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Is there a consensus on what the highest (audio) quality hardwired FM modulator is? They all seem to be about the same price (~$40) and I wouldn't mind mind spending more for something that sounds better. There is some discussion on the first page of this thread about how a "good" one is indistinguishable from CD quality, but I'm just looking for a bit of guidance on finding what is "good." There is an Audiovox one that seems to have good reviews on Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00009V2XX) but I know that most people aren't very critical of sound quality. Are there any AI-approved options? If not, I suppose I'll just do the Audiovox.
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Dec 16, 2014 10:00
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Yeah I'm aware of the head unit modification options. I'm trying to avoid making modifications like that as it is something I'm considering as a gift for my dad, and neither he nor I are wild about swapping the whole headunit with something aftermarket. I was considering modifying the stock one but I think a hardwired modulator is a much better compromise, if the quality is not miserable. So you think the tuner is the largest source of noise, rather than the modulator? I hadn't considered that. I suppose the bandwidth in commercial FM is not conducive to getting the best sound quality ever, but some reviews of other hardwired modulators complained of quality below that of even a strong FM station. I'd like to avoid that if possible.
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Dec 16, 2014 15:31
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It's a modern Ford, with those little U-shaped tools to pop the radio out in an instant. I had bought one of those line in adapter pigtails for the CD changer plugs, but apparently this head unit is a special snowflake that doesn't work with those. In any case, it's not just a single DIN thing. If the modulator sounds like rear end I might consider putting in an aftermarket HU, but for now I'd rather not unless there are serious usability issues with the modulator. Aint nobody wants a blingy tacky blue-LED-having SONY XPLOD or whatever.
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Dec 16, 2014 23:51
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They're actually not that bad looking: But definitely look out of place. Not like putting a square radio in an oval taurus, but I'd still like to keep the factory one if I can.
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Dec 17, 2014 00:04
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IOwnCalculus posted:Believe me, it's not - that's a Ranger/Explorer setup, it's 1.5DIN at best. Yeah it's an '04 Ranger. I've ordered that Audiovox hardwired modulator for my dad for xmas, I'll let y'all know how it sounds once I get it in hand and installed.
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Dec 24, 2014 04:34
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Does the frequency of the buzzing change with engine RPM?
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Jan 31, 2015 21:43
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Scrapez posted:I'm looking to add a head unit, amp and speaker to my motorcycle. I already have a set of DC Gold 4" speakers that I'll be using and planning to add a 2 channel micro amp to power them. What about those little Bluetooth car adapters? The low tech option would be to just plug a 1/8" jack into your phone and not have a head unit at all. Or did you want an FM tuner as well?
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Feb 6, 2015 03:57
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No idea about the satellite functionality afterwards, but the model everyone used to use is the PIE FRDN-AUX and its derivatives. There are a bunch of them depending on which head unit out of which year and so forth. I have one of them that ended up not working for me because the head unit didn't support the changer functionality, but if you want to dick with it to see what it'll do I can throw it in a flat rate box for you if I can find it.
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Feb 6, 2015 06:30
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ExplodingSims posted:That'd be cool. Do you happen to have a picture of it or at least the connectors on it? You can email me at explodingsims2@gmail.com for shipping stuff. Let me see if I can lay hands on it, first. There's a non-zero chance that I left it at my parents' house over Christmas.
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Feb 6, 2015 08:54
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ExplodingSims posted:That'd be cool. Do you happen to have a picture of it or at least the connectors on it? You can email me at explodingsims2@gmail.com for shipping stuff. I emailed you a couple days ago; did you get it?
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Feb 14, 2015 05:45
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A big fuckin' cap on the switched power line (I guess behind a diode or something so you don't end up trying to power everything on the switched 12V line) would probably give you a few seconds of radio runtime when you quickly start it or dip to accessory.
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Mar 19, 2015 23:49
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Maybe one of those head units for boats? Are landies even DIN?
