MP3 Player

[SamD_Ind]

Have a 2000 TA with the stock Monsoon system. Does anyone know how to hook up a MP3 player to it? Yes I did a search.
thanks
Sam

[Wesman]

I don't think its something that can be done on the stock stereo. I have an aftermarket Alpine unit, and theres just no hookup for it. You may be able to hardwire it, but its probably more trouble than its worth.

You're best bet is to just get an aftermarket headunit. Thats what I'm going to do, I found a nice one for $120, its CD player with a 2 step motorized face, LCD display, 220 Watts and it has the MP3 player hookup called the "i Plug". Its made by Dual Electronics, all you need is a $4 audio cable from Walmart and you're set.

Heres a pic:

http://caraudio.avdeals.com/cdplayers/largeimages/xd7600.jpg

The model number is Dual XD7600, they have them at most electronics stores.

Hope that helps.

[rocky123_2]

have a nice deal to see.

[sgt0704]

some radios come mp3 ready. you can put 150 songs or so on a cd, "file" wise, and play them straight on the radio.

[Wesman]

some radios come mp3 ready. you can put 150 songs or so on a cd, "file" wise, and play them straight on the radio.

Almost all the new Headunits on the market have the ability to play "MP3 CD's" as you said, but most do not have a hookup to plug in an actual MP3 player directly.

The Dual Reciever I posted above has both features :)

[jsdomino]

Check out usaspec.com they make several adapters for factory radios. Most connect thru the external CD changer port.

You can also check out Chrutchfield to see what they have. Their database and product selection is pretty good.

I just bought an iPOD adapter that connects directly to the Monsoon head unit. I haven't installed it yet, but I will try to document for reference.

Ill let you know how it works out.

[Walking-Dead]

What your looking for is an FM modulator that will work on ANY radio made. It simply plugs into your MP3 player or whatever your trying to hook up to your stockHU and it transmits the signal through your radio via an unused radio station. Very simple and it costs about $19.99 to $29.99 depending where you buy it. No offense but stay away from anything Dual makes or Sony, Pyramid, Pyle, Lanzar, etc. Sony is trying to make a comeback so we'll see but the rest have a ton of cool looks but the internal electronics are garbage. You pay for what you get. Don't get me wrong..they LOOK very cool. Put any of those brands next to an Alpine, Clarion, Kenwood, Pioneer, etc. and the difference is abruptly noticeable. I know you think you can't afford an Alpine, you can afford an an Alpine or equivelant for $120.00 and it will play MP3's without needing any external wires cause it's an MP3 deck as are most decks now. Prime example is I just found a Alpine CDE-9846 $144.00 with shipping brand new in box. Which one would you rather have a Dual or an Alpine that has superior signal processing and quality preamp outputs. A used quality brand is better than a new cheap brand any day. Get your Fm modulator and be done with it till your ready to get a quality deck and redo the entire Monsoon system the right way!! Good luck!!

[Wesman]

What your looking for is an FM modulator that will work on ANY radio made. It simply plugs into your MP3 player or whatever your trying to hook up to your stockHU and it transmits the signal through your radio via an unused radio station. Very simple and it costs about $19.99 to $29.99 depending where you buy it. No offense but stay away from anything Dual makes or Sony, Pyramid, Pyle, Lanzar, etc. Sony is trying to make a comeback so we'll see but the rest have a ton of cool looks but the internal electronics are garbage. You pay for what you get. Don't get me wrong..they LOOK very cool. Put any of those brands next to an Alpine, Clarion, Kenwood, Pioneer, etc. and the difference is abruptly noticeable. I know you think you can't afford an Alpine, you can afford an an Alpine or equivelant for $120.00 and it will play MP3's without needing any external wires cause it's an MP3 deck as are most decks now. Prime example is I just found a Alpine CDE-9846 $144.00 with shipping brand new in box. Which one would you rather have a Dual or an Alpine that has superior signal processing and quality preamp outputs. A used quality brand is better than a new cheap brand any day. Get your Fm modulator and be done with it till your ready to get a quality deck and redo the entire Monsoon system the right way!! Good luck!!

