Ipod Aux

I have my iPod hooked up through the AUX and it works just fine. Much better sound through the Prius speakers then what I had in my Passat.

 

So far mine is working great, I thought I had a problem with it and my MP3 player stopped working and would not charge, but it seems to have fixed itself. It took 2 days to charge up and at first I thought the Prius was to blame until I found out that the AUX is just a port for the audio only and has nothing to do with recharging or overcharging the player.

The sound is awesome for me, I have an equalizer on my MP3 player, I have a Creative Zen Sleek Photo 20gb player and the sound that comes out of the Prius speakers is really good, in fact better than when the radio and CD player are playing. So I know the Prius has some pretty good speakers but the stock radio/cd player really sucks though.

Now, I almost exclusively use my MP3 player in the Prius.

Only suggestion I have is for the protection of your IPOD or MP3 player, do not leave it in the car when you are not in the car and the weather is hot.. I made that mistake one day and left the MP3 player was inside the center console where the jack is and the Prius was parked at the train station all day, it was hot outside and I forgot to put my sunshade up in the car. When I got in the car and tried to start the MP3 player it shut down almost immediately and I realized the battery was overheating and it was going into safety mode and shutting itself down. It gave me a warning that the battery was overheating. When I saw what happened, I turned on the A/C full blast and cooled down the player by holding it up to the A/C vents for a few minutes. It was fine after that.

So, if you have a very expensive MP3 player I would suggest you not leave it in the car. I now take mine in and out with me everytime I get in the car.

 

I use just a basic cable to hook them up. If you look at the picture below, it has two identical ends.



Don't leave your iPod in your car, and don't leave any cables showing (to avoid a break in). The AUX in is in the center console. The grey cord is the one I connect to the iPOD, the other is a charger for my GPS unit.



You can actually shut the center console over the cord without damaging the cord, if you bring the cord out the front.

As far as sound, it's great. Sounds just like you have a CD in or something. Just remember to get the best audio, have your iPod turned up to half volume, and do the rest of the volume with your car's stereo. It sounds best that way.

 

I agree with the previous posts. The car's sound system sounds great with the iPod through the AUX jack. Much much better than those FM transmitters.

 

Get a dock connector to 3.5mm stereo cable instead of using the standard audio cable with a 3.5mm stereo plug on each end. Using the dock connector gives you a proper line out signal that bypasses the iPod's headphone amplifier and volume control. The sound is cleaner and more consistent, and you only have to set the volume in one place--your car's stereo. These are relatively cheap and easy to get through eBay, Amazon.com, etc.

- Doug

 

Even better, get a Belkin Auto Kit :

Belkin : Auto Kit for iPod w/ Dock Connector

Charges the iPod through a dock connector charged via the power in the console. Has an adjustment for the line out of the iPod that lets you match the level with the radio so you can switch between radio and ipod.....the level stays the same.

--tom

 

That looks pretty good. Although I have always gotten a lot of background noise (especially when braking) when playing the iPod while connected to the car's power supply. That would have been when using the headphone jack, though--I wonder if this product makes the sound any cleaner?

- Doug

 

I use my iTouch with the Belkin adapter with no problems at all. I do wish it would display on the audio display what song is playing or let me use the steering wheel to change songs.

But I get no feedback or background noise. It really sounds great thru the system itself

 

The Belkin product has a ground isolator. You will not have the feedback problem with this device. It is the best "easy" solution. Why the Prius did not include a ground isolator is beyond me.

 

Most important when using the auxilary hookup: The sound cuts off when you turn the car off, so don't forget to turn off your iPod. Otherwise it'll just keep running until the battery dies. Sounds silly, but it's amazingly easy to forget.

 

If you use the Belkin product, the Ipod is turned off with the ignition. When the car is turned back on, the Ipod starts where you left it.

The Belkin adapter does all this.

 

The Prius stereo is TOO bass heavy in general ... don't get me wrong, I like bass but it overwhelms the sound imho. A solution I've found is turning "bass reduction" on the EQ on my iPod ... sounds better overall imho and allows me to tune up the bass on the Prius stereo moreso.

Also agree about having the max volume set lower on your iPod ... when I first attached the Prius through the AUX I was horrified b/c it sounded SO bad, but after I set the max volume on my iPod lower I was able to get better sound. Never had to do that through the AUX in my old Acura MDX ... oh well.

I also have the fuzzy sound when attached to a power supply, but the iPod charges so fast I just listen to the radio for a few minutes till I want to listen to my iPod again.

 

After trying many of the "wireless" MP3 adaptors I installed the ICE product in my 05 package 2. It's a great product and was a breeze to install - plus it recharges as well as plays my tunes!

I don't know how well the AUX plug works because my Prius doesn't have one. My wife's Civic does and it sounds good, too. However, it doesn't charge nor does it turn off when the ignition is off.

 

The Belkin adapter is available from Amazon. Is there anything that you can't buy from Amazon?

 

+1 on the Belkin unit. I use it for my 60 gig Classic. I listen mostly to books
on disc from the library -- recorded/formatted as if it were music.

The only complaint I have is the cable is 3 or 4 times longer that you need for
our application. With the unit hooked to the Ipod, you can still close the center
console top/armrest on the wire and place your Ipod on the pax seat, in a cup
holder, or on the armrest. Neat!

It is available locally at Best Buy, Target, Radio Shack, and even some
Rite-Aids.

 

djphill,

There is no better sound quality, rather the Belkin unit offers little or no
degradation of the Ipods inherent quality. It plugs into the docking port,
which is the cleanest output from the Ipod.

If you check darelldd's posts a while back, he pretty much addresses the
advantages. For more complete discussions, use the search function with
"Belkin" as the search term. Whenever the question of the least expensive,
least intrusive, cleanest sound, cleanest install comes up, the Belkin unit
typically gets the nod.

In addition to the Belkin unit, you will also need a short cable -- 12 inches is the
shortest generally available -- with the mini-headphone jacks on both
ends to take the signal from the Belkin to the center console aux-in jack.
Radio Shack has one for a couple of bucks.