Rockbox car audio with iPod connected directly to amp

[sappyswami]

Hi all. First post.

I've spent the last two days looking up as much as I could on this subject, and now I feel my time will be better spent by discussing it with people rather than reading other people's posts.

So I just bought a 1960 Comet, and I want to add a the ability to play my iPod running rockbox and FLAC files. I don't want to alter the indash am radio or anything. I just want an amp under my seat that is connected to my ipod, which I can leave on the seat or set in my ashtray, whatever.

I just want to try to get this down so people can point out problems or where I'm on the right track. Problem solving!

Okay so if I ran 3.5mm to RCA into the amp, I could control the ipod with it's valume control. Cool. But I want to play FLAC files, so I want to use the ipod dock connector to RCA. This bad boy. Plus it will charge my iPod!

With that the case, I can't control the volume. So should I add a volume control between the iPod and the amp? I'm thinking of this thing. Is this a good solution? Or will the sound quality take a dive?

And if it isn't the option I want, is it possible to buy amps with volume control on them? I'm new to audio that doesn't involve headphones, to be honest. So if anyone has any suggestions, ideas, or opinions on what I've outlined here, I'd really appreciate hearing them. Thanks all!

Keith

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[wesl56 10+ year member]

welcome! that sounds like it should do the trick... i've never done it, so im not sure if the ipods line out is strong enough, but id imagine it is... someone on here should know

 

[pentavolvo 10+ year member]

it will 100% work and that knob will work great also, maybe put knob in ashtray with a switch to turn amp on/off

 

[sappyswami]

Thanks wesl56!

Pentavolo: Awesome! That's exactly what I want to hear. Also, good idea with the ashtray thing! That would be rad.

 

[drpeeb 10+ year member]

Hi all. First post.
I've spent the last two days looking up as much as I could on this subject, and now I feel my time will be better spent by discussing it with people rather than reading other people's posts.

So I just bought a 1960 Comet, and I want to add a the ability to play my iPod running rockbox and FLAC files. I don't want to alter the indash am radio or anything. I just want an amp under my seat that is connected to my ipod, which I can leave on the seat or set in my ashtray, whatever.

I just want to try to get this down so people can point out problems or where I'm on the right track. Problem solving!

Okay so if I ran 3.5mm to RCA into the amp, I could control the ipod with it's valume control. Cool. But I want to play FLAC files, so I want to use the ipod dock connector to RCA. This bad boy. Plus it will charge my iPod!

With that the case, I can't control the volume. So should I add a volume control between the iPod and the amp? I'm thinking of this thing. Is this a good solution? Or will the sound quality take a dive?

And if it isn't the option I want, is it possible to buy amps with volume control on them? I'm new to audio that doesn't involve headphones, to be honest. So if anyone has any suggestions, ideas, or opinions on what I've outlined here, I'd really appreciate hearing them. Thanks all!

Keith

Wow! Somebody else trying my same "cutting edge" iPod-straight-into-amp idea!! Everybody on here keeps bashing me over it ... but I'm doing it right now and it works great!!

They keep telling me it's "ghetto" and that it's going to lack sound quality, but nobody really says why. I think they just haven't ever tried it either, so figure it's bad.

I have my iPod Nano 4th gen. running straight into my new Alpine PDX-5 amp via a mini-to-RCA cable. I had to use a splitter at the end of each side of the RCA L & R in order to feed signals into both my coax channels & sub channels, but no problems. I do have to turn the amp's gains up to about 85%, and that's probably why folks on here keep saying I need a "line driver", but it's working fine as is. So far, if turning the gain levels up to 85% is bad, I can't figure out why, nor why Alpine would provide that capability if it's bad.

I'd like to hear more on how yours turns out if you feel like reporting back later.

Good luck!

 

[sappyswami]

Drpeeb: Hey, as long as it works, right? Going against convention always ruffles feathers hehe.

