Alpine KCA-420i iPod control interface Zoom Front Video loading and will display in just a moment. Photos Videos Does it work with my system? Item# 500KCA420I offer details Item# 500KCA420I Review Summary 51 people say DISCONTINUED This item is no longer available to purchase. Contact us for other options Call Email Chat Shop all iPod Adapters for Car Stereos By buying this product you'll earn up to 100 Rewards points. When you sign up for a Crutchfield account, you’ll be enrolled in Crutchfield Rewards. You’ll earn one point for every dollar you spend on gear from us. You can turn your points into Rewards Cards that you can use toward future purchases. You can sign up for an account now, or after you complete your purchase (you’ll get credit for the points either way). Overview Details Customer Reviews Category Info Accessories Our take on the Alpine KCA-420i by Matt Freeman Why would I need an iPod® adapter? An iPod adapter allows you to connect your iPod to your car stereo, then access your playlists with your stereo's controls - a great idea for several reasons. One, you can scroll through your song titles on your stereo's larger display, instead of squinting down at your iPod. Two, you can route the adapter cable to your glove compartment or center console, so your iPod stays safely out of sight. Three, the iPod adapter keeps your iPod fully charged, so it's ready to rock when you leave your car. And last of all, some adapters bypass your iPod's internal digital-to-analog converter, using your stereo's superior DAC to turn your files back into music. Forget about fumbling around with your iPod controls to change songs or albums while driving. Now, you can connect your iPod to a compatible 2004 Alpine in-dash receiver with Ai-Net connections (see below), and control all the functions right from the receiver! (Note: the adapter is compatible with all iPod and iPod mini models equipped with a dock connector and iPod software update 2004-04-28, or higher. ) The KCA-420i package includes a compact adapter module and two cables. Mount the adapter module in a hidden location in your vehicle, then connect one cable from the module to your Alpine receiver, and the second cable from the module to your iPod. Once connected, you can control virtually all iPod playback functions from your compatible Alpine receiver, including search (playlist, artist, album), track preview, and shuffle play (playlist, all tracks). Alpine's Quick Search keys offer quick and easy navigation through your iPod's music menu, and you can set your receiver's Bass Engine controls to maximize the sound quality of your iPod tunes. And, best of all, the KCA-420i module automatically charges your iPod's internal battery as you drive. Read a hands-on review of the KCA-420i at CrutchfieldAdvisor.com. Compatibility Note: Be sure to check "Hands-on Research" for specific iPod model compatibility with this iPod adapter. Highlights:includes adapter module and two 78" connecting cablesfor all docking iPods, including video iPods, iPod photos, iPod nanos, and iPod minisaccess iPod with Alpine receiver's controls (compatible with 2004 Alpine Ai-Net receivers)charges iPod battery while drivingartist/song info displays on Alpine receiver displaymodule dimensions: 5-9/16"W (with cables) x 1-7/16"H x 5-9/16"Dwarranty: 1 yearOur 60-day money-back guarantee Hands-on research from the Crutchfield Labs (what are the Labs?) Features and specs chart | What’s in the box? | In-depth notes Features and Specs Features and Specs General Adapter Type Loading... iPod audio in w/ iPod control Vehicle Specific Loading... No Brand Specific Loading... Alpine Parts Warranty Loading... 1 Year Labor Warranty Loading... 1 Year iPod Compatibility Full-Size Loading... Classic/5Gen/4Gen/3Gen Nano Loading... Nano4/Nano3/Nano2/Nano1 Touch Loading... Touch2/Touch1 Mini Loading... Mini2/Mini1 iPhone Loading... Phone Product Research Product Research What's in the box? Download owner's manual iPod interface adapter 6.5' Ai-NET cable 6.5' iPod connection cable 2 Velcro strips Four 5/8" self-tapping screws Owner's manual Quick Reference Guide 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 Overview: This adapter allows your iPod portable digital music player with a dock connector to be hooked up and controlled by a 2004 or newer Alpine receiver that uses the Ai-Net protocol. All the iPod buttons will be disabled when connected to this adapter and it will be controlled from the Alpine receiver. With this interface, you'll be able to play your iPod music files through your Alpine receiver and have all the titling information appear on the Alpine's display. Using the optional KCA-410C (item 500KCA410C), this adapter and a compatible Ai-Net Alpine CD changer can be connected to an Alpine