[Fred]

Do you need iPod's special cables or dock to interface to you home receiver? If you use the Griffin iTrip transmitter, do you lose any sound quality?

 

[austonia]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fred Do you need iPod's special cables or dock to interface to you home receiver? If you use the Griffin iTrip transmitter, do you lose any sound quality?

1. no. any mini to RCA cable should suffice. $5 at radioshack
2. yes, a lot.

 

[viator122]

I have used a Belkin radio transmitter and it was not what I would call good sound quality.

If you want to use cables to connect the iPod to a home receiver, probably the best way would be using a mini->RCA cable from the line out on the dock to the RCA in on your receiver. If you don't have the dock, you can get something like a Sik Din or PocketDock instead of the Apple dock. This would give you the option of using the iPod portably with an amp.

EDIT: Austonia beat me to it and he is a master of brevity.

 

[YngwieJMalmsteen]

While mini->rca is fine out of the headphone jack, most of people here would use a pocketdock or a sik din to get a real line out. If you have a faily decent amp it will probably make a noticable difference. Oh, and all of the FM transmitters sound like crap. It's the nature of the technology, there's nothing "wrong" with the griffin, and there's no magical good one out there or ever coming.
The pocketdock is 30$ and comes with mini-rca. I do not own a sik din, but many others here own both.

EDIT: Violator, at least you are not as long-winded as me. I forgot that everybody else but me got the dock

just use that.

 

[Fred]

Nice. The best way to easily use the iPod with your car stereo would be with the Griffin iTrip though?

 

[go_vtec]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fred Nice. The best way to easily use the iPod with your car stereo would be with the Griffin iTrip though?

I would recommend using line-in of your stereo (if there is one) or cassette adaptor (if you have one). It depends on your system, but FM transmission is a very poor way of using iPod (sound quality-wise). You do realize using FM transmission, you are limited to around 15kHz and potentially pick up noises/interferences?

 

[3lusiv3]

FM transmitters are not very good. I have an iTrip and I hate it.

 

[labrat]

Deleted.

 

[blessingx]

I've had mixed results with the iTrip depending on where the external car antenna is located and if the windshield has metallic UV coating. Works great in my old Corrolla, not at all in my friends Mazda.

BTW, here's one positive story (and great use) for the iTrip.

 

[robk]

Do you really need audiophile sound in your car? With all the road noise and the horrible acoustic space issues involving a cars interior, I find the iTrip is just fine. I even think it is fine providing music in the back ground in a social gathering. Not adequate for attentive lstening in the hoome or through headphones, but it really is adequate for the car.

that being said, I'll be upgrading to one of the AI-Net alpines and the ipod controller this summer.

rob

 

[Fred]

Quote:

Originally Posted by robk Do you really need audiophile sound in your car? With all the road noise and the horrible acoustic space issues involving a cars interior, I find the iTrip is just fine. I even think it is fine providing music in the back ground in a social gathering. Not adequate for attentive lstening in the hoome or through headphones, but it really is adequate for the car. that being said, I'll be upgrading to one of the AI-Net alpines and the ipod controller this summer. rob

Oh no! Now you got me thinking about upgrading before I even got the thing! What's a AI-net alpine anyway?

 

[robk]

Alpine has a slick interface for the iPod that allows total control of ALL the iPod features from the in dash stero's controls. You can connect your ipod to the in-dash player and leave it in your glove box or where ever and have total access throught the car stereo's display and controls. It takes the sound from the line out. It is a single connector that charges and takes the line out from the dock connector.

The AI-Net is the alpine interface specification for their CD changers and the iPod controller. The deck must be AI-Net capable to control the ipod controller module.

Their entry level AI-Net mp3/WMA/CD player is around $200 at cruchfield, so can probably be had for a little less if you shop around. The ipod control unit seems to be $100 whereever you look. So you are looking at $300 as a rough starting place for this type of system. All of their newer high end players are AI-Net compatible.

rob