How To Install The Honda Ipod Connector - Page 2

Dimplyred · 25th August 2008, 16:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chalks

Did mine yesterday - took 5.5 hours, with rain breaks. Had no screws left in the pot when I'd finished and inflicted no damage to the car. My hand suffered 2 cuts though. Very pleased with my efforts.

The problems I had were not really knowing how hard to pull or push things to get them off and back. It takes a leap of faith sometimes !

From my experience I would add two things to the knowledge base:

1) Mark the driver's seat and back position with duct tape on the base runner and doorframe so that you can get your perfected driving position back quickly on completion.

2) Don't bother to remove the gear knob - the boot is held to the cover with three easily removed screws. The boot can then be wrapped over the gear knob to protect it.

Sound quality is fabulous and that's the bottom line. No FM transmitter comes close.

Very pleased with mine too, as you say the sound quality is great. I bought it knowing of it's limitations, however I am glad I did.

The best bits about installing it yourself are you can take your time and be careful and also the thought you have saved some money.

alanwalne · 26th August 2008, 08:15

Does anyone else agree that the sound from the ipod is clearer and has more depth than the inbuilt CD player. Weird considering that MP3s are more compressed than CDs.

pjr · 26th August 2008, 12:10

Can't say I've noticed, although I always used to use MP3 CD's before I got my iPod connector - And they are the same MP3's as are on the iPod anyway.

I'll have a listen tonight, with an original CD, and the same album from the iPod to see if I can hear any difference.

Dimplyred · 26th August 2008, 18:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by alanwalne

Does anyone else agree that the sound from the ipod is clearer and has more depth than the inbuilt CD player. Weird considering that MP3s are more compressed than CDs.

Chalks and I were comparing it to an mp3 player FM transmitter not a CD.

Check out his post at the end.

pjr · 26th August 2008, 19:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dimplyred

Chalks and I were comparing it to an mp3 player FM transmitter not a CD.

Check out his post at the end.

I had what was a pretty good FM Transmitter - the Macally FMcup, but you noticed a bit of hiss during quiet tracks, or between songs.

The hardwired solution is so much better.

I've also tried listening to a normal audio CD, and the same album from my iPod, and whilst there is a difference I couldn't put my finger on what was different - I thought the iPod version was very slightly flatter (which I would expect, with the sound being compressed into MP3), but was also less crashy sounding.

The one real difference is about a volume difference of around 4/5 to get the same amount of loudness. (iPod needs say 15/16, where CD is 10/11 for the same volume)

Not as bad as the FM transmitter which needed 23/24 on the volume to get the same.

Dimplyred · 26th August 2008, 19:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by pjr

I had what was a pretty good FM Transmitter - the Macally FMcup, but you noticed a bit of hiss during quiet tracks, or between songs.

The hardwired solution is so much better.

I've also tried listening to a normal audio CD, and the same album from my iPod, and whilst there is a difference I couldn't put my finger on what was different - I thought the iPod version was very slightly flatter (which I would expect, with the sound being compressed into MP3), but was also less crashy sounding.

The one real difference is about a volume difference of around 4/5 to get the same amount of loudness. (iPod needs say 15/16, where CD is 10/11 for the same volume)

Not as bad as the FM transmitter which needed 23/24 on the volume to get the same.

I've never played an original CD in my Civic, I guess I should really just to compare.

As I say though I'm really pleased with the ipod connector and glad I got it.

pjr · 26th August 2008, 19:21

Noticed something strange about the display from the iPod connector just now.

If you play a normal audio CD, you get the track number and the time in minutes & seconds.

If you play through the iPod, you get playlist & track number, but if you press and hold the seek/skip buttons it displays the time (like it does for an audio CD). It only stays on the display while fast forwarding/rewinding through a track, and none of the buttons let you change the display to this permanently. So there is more display capability than has been implemented

I very rarely played audio CDs in the car either - nearly always MP3s. And I never play CDs now, since I got the iPod wired in.

Dimplyred · 26th August 2008, 19:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by pjr

Noticed something strange about the display from the iPod connector just now.

If you play a normal audio CD, you get the track number and the time in minutes & seconds.

If you play through the iPod, you get playlist & track number, but if you press and hold the seek/skip buttons it displays the time (like it does for an audio CD). It only stays on the display while fast forwarding/rewinding through a track, and none of the buttons let you change the display to this permanently. So there is more display capability than has been implemented

I very rarely played audio CDs in the car either - nearly always MP3s. And I never play CDs now, since I got the iPod wired in.

