Car stereo. Aux input?

bush

Hi could anyone tell me if you can get car stereos with an with a line in at the back for an mp3 player etc?

david powell

Yes, many car stereos have a line in input.

I'm most familiar with blaupunkt, many of these have a line in function, you can get a cable to connect into the CD changer connector on the back of the head unit.

It basically uses the Audio channel in from the CD changer. On the menu tell the head unit it has an "AUX" connection. Most places that sell blaupunkt will sell an AUX cable.

5500

Most sonys have aux inputs,so do pioneers - just make sure to get a look at the back of the unit to be sure before you buy

Ratchet

some pioneers need special cable but input is there

cormie

This is definitely the best way to go for hooking up an MP3 player. I'm looking for one also, if anyone is upgrading their basic headunit that has AUX in at the back and is going to throw it out after, let me know and I'll take it off your hands:)

IDMUD

You might want to look into stereos that have a usb connector instead. This will allow you to control your mp3 player from the stereo. LAVA, LG and Roadstar are some of the brands that have this.

quarryman

I have a Pioneer headunit and the manual says nothing about an aux in BUT when i look at the back of the unit there is a RED/WHITE phono output (that goes to my sub) but also a 3.5m connection that takes a headphone size input. Would this be an AUX input that I just need a special cable for?

Might take a pic later.

cormie

Quarry, if it has a 3.5 jack input then you should just be able to hook up your mp3 player directly to it without needing an Aux converter I'd say. Just get a 3.5 to 3.5 cable and connect them and see what happens.

bush

IDMUD wrote:

You might want to look into stereos that have a usb connector instead. This will allow you to control your mp3 player from the stereo. LAVA, LG and Roadstar are some of the brands that have this.

Ive seen those but I thought they only take pen drives? Do they take hard drive mp3 players.


So if a stero has a cd changer input it would take an mp3 player with a convertor?

cormie

I think the USB yolkies are bit too expensive for what they do, I'm pretty sure navigating would be impossible too, I think they just do basics like skip/ff/rw stop play, which would be pretty useless if you wanted to browse a 700 album music library on a long journey. I think I'd prefer the option of just having my MP3 player on a holder attached to the air vent hooked into the AUX/Line In jack and being able to navigate the way I usually do with the player.

bush

Something esle, can you get a power adapter to stick in the lighter and power the player?

ds20prefecture

bush wrote:

Something esle, can you get a power adapter to stick in the lighter and power the player?

You can, but they're messy. If you were handy enough, you could buy a spare lighter socket and put it behind your dash, then plug a car-charger for your MP3 player into it, have just the power plug and line-in connector show somewhere discreet. One word of caution - constant short charges and discharges will shorten the life of your battery, so you might want to put the charger on a switch.

I put my iPod's dock in my ashtray, then wired a car charger to the +12V, via my (otherwise useless) rear window heater switch. I run the lineout of the dock to the Blaupunkt stereo using one of these:
http://www.bluespot.co.uk/stock/auxin.asp

Pics of the installation:

cormie

Is there any to do it without having an AUX/Line in on your head unit? I don't have one so can't just buy a cable that will do it, is there no way to do a DIY job and solder some bits together and you'll be able to connect mp3 player to a non AUX/Line in (Cd changer equipt) head unit?

ds20prefecture

@cormie - given your other issues, it's easiest to replace your head unit. If you fix your existing, you can use a tape adapter, but the quality is poor and there's cables everywhere.

cormie

yeah I was using a tape adapter in my old car, it did the job but wasn't the best at all. Probably would be best just to get a new head unit with AUX/Line in at the back. Are there any head units with only this? I don't want to be paying extra for a CD player when I wont use it. All I need is something to make the connection between my MP3 player and the car speakers!

ds20prefecture

Given that your budget is limited, I'd say no. You'd be better off getting something used with a CD/Aux, like a Blaupunkt. They're a bit cheap and nasty but they work, the sound quality is OK and all the accessories are readily available.

bush

How the hell do you take out the stereo anyway. I got a car that has a kenwood stereo put in it but its stone dead. I was trying to get it out earlier on but I hadnt a clue.

5500

@Bush,why not just get an Mp3 enable Hu to start with,thus saving you the aux problem?If your on a budget i think they can be picked up in argos for 100 - 120 for an mp3 one these days.

Some pioneers and alpines dont have aux's and use a special cable (e20) that goes into the cd changer control and lets u use the aux from that.

@Cormie you cant really dickyup a ready to give it an aux but if its a pre out you need(say to ad an amp) most amps have high level inputs which let you use your existing speaker cable to send the signal

Your cheapest quick solution would be to get an fm transmitter(only a few quid on ebay)you plug it into the headphone socket on your ipod and then tune in a freq on your radio eg 88.00 and like magic your ipod is broadcasting on that station!

bush

Eireal, I will be getting one that plays mp3s anyway but to be honest Id much prefer to use my player.

Im looking at this stereo, looks decent enough.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Car-Stereo-Blaupunkt-Calgary-MP35-Radio-CD-MP3-player_W0QQitemZ5825570162QQcategoryZ39756QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

And with this adapter it should work, ye?

http://www.caraudiodirect.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=77&cadid=ae5774b37a508e78091a4b8606ac752d

fletch

bush wrote:

How the hell do you take out the stereo anyway. I got a car that has a kenwood stereo put in it but its stone dead. I was trying to get it out earlier on but I hadnt a clue.

You need to get a pair of these ....can be got in Halfords for about a fiver

bush

I actually have a pair of those but I couldnt see how they would be any use, isnt there supposed to be 4 holes to stick those in but theres none on this stereo?

cormie

fletch wrote:

You need to get a pair of these ....can be got in Halfords for about a fiver

I didn't have these so I got a coat hanger and cut it up, bent it and hey presto, out popped the stereo:) saved myself time and money!

thanks for the help with my problem. I'm using a tape adaptor at the moment which is better than an fm transmitter but not better than the Aux system.

5500

Different radios have different removal pins/keys.Thats could be why there useless to you.

@Bush personally id stick to sony/pioneer/alpine as i think there better units than blaupunkt but if your set on the one you posted the link to then that and the adapter will do your needs

quarryman

cormie wrote:

Quarry, if it has a 3.5 jack input then you should just be able to hook up your mp3 player directly to it without needing an Aux converter I'd say. Just get a 3.5 to 3.5 cable and connect them and see what happens.

looks like the 3.5m jack is actually a remote control input.....

bush

eireal wrote:

Different radios have different removal pins/keys.Thats could be why there useless to you.

@Bush personally id stick to sony/pioneer/alpine as i think there better units than blaupunkt but if your set on the one you posted the link to then that and the adapter will do your needs

The reason I was thinking of getting Blaupunkt was cos the aux in adapter is much cheaper than the other ones. I saw the sony one was 30 sterling and the the blaupunkt is 7 sterling. Money is a bit tight.