receiver. Note: The KCA-420i is compatible with all iPod models equipped with a dock connector and iPod software update 2004-04-28, or higher. It is also compatible with the iPhone version 1.0.1. This cable will not charge the iPod nano 4th generation or iPod touch 2nd generation without the Scosche passPORT (142IFWA). Connections: The KCA-420i has the following connections: Ai-Net Connection: located on the right side of the adapter. This connects directly to the Alpine head unit using the supplied Ai-Net cable. iPod Connection: located on the left side of the adapter. This connects directly to the underside of the iPod portable digital music player, using the supplied interface connector cable. Product Reviews Review Summary Average Customer Review: 51 people say: 5 Star: (14) 4 Star: (19) 3 Star: (7) 2 Star: (7) 1 Star: (4) Review this product Thanks for taking the time to share your experiences about this product. Please be sure to focus your comments on the product itself. Read our Review Guidelines for more information. Review title * Email * Please include your email* Please enter a valid email address. Your email won't be visible. Please use the email address that is associated with your order. 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Your review should be posted within seven days. 1-10 of 51 items >> 10 Per Page 20 Per Page 50 Per Page Sort Results By: Date Reviewed | Rating | Helpfulness 5 out of 5 Very Happy Written By J Wett, Millville, NJ on Friday, January 20, 2006 After reading all of the reviews for all of the ipod to aftermarket radio solutions I decided on Alpine. Alpine's reputation for excellent sound quality did not dissapoint me. 2005 CDA-9853 with the glide bar and KCA-420i. I have no complaints with search times or the time it takes to play or display information. Even though it doesn't control the ipod "exactly" like the click wheel I couldn't be happier. My 40GB is about half full so searching for a single song on the ipod can be a long process even with the click wheel. All you have to do is spend a little more time making useful playlists on the ipod to make searching easier. Plenty of cable to mount the adapter and find a nice convenient spot to keep the ipod out of sight because the last thing I want to do is constantly have unplug the ipod and put it somewhere to feel safe. Goals achieved - 1)Control ipod through head unit that displays song title, album, artist.2) Quality sound3) Hide ipod and adapter.Downfall - The only downfall for me is when a song is playing I can't search for the next song while the current song is playing. I can live with that small downfall because you have to remember what is happening: You are trying to control a hard drive with a radio not a computer. 7 out of 7 people found this helpful Was this review helpful? Yes | No 5 out of 5 Fantastic--read the manual!!! Written By Steven, Fairfax, VA on Tuesday, March 08, 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. This is a fantastic product, and I'd encourage anyone who has problems with the usability to go back and read the manual. I, too, scratched my head trying to search for songs, or even artists, until I took one more look and realized the step I was missing: set the search mode FIRST with the preset buttons, and then begin searching.I love the way it charges the iPod while the iPod is safely tucked away, the sound quality, and the bragging rights over all my friends with iPods, but who don't have Alpine head units.My only gripe is that there is no display mode that includes any song text information plus the time of day, but that's really grasping at straws.Finally, the installation couldn't be easier. It's plug and play! 5 out of 6 people found this helpful Was this review helpful? Yes | No 5 out of 5 Superior Product Written By Patrick, Colonial Heights on Monday, February 28, 2005 A great product from Alpine. I currently use this with an Alpine IVA-D901 DVD in-dash monitor/receiver. No problem in scrolling through songs or titles. Charges the iPod with no problem. Simply set your iPod out of the way, plug it in and GO! No wires, no mess. One distinct advantage of using this is with an Alpine monitor/receiver. It will display the track, folder, song title, artist and album title. Not to mention all of the fuctions are fully accessable from the head unit. The only drawback that I know of is that there is no "pass-through" Ai-Net connection. In other words, to connect another source like a cd-changer or an XM tuner with this unit, you will have to purchase an Alpine KCA-410C versitile link adapter. Once connected to this, the diplay on the head unit will read either "changer 1" or "changer 2" instead of "iPod" depending on what Ai-Net input the iPod interface is connected to. Aside from that it's still a great product. 