martynv8

martynv8

Well-Known Member
Hi,
Maybe a stupid question here but is there anyway of connecting an ipod to the standard head unit in my p38 (2002)? I bought one of those cassette adaptors but the sound is truly awful? Just wondered if there was any other way, don't want to swap out the existing head unit.
 
clarion there was a company doing service and ipod connection discussed on here search clarion
 
Your head unit will be an alpine one if it's a 2002. Fanatic is correct wrt the Clarion HUs - Clarion service will do a refurb of your unit and add an aux input as well - but believe this costs around £100. I haven't come across a similar possibility with the Alpine HUs however.

There will be a way of doing it via the CD changer line input pins on the 20-pin mini-ISO part of the stereo harness. I saw it mentioned when I was doing all my research into these systems for my aftermarket head unit adaptors, but don't recall anyone finding a definitive solution or reporting success. In theory it should be pretty simple - cut the signal wires from the harness and splice a 3/8" jack plug into them - although you would have to leave a CD playing in your changer for you to be able to hear anything, and you couldn't easily swap back to CD changer input.

I'd be willing to take the time to experiment and find a solution... Unfortunately I don't have the Alpine system in my P38 to try it on!

To be honest, I'd just put an aftermarket HU in. Simple direct swap if you don't have the Harmon / Kardon set-up, or an adaptor lead (that I can make or give instructions for DIY if you're handy with a soldering iron) if you do have H /K.
 
Thanks Clarky,

My system is a H/K so i didnt really want to swap out the head unit & lose my steering wheel controls / sat nav audio etc. I've read about the CD changer adaptions so could also be an option. Is it a big job to fit your adaptor lead - I'm no good with complex electrickery. Was hoping there would be a very easy fix :(
 
if anyone has an alpine hu, and wants to use an i pod,
i have info/tel no for a co that supply's an interface,
with all cables, plug it in...... get deaf........ S.

ps.... you can use steering wheel controls too tho
you lose the 6 cd changer... its s**t anyway.
 
Last edited:
martynv8 said:
Thanks Clarky,

My system is a H/K so i didnt really want to swap out the head unit & lose my steering wheel controls / sat nav audio etc. I've read about the CD changer adaptions so could also be an option. Is it a big job to fit your adaptor lead - I'm no good with complex electrickery. Was hoping there would be a very easy fix :(
Click to expand...

Nope, it's plug n play. Nothing complicated at all. I only charge for the cost of parts & consumables, plus postage, which works out about £22-ish.

You do, as you pointed out, lose your steering wheel controls though...
 
I use a cassette adaptor in mine and it sounds great.

Ok, I have to thump it every so often to get rid of the buzz that the dodgy soldered joint causes and the display doesn't work, but when it's working, it sounds great.

Perhaps upgrade your casette adaptor? Mine's a Sony.

I will send mine off to be reconned eventually (mine's a Clarion).
 
Thanks,
It might well be the dodgy cassette adaptor i bought of ebay. Sounds crap but then it only cost me £2. I guess mp3 quality into a tape head isnt going to be great though?
 
I have seen pages on the web from people that have opened the head unit up, unsoldered the tape head connection wires, and soldered the wires from a headphone jack in their place.

Find an old cassette and take the tape out of it so it's just the cassette housing.

You then connect up your ipod and put a cassette in the stereo.

The cassette makes the stereo thinks it's playing the cassette, but the audio signal is coming from the connection to the headphone jack.

This has the downside that you can't easily use your stereo for playing tapes. But then, does anyone have tapes anymore?

Disconnecting the motor apparently make the sound better too. (less hum)

The web reports good sound quality so long as you don't turn the ipod volume up to high, and you need to be able to solder.
 
Why people need to listen to music all day long defeats me. But each to their own. Once had a member of our clubs pool team, tell me he could not play properly unless the juke box was on. I told him he would never be a good pool player while he had an hole in his arse, if that was his attitude. A distraction does not help you concentrate on the job in hand. :D
 
Tape head adaptors will always give you very poor sound quality compared to a direct connection (at the correct level - and that includes soldering wires to the pickup from the tape head, as the impedances are all wrong). As I've said to others, the weak point in the system is the head unit. You will be very surprised at just how good those H/K amps are when given a decent input...
 
Have you thought of using an FM sender? Tesco are selling them for £15 approx. It's about 1.5" long so takes up no great space. Just plug into the cigarette lighter plug(or hide it in the arm rest box), tune the radio and sender to same frequency, put ipod on sender and hey presto, all your tunes blasting out through your speakers :)
 
Last edited:
gold rover said:
Have you thought of using an FM sender? Tesco are selling them for £15 approx. It's about 1.5" long so takes up no great space. Just plug into the cigarette lighter plug(or hide it in the arm rest box), tune the radio and sender to same frequency, put ipod on sender and hey presto, all your tunes blasting out through your speakers :)
Click to expand...

Bought my other half one of these - it was absolutely awful. It used to suffer from interference, frequency drift and the sound quality was truly awful. She's using a casette adaptor as well now. Works fine in her Celica (Sony system, I believe).

I assume they can't all be bad, but this wasn't even a cheap one!
 
ummm...i am starting to think my cassette adaptor is crap OR the tape head on the head unit needs a clean. Will try sorting this before looking at head unit mods me thinks.
 
kooky_guy said:
Bought my other half one of these - it was absolutely awful. It used to suffer from interference, frequency drift and the sound quality was truly awful. She's using a casette adaptor as well now. Works fine in her Celica (Sony system, I believe).

I assume they can't all be bad, but this wasn't even a cheap one!
Click to expand...

I'm having no issues. Had a cheaper one before and had a horrible hiss off it but picked this up in Tesco and happy as a monkey with poo in it's hand, with the result.
 
Martyn,

I've been looking at the wiring diagram for the HK "high line trim level 3" stereo that you have.

Being posh, it has 4 door mounted amplifiers that supply power to the door speakers, plus the other bass bin thing in the boot.

Taking the wire colours from the schematic, it should be pretty easy to splice in an ipod connection that would bypass the head unit entirely.

I may look in to this more once I've sorted out the other little things I want to neaten up first.
 
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