mp3 player questions

[bikejunkie223 10+ year member]

I have a 60g photo and the Pioneer ipod interface, and here is my take. The interface works fine, but is limited by the slow ip/(ainet in an Alpine) bus. This is an issue if you are seaarching for a paticular artist or song. If you go off playlists like everyone I know, the accessablility is fine and easy to work with. As far as SQ, it really doesn't matter that much, becasue your mp-3's while sounding good, will not sound as good as an audio cd. All mine are recorded @ 224kbs, and they still don't sound the same. You can't really tell, unless you play the same song on the ipod, and then audio, there is an obvious difference. I have run mine on an alpine w/ and ai-net aux input, and the same way with my Premier, both were acceptable, but the controller interface does seem a scooch cleaner and charges the ipod. Just get an ipod, and see how you use it for a bit. if you are always selecting individual albums or artists, just do an aux in, if you run primarily off playlists, the controller is worth the cash, because it's only drawback- access speed- is eliminated. By the way, the 40g ipods are just fine, they just fell into a market segment that evaporated as the photo came out, and is thusly no longer made, the unit itself is fine. There was very little price difference between a 40g ipod and a 30g photo, so they axed it.

 

[Spud2388 10+ year member]

so what exactly is so slow on the ipod interface for the Alpine? I will have a category for artist, then in that a category for each album they made, then in that a category with the songs on that album. Will that make it slow? i saw somewhere where it said the ai-net can only handle like 250 songs (or something of that nature). I guess what im trying to ask is what makes the interdace so slow and a pain to use?

 

[Spud2388 10+ year member]

nevermind i read this (http://playlistmag.com/reviews/2004/09/alpineipod/index.php/?lsrc=mcrss-0904) and it explained it all. So, i guess its up to me on what to get. Im probably going to get the ipod video 30gb black. I'll do somemore research, but for now will probably just hook it up without the interface. Hopefully Alpine will update their interface and make it more appealing.

 

[bikejunkie223 10+ year member]

That's what I would do. I'm probably going to change out my Premier in January for an Eclipse, and will have to go back to an aux-in setup as they don't have an ipod interface (yet...), but its fine.

 

[alove_85 10+ year member]

yeah it might be easier to just always look at the head unit, but who cares? Just mount your mp3 player by you and it won't matter. Once your mp3 is all hooked up, ut really wont matter which screen you look at since it will almost always be the mp3 players, right?

 

[Spud2388 10+ year member]

Well, when the mp3 player is hooked up, how would u switch between the radio, mp3, and cd (rarely used b/c of mps)? Source button like always?

 

[bikejunkie223 10+ year member]

yeah, you will likely have to turn on the aux input in the setup menu, but then it is just another source. You may find you listen to cds more than you think you would though.

 

[turnstylez18 10+ year member]

yeah..u would press source...when i get my mp3 playing im gonna be doing exact same thing as u...just dont know which mp3 player yet

 

[theCybe 5,000+ posts]

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The battery thing was a hardware limitation; So many bandwagon haters. Our latest 'pods are packed with cool shit; and that extra storage can be used to migrate files, store and view videos, photos,

As far as the headunit interface; Just plug it into your Aux, and control via iPod. Save your self the expense and hassle of a third party gizmo that may diminish your iPod experience.

As far as the hard drive goes - we'll replace the entire unit if the hard drive fails;

so long as you're not a wookie that bashes their iPod into everything, drops it on the floor, crushes ice with it, etc; You shouldn't have any problems.

ars-technica did a torture test to one of the nanos; Look it up. Took a hell of a beating.

 

[Spud2388 10+ year member]

Alright, if i get the ipod and plug it in to the Aux in the HU, will i have to control the volume with the ipod, or with the HU, and just leave the song selecting to the ipod?

 

[bikejunkie223 10+ year member]

If it's through the dock, HU volume controls it, and if its out of the headphone jack, ipod volume conrtols the line-out as well as HU volume.

 

[Spud2388 10+ year member]

what do u mean by the dock? the interface?

 

[bikejunkie223 10+ year member]

the interface has the dock connector, but you can also buy an ipod dock:http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore?productLearnMore=MA045G/A

The dock has a line out connector like the headpone jack and makes it a lot easier, you just have the dock wired in, and set your ipod in the cradle.

 

[Spud2388 10+ year member]

Let me get this straight. If i buy just the dock and hook it up to my HU, i will be able to adjust the volume with the HU, not the iPOD, right?

If ^^^^^ not true, making me control the volume from the iPOD, wouldnt that effect the gain settings on my system?

This is a little off topic, but i have heard in a couple places that the iPOD sends a better sound out of the dock connector thing, than the headphone connector thing. True?

If i purchased this http://www.nyko.com/nyko/products/?i=44#, would that allow me to have the clearest sound and allow me to control my volume through the HU? (PLEASE SAY YES)

 

[sumone 10+ year member]

Da/mn dude...just buy the da/mn thing!!!

You're gonna make it work no matter what!!!

But on a serious note, I'm gonna guess and say that if you hooked the ipod up in the dock, that the signal is a line out, just like what your HU would put out for your amp(s). I would say the signal is better out of the dock too as opposed to the HU. Just think of the iPod like a head unit and think of the head unit as an amp. Of course you'd give your amp a line-level output OVER an amplified, speaker-level output.

The HU is gonna control the volume regardless.

And if you're worried about gains and stuff, all you gotta do (that is, if the volume is controllable on the iPod when it's sending its signal through the dock) is keep the volume on something static (on the iPod) at all times and don't mess with it...

I think you're making it harder than it really is!