Which iPod interface?

T

tdawg183

Member
Location
Raleigh, NC
First off, this is my first post, just want to say hey... purchased my fx about 2 months ago and absolutely love it. I hope the mod bug isn't hitting me like it has my last cars but this is the first thing I'm looking into purchasing and had a question.

From what I can tell there are 2 ways to interface an iPod with the car; the oem nissan/infiniti unit and the Peripheral Electronics units that can be found on ebay. From everybody's experiences which one seems to offer the best functionality and features?

I'm leaning towards the Peripheral unit but was worried that I had to disconnect the SAT radio completely... I would like it if I could just disconnect the iPod and have it automatically switch back to SAT.

Any suggestions/opinions?
 
I just purchased my ride recently as well. '05 FX45 Black on Black. I also just ordered the peripheral ipod interface. I should have it this weekend or next week. I'll reply back and let you know my thoughts. Went with this one because it was less expensive and easier to install than nissan unit.:biggrin:
 
Yea, I'm leaning heavily towards the peripheral interface as well... not to mention it had capabilities for HD Radio which I have absolutely loved on my other car.

Only thing that worries my is whether or not I lose my XM completely or only when the iPod is plugged in.
 
I am intested in seeing what people say as well. I am scheduled to have the peripheral unit installed in two weeks. Wondering if it will negate my ability to listen to Sirius. Anyone else have experience with this unit?
 
I installed the Peripheral unit this week. It's a fairly straight forward install. The dash came apart and went back together fairly easily. The most awkward part was trying to unclip/ reclip some of the factory cables. The hazard flasher cable and clock cable are identical, so be sure to keep those two straight so that you don't have to take apart the console again after completing the install.

The sound quality of the peripheral unit hookup is pretty good. My biggest complaint is that the volume is reduced by about 40%, so you can't really crank up your favorite songs too much. It still gets loud, just not super loud. Also, the user interface is pretty awkward, but I'll get used to that.

For $139, shipped (ebay), I'm pretty happy overall. As for sat radio, the box says that it keeps the factory satellite radio intact, but, since I don't have a sat radio subscription, I can't verify that.
 
I have the OEM Infiniti/Nissan unit.

When I plug in the Ipod it automatically switches it from Sat to ipod.
When I unplug the ipod it goes back to Sat.
 
Just picked up the car with the Peripheral (iSimple) unit installed. Sound quality is about an 8 out of 10. The volume does need to be cranked compared to radio/cd, so be careful switching back and forth. Oh, and I do not have to plug/unplug the iPod to switch over to Sat. You acutally do this simply by pressing the "radio" button.

I have only played with it for about 20 min, and like said before, it is going to take some getting used to with all of the buttons that actually navigate through the iPod... kinda confusing.

All in all, it is probably the best way to be able to play the iPod through the factory system and at least get to see what is playing on the screen.
 
Check this out. My brother has a 350Z and he installed this ipod interface (PA11-NIS).
http://www.mp3carpros.com/product_info.php?products_id=69

Apparently, it's compatible with 2003-07 FX...that must be a typo, why would it not be compatible with 2008 (or 2009 for that matter)? Has anyone here heard of this or have this unit installed? About $10 cheaper than the Peripheral Electronics unit, and comes with updated cable that is compatible with ANY iPod/iPhone.
 
Do you have the volume on the ipod cranked all the way up.The ipod would be considered the master volume (I've been told).I am considering an interface,but am interested also in your volume comment.
 
Squishymedic said:
Do you have the volume on the ipod cranked all the way up.The ipod would be considered the master volume (I've been told).I am considering an interface,but am interested also in your volume comment.
Click to expand...

I have an ipod nano and the peripheral unit installed. The volume on the ipod is all the way up, but it still doesn't get as loud as I'd like even with the radio volume at 100%. The sound quality is decent, but doesn't sound as clear as a CD (but almost). I feel like the low frequency bass is reduced for some reason.

Now that I've had the peripheral unit for a while, I'm used to the controls and it doesn't seem that confusing anymore. Overall, I'm happy since it was only $139.
 
probee773 said:
I have an ipod nano and the peripheral unit installed. The volume on the ipod is all the way up, but it still doesn't get as loud as I'd like even with the radio volume at 100%. The sound quality is decent, but doesn't sound as clear as a CD (but almost). I feel like the low frequency bass is reduced for some reason.

Now that I've had the peripheral unit for a while, I'm used to the controls and it doesn't seem that confusing anymore. Overall, I'm happy since it was only $139.
Click to expand...

Probe, can you access your artists in your iPod from the factory HU? What year FX do you have? I have an 07 and regardless of the fact that the manual says that I should be able to select a particular song by pressing the <<seek button, I cannot do so. The best I can do at this point is use my iPod in shuffle mode (which is fine for me right now) or I can access a playlist. Other than that, I cannot get into my library and pick a song that I want at the moment. Like I say, I mostly just use shuffle because its less of a pain in the ass, but there are sometimes that I want to hear a song, and I have no way of getting to it... unless I un-plug the iPod, select the song, plug it back in and then it will play, but this is a total pain it the ass. Any help is appreciated.

STeve
 
probee773 said:
I have an ipod nano and the peripheral unit installed. The volume on the ipod is all the way up, but it still doesn't get as loud as I'd like even with the radio volume at 100%. The sound quality is decent, but doesn't sound as clear as a CD (but almost). I feel like the low frequency bass is reduced for some reason.

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Click to expand...
 
probee773 said:
I have an ipod nano and the peripheral unit installed. The volume on the ipod is all the way up, but it still doesn't get as loud as I'd like even with the radio volume at 100%. The sound quality is decent, but doesn't sound as clear as a CD (but almost). I feel like the low frequency bass is reduced for some reason.

Now that I've had the peripheral unit for a while, I'm used to the controls and it doesn't seem that confusing anymore. Overall, I'm happy since it was only $139.
Click to expand...


Hmmm, for some reason my post was all messed up... Anyways, try adjusting the volume of all your albums via iTunes. If you highlight all your music, then go into the properties, you can amplify the sound. You can also adjust for treble boost, bass boost, etc... I had a Dension IceLink+ installed in my MINI, and when first connected I had the same low volume. Amplifying the songs + the stock Harmon Kardon system = :tonguey: (best stock setup I've come across yet).
 
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