[strike]

Hey boys and girls,

I haven't kept up with audio equipment (namely, car stereos) much, so I'm not sure how to go about doing this... What do I need to do to be able to connect my iRiver iHP-120 to the car stereo? They have systems that have an "audio in" input, right? Are these just 1/8" inputs, or what? Would I then just have the cable out and dangling so I can connect my player to it?

Can anyone recommend a stereo to use? Pref. under or around $200. Also, any info on how to set it up would be appreciated.

Okay, two things now:
1. I searched and couldn't find anything on this subject. Sorry if it's been discussed; if someone can just drop the link to the thread, I'll read stuff there.
2. If this is in the wrong forum, sorry.

Many thanks, everyone!

 

[wolfen68]

There's the old car cassette adapter which works OK...but not stellar. Some people play with the fm transmitters. I tried one, but it sounded lifeless, and it would lose reception as I drove around, so I returned it.

Your initial thought would be the best. Replace your car stereo with one that has a line in on the front panel. I had heard that Aiwa makes a reasonable model that performs decently....however the people I heard this from were "regular consumers", not audiophiles, so I can't attest to it's actual performance. I'm sure it would be better than my cassette adapter regardless.

 

[raaj]

Quote:

Originally Posted by strike Hey boys and girls, I haven't kept up with audio equipment (namely, car stereos) much, so I'm not sure how to go about doing this... What do I need to do to be able to connect my iRiver iHP-120 to the car stereo? They have systems that have an "audio in" input, right? Are these just 1/8" inputs, or what? Would I then just have the cable out and dangling so I can connect my player to it? Can anyone recommend a stereo to use? Pref. under or around $200. Also, any info on how to set it up would be appreciated. Okay, two things now: 1. I searched and couldn't find anything on this subject. Sorry if it's been discussed; if someone can just drop the link to the thread, I'll read stuff there. 2. If this is in the wrong forum, sorry. Many thanks, everyone!

Hey Strike,

I would be in the same predicament as yours in a few weeks when I buy my first car..

. I suggest you check out the caraudioforums.com website to get more insight on this issue... It is a forum similar to this one, in that it is mostly frequented by people with serious car audio fetishes..

I remember seeing a car stereo headunit of one of the top brands (Pioneer/Alpine or some such... can't quiet remember..) with an auxiliary input port. Try asking your question on that forum. This is the best suggestion I could give at this moment..

Good luck mate.. update us when you find some good solution..

-raaj

 

[Seki]

You actually have a few options.

Do you already have a system in your car? If you do have one using amplifiers, you might look into getting an EQ with a switcher A/B switch or button.

If you arent' using amplifiers you can pick up a deck with either a front aux input which will be a mini-plug or with a rear aux in which will most likely be RCA's

3rd if you have a cassette deck then you can use the cassette adapter.

4th you can use an FM modulator. (IMO these suck the big one)

Those are pretty much the options available to you. Cheapest solution would probably be the FM mod or Cassette adaptor. I'm not sure on the pricing on decks with Aux-inputs but i'm pretty sure that they can be found for around your budget.

EQ's will probably run you close to your budget too and I think is your best investment if you already have a system in your vehicle.

just my $.02

 

[Bug]

There a couple of options I explored. I ended up getting the Aiwa CDC-X937 with a auxillary jack on the front of the player. Most or all of Aiwa's car stereos have a front plate aux. jack. I use my ihp 120 and it work great for me. What I have is by no means a good or great system but it fulfills its function for me.

 

[schugh]

A couple of weeks ago I also got an AIWA 503MP deck to replace my aging Kenwood and so I could plug in my HP-140. The AIWA has a front AUX input and plays MP3 CDs. It was only $180 CAD.
What I find curious is that AIWA at their very low prices offer a front input, and none of the other brands at their much higher prices (Sony, Pioneer, Panasonic etc) offer a front input.

There are also cheaper units from AIWA (without MP3 capability) that also have a front input. One of them I think was about $120 CAD. I got the MP3 model for those days when I forget my HP-140, and just because well it wasn't a lot more money (and the head unit looked better).

I am not looking for audiophile quality in my Windstar so the AIWA was perfect for me.

 

[strike]

I think I've narrowed it down to an Aiwa. So you guys or girls with these, you're fairly happy? Does your iHP sound as good in the car as your CDs?

 

[Dster]

I have an AIWA X504MP in my car that I'm using to run my ihp-120 through the front panel AUX.

Some thoughts:

-using the (not truly) line out at full volume sounds amazing to my humble ears

-the line out is punchier than the headphone out, so there is some difference going on there

-I think the ihp sounds BETTER than decoded mp3s in the unit, haven't compared audio cds yet (do people still buy those?

don't flame me pls..)

-self-install from crutchfield was easy on my Nissan Sentra SE

-the remote on the ihp while driving is a pleasure