Apple I-pod In Your Ls

[silvermate]

just checking to see if any of you guys have an Apple ipod or any type of I-pod on your LS?

i know all the theories; this and that, but do any of you acutally have one installed

if so do you have it hard wired? what is the process and difficulty of installation also what extra equipment is needed.

or are you running an FM modulator. hows the sound?

i am thinking about buying one just for the purpose of putting it in my car, and i would like some feedback issue from any of you guys that HAVE one.

[vyhanh]

Hi,

My son has the 91 LS400 and the iPOD. I set him up with the cassette for now and he thinks the sound is good. AFAIK, there are 3 ways (by sound quality order - worst to best):

1. FM modulator

2. Cassette

3. Direct Aux input (best)

just checking to see if any of you guys have an Apple ipod or any type of I-pod on your LS?

i know all the theories;  this and that, but do any of you acutally have one installed

if so do you have it hard wired? what is the process and difficulty of installation also what extra equipment is needed.

or are you running an FM modulator. hows the sound?

i am thinking about buying one just for the purpose of putting it in my car, and i would like some feedback issue from any of you guys that HAVE one.

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[vevro]

I'm using Monster's FM modulator for my Ipod Mini. Solid reception and good sound quality (no interference from local radio waves whatsoever).

From personal experience, I found the sound quality is better with the FM Modulator than with the tape adapter.

[flanker271]

Just at a curiosity, where do you place your FM modulator in your LS? Do you place it as close to the head unit as possible, or do you place it in the rear seat (closer to the power antenna)?

[silvermate]

cool deal thanks for the feedback guys...

i'll have to say i really want to stay away from the casset deal, its just ugly and outdated IMO.........

i would like to hard wire it, but i'm just not sure if it would work with my old stock radio

i really like that modulator you have vevro, its sharp looking.......where did you get it......actually what kind of i-pod do you have and how much was it, if you don't mind me asking

i will throw down the 300 bucks for the new apple, but if i can get a pretty good ipod for cheaper, i'm game

any suggestions..........and or what brands/models should i be searching for

as you can see i'm pretty new to this ipod thing, but my brother just got a new apple ipod and i fell i love with it, now i want one, and dammmit i'm gonna get one

just need to do do my usual "in-depth" research i always do b/f buying anything, especially somehting i pretty much know nothing about.

[vevro]

cool deal thanks for the feedback guys...

i'll have to say i really want to stay away from the casset deal, its just ugly and outdated IMO.........

i would like to hard wire it, but i'm just not sure if it would work with my old stock radio

i really like that modulator you have vevro, its sharp looking.......where did you get it......actually what kind of i-pod do you have and how much was it, if you don't mind me asking

i will throw down the 300 bucks for the new apple, but if i can get a pretty good ipod  for cheaper, i'm game

any suggestions..........and or what brands/models should i be searching for

as you can see i'm pretty new to this ipod thing, but my brother just got a new apple ipod and i fell i love with it, now i want one, and dammmit i'm gonna get one 

just need to do do my usual "in-depth" research i always do b/f buying anything, especially somehting i pretty much know nothing about.

←

Monster's FM modulator looks great at night with its little lights on. I bought it at RadioShack for $70, but you can find it for around $40 on the internet. Monster's FM modulator is considered the best but it cost about twice as much as any other modulator.

Also, I have the smallest Ipod, the Mini, with a capacity of 4 gigs, that's enough for 1,000 songs, (more than enough for me). There are other Ipods with capacities of up to 40 gigs, I don't know who needs these but they are out there. The Mini costs $250 and its the most popular. Ipods are the most popular mp3 players because they are very user friendly. I don't know if you realize but there are other mp3 players in the market, for instance Sony has some nice players as well. Before you buy an Ipod, shop around, see what else is out there, maybe you'll like what other manufacturers are offering.

With regards to Flanker's question, I have the modulator plugged into the power source in the center upper console. I've never tried positioning my modulator to neither the radio unit nor the antenna in the back, it just sits in the middle of the car.

I will post some pictures of my set up when I get home tonight.

