairing were already built into the Navigation system. It also allows me to hook up video to the Navigation screen, but I found no use for that. The result is that you are left with no messy wires or connections, just plug in the iPod or iPhone and it works quite elegantly.
Vaistech mostly handles foreign cars, but a company named Peripheral Electronics makes versions for most domestic cars as well. Crutchfield has published a iPod Car Stereo Adapter Shopping Guide which can provide a bit of help, but it was written in 2004, so it's of limited value.
Using these, the your Apple device is no longer a foreigner to your sound system, but an integral part, giving you all the functionality that should have been there in the first place when you bought the car.
You should note that these devices are pricey. Depending on what you need they can cost anywhere from about $125 to over $400, but I see it as a one-time charge that will amortize its price well over time. It's also, by some measures, a bargain. I found out, when I bought my car, that Lexus would add iPod functionality with less utility for $1500! When I told them the information I had found on a cheaper solution, the salesman's eyes lit up and everyone wanted the URL.
Installation of these devices is not too challenging. My friend who knows car stereos reports that on a scale from one to ten, installation is a 5 if you know nothing about cars and a 2 if you do. Yes it's a bit of a pain out front, but once it's done, it's done.
The sound quality you get from a direct wire is hands down the best you can get from your device and your audio system, which is a wonderful thing compared to the FM transmitter solution (dicey at best depending upon your location).
But there is a problem: New iPhones will not charge their batteries when plugged in. This is something my iPod Classic 80 GB did with no trouble at all. Apple changed the electric specifications from 12VDC in previous models to 5VDC in current models including the iPhone 3GS. Not good.
But there is a solution, tipped to us by Earl Newton. Peripheral makes a simple four foot cable that changes voltage from 12VDC to 5VDC allowing charging of new devices and bringing back the functionality that was removed by Apple. The cord looks like a 30-pin dock extension with a male on one end and a female on the other. Add it to the existing iPod dock connector, hide the new wiring and along with having an integrated iPod or iPhone, you can charge anything. Right up until Apple changes the specifications again.
If you would like the best possible sound and the most integrated functionality with your existing car sound system, this is the only way to go. If you have the cash.
If you have even more cash, you can get your head unit replaced. But if you have a really good head, or one with a navigation system and want to replace it with something in kind, you will need far deeper pockets that any solution mentioned here.
Have you tried anything like this, or have you found a better solution? Tell us about it.
In my case the unit I bought was specific for the model of my car and the Lexus navigation system. It allows me to listen to playlists and switch tracks from buttons on the steering wheel, while descriptive text appears on the radio. It doesn't handle Bluetooth, since Bluetooth and phone pairing were already built into the Navigation system. It also allows me to hook up video to the Navigation screen, but I found no use for that. The result is that you are left with no messy wires or connections, just plug in the iPod or iPhone and it works quite elegantly.
Vaistech mostly handles foreign cars, but a company named Peripheral Electronics makes versions for most domestic cars as well. Crutchfield has published a iPod Car Stereo Adapter Shopping Guide which can provide a bit of help, but it was written in 2004, so it's of limited value.
Using these, the your Apple device is no longer a foreigner to your sound system, but an integral part, giving you all the functionality that should have been there in the first place when you bought the car.
You should note that these devices are pricey. Depending on what you need they can cost anywhere from about $125 to over $400, but I see it as a one-time charge that will amortize its price well over time. It's also, by some measures, a bargain. I found out, when I bought my car, that Lexus would add iPod functionality with less utility for $1500! When I told them the information I had found on a cheaper solution, the salesman's eyes lit up and everyone wanted the URL.
Installation of these devices is not too challenging. My friend who knows car stereos reports that on a scale from one to ten, installation is a 5 if you know nothing about cars and a 2 if you do. Yes it's a bit of a pain out front, but once it's done, it's done.
The sound quality you get from a direct wire is hands down the best you can get from your device and your audio system, which is a wonderful thing compared to the FM transmitter solution (dicey at best depending upon your location).
