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Harman Kardon Drive + Play™

iPod® control system

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Item# 108DP1US offer details

Item# 108DP1US

Review Summary

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Our take on the Harman Kardon Drive + Play™

Harman Kardon's Drive + Play is more than just an iPod adapter — it's a complete digital music control system for your car. In fact, the Drive + Play handles the iPod so well that it was given an Innovations Award at the 2006 Consumer Electronics Show.

Consider the system's backlit LCD display, which mounts up high on the dash for easy visibility while driving. And since it matches the display on your iPod — with the same menu style and general layout — you already know how easy it is to jump between songs and artists.

But the Drive + Play system is all about control, and its Text Commander Controller handles file navigation with ease and elegance. Shaped like an oversized mushroom, this remote mount command center works just like the click wheel on your iPod — just press the outer buttons to play, pause, fast-forward, or reverse, and twist the knob to scroll through the menus. Install it on your center console for a handy, easy-to-reach controller.

While your iPod is connected to the system, you'll be able to control every aspect of playback — from track selection to playlists. And best of all, the Drive + Play will charge your iPod battery while it's in use.

The central "brain" unit can be mounted out of the way in the glove box or under a seat, and a built-in wireless FM transmitter lets you play the iPod through your vehicle's FM radio. If your stereo has an auxiliary input, you can connect the Drive + Play's audio output to it for the best possible sound performance. The Drive + Play also offers a pass-through auxiliary input for connecting an additional component to your stereo system.

Get more info on this product

Highlights:

  • iPod connection system for factory and aftermarket car stereos
  • includes backlit, dash-mountable display
  • includes remote-mount control knob with five-button navigation
  • connection plug compatible with all dockable iPods (system uses the connection cable that came with your iPod)
  • system connects to any factory or aftermarket stereo via the internal wireless FM transmitter or auxiliary input connection
  • "brain" unit features AUX-IN pass-through for connecting another component to your system
  • 3-meter installation cables for display and controller included
  • universal mounting hardware included
  • controls all iPod functions from the remote controller
  • customize iPod menus on the fly
  • 12V power adapter included
  • charges iPod while connected
  • warranty: 1 year
  • Our 60-day money-back guarantee
 

Hands-on research from the Crutchfield Labs (what are the Labs?)

What’s in the box? | In-depth notes

Product Research

Product Research
What's in the box?

Download owner's manual

  • Hide away brain
  • Display panel with attached 10' cable
  • Control knob with attached 9.75' cable
  • 6.5' Power cord with attached cigarette lighter adapter
  • 18" Hardwired power harness
  • 5' Line output cable (stereo mini on one end and stereo RCA on the other)
  • 10' iPod cable with dock connector
  • Display base (installed)
  • 30 Degree control knob base (installed)
  • 0 Degree control knob base
  • 60 Degree control knob base
  • 2 Mounting plates (one for display/one for control knob)
  • Ten 3/4" Mounting screws
  • Six 5.5" Cable ties
  • 3mm Allen wrench
  • 1.5mm Allen wrench
  • 2 Adhesive mounting pads
  • 2 Alcohol cleaning pads
  • Owner's manual
  • Warranty/On-line registration card

Our Product Research Team

At Crutchfield, you'll get detailed, accurate information that's hard to find elsewhere. That's because we have our own in-house Product Research team — they open the box, verify contents, check the owner's manual, and record dimensions, features and specs. We stay on top of new products and technologies to help people make informed choices.

Features
 Dimensions
Compatibility

Features

Overview: The Drive+Play iPod control system allows you to integrate a dock connector equipped iPod with any car stereo. Any iPod with a dock connector can be controlled by the system. The system includes a hide away brain, a controller knob, and a display.