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Apr 27, 2015 10:49
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What about something like this: http://www.amazon.com/A/dp/B000OSZA58
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Apr 27, 2015 12:18
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That part could just be a noisy switching power supply, maybe? I guess you could just have several sources of noise. E: What does the noise in your headphones sound like? Is it a hiss, a buzz, clicking, or...? Raluek fucked around with this message at 07:35 on Sep 15, 2015 |
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Sep 15, 2015 07:32
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The only thing that's making me think that it's not the SMPS is that the noise persists if you plug in two separate adapters to run your two pieces of gear on, but if you disconnect one or the other from power the noise disappears completely. Hm.
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Sep 15, 2015 09:17
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Red_October_7000 posted:tl;dr: I bet there's a cracked solder joint in there somewhere. I guess it also could be dirty/oxidized contacts in a switch. Does it start/stop working when you go over bumps? I'm thinking it just gets jostled a little bit and the board flexes to make/break whatever contact is intermittent. If you're handy, it might be worth touching up all the solder joints real quick. 
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Dec 25, 2016 20:23
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Well, I can't TIG, so you're still coming out ahead of me, hah. If you have it apart anyway, maybe examine the solder joints with magnification, see if you can spot anything. If you find the particular culprit, you might be able to reflow it to satisfaction. E: And yes, good tools helps a bunch. I paid $200 for my iron, and it was several times that when new, and it makes a huge difference even compared to $100 irons. Still, you don't need any magic just to heat up the joint and get the solder to flow back together. But even if you aren't confident that will work out, just identifying the issue is going to be the hard part I think. Raluek fucked around with this message at 21:13 on Dec 25, 2016 |
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Dec 25, 2016 21:11
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Do those ones not use the U-shaped Ford radio removal tools? My dad's ranger does, but it's a few years newer.
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Jan 3, 2017 06:25
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Casimir Radon posted:I planned to get something with Android Auto just for better integration. The issue I have with something that needs data to work is that I sometimes go off in the sticks where there isn't great service, if any, and Google Maps offline data was kind of a pain in the rear end last time I checked. I dunno if it's different on android, but in iOS google maps you just select the area you want to capture and it will save it for offline use. It can even do offline navigation, it just won't take traffic into account. I use it a lot, and it's been mostly fine. Occasional hiccups, but better than anything else I've tried.
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Feb 15, 2017 22:54
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5 RING SHRIMP posted:Yes, multiple and they've all got the same issue. It's definitely an issue with the female part of the port That's almost always from someone yanking/smashing on the cable when it's plugged in, and breaking the solder joint between the jack and the board. Not an easy fix unless you're handy with that sort of thing. You can look in the jack with a flashlight and see if there's a bunch of crud in there keeping the plug from going in all the way, but I doubt that's the problem.
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May 24, 2017 00:33
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Bank posted:Two questions for folks.. 12AWG is much bigger than 18AWG, if I'm understanding you correctly. If your wire is too small for your terminals, and you don't want to bother getting new terminals, you can strip back double what you need and fold the wire over on itself to double its thickness where it goes into the crimp connector. Don't most speakers use screw down terminals that take fork terminals? If they are the other kind, I've seen them called pin connectors or ferrules.
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Oct 17, 2017 05:27
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Martytoof posted:I have an 08 Mazda 3. I’ve been happy enough with my stock HU and aux input from my iPhone. That is, until I upgraded from my old iPhone to an 8 with no 3.5mm jack. Now I’m looking for a decent BT -> Aux converter. Don't the new iPhones come with a Lightning to 3.5mm adapter in the box? I think they're like $7 to replace. As for bluetooth, I put one of the Amazon Basics ones in my dad's truck. It's intended to be run from a wall outlet, but the adapter is 12V so I thought I'd take a chance in snipping the cord off the adapter and wiring it to the truck directly (since auto "12V" is actually like 14.5V". That has been fine so far, although I think it has a super cheap 3.5mm jack in it because sometimes the cable needs to be wiggled to keep one side from cutting out. But, judging by its reviews, this is probably not a common complaint. Oh, and yes it will connect automatically if the phone's bluetooth is on, and I wired it to a switch so it wouldn't grab the phone's audio when the stereo was off. You could probably tap into the amp turn on wire if you wanted to automate this, though.
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Feb 25, 2018 02:33
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