I noticed that a couple of days after I installed it too. Another feature I think is missing, is being able to scroll through the tracks using the dial on the left hand side of the head unit. It works with an mp3 or wma cd and is very useful for finding a track number quickly but not with the ipod.

alanwalne · 27th August 2008, 08:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dimplyred

I noticed that a couple of days after I installed it too. Another feature I think is missing, is being able to scroll through the tracks using the dial on the left hand side of the head unit. It works with an mp3 or wma cd and is very useful for finding a track number quickly but not with the ipod.

Perhaps the arm rest mounted 8 disc autochanger (which the iPod cable emulates) is not MP3/WMA compatable so this function would not exist.

alanwalne · 27th August 2008, 08:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by pjr

Can't say I've noticed, although I always used to use MP3 CD's before I got my iPod connector - And they are the same MP3's as are on the iPod anyway.

I'll have a listen tonight, with an original CD, and the same album from the iPod to see if I can hear any difference.

My main listening is iTunes downloads which are a different Apple specific format, I have not bought a CD since I got my iPod 18 months ago.

pjr · 27th August 2008, 10:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by alanwalne

My main listening is iTunes downloads which are a different Apple specific format, I have not bought a CD since I got my iPod 18 months ago.

When I ripped all my albums I had to do them as MP3 rather than AAC as Mrs PJR has a non-Apple portable media player at the moment, which doesn't support AAC.

However, thinking of getting her a Nano sometime, but couldn't really face re-ripping all my CDs again - my iTunes library has about 7000 songs in it, so 500+ albums!

alanwalne · 27th August 2008, 11:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by pjr

When I ripped all my albums I had to do them as MP3 rather than AAC as Mrs PJR has a non-Apple portable media player at the moment, which doesn't support AAC.

However, thinking of getting her a Nano sometime, but couldn't really face re-ripping all my CDs again - my iTunes library has about 7000 songs in it, so 500+ albums!

That explains it.

All CDs I have ripped to iTunes, I have done automatically, so may be AAC format.

Dimplyred · 27th August 2008, 17:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by alanwalne

Perhaps the arm rest mounted 8 disc autochanger (which the iPod cable emulates) is not MP3/WMA compatable so this function would not exist.

That's true, I wonder if the auto changer has exactly the same limited functions.

It would be very useful if we could quickly search through the tracks within the playlists though wouldn't it?

pjr · 27th August 2008, 19:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dimplyred

That's true, I wonder if the auto changer has exactly the same limited functions.

It would be very useful if we could quickly search through the tracks within the playlists though wouldn't it?

Not quite the quick search that I think you're after - like the left hand knob when playing an MP3 CD - but the 'Scan' button on the headunit plays the first 10 seconds of each track in a playlist - Pressing 'Scan' again cancels the autoscan feature, and will play from that point on in the playlist/album.

pjr · 27th August 2008, 19:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by alanwalne

That explains it.

All CDs I have ripped to iTunes, I have done automatically, so may be AAC format.

IIRC AAC is the default setting for ripping within iTunes - I changed it to MP3 and the bitrate I wanted, to maintain the compatibility I mentioned above.

Dimplyred · 27th August 2008, 19:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by pjr

Not quite the quick search that I think you're after - like the left hand knob when playing an MP3 CD - but the 'Scan' button on the headunit plays the first 10 seconds of each track in a playlist - Pressing 'Scan' again cancels the autoscan feature, and will play from that point on in the playlist/album.

That's worth knowing, thanks.

R-15655 · 8th October 2008, 00:09

Hi Guys,

Installed my Ipod connecter today (Carlink - mentioned else where on this site), just want to say THANK YOU to all the guys who have posted write-ups on how to do it

Took just over an hour (I work in car diagnostics), worth every minute, sound quality is great!

Thanks again guys.

Regards

R.

malbo007 · 8th October 2008, 09:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by pjr

When I ripped all my albums I had to do them as MP3 rather than AAC as Mrs PJR has a non-Apple portable media player at the moment, which doesn't support AAC.

However, thinking of getting her a Nano sometime, but couldn't really face re-ripping all my CDs again - my iTunes library has about 7000 songs in it, so 500+ albums!

All you need to do is highlight all the songs in your itunes library, right click and select convert to AAC. itunes will automatically convert them all for you, it may take some time, but you could leave it going over night!!

pjr · 8th October 2008, 09:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by malbo007

All you need to do is highlight all the songs in your itunes library, right click and select convert to AAC. itunes will automatically convert them all for you, it may take some time, but you could leave it going over night!!