12 out of 13 people found this helpful Was this review helpful? Yes | No 5 out of 5 Alpine KCA-420i Written By Dennis, Longview, WA on Saturday, April 23, 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 recently purchased this unit with the CDA-9847 receiver. Fortunately, I had not read the prior reviews that were critical of its ability to control an I-pod. Contrary to the experience of other reviewers we have been able to access the music in our I-pod by playlist, artist, album or song-title from our receiver. We have also been able to do a random shuffle within all these categories including all the music in our I-pod. There is a slight delay in the response of the I-pod to commands from the receiver but this requires only a slight adjustment on the part of the user. The sound quality is exceptional (even with a 128 bit rate) and our I-pod can be placed in a secured place in the car where it essentially serves as a hard-drive for storing our music. For anyone who wishes to use their I-pod in their car this is without question the way to go. 6 out of 6 people found this helpful Was this review helpful? Yes | No 5 out of 5 Alpine Interface Written By Dean, Concord, CA on Wednesday, November 09, 2005 Well first off, I was a little worried to buy the interface at first. As soon as I got it hooked up and the Ipod kicks on, I just got a little gitty. I will admit that the controls on the headunit is a little hard to get use to. Im using the CDA- 9807, I already loved my headunit, but this just added to it once you get a hang of the controls. It is a little slow when it comes to searching for songs, artist , playlist. Etc... But The sound is great, and if you can get past the slow search speed I believe you will love this interface. I have my system hooked up to Two 12's and one 2000W 2/ch, So I needed the Clarity which this interface brings to you. After I installed the interface I did notice a little bit better Bass from my Subs. The nice thing about the interface is that It uses all your Preset EQ settings that you have giving to a song on Itunes, For the Ipod. This is a great interface for those of us that use there Ipod none stop, and enjoy listening to there music clearly in the car, Without the Fm transmitter (which never get good reception anyway). 1 out of 1 people found this helpful Was this review helpful? Yes | No 5 out of 5 Rocks Written By sparqs, Lawrence, KS on Saturday, December 03, 2005 I've always been an Alpine fan and they are always #1 in my books, I love this Ipod interface, the clarity is awesome, the bass really kicks, the highs and separations are tremendous (as always from Alpine) the FM transmitters are a joke, there is no comparison. The hook-up was clean and simple, I have the XM-Radio(external TUA-T020XM) that has a pass through AI-Net for the changer, I was listening to the Ipod in 5 minutes, I highly recommend this to anyone with Alpines, no one else comes close in simplicity of hook up, now, What would be really cool is if Alpine (and all others) would put a plug-in on the front of their units, straight through cable.................hmmmm, Merry Christmas Everyone 1 out of 1 people found this helpful Was this review helpful? Yes | No 5 out of 5 Very slick interface if you read the directions first Written By Dave, Connecticut on Friday, December 23, 2005 I have to say I can't see why people are confused about how this works. It took me about 20 minutes to install (piggybacked to my XM direct) and after reading the quick reference guide I was up and running! I have a 2gb Nano so I don't have a ton of songs but I find the interface very user friendly after you use it for a few minutes. Scrolling speed while in quick search mode, while not perfect, is really no slower than on an MP3 CD. Definitely don't plan on searching in album mode. That would take forever. With alot of artists I could also see how that would be a bit of a pain, but I have about 150 on my Nano and it didn't seem too bad.My one real complaint is that you can't display artist name and song name at the same time but you can't do that with XM on the 9830 either so I think that's more the headunit than it is the adapter. All in all, if you're looking for a sleek and intuitive way to use your iPod with an Alpine stereo, this is the way to go. 1 out of 1 people found this helpful Was this review helpful? Yes | No 5 out of 5 Fantastic!!! Written By Doug, Simi Valley, CA on Tuesday, February 15, 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've been using this for the past several months and I love it. I have my entire CD collection at my disposal without having to fumble around loading a single CD at a tune. It integrates seamlessly with my Alpine (9835) headunit which only enhances the sound quality to a point where you can't tell the difference between a CD or the compressed files. The controls are intuitive and are simple to use while driving. If you have an iPod, you need this device. 