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Recommend an iPhone music solution?


Scylla

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You'll need to mess with the looms/ISO adaptors in most cases (I'm doing this currently) as you may experience a volume drop from what I can work out, no matter what HU you get. There's a couple of stickies at the top of this forum. I've got a Kenwood with a USB port in the front going in. As per above, or another option is a tape with a jack attached (don't buy a cheap one though).

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I swore I'd never, ever recommend an FM transmitter ever again after the shocking quality of the ones I tried when I had a 350Z. The tape deck sounded better using 20 year old tapes!

 

HOWEVER

 

This now exists. I've bought two now, one for the Bummer and one for the Clio, and they're utterly fabulous. Couple them with a Brodit mount and I fail to see why you'd ever want to spend the money on a new HU unless you must have other gimmickery. These aren't cheap, granted, but they're the only thing I'd recommend and I don't recommend any old tat.

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I've always found the FM transmitters to be rubbs and I've tried a few, interesting you've found a good one Dan, will be handy to know in future. For me the best things about doing the headunit (I also did the speakers and amp too) were, better iPhone Bluetooth integration and being able to tune the audio better. I only lived with the Bose for a week or so before upgrading, but IIRC it was pretty limited for configuring the sound and also the sub level and crossovers.

 

I do agree that most of the other stuff like AppRadio and the likes is a bit pony. That said, CarPlay appears to be a leap forward and I'd much prefer a headunit with a capacitive touchscreen, I loathe the resistive type.

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I swore I'd never, ever recommend an FM transmitter ever again after the shocking quality of the ones I tried when I had a 350Z. The tape deck sounded better using 20 year old tapes!

 

HOWEVER

 

This now exists. I've bought two now, one for the Bummer and one for the Clio, and they're utterly fabulous. Couple them with a Brodit mount and I fail to see why you'd ever want to spend the money on a new HU unless you must have other gimmickery. These aren't cheap, granted, but they're the only thing I'd recommend and I don't recommend any old tat.

 

Thanks for the recommendation, I like the look of that. The car I'm getting is a 2009 model with GT trim, but doesn't have a Bluetooth adapter fitted. I'm confused - does this mean the car is bluetooth capable, but I have to buy a piece of kit to plug in? Will this Belkin Tunecast do that job too, or do I need to buy the adapter as well?

 

Thanks for the help.

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It's an odd bit of kit, when your phone rings it does it through the speakers but when you answer it diverts back to the phone: I've not looked at whether you can then transfer back to speakers (I should check that really).

 

I have my phone mounted by the centre console, approx the same distance away as in the 350 if you had it by the cubby, and the mike picks it up fine. It's not perfect for that, but then it's not designed for it so the fact it copes is a bonus. :)

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I swore I'd never, ever recommend an FM transmitter ever again after the shocking quality of the ones I tried when I had a 350Z. The tape deck sounded better using 20 year old tapes!

 

HOWEVER

 

This now exists. I've bought two now, one for the Bummer and one for the Clio, and they're utterly fabulous. Couple them with a Brodit mount and I fail to see why you'd ever want to spend the money on a new HU unless you must have other gimmickery. These aren't cheap, granted, but they're the only thing I'd recommend and I don't recommend any old tat.

Does this come with Clapton?
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Halfords have just fitted an Alpine head unit and cable for the steering wheel controls. Works fine and its Bluetooth so the phone works through it and I can stream my music through it as well. Cost me £150 fitted.

 

 

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Halfords have just fitted an Alpine head unit and cable for the steering wheel controls. Works fine and its Bluetooth so the phone works through it and I can stream my music through it as well. Cost me £150 fitted.

 

Blimey - that sounds easy. What Alpine unit did you go for? Is it a neat fit? Would you recommend Halfords for this?

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Halfords have just fitted an Alpine head unit and cable for the steering wheel controls. Works fine and its Bluetooth so the phone works through it and I can stream my music through it as well. Cost me £150 fitted.

 

Blimey - that sounds easy. What Alpine unit did you go for? Is it a neat fit? Would you recommend Halfords for this?

 

Alpine CDE-W235BT.

 

They also ordered a cable for the steering wheel controls. It has an auxiliary function as well as an iPhone setting too. I just stream my music via Bluetooth. Easy peasy :)

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  • 3 weeks later...

There are a million solutions. One is to forget about a HU all together. I will be running lossless tunes from my iPhone, into a stand alone HRT DAC which runs off 12v. This goes into a (new old school) Zapco pre amplifier. From there onwards it is all balanced into the amps.

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