Wire Your Car Stereo for an iPod: Wired Magazine Gets it Wrong
Dying to hook your iPod into your car stereo but don’t want to use one of those FM transmitters? Well, according to the August 2007 issue of Wired magazine all you need is a small adapter cable that converts two RCA jacks (two raised plugs - one red and one white) down to a single 3.5-mm stereo jack. Connect one end to your car stereo and one end to your iPod and you’re in business. If it were only that easy. In nearly all cases the instructions from Wired simply won’t work, here’s why.
Car stereos with RCA connectors are rare
Wired magazine claims that most car stereos have RCA jacks in the rear of the unit so you can attach auxiliary devices such as satellite radio and multi CD changers. While such connections do exist on some car stereos, the presence of such inputs is not guaranteed.
Don’t listen to Wired magazine — find your manual instead
Wired magazine suggests you pull out your car stereo to gain access to the connections they are so confident exist on your system. Take my advice, DON’T DO IT!
Ripping out your car stereo is not as simple as ejecting a CD. Therefore, save yourself the aggravation and potential disappointment — refer to the car stereo’s manual and make sure these connections exist. And, if you don’t find the “promised inputs,” don’t give up hope because there is another possible solution.
There is another way
When the “promised” RCA jacks aren’t found, you still might be able to avoid giving in to one of those highly inadequate FM transmitters for iPod connectivity. If your current car stereo includes a CD player, you might have a multi CD changer expansion port on the back of your car stereo. Same as my previous “RCA jack recommendation,” however, check your car stereo’s manual before blinding going down this path.
Some aftermarket car stereo accessory manufacturers have found a way to tap into the multi CD changer port in the back of some car stereo in order to make a direct connection between the car stereo and your iPod. Such devices still require access to the back of your car stereo — meaning you’ll still need to pull it out to plug in. The device plugs into an expansion port previously reserved for connecting a multi CD changer. This connection then runs to a small junction box that usually provides a set of dip switches that allow you to configure the connection to your specific car stereo. Then, another cable extends from the other side of this junction box with a connection for your iPod.
Some of these devices (such as the ones available at iCarKits) are very elaborate and offer full integration with your car stereo allowing you to charge and control your iPod with controls on the car stereo. Other forms of this device simply convert the multi CD changer port into a pair of RCA connections — you know, the ones that Wired magazine says “all” car stereos have. The downside to this type of connection is that you need to find the right match to your existing car stereo, which means you’ll do a fair amount of web research to get just the right device. Also, some of these devices get rather expensive (I’ve seen some around $200). If you’re going to spend that kind of money, you might as well consider a brand new car stereo that already comes with an iPod or auxiliary input connection.
In summary, there are other ways besides using those FM transmitters for iPod/car stereo connectivity. The trick is to find the right device for you system, at the right price, and NOT to listen to Wired magazine.
Technorati Tags: RCA jacks, iPod, FM transmitters for iPod connectivity, multi CD changer port
on October 29th, 2007 at 8:35 am
Sounds like a good excuse to trade in your car for one that is “iPod ready”. Seriously though, I remember installing my own car cassette deck back in high school when you could actually see behind or remove the dashboard without having a degree in auto shop. You might scrape the top 2 layers of your skin off, but it was do-able. Today though, I’d prefer to leave this kind of work to the hack at my local mobile installation shop. These guys are the auto equivalent of a PC geek. If there’s a way to do it…they’ve done it.
on November 10th, 2007 at 9:08 am
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on November 15th, 2007 at 4:53 pm
I got one like this at Neo Car Audio and it is DEFF better than the factory “mp3 jacks” because it charges the ipod and integrates it in with steering wheel controls and everything. Wired is a bit misleading!
on November 15th, 2007 at 5:10 pm
I looked at those Neo Car kits. I really wanted one but they’re were close to $200. I thought that they used to sell a couple of versions of the same thing ranging from $30 up to $200. The higher the price, the more features. The Neo is a nice option if you have a CD player that has a port for a multi CD changer. You can keep your current car stereo and just plug the device into the multi CD port. They do look nice but again, at nearly $200 they are expensive. As you can read in a recent post, I went with a new car stereo to solve my iPod connectivity problem. $139 was the final price.
Thanks for the comment Jason.
on November 18th, 2007 at 4:16 am
I have to agree with Barry, better to simply upgrade to a stereo with an Ipod hook up already on it.
on November 18th, 2007 at 10:13 am
Yep, upgrading to an iPod ready car stereo is exactly what I finally did. You can read all about my stereo selection and my first time experience installing it myself in my post from 11/12/07. http://brothersinblog.com/2007/11/12/the-jvc-kd-ar480-car-stereo-from-crutchfield-a-review/