7 out of 10 people found this helpful Was this review helpful? Yes | No 5 out of 5 Best iPod adapter on the market Written By TR, Westlake Village, CA on Tuesday, March 08, 2005 This is by far the best iPod adapter on the market. With the new 2005 Alpine head units, you can control the searches by artist, album, song, etc. The old units use the unit like a cd changer, you have to select cd 1-6 and then hit list and it will pop the songs up. For example, 1 then list shows playlists, 2 then list shows artists, and so on. Sound quality is great, charges while its hooked up, easy one Ai-Net wire for connection, and is a small unit that can be hidden inside a dash or center console. The downsides are that it won't charge your iPod if the battery is really low or dead, its slow scrolling through the songs (especially if you have more than 20 artists), and the Ai-Net and iPod cords aren't very long. If you have an suv and have a Mobile Multimedia Station with the brain in the back, you won't be able to run the iPod all the way up to the front, unless you buy another Ai-Net cable that is longer. 8 out of 8 people found this helpful Was this review helpful? Yes | No 5 out of 5 Alpine KCA-420i Written By Kyle, Blacksburg, VA on Tuesday, March 25, 2008 Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?) Crutchfield Customer Review The reviewer purchased this item from us, verified by the email address on the order. The product is great. End of story. If you're big on music and don't want to sacrifice quality, while being able to control the iPod from the head unit without worrying about depleting the battery, this is for you. If you read online reviews and the reviews below, you'll see the same few arguments, which I have not seen to be a problem. With the CDA-9855 it's not difficult to search for Artists or Albums. The charge problem is a problem with iPods in general, so it's not something specifically related to the 420i. To me, if you want digital quality, with control and the benefit of not running the battery down, this is for you. I rip my music lossless - quality is very important to me. If you're more casual about about how it sounds and how it plays in your car, then this might not be your first option. It's digital, it's control, it charges and it's hidden, so it looks great if you do it right. It's a win-win and worth the price if music quality is important to you. Even if it's not, it ends up looking really good. 4 out of 4 people found this helpful Was this review helpful? Yes | No 1-10 of 51 items >> Learn more about iPod Adapters for Car Stereos Learn more about iPod Adapters for Car Stereos Video: Playing an iPod in Your Car Video: Playing an iPod in Your Car Zak Billmeier 6/19/2008 based on 130 ratings (5 comments) This short video describes your options for playing an iPod through your car's sound system. iPod® Car Stereo Adapter Shopping Guide iPod® Car Stereo Adapter Shopping Guide Robert Ferency-Viars 2/24/2009 based on 93 ratings (27 comments) These days we can integrate iPod control with almost any vehicle's stereo by using vehicle- or stereo-specific adapters. iPod® Generations Chart iPod® Generations Chart Ralph Graves 10/29/2010 based on 864 ratings (20 comments) Sort out which generation iPod you have with these handy charts. Includes the iPod, iPod mini, iPod nano, and iPod touch. Getting the Best Sound Out of Your Portable Music Player in the Car Getting the Best Sound Out of Your Portable Music Player in the Car Robert Ferency-Viars 8/9/2011 based on 303 ratings (30 comments) How to get the best sound quality from your portable music player when connecting it to your car stereo. iPod® Installation Guide iPod® Installation Guide Todd Cabell 5/5/2009 based on 25 ratings (2 comments) Step-by-step instructions on how to connect an iPod to your car stereo. Visit our Learning Center to learn more about iPod Adapters for Car Stereos Accessories Accessories we recommend Professional Installation Get more info about having your new receiver put in by a qualified professional in your area. InstallCard: iPod®/MP3 Interface Prepaid professional iPod/MP3 interface installation $79.99 Special Return Policy Add selected to cart For a more in-depth review and enhanced detailed information on the Alpine KCA-420i, please visit the Crutchfield website product page (/ISEO-rccbcspd/p_500KCA420I/Alpine-KCA-420i.html ). close X Can we help you find something or answer a question? Chat with a Crutchfield advisor or call 1-800-320-6609. Chat Sorry, the Alpine KCA-420i is no longer available for purchase. Looking for a similar item? Shop iPod Adapters for Car Stereos Or, you can still... Write a review Purchase product accessories Download product manual Go