I actually have an FM modulator, and its nothing to brag about. It only works well about 20% of the time I use it, the rest of the time it either goes static and gets interference, or the batteries are dead.

A plug-in wired MP3 player input is the only way to go. As for Alpine making superior quality headunits, I have an Alpine in my car right now, and I'm rather dissapointed by it. It looks cheap, the controls feel cheap, it doesn't play burned or MP3 CD's, and its confusing as hell to use. Not to mention it gets terrible FM reception. I'm not big into stereos, but I'd rather take a decent quality, feature packed model than an expensive "top quality" brand that looks worse and doesn't have the features I want.

[bjoneill98]

Hey .. this is what you need hands down. I bought this IPOD interface about a month ago and it has been working great. I tried the FM modulator and was very disappointed with the loss of sound quality. Basically, if you have the monsoon system with the factory 12 CD changer, this component hooks up directly in the back of the head unit and gives CD quality. It's well worth the money.

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-aVZ9LkJtAGV/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=227450&id=morephotos&pi=2&i=581PA11G45&display=XL#Tab

[TransAMrit]

Basically, if you have the monsoon system with the factory 12 CD changer, this component hooks up directly in the back of the head unit and gives CD quality.

Does this require the changer for some reason? Or just the port for the changer? (I'm assuming all Monsoons come with the port)

[kemp]

I actually have an FM modulator, and its nothing to brag about. It only works well about 20% of the time I use it, the rest of the time it either goes static and gets interference, or the batteries are dead.

You have a crappy modulator then. I don't use one now but i have used them in the past as have my friends and have never seen one fail to work. the only problem is the sound quality suffers a tad using one. Then again if you are worried about high fidelity sound just get a betteer head unit!

[bjoneill98]

Does this require the changer for some reason? Or just the port for the changer? (I'm assuming all Monsoons come with the port)

You just need the port. If you have an AUX button on the head unit, you have the port.

[ScrapMaker]

they make Ipod interfaces where you can actually control it from our stock headunits...

but I seriously suggest going aftermarket... if you're looking for a temporary fix, get a good tape adapter from Circuit City, (not radioshack, as their $10 is VERY poorly designed.)

I've been using a Sony-Brand tape adapter for several months, and you get a TAD of static when you crank the volume with the ipod turned down, but nothing big.... it's worlds better than the FM modulators...

on that note they also make a GENERIC aux input for our stock headunits... I believe it will delete the stock cd changer though...

[Zboner]

my buddy has thie thing he plugs into the MP3 player and sets it to like 88.3 fm and it just transmits it right from the MP3 over the radio to the headunit that simple. and works great nothing to plug in or anything

[ScrapMaker]

my buddy has thie thing he plugs into the MP3 player and sets it to like 88.3 fm and it just transmits it right from the MP3 over the radio to the headunit that simple. and works great nothing to plug in or anything

um...





What your looking for is an FM modulator that will work on ANY radio made....


I actually have an FM modulator, and its nothing to brag about...


I tried the FM modulator and was very disappointed with the loss of sound quality...


the only problem is the sound quality suffers a tad using one...

[TransAMrit]

The only type of FM modulator that's any good is one that plugs in-line with the car antenna and can be played through the radio. Anything not sending through the wire, ie actually transmitting the radio signal, is going to have a lot more noise... I've tried a few of them on a few cars, and the quality really varies way to much - but at best, it's "not bad". Other times, you just can't stand to listen to it.

[bjoneill98]

Honestly .. you have to try USA Spec IPOD Interface that I linked above. The sound quality is way better than those FM transmitters and tape deck bs combined. You can control everything from the deck .. it's sweet. Costly .. but worth it.

[jsdomino]

I just installed the USA SPEC iPOD interface in my sons 2001 Camaro. It works great! Took about 2 hours, no cutting, soldering and very little cursing.

