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iPod Car Adapters
Last modified Tue, Dec 23, 2008
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Dice Electronics
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We list all direct connect solutions to play your iPod through your car stereo
Wondering what the very best method is to listen to your iPod on your car stereo. They're listed here and called direct connect solutions.
What this means is that your iPod connects to your car factory radio CD "head" essentially fooling your stereo into thinking it is playing a CD. (the car factory radio as opposed to after market stereos).
There are many advantages with a direct connect solution; true fidelity, no hiss, scratch or interference, charge while you play, your steering wheel or dash controls will control your iPod, keep your iPod stored out of the way (in glove box), have easy access to your entire music library. You'll no longer have to fiddle with trunk loading CD changers, search for the one CD that is just right for your trip, or worry about your CD carrying case being stolen. You'll also get to enjoy full stereo sound from those speakers the car salesman talked you into.
While the advantages are obvious there are a few disadvantages, usually these products need to be installed by audio installers, they are more expensive - typically in $200 range and these car adapter kits don't exist for all models.
The iPod car stereo solutions fall into four categories:
FM transmitters - There are two varieties. One allows you to tune your radio to any unused frequency and set the corresponding frequency on your iPod, and the other is preset to a specific frequency. For more detail on the preferred functions Check FM Transmitters compared (40 compared) and find out All About FM Transmitters
Direct connect auto adapters- Delivers the best fidelity and uses your built-in CD or steering wheel controls but also the most expensive. What we have here on this page.
Auxiliary input - this is the plugin you'll see on the back of most home stereos. It allows other audio devices to be played. This input plug is beginning to appear on factory installed radios. A simple and inexpensive stereo 3.5 mm cable connector is all you need, available at Radio Shack. See iPod Cables
Cassette connectors - The easiest and least expensive method of connecting your iPod to your car stereo. Find all cassette adapters here.
Short tutorial on how to use these connections along with the pros and cons of each.
Ten affordable iPod compatible cars - all for under $25,0000.
Connect your iPod to your car stereo with iPod car adapters
| Fusion
 Securely docks your iPod inside the head unit . Control your iPod directly from the head unit with a fully integrated iPod user interface
- Full dot matrix OLED display for excellent graphics and menu navigation
- Simple and quick control via rotary encoder and dual function encoder / joystick
- SRS Wos sound shaping
- AM/FM Tuner, RDS, iPod compatible, line out (4 Channel + subwoofer), Auxiliary in
- Charges your iPod while it's connected
FUSION introduces world-first iPod docking to car audio with the CA-IP500 Head Unit – the unique internal iPod dock allows you to dock your iPod inside the Head Unit! The rotary encoder replicates the click-wheel of an iPod, allowing simple, high-speed control through a fully integrated iPod user interface. SRS Wow sound shaping and electronic audio level settings ensure excellent sound quality with the full dot matrix OLED display providing clear, easy-to-read text and graphics. - Electronic bass / treble / mid / balance / fader control - 7 band equalizer (11x presets + 3x user) - Low and high pass filter and subwoofer level control - Security code - Clock - 2 colour button illumination (white/blue) - Detachable face plate for anti-theft. $349.00
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| Harman Kardon
 Drive + Play 2 - Compatible with Apple's iPod, USB flash memory drives and many other portable music players. Features a 3.5" full color display screen and wireless 2.4GHz controller . The Media hub provides connectivity, power, and audio and full-music browsing and control. Connections include a built-in wireless FM transmitter, 3.5mm direct audio auxiliary output and a wired FM transmitter is also included
The display screen is skinnable allowing change of appearance with built-in themes, or download additional themes from the web and will also display album art in color. A unique automatic music mix makes "channels" of music, grouped according to your taste and habits with fast letter search and speech confirmation make music finding less of a chore. Updateable firmware so Drive + Play 2 is never outdated.
OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES:
• Satellite Radio kit – Allows display control of SIRIUS? satellite radio tuners
• Bluetooth® cell phone kit – Adds complete hands-free phonebook and caller ID. $399.95
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| Alpine Electronics
Take your iPod for a ride - Demo
 KCA-420i Interface Adaptor The KCA-420i was the first interface adapter introduced in 2004, ever to allow seamless communication between your iPod and your Alpine car stereo. No power wires are needed, just plug your iPod into the adapter and it charges as you drive. It fits discreetly under the dash, in the trunk or under the seat. The KCA-420i can be added to any 2004-2005 Alpine Ai-NET head unit. This lets you enjoy your iPod in your car, and still use in-vehicle applications such as Multi-Channel Sound System, Satellite Radio, CD Changers and Navigation. Search and listen to your iPod tracks directly from your Alpine head unit. Quick Search keys allow you to navigate through your collection by Playlist, artist, or album and find what you're in the mood for.> $100.00
User Ratings - click on star to enter your rating
 KCE-422i - Just one cable that goes directly into the all-new 2006 Alpine Full Speed Connection for iPod compatible head units. With no additional box required, directly connect your iPod for full control, full sound at full speed with an easy-to-use search interface. You have control right from the head unit, faster than other iPod connection solutions Enhanced features include faster data transmission for quick and easy file navigation, as well as full-tag artist, album, song and playlist information displayed directly on the head unit, all while charging the iPod battery. Alpines exclusive Percentage Search allow you to toggle quickly through your Playlist, Arist, or Album on your iPod. Even faster file searching can be found in four of the Alpine units (DVA-9861, IVA-D100, IVA-W200, and CDA-9857) Use "Mix All" to shuffle your music. Alpine Full Speed connectivity offers an improved integrated solution that supercharges your music! $30.00
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| Ice>Link: Plus - Dension USA
 The ice>Link Plus is a hard-wired iPod car integration kit providing CD-quality audio connection. Use your radio or steering wheel entertainment buttons to control the iPod - navigate through playlists, albums or songs. Its ergonomically designed secure mount compliments the vehicle's interior and holds the iPod that shows the ID3 (music tag) information. Selected compatible radios also show music information on the radio.> The ice>Link Plus supports many factory radio systems from manufacturers such as: Acura, Audi and BMW all the way to Porsche Bentley and Ferrari. The dension docking cradle allows for safe and comfortable control of your iPod. It not only connects your iPod to the ice>Link Plus but also keeps your iPod fully charged. Works with all iPods and Minis.$199.00
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| Monster Cable
iCruze - The iCruze makes your CD changer a thing of the past. Now with iCruze you can direct connect your iPod to your factory CD in your car. Enjoy true fidelity and easy access to all your tunes stored on your iPod. With the iCruze enabled just press the button that enables your CD and you get immediate access to yuor iPod. Use the built-in control functions on your car changer to jump from playlist to playlist, skip or repeat tracks, or use fastforward to scan through large playlists. the iCruze supports many cars and year models. An optional LCD display is also available to make it even easier to operate your iPod while you have it carefully tucked away in your glovebox. iCruze will also keep your iPod fully charged. Starting at $79
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| CD-IB100 - Pioneer Electronics
 Enjoying your iPod music in the car just got easier with Pioneer's new CD-IB100 iPod adapter. The CD-IB100 is compatible with more than 3 million Pioneer car stereos allowing operation of an iPod through the stereo's front panel controls. The stereo will also display music information, up to eight characters of text including album, artist and song names. While connected to the CD-IB100, the adapter will charge the iPod's internal battery. Now you can play iPod-recorded songs with your favorite iPod functions. Song/album titles, artist names, and track length are conveniently displayed and permits multiple search functions along with repeat playback and the random or shuffle playback function. $140
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| Neo Car Audio
The Neo Ion Universal Direct Connect Adapter
BMW Movie (watch)
 The Neo Ion factory iPod adapters connect directly to your existing car stereo system to provide the absolute best iPod sound quality possible. You get full Quality Sound (not over FM), complete control of your iPod with Stereo + Steering Wheel Controls, and the Smart Charge keeps your iPod battery fully charged.The clean and simple single cable design is compatible with all 3rd & 4th generation iPods and Minis.$189.00
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| Peripheral Electronics
 iPod2car Control your iPod directly from your factory radio in your car. The iPod2car interface delivers CD quality sound directly into the factory sound system via the CD changer port and eliminates the use of noisy RF modulators. The factory radio enables track selection and FFWD / RRWD just like using a CD changer. The iPod2car also keeps the batteries in the iPod charged and ready for on the go use. Each kit provides digital sound quality, will control your iPod using the factory radio buttons; includes a 12ft Cable and retains the iPod display and controls. Vehicle-specific harnesses are required and sold separately.$189.95
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| DICE Electronics
iPod Integration - Controls from radio, steering wheel and iPod. CD-quality audio (depends on MP3 bitrate). Browse music by song, playlist, album and chapter. Features an AUX input to allow connection of aftermarket satellite radio, non Apple MP3 players more. Keeps iPod charged. Comes standard with a docking cable. Optional cradle with video out available soon. Connect any external audio device including: aftermarket satellite radio, CD/DVD players, non-Apple MP3 players and more. Bass, mid, treble and gain settings can be adjusted for the AUX input. These options allow for distortion-free audio input. Selecting between audio from your iPod or AUX input is done with the press of a button on your radio.
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