Our take on the Alpine KCA-420i by Matt Freeman Why would I need an iPod® adapter? An iPod adapter allows you to connect your iPod to your car stereo, then access your playlists with your stereo's controls - a great idea for several reasons. One, you can scroll through your song titles on your stereo's larger display, instead of squinting down at your iPod. Two, you can route the adapter cable to your glove compartment or center console, so your iPod stays safely out of sight. Three, the iPod adapter keeps your iPod fully charged, so it's ready to rock when you leave your car. And last of all, some adapters bypass your iPod's internal digital-to-analog converter, using your stereo's superior DAC to turn your files back into music. Forget about fumbling around with your iPod controls to change songs or albums while driving. Now, you can connect your iPod to a compatible 2004 Alpine in-dash receiver with Ai-Net connections (see below), and control all the functions right from the receiver! (Note: the adapter is compatible with all iPod and iPod mini models equipped with a dock connector and iPod software update 2004-04-28, or higher. ) The KCA-420i package includes a compact adapter module and two cables. Mount the adapter module in a hidden location in your vehicle, then connect one cable from the module to your Alpine receiver, and the second cable from the module to your iPod. Once connected, you can control virtually all iPod playback functions from your compatible Alpine receiver, including search (playlist, artist, album), track preview, and shuffle play (playlist, all tracks). Alpine's Quick Search keys offer quick and easy navigation through your iPod's music menu, and you can set your receiver's Bass Engine controls to maximize the sound quality of your iPod tunes. And, best of all, the KCA-420i module automatically charges your iPod's internal battery as you drive. Read a hands-on review of the KCA-420i at CrutchfieldAdvisor.com. Compatibility Note: Be sure to check "Hands-on Research" for specific iPod model compatibility with this iPod adapter. Highlights:includes adapter module and two 78" connecting cablesfor all docking iPods, including video iPods, iPod photos, iPod nanos, and iPod minisaccess iPod with Alpine receiver's controls (compatible with 2004 Alpine Ai-Net receivers)charges iPod battery while drivingartist/song info displays on Alpine receiver displaymodule dimensions: 5-9/16"W (with cables) x 1-7/16"H x 5-9/16"Dwarranty: 1 yearOur 60-day money-back guarantee
Hands-on research from the Crutchfield Labs (what are the Labs?) Features and specs chart | What’s in the box? | In-depth notes Features and Specs Features and Specs General Adapter Type Loading... iPod audio in w/ iPod control Vehicle Specific Loading... No Brand Specific Loading... Alpine Parts Warranty Loading... 1 Year Labor Warranty Loading... 1 Year iPod Compatibility Full-Size Loading... Classic/5Gen/4Gen/3Gen Nano Loading... Nano4/Nano3/Nano2/Nano1 Touch Loading... Touch2/Touch1 Mini Loading... Mini2/Mini1 iPhone Loading... Phone Product Research Product Research What's in the box? Download owner's manual iPod interface adapter 6.5' Ai-NET cable 6.5' iPod connection cable 2 Velcro strips Four 5/8" self-tapping screws Owner's manual Quick Reference Guide 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 Overview: This adapter allows your iPod portable digital music player with a dock connector to be hooked up and controlled by a 2004 or newer Alpine receiver that uses the Ai-Net protocol. All the iPod buttons will be disabled when connected to this adapter and it will be controlled from the Alpine receiver. With this interface, you'll be able to play your iPod music files through your Alpine receiver and have all the titling information appear on the Alpine's display. Using the optional KCA-410C (item 500KCA410C), this adapter and a compatible Ai-Net Alpine CD changer can be connected to an Alpine receiver. Note: The KCA-420i is compatible with all iPod models equipped with a dock connector and iPod software update 2004-04-28, or higher. It is also compatible with the iPhone version 1.0.1. This cable will not charge the iPod nano 4th generation or iPod touch 2nd generation without the Scosche passPORT (142IFWA). Connections: The KCA-420i has the following connections: Ai-Net Connection: located on the right side of the adapter. This connects directly to the Alpine head unit using the supplied Ai-Net cable. iPod Connection: located on the left side of the adapter. This connects directly to the underside of the iPod portable digital music player, using the supplied interface connector cable.