So did you split each R/L input so that it's plugged into all six channels? I can see why the gain would need to be so high, with the signal split that many times. But as long as it sounds good, right? You just control the volume on the ipod then. How does it sound? Can you get it very loud, and does it have distortion the louder you go? What about if you keep it quiet, does it still sound good?

But yeah I'll definitely let you know how it works out in the next couple of weeks. I'm thinking about getting that amp you use as well. Have to start saving up heh.

 

[drpeeb 10+ year member]

Drpeeb: Hey, as long as it works, right? Going against convention always ruffles feathers hehe.
So did you split each R/L input so that it's plugged into all six channels? I can see why the gain would need to be so high, with the signal split that many times. But as long as it sounds good, right? You just control the volume on the ipod then. How does it sound? Can you get it very loud, and does it have distortion the louder you go? What about if you keep it quiet, does it still sound good?

But yeah I'll definitely let you know how it works out in the next couple of weeks. I'm thinking about getting that amp you use as well. Have to start saving up heh.

Unconventional gets you a lot of foul language responses on here! And that's OK ... Good to shake people up once in a while.

I'm splitting to only 4 channels right now. I split the L & R RCAs each only once since I'm only using 4 of the 6 channels: The two sub channels and one set of L & R full-range speakers.

I know the regulars on this forum don't believe me, but it sounds great, from quiet thru very loud! And, it is very loud ... the sub pounds my seat, and vibrates my rear view mirror. And. yes, I control the volume only by means on the iPod's volume.

The only songs that don't sound great are either old songs or compressed too much ... nothing to do with this equipment setup.

I just got the Alpine PDX-5 amp for $379.75 total off eBay on 4/29.

 

[sappyswami]

Awesome! I'm down, then. Can I ask what speakers and sub you're using? I don't want to vibrate my 50 year old car apart, but I want to be able to bump some tunes if I want to, definitely.

AND you have it right in your sig. I'm a bright one...

 

[JimJ 5,000+ posts]

They keep telling me it's "ghetto" and that it's going to lack sound quality, but nobody really says why. I think they just haven't ever tried it either, so figure it's bad.

The problem is, the Ipod's onboard DAC sucks. There's plenty of people out there who use something like a Wadia iTransport and a passive volume control as a source, but that's not going to be easy to integrate in a car.

 

[drpeeb 10+ year member]

The problem is, the Ipod's onboard DAC sucks. There's plenty of people out there who use something like a Wadia iTransport and a passive volume control as a source, but that's not going to be easy to integrate in a car.

Are you saying the iPod has a digital out that could be run into a separate, better DAC?

Man, I just don't think that's needed. Mine really sounds great the way it is.

I guess it'd be nice to be able to hear it both with and without an external DAC, just in case, but I have about 2.5 decades of music listening experience, was in a band, have about $5K worth of recording gear, etc.; I'm into music, man, and I feel pretty confident that I could tell if something this was quite sub-standard about this. I'm not saying it's perfect, but it is very good.

 

[JimJ 5,000+ posts]

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f7/wadia-itransport-ipod-dock-gets-bit-perfect-digital-ipods-281975/

 

[wesl56 10+ year member]

Are you saying the iPod has a digital out that could be run into a separate, better DAC?

yes, but if you're happy with how you've got it, **** it! //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/tongue.gif.6130eb82179565f6db8d26d6001dcd24.gif

 

[AVSTANG02]

drpeeb you ****ing moron. seriously.

Go ahead turn your gains up to 100% then. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/laugh.gif.48439b2acf2cfca21620f01e7f77d1e4.gif

****ing newbs think they know it all.

 

[drpeeb 10+ year member]

drpeeb you ****ing moron. seriously.
Go ahead turn your gains up to 100% then. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/laugh.gif.48439b2acf2cfca21620f01e7f77d1e4.gif

****ing newbs think they know it all.

Rather than saying it that way, how about explaining what's bad about it. I really would like to know, nobody is clear about it.

 

[JimJ 5,000+ posts]

I'm waiting to hear the explanation of this one, too //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif