Recommended I-pod player

I have the Ipod Classic. It sounds great, and the Prius has a perfect little place to hold the Ipod Classic under the armrest.

I put the best songs from 340 of my CD's on the Ipod and downloaded several more and still have 3/4 of my capacity left. My Ipod is pretty old and only holds 30GB. New ones hold up to 160 + GB. If you have a lot of CD's you will truly love the Ipod

If you want to upgrade later to full control of a MP3 player through your MFD screen and steering wheel Ipod is the way to go.

I'm not sure about the sound issue during recharging. The battery on mine last a couple of weeks before a recharge is needed. I do the recharging in the house. The Prius doesn't have a hot DC port probably for a reason pertaining to the tiny 12 V motorcycle battery it uses.

The best place to get songs for your Ipod is Itunes.

 

Go with a Cowon/iAudio. Far better than Apple, and you can just drag & drop (no need to use iTunes or any of that crap)

 

Or you could get a few iPod Shuffles and load each with a particular kind of music: a blue one for piano jazz, a red one for salsa...

​

 

Here is one way

PriusChat Shop : DICE iPod Car Integration Unit [i-Toyota-R] - $143.95

Your dealer may have other options. Or look at radio installation shops in your region. When I can gather enough dough this will probably be my next Prius Mod.

Of course the MP3 player has to be an Apple Ipod (nano or classic). There may be alternatives for other MP3 brands. However, most integration units are made specifically for the Apple Ipod. That is why I recommended Ipod. Of course you can just get a $3 wire at Radioshack and listen to any cheapo MP3 player through your AUX input.

 

Its a Ford vs Chevy. Tomato vs Tomato.

You know opinions are like an anus everybody has one and everybody else thinks yours stinks.

So ask the "hate apple and Ipod sucks" crowd why they think their MP3 is better.

If you are never going to integrate the MP3 player get the cheapest piece of crap out there. Most of them are probably made in the same Chinese factory.

:deadhorse:

 

Could always do what I did. I went the Ipod route (even though I swore I would never give in) just in case I want to integrate in the future. Since I was only going to use it in the car I watched Ebay for a couple weeks and ended up picking up a 20GB (plenty of room for quite a bit of music) Ipod that was fully functional except for the battery having dismal capacity. Cost me $40 bucks and I couldn't be happier. If I were buying something new and wasn't concerned about integration I'd probably go with something like the Archos 605. Plenty of bells and whistles to keep me amused for hours even when not in the car.

Good luck with your search.

David

 

It's more than Ford vs. Chevy. (both suck anyway, imo)


The iAudio is simply a better player.

Cheaper, has more features, better sound, plays .flac files, longer battery life, etc.

With Apple, you're basically paying for the name and for all their obnoxious advertising.

 

question on the dice: Does this void warrenty?

and I'd also like to know if this is something you can do yourself or if its better to have a shop do it

thanks

 

Nope. I can not tell the difference. Based on what I heard and have seen. It is just nice being able to control the Ipod through the steering wheel or MFD. Again you see where the anus analogy comes in with the other views expressed on this thread.

The "Apple haters and Ipod sucks" crowd come out when you discuss MP3 players.

IMHO Apple is the way to go. Once you go Apple, you wonder why it took you so long to get there.

Just this one post will create more hate post. It is a hot subject. Now I will be surprised if you don't see post about how integration sounds better and don't get an Apple.
:flame:

 

If your dealer installs it the warranty should be fine. Otherwise I would get a written guarantee from the radio installer. If you have to ask if you can install this yourself you probably shouldn't.(No offense)
:roll:

 

I installed the DICE unit in my 2005 myself. Several threads here on how to pull apart the dash (it's just held together with plastic clips) and plug the cable into the back of the MFD. If you can plug an electrical cord into a wall socket, you can install the DICE unit, though it's hard to actually see what you're doing.

Basically, it's cable plugs into MFD, DICE plugs into other end of cable, iPod connector cable plugs into DICE, other end plugs into bottom of iPod. Making it look neat is where all the work is. Some people have run the iPod cable end into the glove box. I fished it under the carpet to the canter console and into the hidden drawer.

There's no warranty implication since you're plugging into an existing socket on the back of the MFD.

 

It's really not a matter of being loyal to one company or another.


The worst thing about iPod's imo is that you need to use iTunes. With the Cowon players, you simply drag & drop like any other folder.

Here's the specs of the i7, but they have a ton of different players:

MP3, OGG, WMA, ASF, FLAC, WAV, Moving Picture Playback,
FM Radio Receiver and Recording, Voice Recording, Line-In Recording ​

TXT (Text), JPEG (Image) File Viewer (Image Enlargement, Background Screen
Designation) Built-in Flash Memory (4G/8G/16G) 260,000 Color 1.3 inch TFT LCD, Resolution 160x128 Long Playback Time : Up to 60 hours playback(Based on company's self-test, The playing
time may be shortened according to LCD usages.) Multi language support Enhanced Integrated Navigator Play/Pause, Recording/Pause While Recording Next Song/Previous Song, Fast Forward/Rewind, Section Repeat Resume, Fade-In, AutoPlay Features Search Speed, Skip Speed Setup Volume (Digital 40 Levels) Various EQ and Sound Field Effects
- User-Adjustable 5-Band EQ
- Normal, Rock, Pop, Jazz, Classic, Vocal, User
- Supports BBE, Mach3Bass, MP Enhance, and 3D Surround.
- JetEffect Preset
- EQ Filter Clock, Alarm, Timer Recording, Sleep Function, Power Saving Shut down. LCD Auto Off Time Adjustment, Brightness, and Contrast Adjustments Easy Firmware Upgrade Supports ID3V2, ID3V1, FileName Product Info Display (Firmware version, Memory Capacity/Usage) Supports MAC OS (Data transfer only), Supports Linux v 2.2 or higher (Data transfer only) Software
-COWON MediaCenter - JetAudio

iPods don't even compare, and cost more for less features.

 

Since you asked specifically about iPods - The best source for information can be found here: All things iPod, iPhone, iTunes and beyond | iLounge

iLounge has very good information about both new and older models and will be an excellent resource for you when you begin to fill your iPod with music. I've used both mp3 players and various iPods over the years. Both work very well as music storage devices and the sound, while nowhere near audiophile quality, is quite good. Either choice will prove to be a practical device for getting your music on the road. The "difference" is really the user interface. the iPod is a nested menu driven device that seems more intuitive in my opinion. I like Apple's design better personally.

I like the idea suggested above about looking for an older unit on ebay, but the new models are excellent if its not about the money. Buy a device with at least 20 gigs (about 5000 songs). iTunes (the software needed to manage your music on your computer, move music to and from your iPod, rip your current CDs into a library, and develop your various playlists of music) seems to be the biggest objection for PC users. Mac users typically love iTunes and yes, iTunes works well with non-Mac PCs as well. Take the plunge and you will not be disappointed.