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Looking for another good reason to buy an iPod? If you're in the market for a long-playing car music source, Apple's enormously popular portable music player may be the answer.
Because you can enjoy it any time and everywhere, an iPod is more useful than a CD changer or digital Music Keg that must be permanently installed in your car. But unlike those devices, the iPod wasn't designed with car use foremost in mind. So, what do you need to make the iPod play through your car speakers? And will it be as pleasing to use while driving a car as it is while riding on the subway?
To find out, I loaded up an iPod with a few dozen iTunes, grabbed my keys, and headed for the parking lot — along with a bag full of accessories designed to adapt the iPod to life on the highway. The accessories answer the key questions you should address before using an iPod (or any other portable music player) in your car:
We tend to take for granted how easy it is to operate our vehicle's lights, wipers, climate controls and stereo. We quickly get used to the convenient placement and familiar feel of the various switches, levers, indicators and knobs. To attain that comfort level with an add-on device like an iPod, you need to mount it where you can easily reach it and quickly read the display without taking your eyes off the road for too long.
Think about how you will use the iPod. If you plan to surf your playlists frequently while driving, a mount is a must, since it permits one-handed operation. If you plan to cue up a playlist and let it roll for hours at a stretch, then a mount may not be essential.
Belkin TuneDok
No "universal" mounting system is going to be perfect for every car, but Belkin's $30 TuneDok comes close. If your vehicle has a cupholder, chances are that the TuneDok will work pretty well.
The TuneDok accommodates both original and new-generation 3G iPods. It comes with large and small bases and an adapter cup, so it will fit almost any cupholder. You can even turn the base upside down to use it as a pedestal when you connect your iPod to your home stereo or computer.
The TuneDok's suction cup holds your iPod firmly in place. Its ratcheting neck lets you easily adjust the slant of your iPod. If your cupholders are low in your console, a near-horizontal angle will give you the best view. If your cupholders are high on the dash, like they are in my 1998 Toyota 4Runner, a near vertical angle is best.
 The iPod is quickly becoming a hot item for car use. We'll show you how to maximize your iPod experience on the road. |
Looking for another good reason to buy an iPod? If you're in the market for a long-playing car music source, Apple's enormously popular portable music player may be the answer.
Because you can enjoy it any time and everywhere, an iPod is more useful than a CD changer or digital Music Keg that must be permanently installed in your car. But unlike those devices, the iPod wasn't designed with car use foremost in mind. So, what do you need to make the iPod play through your car speakers? And will it be as pleasing to use while driving a car as it is while riding on the subway?
To find out, I loaded up an iPod with a few dozen iTunes, grabbed my keys, and headed for the parking lot — along with a bag full of accessories designed to adapt the iPod to life on the highway. The accessories answer the key questions you should address before using an iPod (or any other portable music player) in your car:
- Where are you going to put it? Will it lie loose in your console or on the seat beside you? Or will you fasten it to a bracket or pedestal of some sort?
- How will you connect your iPod to your car stereo? Which alternative gives you the best sound?
- How will you provide power to charge your iPod's battery while you are on the road?
We tend to take for granted how easy it is to operate our vehicle's lights, wipers, climate controls and stereo. We quickly get used to the convenient placement and familiar feel of the various switches, levers, indicators and knobs. To attain that comfort level with an add-on device like an iPod, you need to mount it where you can easily reach it and quickly read the display without taking your eyes off the road for too long.
Think about how you will use the iPod. If you plan to surf your playlists frequently while driving, a mount is a must, since it permits one-handed operation. If you plan to cue up a playlist and let it roll for hours at a stretch, then a mount may not be essential.
 The 2003 Mercury Mountaineer's cupholder requires the TuneDok's large cup (left). The 1998 Toyota 4Runner takes the small cup (right). |
Belkin TuneDok
No "universal" mounting system is going to be perfect for every car, but Belkin's $30 TuneDok comes close. If your vehicle has a cupholder, chances are that the TuneDok will work pretty well.
The TuneDok accommodates both original and new-generation 3G iPods. It comes with large and small bases and an adapter cup, so it will fit almost any cupholder. You can even turn the base upside down to use it as a pedestal when you connect your iPod to your home stereo or computer.
The TuneDok's suction cup holds your iPod firmly in place. Its ratcheting neck lets you easily adjust the slant of your iPod. If your cupholders are low in your console, a near-horizontal angle will give you the best view. If your cupholders are high on the dash, like they are in my 1998 Toyota 4Runner, a near vertical angle is best.
There are four ways to hook up your iPod to play through your car stereo speakers:
- Cassette adapter — You must have a cassette stereo, of course. Sound quality is fair.
- Wireless FM mini transmitter — Plug-and-play convenient. Works with any car radio. Sound quality varies.
- Wired FM modulator — Installation can be difficult. Sound quality is consistently good.
- Auxiliary input — Many stereos don't have this capability, but it's the best way to go if yours does. Sound quality is excellent.
 It's a battery charger and an FM transmitter in one.  If you go with the Tunecast, you'll probably want to buy an iPod battery charger, too. |
Monster Cable iCarPlay wireless FM mini transmitter/battery charger
The $60 Monster iCarPlay plugs into your cigarette lighter and attaches to the dock connector on the bottom of the iPod. It's actually two accessories in one — a battery charger and an FM transmitter. It lets you toggle through eight different FM frequencies, so you're sure to find one that isn't occupied by a broadcast station.
Because the iCarPlay uses the dock connector, instead of the iPod's headphone output, it delivers a fixed output level to your stereo. Your iPod's volume control has no effect — you use your stereo to adjust the sound level.
