Option 1: Quick fixes
Cassette adapters
If you don't have the time or money to replace your stock (factory-installed) car stereo with an aftermarket one, there are three main options for connecting your iPod to your car. If you have a tape deck in your car, you can invest around AU$20 to AU$30 in a cassette adapter: the Belkin Auto Cassette Adapter and the Griffin Intelligent Smart Deck Adapter are two of the most popular.
Aux-in jacks
If your car stereo has a line-in auxiliary input jack, you can connect your iPod directly using a line-in cable (also known as a patch cord). While auxiliary input jacks are rare on older factory-installed stereos, they are becoming more common on newer cars. Many aftermarket stereos come with rear-mounted auxiliary input jacks, and an increasing number have the jack integrated into the front of the stereo faceplate.
FM transmitters
If you don't have either a cassette deck or an auxiliary input jack, you can connect your iPod to your car using an FM transmitter that plugs into the player's headphone jack and streams your music to the car stereo using a short-wave radio signal on a predetermined frequency. There are dozens of FM transmitters on the market, each with its own variation on the same theme. Some of the more useful -- and expensive -- devices, such as the AU$130 DLO Transdok, and the AU$140 Belkin TuneBase act as a cradle and charger for your iPod at the same time as transmitting your tunes to the car stereo.
While they are a cheap and simple method for playing iPods on the road, FM transmitters can suffer from interference and sketchy sound quality. Auxiliary input jacks give a clearer, hard-wired sound, but still require drivers to select and control music using the iPod itself, which can be difficult -- and dangerous -- while driving.
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Benny
28/08/2007 06:10 PM
I use a Griffin iTrip Auto in my car and it works like a charm. I have no trouble with sound quality or interference since I found a frequency with no radio stations near it. The only time it's an issue is when driving longer distances to where there are different station to interfere, but it's pretty easy to switch frequencies.
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palm
05/09/2007 04:16 PM
I have a Pioneer DEH-P8950BT with IPOD full speed adapter and it is the best purchase I have ever bought in terms of car stereo. Besides being a great stereo in general the IPOD functions are fantastic and easy to use. I have not had a single problem since installing. Would highly recommend this unit to anyone that wants to integrate their IPOD into their car.
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kim
01/11/2007 02:44 PM
I have Toshiba Gigabeat, and recently bought a car that has an Ipod output within the car. Is it possible for me to buy some sort of mechanism to attach my mp3 player to this outpu? Or is that impossible?
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susan
03/12/2007 08:21 PM
do you have iPod adapter?
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canberra_photographer
08/01/2008 01:14 PM
I use a Belkin TuneBase FM in my Aurion. FM transmitter performs excellently, and the included Audio boost functions really improve audio quality. Design is good and the compatibility unbeatable.
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