Brain: The brain can be mounted nearly anywhere in the car, it doesn't need to be accessible so it can be under a seat, in the glove compartment, in the console, etc. An FM modulator is built into the brain that can be used wirelessly, or it can be wired to the tuner using an adapter plugged into the 3.5mm antenna output jack. The FM transmission can be set to any frequency from 88.1 to 107.9 MHz. The brain has a 3.5mm stereo mini-jack line output for connection to your radio's auxiliary input. There is also 3.5mm stereo mini-jack line input for connecting an additional source.

Display: The display panel shows the same information, in the same way, as your iPod's display, only bigger. The display measures 2.6" diagonally and is backlit in blue. There are three threaded inserts on the back for mounting the display base, and the base has a ball and socket joint so the display can be mounted at a wide variety of angles. All the iPod controls are on the control knob, so the display panel doesn't have to be within reach.

Control Knob: The control knob mimics the functionality of your iPod's click wheel, it has a dial that turns both clockwise and counterclockwise and five buttons in the same positions as the menu, forward, backward, play/pause, and select buttons on the iPod. The idea behind the design is that you'll be able to reach for the control knob and make changes without taking your eyes off the road. The control knob also gives you complete control over the iPod (just like the controls on the iPod). The knob's ring is backlit in blue so it's easily found in the dark.

Dimensions

Brain:

  • Width: 6.018"
  • Height: 1.295"
  • Depth: 3.406"

Display:

  • Width: 3.721"
  • Height: 2.425"
  • Panel Depth: 0.951"
  • Mounted Depth: 2.117" (varies slightly with mounting angle)

Control Knob:

  • Diameter: 1.959"
  • Height (w/0° base): 1.519"
  • Height (w/30° base): 2.379"
  • Height (w/60° base): 2.544"

Compatibility

Compatibility: The Drive+Play is compatible with iPods having the dock connector and the following software versions: G3 v2.2 (buttons above the click wheel), mini v1.1 (all minis), G4 v3.0 (click wheel), Photo v1.0 (color screen), and G5 v1.0 (color screen). As new iPods are introduced this list may expand.

 

Product Reviews

Review Summary

Average Customer Review:

50 people say:
5 Star:
(17)
4 Star:
(23)
3 Star:
(5)
2 Star:
(3)
1 Star:
(2)
 

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1-10 of 50 items >> Sort Results By: Date Reviewed | Rating | Helpfulness
 
5 out of 5

Love it

Written By Carla, NY on Saturday, September 09, 2006
Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?)
Crutchfield Customer Review

The reviewer purchased this item from us, verified by the email address on the order.

 
I was using a wireless FM modulator for my iPod and hated how cumbersome it all was. I love this product.

My neighbor installed it in about an hour and I can now just leave my iPod in my vehicle (out of sight).

I have this installed in an '03 Mercury Mountaineer via the included hardwire FM connection. The sound quality isn't perfect (my stereo lacks an aux connection), but it's good and a great compromise to functionality.

It's also hardwired to the battery and charges the iPod at the same time.

Whenever I start my truck back up, it starts playing right where it left off - that's the nuts.

I recently upgraded to the newest version on my iPod and noticed it takes a little longer to load a playlist (maybe 5 sec), but once it's loaded, it plays without a hitch. I haven't experienced any skipping like some others have reported.

If you are looking for form and function - this is it...
6 out of 8 people found this helpful
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5 out of 5

Harman Kardon Drive + Play™

Written By Mike, Greenfield, MA on Thursday, May 25, 2006
Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?)
Crutchfield Customer Review

The reviewer purchased this item from us, verified by the email address on the order.