I tried two of the iCarPlays through the factory stereo in a late-model Mercury Mountaineer. Why two? Just to make sure I hadn't picked up a defective one. During quiet musical passages, I could hear a lot of noise — the kind of hiss you hear when you tune in an unoccupied channel on any FM radio. When I cranked up the volume, I heard way too much distortion. Your results, however, may vary based on your FM receiver and your personal listening tastes.
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If you go with the Tunecast, you'll probably want to buy an iPod battery charger, too. |
Belkin Tunecast wireless FM mini transmitter
The $30 Belkin Tunecast is powered by two AAA batteries and plugs into the iPod's headphone output. The iPod's volume control remains active. Compared with the Monster Cable iCarPlay, I was able to coax more volume out of the iPod before distortion became clearly audible.
The Tunecast offers four FM frequencies, only one of which was vacant and therefore usable in the Charlottesville, Virginia area. I question the decision to power the Tunecast with AAA cells. If you don't get in the habit of turning it off after every use, I suspect you'll find yourself replacing the batteries frequently.
The Tunecast's FM signal seemed stronger than the iCarPlay's, but I didn't get optimal reception of its signal until I placed it up on the dash of the Mountaineer, as close as possible to the vehicle's antenna. When I did that, it sounded great. But it isn't practical to drive around with the Tunecast on the dash — at least not in the Mountaineer.
 A wired FM modulator delivers the signal from a music source such as an iPod directly into your antenna cable. The FM modulator box mounts behind your dash or under a seat. You may also need a special antenna adapter and an RCA-to-mini patch cord. |
Wired FM modulator
If you don't have an auxiliary input on your stereo, and you can't use a cassette adapter, your only choice is to go the FM-interface route. Faced with this scenario, I would choose a wired FM modulator, instead of a wireless mini-transmitter, for better sound quality.
 For best sound quality, aux input is the way to go. |
Direct connection to an aux input
The best-sounding option is a direct connection from the iPod to an auxiliary input on your car stereo. I have an aux input on the Alpine CDA-9813 in my Toyota 4Runner. The iPod sounds terrific through the Alpine, partly due to the direct aux-in connection and partly because the Alpine sounds far superior to a factory stereo like the one in the Mountaineer.
Depending upon which brand of stereo you own, you may need an aux input adapter and an RCA-to-mini patch cord in order to connect an iPod to your aux input.
 Monster Cable's $40 charger plugs into the iPod's dock connector. |
Charging your iPod in the car
If you are going to be using the iPod as your primary car music source, the last thing you want is to have the iPod's battery conk out on you in the middle of a road trip. So you're going to want a charger that plugs into your cigarette lighter (or auxiliary 12-volt) receptacle.
If you decide not to buy the car charger, be extra careful to turn your iPod off if you leave it in the car. When you turn off your ignition, the tunes go off, too and it's very easy to forget that the iPod is still playing. Better yet, don't leave your iPod in your car. You don't want to expose it to thieves or extreme temperatures if you can help it.
According the iPod manual, it's safe to store your iPod in a place where the temperature is between -4 and 113? F. But the safe operating temperature range is between 32 and 95? F. If you do leave it in the car for a while under freezing or broiling conditions, avoid playing it until you've warmed up or cooled off the car. The manual warns that battery life may be shortened in low-temperature conditions. It also warns against exposure to direct sunlight, though it doesn't say why.
Using it in a moving vehicle
I'm supposed to give the iPod back after I finish writing this. But I'm so impressed, they may have to wrestle me for it (or deduct it from my check).
It's really liberating to have so much music available without having to carry all those discs around in the car, where they can be stolen. And you don't have to change discs, which can be a distraction from driving.
The ability to sort your tunes by artist or genre and to enjoy custom playlists (without programming a changer) is a giant advantage, too. The more tunes you have on the iPod, the more you'll appreciate its special merits as a car player.
 Try using your thumb on the controls, while bracing your fingers alongside your iPod. |
Because the iPod controls require such a light touch, operating it in a moving vehicle takes some getting used to. When your car hits a bump in the road, your index finger tends to get a little clumsy on the scroll pad. For increased precision, try this: brace your fingers along the bottom and side of the iPod and spin your thumb around the scroll wheel. When you need to make an adjustment, pause your tunes first, so you can hear the iPod's clicker.
The iPod display is clearly visible in any type of light. You can easily adjust the contrast if necessary. It does get a little tough to read if you're wearing polarized sunglasses. If anything, it's a little too bright at night, but the backlight goes off after a short time after you lift your fingers off the controls (unless you set it to stay on). The backlight timer is adjustable (2, 5, 10 or 20 seconds).
 Alpine is soon to release a box that adds iPod controls to some of its new stereos. |
An iPod makes a terrific car audio player. But what would make it much better is a way to totally integrate it with our car stereos (instead of all the clever cables and adapters). In other words, we need stereos with built-in iPod controls and vehicle-specific iPod docks that connect and power the iPod — with no dangling cables.
We won't have to wait long. These solutions are on the way.
Alpine just announced that they will offer head units with iPod controls later this year [available late September at a target price of $100, the KCA-420i will be compatible with all Ai-NET head units according to Alpine - Editor 7.26.04]. I suspect that makers of vehicle-specific CD changer adapters and satellite tuner cradles are hard at work on iPod solutions. And Daimler-Chrysler already has an iPod dock in one of its European Smart cars. Can it be long before this technology appears in stateside Chryslers? Stay tuned.
Jim Richardson is an editor who has been with Crutchfield for 16 years.