But there is a problem: New iPhones will not charge their batteries when plugged in. This is something my iPod Classic 80 GB did with no trouble at all. Apple changed the electric specifications from 12VDC in previous models to 5VDC in current models including the iPhone 3GS. Not good.
But there is a solution, tipped to us by Earl Newton. Peripheral makes a simple four foot cable that changes voltage from 12VDC to 5VDC allowing charging of new devices and bringing back the functionality that was removed by Apple. The cord looks like a 30-pin dock extension with a male on one end and a female on the other. Add it to the existing iPod dock connector, hide the new wiring and along with having an integrated iPod or iPhone, you can charge anything. Right up until Apple changes the specifications again.
If you would like the best possible sound and the most integrated functionality with your existing car sound system, this is the only way to go. If you have the cash.
If you have even more cash, you can get your head unit replaced. But if you have a really good head, or one with a navigation system and want to replace it with something in kind, you will need far deeper pockets that any solution mentioned here.
Have you tried anything like this, or have you found a better solution? Tell us about it.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
Cameron said 7:28AM on 7-06-2009
I actually just dealt with this problem a few days ago when I installed a new head unit in my Jeep. After looking at Alpine, Kenwood, Panasonic, Phillips, and a few others with "iPhone ready" controls, I ultimately settled on a $150 Sony model with bluetooth streaming. Works great from my iPhone for wireless music/hands free calls. Then I bought a 25 dollar window mount for my iPhone, stuck it on my window, and tadah! A very sleek (no wires!) solution.
Reply
imnastybutler said 8:44AM on 7-06-2009
What type of jeep?
heydavila said 8:55AM on 7-06-2009
I have the same model (although I paid $99 for mine, INSTALLED, at the now defunct Circuit City). I wireless stream my music over bluetooth and make and receive calls the same way. Out of all the features of iPhone OS 3.0, A2DP has been the most used in my iLife! Love it!
Jon said 9:11AM on 7-06-2009
I also have the same solution. The Sony unit works brilliantly with the new bluetooth streaming option - all with no cables at all. The hands free calling is also a huge bonus and works really nicely - can even answer calls just by hitting the volume button on the head unit. :)
Cameron said 9:29AM on 7-06-2009
@imnastybutler
It's a 2001 Cherokee. Completely blacked out, 1 inch lift, off road tires, and bushwacker fender flares.
Giorgio said 11:24AM on 7-06-2009
Hey Cameron,
yours is a sweet solution, but I had a couple of glitches with my pioneer DEH-P85BT head unit:
The most irritating thing is that this unit does have the iPod connector. Unfortunately it doesn't charge the iPhone battery, so I tried with the bluetooth streaming. It works pretty good, with both playing music and receiving calls, BUT:
1) I can't send a next / previous track command from the head unit to the iPhone.
2) The head unit doesn't display Track info while streaming over bluetooth (like artist name, track name, album etc)
Any suggestion, thoughts ?
By the way, what's your head unit name & model ?
Thanks!
quizzyjones said 7:27AM on 7-06-2009
I think replacing the head unit is the best idea. If you look at any of the aftermarket companies like Kenwood, Pioneer, or Sony, they all make headunits with a variety of iPod integration. Even if you have NAV unit the aftermarket NAV's are ten times better and sound quality is ten times better as well.
Reply
David Winograd said 11:51AM on 7-06-2009
My problem was that the head unit was so integrated into the rest of the car, controlling such things as, AC/Heat (dual controls for each seat), Navigation, Bluetooth with voice, Audio and probably stuff I'm forgetting.
Replacing the head unit would be replacing a whole lot of the guts of the electrical system of the car, and much more expensive to boot, if I wanted to keep all the functionality.
For my individual case, it was a very bad idea.
JKT said 5:20PM on 7-06-2009
Replace the head unit? That is such a bad idea on most cars....you lose all the integration features such as steering wheel controls. Further, you should not have to replace the head unit for such a simple need--line in. What radio (outside of a car) produced in the past 30 years doesn't have line in? It's a $2 feature. It's auto industry stupidity that any of these "solutions" are needed at all, let alone considering a head unit replacement.
