Alrighty, I'm going to be receiving an ipod tomorrow for my birthday and I wanted to know what exactly I need to do as far as using it in my truck goes.

I have a 98 4runner with an aftermarket Sony CDX-M8800 head unit. It has the option for the aux input, but I was looking for help on exactly what I need to get it working properly. Also, I have subs, so I'm looking for the best possible sound quality available Do I need just the wires that would connect an ipod to the aux input? I've browsed around a lot of sites and it seems like there's usually a big old adapter that you need along with the wires if you plan on connecting the ipod directly. I'm clueless really, that's why I'm here.

I'm not going the itrip way because I've heard some horror stories. Also, I have subs and the difference in sound quality between a CD and FM radio is like night and day. My cassette deck is no longer in my truck, so that route is out of question.

Looking for help. Thanks.

 

THIS, is the ish!
http://sik.com/imp.php

Non-amplified audio output, plus charging.

 

for the sony headunits you need an auxillary box, search for Sony AUX on google and you should be able to find a pic and prices... one of the better ones that i found a while back was overstock.com.... jus do a search. Cool thing about this box is that it allows for many other things... including a USB drive if im not mistaken... its neccesary for an ipod though.

I also recomend the belkin auto kit, I am installing one for my ipod as soon as i get it back in from repairs, its cleaner than the one mentioned above... only one cord to the ipod.

Jorge

 

What I don't like about the Belkin is that it's amplified...that's REALLY bad if you want great sound quality. I went through two of them before I got the Sik Imp...after a while, the Belki started to introduce lots of noise to the system and the only way to stop it was to be constantly fiddling with the volume, or replace the unit.

 

Also, this is the piece for the Sony HU that you'll need.
http://www.sonicelectronix.com/viewi...iliate=froogle

 

All u need is the Ipod, an Itrip (FM Transmiter) And it plays to your radio.....works perfectly. They also have a little Cradle thing that u can sit it in, and a remote. that can strop on to the steering wheel. U can get by with just the FM transmitter, but all the other gadgets can be fun too. U dont need to plug it in to your head unit tho...

 

The problem with FM transmitters is that the frequency range is limited to the range of the FM band. Instead of being able to reproduce the full frequency range and harmonics of 20-20,000Hz, FM is only able to transmit a range of 50–15,000Hz. Now it is known that the average human cannot hear much above that, there are some harmonics above and of course the bass frequencies below that one might like to be able to hear that the FM will clip off.

Just my 2 cents.

 

Thanks for the input fellas.

I already had the aux ports on the back of my head unit. What I ended up doing was buying a product called "iCables" which is made by Monster which I dropped 30 bucks on. It plugs into the headphone spot and connects to the back of my head unit.

I ran the wire down from the head unit, under the shifter, and up and out of the center console. Right now I have it coming out of the slit where my parking brake is. I can't make up my mind whether to leave it coming out of there or pop out a slot under the ECT or rear window button.

Anyway, the iCables are great, sound great, better quality then I could have ever expected...in fact it may be even better than my CD player! It's awesome.