5 out of 5 Very Happy Written By J Wett, Millville, NJ on Friday, January 20, 2006 After reading all of the reviews for all of the ipod to aftermarket radio solutions I decided on Alpine. Alpine's reputation for excellent sound quality did not dissapoint me. 2005 CDA-9853 with the glide bar and KCA-420i. I have no complaints with search times or the time it takes to play or display information. Even though it doesn't control the ipod "exactly" like the click wheel I couldn't be happier. My 40GB is about half full so searching for a single song on the ipod can be a long process even with the click wheel. All you have to do is spend a little more time making useful playlists on the ipod to make searching easier. Plenty of cable to mount the adapter and find a nice convenient spot to keep the ipod out of sight because the last thing I want to do is constantly have unplug the ipod and put it somewhere to feel safe. Goals achieved - 1)Control ipod through head unit that displays song title, album, artist.2) Quality sound3) Hide ipod and adapter.Downfall - The only downfall for me is when a song is playing I can't search for the next song while the current song is playing. I can live with that small downfall because you have to remember what is happening: You are trying to control a hard drive with a radio not a computer. 7 out of 7 people found this helpful Was this review helpful? Yes | No
5 out of 5 Fantastic--read the manual!!! Written By Steven, Fairfax, VA on Tuesday, March 08, 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. This is a fantastic product, and I'd encourage anyone who has problems with the usability to go back and read the manual. I, too, scratched my head trying to search for songs, or even artists, until I took one more look and realized the step I was missing: set the search mode FIRST with the preset buttons, and then begin searching.I love the way it charges the iPod while the iPod is safely tucked away, the sound quality, and the bragging rights over all my friends with iPods, but who don't have Alpine head units.My only gripe is that there is no display mode that includes any song text information plus the time of day, but that's really grasping at straws.Finally, the installation couldn't be easier. It's plug and play! 5 out of 6 people found this helpful Was this review helpful? Yes | No
5 out of 5 Superior Product Written By Patrick, Colonial Heights on Monday, February 28, 2005 A great product from Alpine. I currently use this with an Alpine IVA-D901 DVD in-dash monitor/receiver. No problem in scrolling through songs or titles. Charges the iPod with no problem. Simply set your iPod out of the way, plug it in and GO! No wires, no mess. One distinct advantage of using this is with an Alpine monitor/receiver. It will display the track, folder, song title, artist and album title. Not to mention all of the fuctions are fully accessable from the head unit. The only drawback that I know of is that there is no "pass-through" Ai-Net connection. In other words, to connect another source like a cd-changer or an XM tuner with this unit, you will have to purchase an Alpine KCA-410C versitile link adapter. Once connected to this, the diplay on the head unit will read either "changer 1" or "changer 2" instead of "iPod" depending on what Ai-Net input the iPod interface is connected to. Aside from that it's still a great product. 12 out of 13 people found this helpful Was this review helpful? Yes | No
5 out of 5 Alpine KCA-420i Written By Dennis, Longview, WA on Saturday, April 23, 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 recently purchased this unit with the CDA-9847 receiver. Fortunately, I had not read the prior reviews that were critical of its ability to control an I-pod. Contrary to the experience of other reviewers we have been able to access the music in our I-pod by playlist, artist, album or song-title from our receiver. We have also been able to do a random shuffle within all these categories including all the music in our I-pod. There is a slight delay in the response of the I-pod to commands from the receiver but this requires only a slight adjustment on the part of the user. The sound quality is exceptional (even with a 128 bit rate) and our I-pod can be placed in a secured place in the car where it essentially serves as a hard-drive for storing our music. For anyone who wishes to use their I-pod in their car this is without question the way to go. 6 out of 6 people found this helpful Was this review helpful? Yes | No