As for the "Apple has reported that 90% of all current cars are iPod/iPhone enabled" claim, I'm not sure I believe that. But even if it is true, that doesn't mean the 90% of us who didn't buy a new car recently should be left out in the cold. Apple stores should have entire racks of adapter solutions "for the rest of us". Answers should be straightforward, not a black art.
DJFriar said 10:08AM on 7-07-2009
JKT: Replacing the head unit on almost any car is a great idea. The sound quality difference alone is worth the effort. All of the aftermarket stuff can be made to work with integrated controls, etc if you have a knowledgeable installer. Even those units that have functionality in the head unit for other vehicle features can usually be done, either by removing that section of the old head unit or by wiring it in differently.
But a new head unit is usually one of the first things you should do to improve your sound quality and audio options.
DaveZatz said 7:40AM on 7-06-2009
Griffin RoadTrip for sure. Charging, mount, and FM broadcasting. Until yesterday, I used it with my first gen iPhone. I swapped adapters this AM and now it houses my 3GS.
http://www.zatznotfunny.com/2008-12/hands-on-with-griffin-roadtrip/
Reply
JellyUK said 7:41AM on 7-06-2009
I use a sony head unit (http://www.sony.co.uk/product/ica-cd-tuners/cdx-gt111) with a griffin autopilot (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Griffin-AutoPilot-Charger-Connection-iPod/dp/B0010XBHYO/ref=pd_cp_ce_1). Direct audio connection, one wire, charges everything. Brilliant.
I'm holding out for the tomtom dock though, can't wait for that :D
Reply
Ethan said 12:31PM on 7-06-2009
I have a pricey stereo adapter (allows control from the stereo itself) for my iPods/iPhones, but I'd happily dump it for the TomTom with a simple AUX-in to the stereo from it. Can't wait...
Jon Eric said 7:43AM on 7-06-2009
David, I agree the hard wired solution is the "elegant" way to connect your iPod to your car stereo. I installed an interface from USA Spec in my Jetta. It is comparable to the device described above by Peripheral Electronics. Of note, is that the connection cable that USA Spec supplies is able to charge any iPod or iPhone with a dock connector port.
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David Winograd said 12:03PM on 7-06-2009
I'm glad the solution works well for you. Just don't get too comfortable with being able to charge any iPod/iPhone. That was the case for me too until Apple changed the charging specs.
It is nice to know, though, that buying an extension cable will remedy that.
And when they change it again, there should be a new cable.
punkassjim said 12:47PM on 7-06-2009
@David
I understand that you (along with millions of others) are upset that the dock connector's charging spec got changed, but it seems you might not know the truth about what happened. See, the spec was actually changed roughly FIVE YEARS ago, after it had become apparent that USB 2 was becoming the de facto standard. Apple supplied all hardware manufacturing with the new specs, and promised to keep supporting the FireWire charging circuit for an "undetermined" period of time. Of course, as with all deprecated technologies, most companies failed to get their acts together and re-tool for the switch to USB-only charging. Four years went by, nearly everyone forgot, and the iPhone 3G was the first Apple device to omit the FireWire charging circuit.
I'm gonna hazard a guess that, if it takes another four years to change any specs, we can be pretty sure there won't be cables involved at that point.
DanyG said 7:53AM on 7-06-2009
Hi,
I just purchaches a 3GS and i'm looking for a Car Charger that won't harm my iPhone's battery in the long run.....
Any recommendations ?
Thanks/Dany
Reply
Murphy Mac said 1:30PM on 7-06-2009
I was wondering about that, what the long-term effects of car charging are on the battery. But then again, what's the expected life span of an iPhone anyway??
Ryan said 7:52AM on 7-06-2009
You need to look into this solution. By far the best: http://2point5.com
Reply
William Hook said 7:59AM on 7-06-2009
My dad's car houses an Alpine CDA-9887R head unit, and Alpine's full speed iPod cable. Annoyingly though, it doesn't charge my iPod, so I'll be picking up one of those cables most likely.
Reply