 
I have had this installed for almost 2 months now, and not only do i love it, but so do all my passnegers. The audio quality is only limited by the quality of the files you have on your iPod, so theres no worry of degraded sound quality if you are using the aux inputs. I have mainly been using the wired fm modulator, and it is probably as good as it can get until i make the switch to the aux input on my new stereo. the only thing that i have noticed that is strange is that if you are browsing by artist, and only some of the songs have albums assigned to them, only the ones that have albums will be displayed as it asks for the album name first, without a everything else option. Not a big deal, just have to categorize all or none of your songs with album names. they all show up when browsing by song name, so this is not a big issue. i was a little skeptical on the price at first, but it has proven itself very much worth it.
5 out of 5 people found this helpful
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5 out of 5

Best Way to Connect Your IPOD To Your Car Stereo

Written By Brad, La Mirada, CA on Tuesday, May 23, 2006
 
I was able to install the Harman Kardon Drive + Play
iPod® control system myself in about 3 hours. It was connected to my sons Toyota Matrix Factory stereo with the free wired FM modulator. It sounds excellent and works just like the iPod control. My son loves the heads up display and it looks like it came with the car as original equipment. We had previously hooked up his iPod through a equally expensive wireless FM modulator but the sound was less than perfect. I would highly recommend this unit to the serious iPod users who want only the best.
2 out of 2 people found this helpful
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5 out of 5

Harmon Kardon Drive + Play

Written By David, Collegeville, PA on Thursday, October 20, 2005
 
Just received this unit and installed it right away. I am very impressed at how easy the install was. I am even more impressed at the ease of use. The control wheel does a great job of coping the ipod. I am also impressed at how quickly I can get around the menus and the speed at which you can move through the different list(not as fast as the ipod itself but definitly a step in the right direction). A step ahead of the alpine connection I was using with their head unit. Sound quality is fine using the aux input on my head unit.

21 out of 26 people found this helpful
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5 out of 5

Awesome

Written By Robert, Plymouth, MA on Friday, January 05, 2007
 
Put this in the wife's 2004 Tahoe using the wired FM modulator and it is slick. Mounted the brain of the unit in the center console and tied into the wiring harness that was in there. I mounted the spin dial on the console and the display unit in one of my extra cubby holes. First couple day I had it hooked up with the cigarette adapter and I did not like that is stayed on after I shut off the truck and after an hour would default back to the 1st song on my ipod. Now that I have hard wired it into the truck the sound is still great, the functionality is superb and it turns on and off with the truck. In my car I have a kenwood stereo with sirius satellite and a ipod cable hooked up to the Aux/cd changer port on my sirius antenna unit. Yes, it does sound great but getting to my songs using the head unit is nowhere near as easy as using this Drive + Play. In my experience if you have an external antenna (not built into the window) you will have much better luck with any FM transmission. My camry has built in antenna and prior to purchasing the ipod cable the FM wireless modulators that I experimented with (monster, belkin, etc.) did not sound nearly as good as they did in the Tahoe with the external antenna. For the price of this unit it is a no brainer!
3 out of 3 people found this helpful
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5 out of 5

Best Aftermarket ipod hookup

Written By gberkin, NJ on Tuesday, January 02, 2007
Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?)
Crutchfield Customer Review

The reviewer purchased this item from us, verified by the email address on the order.

 
I installed this into my 2003 GMC Yukon. I was using the Belkin system that plugs into my cig lighter. This thing was bulky, ugly, and I had major radio interference.

Buy the Harmon Kardon system now! I installed it in less than 2 hours and it looks and functions amazing! No static at all. This is your best option for a car stereo without the appropriate inputs.

Do it!
3 out of 4 people found this helpful
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5 out of 5

Absolutely love this product ...

Written By Tim, Owings Mills, MD on Thursday, November 16, 2006
Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?)
Crutchfield Customer Review

The reviewer purchased this item from us, verified by the email address on the order.

 
This product is everything you've heard from others and more! I took advantage of the free FM modulator offer but ended up not using it because I couldn't losen the factory radio screws (don't ask). The system works nearly flawless in wireless mode as well and looks fantastic. I installed it in my Acura using only the adhesive disc to attach the display to my dash and the scroll wheel in the cupholder area. The electronic unit fits neatly and discreetly into the arm rest console. For those that love their iPod and want a unit to attach it to their factory stereo without much effort, this is what you want. Hands down.
4 out of 5 people found this helpful
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5 out of 5

Almost perfect and the best I've used.

