Old school ipod and car audio

November 28, 2006 7:17 AM

Help my boyfriend play his first generation iPod in his car!

I'd like to get my boyfriend something that would allow him to play his first generation iPod in his car. He already has the cassette connector that goes through the "audio out" port on the top of the iPod, and the sound quality sucks. Since the first gen iPods only have a firewire port, he can't use many of the itrips or other fm transmitters available. Any ideas? Are there fm transmitters out there that connect via firewire? Any other relatively inexpensive solutions?

posted by elquien to Technology (17 answers total)

There are several FM transmitters that connect to the "audio out" port, including the Tunecast and Tunecast II.
posted by fvox13 at 7:24 AM on November 28, 2006

Ok those links are backwards, but you get the idea....
posted by fvox13 at 7:24 AM on November 28, 2006

I've been using a cheap-ass audio-port FM transmitter since my very first iPod. It has a long cord that plugs into the audio port and then a little doo-hicky on which you dial in your radio station of choice. Works great. (Well, almost great -- there's a lot of interference from surrounding stations. I just rid a tip the other day, though: if you remove your car's antenna, apparently the iPod can broadcast unimpeded.)
posted by jdroth at 7:44 AM on November 28, 2006

The original version of the iTrip fits first-gen iPods and is powered through the headphone port. There are plenty on eBay.
posted by cillit bang at 7:57 AM on November 28, 2006

Just to warn you, the cassette adapter might suck, but, especially depending where you live, it is light years BETTER than the fm transmitters. Only way to get better quality is to get a line-in jack installed on your car.
posted by kingjoeshmoe at 7:57 AM on November 28, 2006

Yeah, I've found that the cassette adapters sound better than the FM transmitters, at least up here in the Boston area where there are lots of stations at the low end of the dial.

I don't know what relatively inexpensive means in this case, but I've considered replacing the ordinary stock stereo in my car with a low end (say, $90) stereo that has a line-in on the front. That would work great with any iPod, and if you end up experimenting with more than one not-so-ideal FM transmitter you're almost at the same price point.
posted by bcwinters at 8:02 AM on November 28, 2006

You can often go directly into the radio using an FM modulator.

Also see this wizard that will help you figure out what will work for your car.
posted by chrisamiller at 8:07 AM on November 28, 2006

As much as I hate gimmicky accessories, I had terrible bass sounds in my car until I bought a Monster casette adapter. Either the tape heads themselves needed a cleaning, or the transmission through the head itself needed a better cable, but whatever it was -- Monster gave me the confidence to turn the volume up.
posted by cowbellemoo at 8:17 AM on November 28, 2006

I don't have an ipod, but for stuff like that I installed a line-in in my car. It was sort of an adaptor thingy that plugged into where the controls for a CD changer would usually go. Some cars support such things, some don't. I used crutchfield's wizard to determine if my car had such a device for it. I installed it myself, you just need a DIN tool (which you can also get from crutchfield for a few bucks). It's just a little metal tool to remove the stereo.
posted by RustyBrooks at 8:38 AM on November 28, 2006

I would vote for either a new cassette adapter (maybe a high end one, as cowbellemoo suggests) or installing a new stereo that has a line-in (a few years ago, the cheap Aiwas all had this feature).

FM transmitters are pretty annoying.
posted by sluggo at 8:55 AM on November 28, 2006

I was going to suggest a SendStation PocketDock, but they don't seem to make them for the 1st gens. I love the one we use in conjunction with our cassette adapter and 4G. Good luck.
posted by terrapin at 9:04 AM on November 28, 2006

Both cassette adaptors and FM modulators suck hard, in their unique ways. The very best route would be to replace the in-dash receiver with one that has a line-in auxiliary input. You can get moderately priced ones for $150 or less, and they're not hard to install yourself with the right wiring harness.
posted by Rhomboid at 9:08 AM on November 28, 2006

Seconding what RustyBrooks said. My VW New Beetle supported such a setup and Mr. Lucinda got it taken care of for me. It works like a charm (much better than cassette adaptors and FM modulators).
posted by Lucinda at 9:28 AM on November 28, 2006

Besides getting a line-in, there are really only two choices: cassette adapter or FM transmitter (both connected through the headphone jack). I've used both on my first generation iPod and, without a doubt, the cassette adaptor was much better than the FM transmitter. Maybe he just needs a better cassette adaptor.
posted by reformedjerk at 9:50 AM on November 28, 2006

I used the FM transmitter for 5 months and it was kinda disappointing. I bought the sheath style that plugs into the 12V socket. It constantly wiggled and squeaked + I had to lean over to see the display. Not that safe while you're driving. There is another style where a long cord plugs into the jack and the I-pod is at the other end. The advantage is you can hold the player in your lap or pass it to a passenger, but in both cases another FM radio station will occasionally fight for control of your radio (and win).
I finally bit the bullet and installed a new unit with I-pod adapter and couldn't be happier with it. It was the costlier option, but the clarity is great and the power is much greater than the wimpy factory unit.
posted by reidfleming at 10:03 AM on November 28, 2006

We use a casette adapter and it works quite well.
posted by Astro Zombie at 11:50 AM on November 28, 2006

Like RustyBrooks said, if you've got a stereo with RCA connectors or a CD changer connector on the back, you can install a line-in wire without replacing the stereo. You need to pull the stereo out, plug an RCA-to-minijack wire (sold at Radio Shack) into the back (using a CD changer adapter if needed), and then run the wire out to the passenger area of the car.

I had a local car audio place do this for me; it took 5 minutes and cost about $50 total (including a labor warranty and the cost of the adapter they needed to get my stereo to accept RCAs). The sound quality is pristine!
posted by vorfeed at 12:57 PM on November 28, 2006