 |
 |
 |
|
|
A more elaborate comparison of the three main ways of connecting an iPod into a car stereo, all from one user's perspective. So I got a new iPod Nano and a new Mini Cooper – how do I merge them together so I can finally get my own custom music booming in my ears? After much research, I ended up with three classes of adapters: broadcasters, simple jacks, and proper iPod-compliant adaptors. Generally, all the info I've heard about the iPod adaptors that broadcast to an FM station is the same – it's hit and miss, so if you live in anything smaller than a major metropolis, you're probably OK to find a section of the FM band with no competing signals to hear your music, otherwise, your iPod literally gets drowned out by a swampy FM band (with many competing FM stations and no really dead section to point the FM broadcaster to) or require signal changes as you drive between locals, and as stations that were low enough to be overpowered by the tiny broadcaster get close enough to your car to begin drowning out your adaptor – not fun. The benefits are the portability of it, since you can bring it along in a rental car and then use it again when you've returned home in your own car. The degradation in sound quality that you get during the broadcast process isn't bad, but can be annoying if you are a real audiophile. The second option I looked at was the simplest and most versatile – a 1/8 inch stereo jack that connects into the back of the stereo head unit of the car. Now, while some folks may get intimidated by this, on most cars, it's actually fairly simple. Experienced techs should be able to wire one in within about 15 minutes. I'll pass on that, seeing as I can get guaranteed work if a tech does it (often for free if you buy the parts from them in a store, or for more modest rates if you get it done in a dealership). The real benefit is that you can plug *anything* into that 1/8" plug – from an iPod, to a CD player, a laptop, anything at all that can output to this standard format. Usually installed into the side of your glovebox, they are quite convenient. The main drawback is that they trade compatibility for function: that plug just allows the music to play in your car, and won't offer any benefits like charging your player as well or passing song titles to the head unit's display. Since I like seeing the song titles, artists and other info, I opted for the third class of adaptors. The Mini Cooper part works perfectly, with the only complaints being the lack of ID3 tags (the song title, artist, etc.), and a limit of 6 supported playlists. Of course, within the past few months, the next generation of these adaptors has come out with rumoured ID3 tag support. The Dension Ice>link Plus had everything I wanted – it plugged into the bottom of the Nano (or any other iPod for that matter), it kept it nicely charged, the quality of the sound was as good as it can be, and it allowed me to browse all my songs by artist, album, playlist, or just shuffle them randomly. It was exactly what I wanted. The only problem is that the install was booked at around an hour – I took it to the local Future Shop install bay, and after a few cabling misunderstandings, I walked away an hour and 45 minutes later with my iPod hooked in perfectly with the Mini, including operability from the multi-function steering wheel. Both the 1/8" jacks and proper iPod connectors can have enough slack on the cable to allow you to mount them on the car's dash, or can have the slack coiled up to hide the iPod in the glovebox safe from view. Overall, I only occasionally regret not having the portability offered by the simple 1/8" stereo jack, but the complete integration of the iPod into the car and the ease of navigability and visibility are worth the rare inconvenience of not being able to bring the iPod into my other car.
| |
|
|