I took pictures and documented the install if anyone wants to see it. Send me an email at jsdomino@msn.com and I will mail you the file (Adobe PDF).


PS: I also installed (later that day) a Pioneer CD-IB100 interface in an '89 Grand Marquis with a Pioneer DEH-P460MP Head unit. This also works well, but we did have to solder and cut wires. I did'nt bother to document it cause by this time I knew what I was doing.

Both are great improvement over RF interfaces.

:shots:

[sidonsbones]

Almost all the new Headunits on the market have the ability to play "MP3 CD's" as you said, but most do not have a hookup to plug in an actual MP3 player directly.

The Dual Reciever I posted above has both features :)

Any of them with a Aux input such as 90% of the Kenwoods will work with an external MP3 player. You just need to run a cord and enable the AUX input. It was initially designed for a DVD player to be added, but it works fine with a MP3 player.

The Pioneers (new) have a jack in the face of them that allow you to plug in directly. You just have to have a male to male wire. It's under the lip so you have to look for it.

I have two different brands of the modulators they are talking about, but I only use them in rental cars, and work vehicles without a CD player etc. They are fine for that, but the sound quality isn't too great.

[ScrapMaker]

PS: I also installed (later that day) a Pioneer CD-IB100 interface in an '89 Grand Marquis with a Pioneer DEH-P460MP Head unit. This also works well, but we did have to solder and cut wires.

can you describe what you mean by 'well?'

because these units are known to flat-out suck.

I just installed the CD-IB100II on my DEH-P980BT (yeah the flagship,) and it's one of the most aggrevating experiences ever. I read a bunch of reviews that said that all the new headunits with the new adapters would work great... so either they used to REALLY suck, or people's expectations are REALLY low...

when you open any list of songs, from a playlist or wherever, you have to spin the knob on the deck to scroll through the list... the fastest you can POSSIBLY scroll is about 3-5 songs a second... this also causes no titles to show on the headunit because the adapter cannot keep up....

be ready to make a bunch of playlists... and also it's a huge pain just to play ALL your songs in a random order... on the actual ipod, you just go to shuffle songs, on the pioneer, you have to go into shuffle mode, then go to 'Artists', then click on 'ALL'... so 3 more steps than the ipod itself...

lastly, it takes about 1 second for the song name to show up when you are jumping from song-to-song, (an mp3-cd is instantaneous,) which means that the display will return to the visualization about .3 seconds after the title actually shows up on the display...

very weak if you ask me, but since it allows me to leave my ipod in my locked glove box, I will keep it.


so if you think you will be able to find an artist that starts with the letter K, you can pretty much forget it... it would take over FIVE MINUTES to scroll to that artist... there is no method of jumping 10 songs at a time, or 'searching'... you can really only browse, and extremely slow at that...

at least it was only $50, because the first-generation box was $99

[Wesman]

Any of them with a Aux input such as 90% of the Kenwoods will work with an external MP3 player. You just need to run a cord and enable the AUX input. It was initially designed for a DVD player to be added, but it works fine with a MP3 player.

The Pioneers (new) have a jack in the face of them that allow you to plug in directly. You just have to have a male to male wire. It's under the lip so you have to look for it.

I have two different brands of the modulators they are talking about, but I only use them in rental cars, and work vehicles without a CD player etc. They are fine for that, but the sound quality isn't too great.

Good to know.

For the price, every new Headunit over $100 should come with the AUX input for MP3 players. It just makes too much sense to include it, can't imagine it costs the manufacturer much more to add anyway.

[dementia]

Hey .. this is what you need hands down. I bought this IPOD interface about a month ago and it has been working great. I tried the FM modulator and was very disappointed with the loss of sound quality. Basically, if you have the monsoon system with the factory 12 CD changer, this component hooks up directly in the back of the head unit and gives CD quality. It's well worth the money.