5 out of 5 Alpine Interface Written By Dean, Concord, CA on Wednesday, November 09, 2005 Well first off, I was a little worried to buy the interface at first. As soon as I got it hooked up and the Ipod kicks on, I just got a little gitty. I will admit that the controls on the headunit is a little hard to get use to. Im using the CDA- 9807, I already loved my headunit, but this just added to it once you get a hang of the controls. It is a little slow when it comes to searching for songs, artist , playlist. Etc... But The sound is great, and if you can get past the slow search speed I believe you will love this interface. I have my system hooked up to Two 12's and one 2000W 2/ch, So I needed the Clarity which this interface brings to you. After I installed the interface I did notice a little bit better Bass from my Subs. The nice thing about the interface is that It uses all your Preset EQ settings that you have giving to a song on Itunes, For the Ipod. This is a great interface for those of us that use there Ipod none stop, and enjoy listening to there music clearly in the car, Without the Fm transmitter (which never get good reception anyway). 1 out of 1 people found this helpful Was this review helpful? Yes | No
5 out of 5 Rocks Written By sparqs, Lawrence, KS on Saturday, December 03, 2005 I've always been an Alpine fan and they are always #1 in my books, I love this Ipod interface, the clarity is awesome, the bass really kicks, the highs and separations are tremendous (as always from Alpine) the FM transmitters are a joke, there is no comparison. The hook-up was clean and simple, I have the XM-Radio(external TUA-T020XM) that has a pass through AI-Net for the changer, I was listening to the Ipod in 5 minutes, I highly recommend this to anyone with Alpines, no one else comes close in simplicity of hook up, now, What would be really cool is if Alpine (and all others) would put a plug-in on the front of their units, straight through cable.................hmmmm, Merry Christmas Everyone 1 out of 1 people found this helpful Was this review helpful? Yes | No
5 out of 5 Very slick interface if you read the directions first Written By Dave, Connecticut on Friday, December 23, 2005 I have to say I can't see why people are confused about how this works. It took me about 20 minutes to install (piggybacked to my XM direct) and after reading the quick reference guide I was up and running! I have a 2gb Nano so I don't have a ton of songs but I find the interface very user friendly after you use it for a few minutes. Scrolling speed while in quick search mode, while not perfect, is really no slower than on an MP3 CD. Definitely don't plan on searching in album mode. That would take forever. With alot of artists I could also see how that would be a bit of a pain, but I have about 150 on my Nano and it didn't seem too bad.My one real complaint is that you can't display artist name and song name at the same time but you can't do that with XM on the 9830 either so I think that's more the headunit than it is the adapter. All in all, if you're looking for a sleek and intuitive way to use your iPod with an Alpine stereo, this is the way to go. 1 out of 1 people found this helpful Was this review helpful? Yes | No
5 out of 5 Fantastic!!! Written By Doug, Simi Valley, CA on Tuesday, February 15, 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've been using this for the past several months and I love it. I have my entire CD collection at my disposal without having to fumble around loading a single CD at a tune. It integrates seamlessly with my Alpine (9835) headunit which only enhances the sound quality to a point where you can't tell the difference between a CD or the compressed files. The controls are intuitive and are simple to use while driving. If you have an iPod, you need this device. 7 out of 10 people found this helpful Was this review helpful? Yes | No
5 out of 5 Best iPod adapter on the market Written By TR, Westlake Village, CA on Tuesday, March 08, 2005 This is by far the best iPod adapter on the market. With the new 2005 Alpine head units, you can control the searches by artist, album, song, etc. The old units use the unit like a cd changer, you have to select cd 1-6 and then hit list and it will pop the songs up. For example, 1 then list shows playlists, 2 then list shows artists, and so on. Sound quality is great, charges while its hooked up, easy one Ai-Net wire for connection, and is a small unit that can be hidden inside a dash or center console. The downsides are that it won't charge your iPod if the battery is really low or dead, its slow scrolling through the songs (especially if you have more than 20 artists), and the Ai-Net and iPod cords aren't very long. If you have an suv and have a Mobile Multimedia Station with the brain in the back, you won't be able to run the iPod all the way up to the front, unless you buy another Ai-Net cable that is longer. 8 out of 8 people found this helpful Was this review helpful? Yes | No