Written By Normalizer, Nashville, TN on Friday, November 11, 2005
 
My ride is an 02 MINI Cooper S with stock headunit and a Blitzsafe aux input module. I've used my Ipod with several FM modulators, cassette adapters, etc and finally got the Blitzsafe so I could just plug directly from the headphone jack into the soundsystem. Belkin makes a nice car charger for the Ipod that has an amplified audio out but I keep destroying them by running the seats over the wires.... and it doesnt look clean.

I installed the H&K system last weekend and LOVE it. I've not yet found the ideal locations for the controller and display, but the functionality of the system is fantastic. As others have said, it can be a little slow but not so much as to be a problem. My main gripes are also minor; the screen isn't color and podcasts aren't accessible via playlist like on the Ipod. The only way I've found to to them is to go to through genres, then pick podcasts - but they are listed by a name OTHER than the podcast name, so it can be confusing to find the right one if you subscribe to many. To ease this I am pruning out the GENRE names in itunes so that there are fewer to go through to get to the right one.

Other than those two little nags, the system is the best solution for integrating an ipod to a car audio system that I have found yet. Sound quality is superb, it charges your ipod and allows it to be stowed away, and the controls are very intuititve. Experiment with mounting locations before doing a permanent install, route the cables discreetly/safely, and it's a no-brainer accessory for any Ipod owner.
10 out of 11 people found this helpful
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5 out of 5

Finally a unit that works!

Written By kleinspiano@sbcglobal.net, Milwaukee, WI on Sunday, October 30, 2005
 
As others have said, I too have tried literally every other Ipod interface on the market for the car including the Pioneer CD-IB100 with my Pioneer Avic N2. The Harman Kardon hands down made all others look like a joke. I was able to mount the screen at perfect eye level and the controller was installed right by the column shifter in a 2003 Pontiac Vibe.

I decided to hard wire the unit into the car which took about one hour so the interface could be turned on and off with the ignition. I also decided to add a single pole switch giving me the option to keep the unit off when the car was started, otherwise it boots up as soon as the ignition is turned on and will automatically start playing music.

Once installed, it took about 1-day of use to get the hang of the controller. I decided to set the backlight to fade out at 10sec for night driving, also was able from the main setup screen to remove the FM Settings since we would never use this feature. You will be wonderfully surprised at how easy it is to use, install and modify. Stop looking for now, this item out performs all of the other head units, such as the Alpine, Pioneer, Kenwood adapters, just read there reviews!
7 out of 7 people found this helpful
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5 out of 5

Best iPod car adaptor on the market period!

Written By Michael, Covington, GA on Friday, October 21, 2005
Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?)
Crutchfield Customer Review

The reviewer purchased this item from us, verified by the email address on the order.

 
I just installed this unit in my 2000 Dodge Dakota and it is the best iPod car adaptor I have ever bought. Now, I have been thru every kind of iPod car product possible. You name it and I've tried it. But this thing is just beautiful.

I have the control knob mounted right on my console right next to where I keep my hand most of the time. The knob works just like the click wheel on the iPod. The screen looks beautiful and is very easy to read even without the extra large font turned on. And the unit is fast. I have 500+ songs on my iPod and I have no trouble searching thru my iPod for a song. Just hold the knob to the right or left and you can see the song list jumping and you just stop when you get close to your song. But it scrolls fast unlike some of the factory iPod adaptors from Alpine and Kenwood.

There is a whole lot more I can say about this product but don't have time. Just go buy it and try it for yourself. You absolutely will not be disappointed. It is the best iPod product on the market!
7 out of 7 people found this helpful
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For a more in-depth review and enhanced detailed information on the Harman Kardon Drive + Play™, please visit the Crutchfield website product page (/ISEO-rccbcspd/p_108DP1US/Harman-Kardon-Drive-Play.html ).

Sorry, the Harman Kardon Drive + Play™ is no longer available for purchase.

Harman Kardon Drive + Play™