Yes I could do, although that could result in a drop in sound quality by converting from one compressed format to another. I might try it with a couple of albums first to see if I can hear a difference.

donsur · 14th March 2009, 20:41

Civic Coupe EXL. left hand drive, premium radio, no Nav
Ipod adapter, USA Spec PA15HON
OK all you psedo technos, You don't have to take the dash apart in a 08 Civic EX or equivalent. Here is what I did. One remove the upper cover in the small cubby to get access to the radio. That's all you have to do. Next feel inside for the back of the radio and you will find an empty connector if you don't have Nav. Next, with a lot of patience and dexterity, monuver the USA Spec connector into place, key side down. Push it into the radio receptacle, it goes in very easy if you have the key correct. Next snake the cable into the glove box - there is an open spot on the top of the box into the area of the radio. Plug in the connector to the USA Spec PA15 Hon, plug in the Ipod connector to the same. Connect the Ipod after setting the snap switches to folder-hydbid. Turn on the radio, select AUX and poof up comes the XM selection on the radio. Next sit back and listen to the music. Steering wheel controls change the songs and display shows Song title and artist. Total time for me 15 minutes. I discovered this buy using an inspection mirror and a flash light and viola there was the back of the radio.

LinkBacks (?) LinkBack to this Thread: http://www.civinfo.com/forum/how/11955-how-install-honda-ipod-connector.html
Posted By	For	Type	Date
Civic Type-R Owners Club & Forum • View topic - iPod Adapter + SatNav	This thread	Refback	23rd August 2011 22:22
Civic Type-R Owners Forum • View topic - iPod Adapter + SatNav	This thread	Refback	24th May 2010 18:37
Civic Type-R Owners Forum • View topic - iPod Adapter + SatNav	This thread	Refback	27th January 2010 19:36

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26th August 2008, 08:15	#22 (permalink)
alanwalne Civic gone, not forgotten Car: Pug 4007, 308CC, Clio dci Join Date: 11th June 2007 Location: Kent Posts: 2,092 Thanks given: 25 Thanked 29 Times in 29 Posts iTrader: (2)	Does anyone else agree that the sound from the ipod is clearer and has more depth than the inbuilt CD player. Weird considering that MP3s are more compressed than CDs.

26th August 2008, 12:10	#23 (permalink)
pjr Supporter Thread starter Car: Audi A3 1.6TDI Sport Cabrio Join Date: 24th March 2007 Location: Scotland Posts: 737 Thanks given: 23 Thanked 46 Times in 42 Posts iTrader: (1)	Can't say I've noticed, although I always used to use MP3 CD's before I got my iPod connector - And they are the same MP3's as are on the iPod anyway. I'll have a listen tonight, with an original CD, and the same album from the iPod to see if I can hear any difference.

26th August 2008, 19:21	#27 (permalink)
pjr Supporter Thread starter Car: Audi A3 1.6TDI Sport Cabrio Join Date: 24th March 2007 Location: Scotland Posts: 737 Thanks given: 23 Thanked 46 Times in 42 Posts iTrader: (1)	Noticed something strange about the display from the iPod connector just now. If you play a normal audio CD, you get the track number and the time in minutes & seconds. If you play through the iPod, you get playlist & track number, but if you press and hold the seek/skip buttons it displays the time (like it does for an audio CD). It only stays on the display while fast forwarding/rewinding through a track, and none of the buttons let you change the display to this permanently. So there is more display capability than has been implemented I very rarely played audio CDs in the car either - nearly always MP3s. And I never play CDs now, since I got the iPod wired in.

8th October 2008, 00:09	#37 (permalink)
R-15655 Join Date: 21st August 2008 Location: Cardiff, UK Posts: 19 Thanks given: 5 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts iTrader: (0)	Hi Guys, Installed my Ipod connecter today (Carlink - mentioned else where on this site), just want to say THANK YOU to all the guys who have posted write-ups on how to do it Took just over an hour (I work in car diagnostics), worth every minute, sound quality is great! Thanks again guys. Regards R.

14th March 2009, 20:41	#40 (permalink)
donsur Join Date: 5th March 2009 Location: Cumming, Georgia U.S.A. Posts: 2 Thanks given: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts iTrader: (0)	Civic Coupe EXL. left hand drive, premium radio, no Nav Ipod adapter, USA Spec PA15HON OK all you psedo technos, You don't have to take the dash apart in a 08 Civic EX or equivalent. Here is what I did. One remove the upper cover in the small cubby to get access to the radio. That's all you have to do. Next feel inside for the back of the radio and you will find an empty connector if you don't have Nav. Next, with a lot of patience and dexterity, monuver the USA Spec connector into place, key side down. Push it into the radio receptacle, it goes in very easy if you have the key correct. Next snake the cable into the glove box - there is an open spot on the top of the box into the area of the radio. Plug in the connector to the USA Spec PA15 Hon, plug in the Ipod connector to the same. Connect the Ipod after setting the snap switches to folder-hydbid. Turn on the radio, select AUX and poof up comes the XM selection on the radio. Next sit back and listen to the music. Steering wheel controls change the songs and display shows Song title and artist. Total time for me 15 minutes. I discovered this buy using an inspection mirror and a flash light and viola there was the back of the radio.