[blake918]

I have one of the ancient iPods. The first 5gb(which I haven't come close to filling in 3 years! lol I can't imagine the 40 gig model!) firewire model from I think '02; that's when they were mac only. IMO, it is by far the best mp3 player out there. I have dropped and beat the hell out of this thing, but it just keeps going; they are very stylish and well built. I've been eyeing that SE U2 black chrome(or whatever the hell they make these things out of) model. That is amazing.....

I have the Griffin iTrip fm transmitter, and it sucks despite the rave reviews I read online. I got it for approx. $40 at CompUSA; big mistake. Although it is obsolete and ugly, I find the tape adapter to work the best and give the best sound quality.

[vevro]

Took a few pictures to give you an idea of how it will look if you decide to get yourself an Ipod with FM modulator. Very simple set up.

[silvermate]

blake that is def. a cool looking ipod, i hate U2 though,

vevro, thanks for taking the pics, i appreciate it,

just an idea for ya:

you ought to take a couple of hours on some weekend and mount it, and hide the wires, you could velcro the fm modulator to the ashray, and hide the wires up under the side of the console, or even through the back of the ashtray and headunit then down to the carpet

then get one of those "clampy" phone holders from radio shack and mount it on the side of the drivers side console to hold your ipod, that would look really clean, thats probably what i'm gonna do.

i've done a little reasearch on those mini ipods and they are running about 250 or so, but you can get the regular one for 299 from what i get.

any way thanks for sharing

[blake918]

blake that is def. a cool looking ipod, i hate U2 though, 

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Yeah, me too! lol The black and red just looks great! B)

Apple gives decent education discounts, so if you know someone that is a student, they can get you prices like $230 for the mini and $270 for a 20gb iPod. That's about 10% off...not much, but it's better than nothing. ;)

[91ls400]

Check out: http://www.vaistech.com/

They have oem radio solutions for connecting your ipod and keeping it stock. I was amazed, I wish I had a newer LS!

[silvermate]

hey have oem radio solutions for connecting your ipod and keeping it stock. I was amazed, I wish I had a newer LS!

yeah that would be a really clean setup for sure..........but there is no way in Helll i would pay that much money for that, lets get real.

thanks for sharing and for the idea :D

[digital_b]

I just paid 360 for the xm sat add on from vais tech. its the same cost as an xm unit for an 05 ls 430. the benefit is the direct integration into the ml sound system. I would never play mp3s even if you could in that system.

[SW03ES]

I'm discussing ideas for improving my Sirius satellite setup with vais tech. They have some really cool products.

I'm not sure whether I want to just add the aux in kit for $250 so I can loose the direct FM modulator line or if I want to go all out for $600 and have full integration (well as full as it gets, its not as perfect as the 04-05 LS" XM) with the nav screen. I could just get the aux in adapter kit and use my system I have now except changing stations underneath the armrest is kind of annoying. I could buy a soundgate adapter for $100 that would give me Aux in sound but I'd loose my CD changer.

As for the FM, there is DEFINATELY sound degredation with the FM modulator vs using an aux in jack. I had wireless FM modulation at first with my Sirius radio and you will get break ins depending on your area. If you travel it gets REALLY annoying because different cities and towns use different frequencies. I added an FM switchbox which takes care of the breakins but not the sound.

Whether the tape or FM is better depends on the system. USUALLY the tape is better. For some reason on Lexuses the FM modulator works better. I got my fiance a pink mini Ipod for Christmas with the tape adapter until they come out with something integrated for the Prius and it sounds better in hers with the tape adapter than in mine. You have to be careful with tape adapters and blowing out amps too.

They make a slick cupholder mount for the Ipod I got her that works perfectly.

[highlander]

I would really like to know if this is in some way adaptable to a 98ls

[LSIvory]

I'm using Monster's FM modulator for my Ipod Mini. Solid reception and good sound quality (no interference from local radio waves whatsoever).

From personal experience, I found the sound quality is better with the FM Modulator than with the tape adapter.

the reviews of this unit on Amazon are not encouraging...