5 out of 5 Alpine KCA-420i Written By Kyle, Blacksburg, VA on Tuesday, March 25, 2008 Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?) Crutchfield Customer Review The reviewer purchased this item from us, verified by the email address on the order. The product is great. End of story. If you're big on music and don't want to sacrifice quality, while being able to control the iPod from the head unit without worrying about depleting the battery, this is for you. If you read online reviews and the reviews below, you'll see the same few arguments, which I have not seen to be a problem. With the CDA-9855 it's not difficult to search for Artists or Albums. The charge problem is a problem with iPods in general, so it's not something specifically related to the 420i. To me, if you want digital quality, with control and the benefit of not running the battery down, this is for you. I rip my music lossless - quality is very important to me. If you're more casual about about how it sounds and how it plays in your car, then this might not be your first option. It's digital, it's control, it charges and it's hidden, so it looks great if you do it right. It's a win-win and worth the price if music quality is important to you. Even if it's not, it ends up looking really good. 4 out of 4 people found this helpful Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Learn more about iPod Adapters for Car Stereos Learn more about iPod Adapters for Car Stereos Video: Playing an iPod in Your Car Video: Playing an iPod in Your Car Zak Billmeier 6/19/2008 based on 130 ratings (5 comments) This short video describes your options for playing an iPod through your car's sound system. iPod® Car Stereo Adapter Shopping Guide iPod® Car Stereo Adapter Shopping Guide Robert Ferency-Viars 2/24/2009 based on 93 ratings (27 comments) These days we can integrate iPod control with almost any vehicle's stereo by using vehicle- or stereo-specific adapters. iPod® Generations Chart iPod® Generations Chart Ralph Graves 10/29/2010 based on 864 ratings (20 comments) Sort out which generation iPod you have with these handy charts. Includes the iPod, iPod mini, iPod nano, and iPod touch. Getting the Best Sound Out of Your Portable Music Player in the Car Getting the Best Sound Out of Your Portable Music Player in the Car Robert Ferency-Viars 8/9/2011 based on 303 ratings (30 comments) How to get the best sound quality from your portable music player when connecting it to your car stereo. iPod® Installation Guide iPod® Installation Guide Todd Cabell 5/5/2009 based on 25 ratings (2 comments) Step-by-step instructions on how to connect an iPod to your car stereo. Visit our Learning Center to learn more about iPod Adapters for Car Stereos
Video: Playing an iPod in Your Car Video: Playing an iPod in Your Car Zak Billmeier 6/19/2008 based on 130 ratings (5 comments) This short video describes your options for playing an iPod through your car's sound system.
iPod® Car Stereo Adapter Shopping Guide iPod® Car Stereo Adapter Shopping Guide Robert Ferency-Viars 2/24/2009 based on 93 ratings (27 comments) These days we can integrate iPod control with almost any vehicle's stereo by using vehicle- or stereo-specific adapters.
iPod® Generations Chart iPod® Generations Chart Ralph Graves 10/29/2010 based on 864 ratings (20 comments) Sort out which generation iPod you have with these handy charts. Includes the iPod, iPod mini, iPod nano, and iPod touch.
Getting the Best Sound Out of Your Portable Music Player in the Car Getting the Best Sound Out of Your Portable Music Player in the Car Robert Ferency-Viars 8/9/2011 based on 303 ratings (30 comments) How to get the best sound quality from your portable music player when connecting it to your car stereo.
iPod® Installation Guide iPod® Installation Guide Todd Cabell 5/5/2009 based on 25 ratings (2 comments) Step-by-step instructions on how to connect an iPod to your car stereo.
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