Need your advice please - best way to get MP3 sounds in my car (Concert - not bose)

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impster

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As title suggests, I'd like to get my mp3 player working in the car.

It's a 2000 Audi A4 b5, fitted with a 6cd changer in the boot, radio and cassette up front.

Are there any 'how to' guides with photos lurking around?

are the 'fm transmitter' types any good?

Many thanks in anticipation.

Impster
 
If you don't use the CD changer you can buy a little box on eBay with a USB port which connects to the back of the stereo in place of the CD changer. It then tricks the stereo into thinking it's a CD changer.
 
Currently using the cd changer, however, i'm happy to go without the cd player, and all I need really is the ability to plug my mp3 player into the system as an 'aux' device. Happy to use mp3 player itself to change songs etc (i.e. not fussed about using the head unit to control things).

Impster
 
I'd recommend replacing the head unit. The concerts a bucket of crap, and things start sounding a LOT better once you've junked it.
 
if you want to keep the head unit and you are not too worried about recording studio quality sounds then get a decent tape pickup.
some are *****, pay for a decent branded on (not from your local filling station!)
I routed the cable out of the tape deck under the trim and over the top of the head unit down the back and it pops out under the ashtray (well it did when I had one).

As I only ever have the iPod on shuffle and just skip to the next one it works a charm. just select TAPE and play whatever you want.
The Tape pick up is very quiet and you can only hear the tape spool when the engine is off.

That said, when you have a 3" Downpipe, solid rear bushes and are planning on fitting a larger turbo....sound quality is a moot point!

I like the cheap and cheerful OEM look, less attractive to brick throwing shitheads, my wife had a poxy halfords blue flashing unit worth £50 at best and some **** tossed a brick through the window, couldnt get the door open due to the vauxhall double locking deadlocks (which should be on all cars IMO) and then destroyed the ****** thing trying to get it out whilst leaning in through the window.


I ditched teh CD player as it started to play up, now serves as a useful cubby hole for ratchet straps and tow rope!!
 
audi upgrades
If you don't need fancy integration then sell the changer and use the money to buy a Connects2 adapter (about £30) and you should make a profit
Sorry jcb but tape adapters are pants whatever the brand, even worse than an FM modulator!
 
ive got a `connects2' box plugged into my sypmhony head unit and it allows me to use my sony mp3 multi changerand control it via the head unit........ the only downside is that you cant use the full 10 disks as it 1-6 buttons are used to selet the disk

but im happy and i got it off ebay for £10 so didnt cost much lol
 
AndyMac said:
If you don't need fancy integration then sell the changer and use the money to buy a Connects2 adapter (about £30) and you should make a profit
Sorry jcb but tape adapters are pants whatever the brand, even worse than an FM modulator!
Click to expand...
nothing is worse than the FM transmitter option IMO. they are crap.
mine just sounds like the CD changer. you seriously wouldn't know the difference when you are driving along and it was free as I already had one!
 
The tape adaptors i've tried previously have sounded rubbish, as have FM transmitters. Sounds like you've got a good one if it sounds as good as the CD changer, i didnt think it was possible.

I like my audio to sound good though, i even get annoyed listening to the radio, becasue it doesnt sound good.
 
mine is a technics one, bought it in Japan.
when you play the tape with no input (Mp3 etc) there is no hiss. otherwise it would be crap as well

Pretty sure if you got the wiring diagram or took your CD player apart to see which ones were the analogue input you could easily connect an 3.5mm jack to the back of the head unit where you CD unit connected.

I have never been too fussed about being able to faff around with the iPod through the radio controls.......if you are doing too much faffing you should probably pull over anyway!
 
The audio inputs are not the problem, you need a box of tricks to provide the data bus to fool the HU into thinking a changer is connected otherwise you won't get anything when you press mode/source
 
audi upgrades
so, four options then:

1: Change the concert unit for something else

1: Get a kit that will fit somehow to the back of the hd - rendering the 6cd changer redundant

2: Tape player adaptor (not a cheap one though - need a good branded one)

3: an FM transmitter - apparently the new 'auto tune' ones are ok, much better than previous 'generation' ones
 
2 options really:
1. Connects2 - £30 just gives you an AUX in
2. xcarlink or Dension ICELink - will allow changer as well and more integration but pricey at £70-90.

As said forget FM Tx or tape adapter, they were handy like 30 years ago but things have moved on somewhat. Tape adapter will only be as good as the tape head in the HU i.e. no where near CD quality. A bit like wiring up your iPOD to the stylus on your turntable.
FM modulator can only be as good as FM radio so again not CD quality
 
With the Connects 2 fitted you can still use your cd changer [or phatnoise if you have one fitted ;-)]

You can 'fool' the HU by switching between CD and CDC quickly, the HU will cycle between the 2 auxillary units on each switchover.

I have the choice of 1. Radio, 2. Single cd, 3. Phatnoise, 4. Connects2 (with either USB, SD or Mp3 player/phone/iPod via Aux input) or 5. Tape for retro moments... :rock:
 
Mine sits snugly (sat on a piece of carpet tile!) in the cubby below and to the left of the steering wheel - the tray is even open at the back so the cables are straightforward to run through to the stereo.
 
Whats the SQ like on the connects2? i have the Phatbox at the mo and well happy with it, however sometimes i need something quick to put the tunes on
 
Will be as good as the quality of the mp3's from the phatbox as it uses the same audio input. There's no "quality" issue as it's a straight audio connection into the HU, all theConnects2 box is doing is emulating the databus of an Audi changer so the HU thinks a valid audio source is connected to the changer port.
 
Installed the Connects2 device earlier today, sounds good - high quality.

Also, discovered that you don't need the audi tools to remove the radio. A bit of ingenuity and 5 minutes got the radio out easily.

Thanks for all the suggestions in this thread on what to do, glad I didn't go for the tape adapter or fm transmitter.

Cheers

Impster
 
audi upgrades
There is another option, a cheap one cost me about $1.
What you do is take the head unit out, on the left hand side there are 3 wires, red, black and white. they are the right, left and ground from the cd player. cut them and wire in a switch (if you to keep the cd player) or wire them straight to a headphone jack. the trick is to leave a cd in the cd player, then select it to play, however now the sound is coming from your mp3 player rather than the cd player. It works quite well, Iv done it. If you wire a switch in then then take the 3 wires in and then have 2 3 wire outputs from the switch, one to the cd player and one to the headphone jack.
The quality is good, well as good as the mp3 rips are on the player. Just a word of corrosion, solder everything and insulate it well.
 
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