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-aVZ9LkJtAGV/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=227450&id=morephotos&pi=2&i=581PA11G45&display=XL#Tab

I just installed mine about a week or two ago and I'm happy with the results. A damaged wire is being replaced by the good folks at crutchfield as we speak but from what I could tell this is one of the better options out there if you wish to keep your stock radio. However I can notice that it isnt quite as good as CD Quality. Its pretty good but doesnt have the clarity of CDs (well take that with a grain of salt, it is coming from a monsoon :P)

I found something kinda cool that I wish I had tried instead of the USASpec ipod converter. Something you might want to look into are bluetooth Ipod converters. If you plan on getting an aftermarket radio and it has bluetooth you should consider the Bluna Ipod adapter. From what I gather, bluetooth converter sound quality should be just as good as wired converters (cant attest to this though).

The Naviplay is another bluetooth solution but it looks like you'll need a way to convert a headphone jack to the monsoon. I suppose if I find one of these for really cheap I could hook it up to my USASpec unit seeing as how it has rca inputs. Wont be able to control the ipod through the stereo but then again you wont have the hassle of a wire.

Heres some pics of my Ipod/USASpec install.
http://gallery.twinfocus.com/images/gallery/83/61_large.jpg
http://gallery.twinfocus.com/images/gallery/83/59_large.jpg
http://gallery.twinfocus.com/images/gallery/83/60_large.jpg
http://gallery.twinfocus.com/images/gallery/83/62_large.jpg

[ScrapMaker]

damn!!! Ipod bluetooth?? I heard rumors that the next generation will be bluetooth...

battery life will suck then...

which means that if you want to hook the ipod up in your car that you'll need a charging cable... and at that point, why not just use the $50 ipod interface/charger for the car??

[Tucdog]

Will the USA Spec work with the monsoon with the indash cd player and the cd/aux button? This is on a 99 Z and I keep getting conflicting info.

Thanks

[dementia]

If the monsoon for the z is similar to the monsoon in the ta (heard they were slightly diff, not sure) then the cd/aux button is what you use to switch over to the ipod. kinda like how its used now to switch between your in dash cd and the cds in the disc changer in the back. If your car didnt come with a cd changer then look on the back of the radio and see if it has the aux plug for the changer. If it does, I dont see why it wouldnt work.

You'll lose the cd changer by using the usa spec but the ipod should be better anyways. the confusing thing to me is that the usa spec has a plug that the cd changer plugs into and at first i had this plugged in. The cd's in the changer loaded up right away and the ipod was playing on top of that music. I was forced to just leave it unplugged because the monsoon doesnt have a pause button, unless I'm retarded and have glanced over it for the past few years. I guess you could just leave the cd changer empty so you always have the option to run which ever one you wanted but I'm considering getting a stealth box so I can use my ttop holders again so I just left mine unplugged.

*edit* One thing you might consider though is that the plug on the usa spec unit isnt the greatest when it comes to quality. My first one broke, the casing just split apart im guessing due to the heat and vibrations of where I had it mounted. It got replaced under warranty but still, a bit of the hastle.

[ScrapMaker]

how on earth do you know what song you're going to be playing with that ipod interface???

with mine, I see the names on the screen and can navigate... does this interface for the stock radio allow you to control the ipod via the ipod itself?

[dementia]

Yea theres 2 modes you can set it to. One of the modes lets you use the ipod to pick an artist or genre or whatever using the actual ipod controls. The 2nd mode uses the playlists as if they were mix cd's in a cd changer. Both modes let you use radio/steering wheel controls to change tracks, power on/off, and fast forward/rewind and such.

[ScrapMaker]

I kinda like having my ipod stored in the locked glovebox and viewing the info on my headunit... but navigation is horrible... actually, navigation is downright horrible on the ipod itself. Why can't you just have all your albums in folders... I can't stand when I go to 'Album' mode and it doesn't show the artists... then song mode is the same way... big pain to find anything...

there should be a search where you spell out part of the name and you get results on the fly... like searching in itunes...

[KageSS]

Have a 2000 TA with the stock Monsoon system. Does anyone know how to hook up a MP3 player to it? Yes I did a search.
thanks
Sam

What is your budget ?