play mp3's in the car - 8125, K-JAM, P4300, MDA Vario Accessories

Hi. im using a car kit that connects the cassete to a 3.5mm jack and a converter to a 2.5mm jack to my MDA. I hate the quality of the sound. I have to turn the music up way up. almost near maximum both in the phone and the car stereo. Is there any way that I can hook my MDA to my car to play mp3's without diminished quality??? id really appreciate any help.
thanks in advance
Bryan

What software are you playing the files with? Use GSPlayer or TCPMP over the built in WMP (the sound quality is far greater with those programs).

yeah im using wm5... i dont think it has anything to do with the software. im thinkin it has something to do with the headset jack bein 2.5mm. i own an n-gage too and it has the same kind of jack. same kind of results. really poor quality. but when you use the earphones/headphones, the quality is really good. can someone confirm this?

well things seem to be going well for me today. fixed 2 problems with my MDA today :lol:
anyway, figured out the loss of quality when i hooked my MDA to with a cassette adapter and a 2.5mm to 3.5mm jack was not because of any of the accessory defect and not a phone defect... it all trailed back the my cassette player in the car. figures tho... the tape deck probably has never been used in 6 years :lol:
just cleaned it up with a cassette cleaner... TADA! clear music. although i need to run it a couple more time theres some interference going on. probably needs more cleaning. cheers!
bryan :lol:

What kind of car radio do you have??
Sometimes (also with the older car hifi) on the back you have an IP bus or some connector to the cd changer.
You can buy connectors (ebay) brom this ipbus to the 2,5 jack (or3,5)
I have my pioneer ipbus directly connected to my Magician. Works perfect with no loss of quality

I had trouble finding a 2.5mm to 3.5mm adapter that worked reliably, so this is what I did.
I bought a Globalsat GBH-820 BT adapter, which supports A2DP and AVRCP, and has a 3.5mm jack. So, I just plug in the 3.5mm plug from my cassette adapter, activate the "Wireless Stereo" profile for the GBH-820, and viola, music in my car from my 8125!
The sound quality is better using TCPMP, since I can use the equalizer to add bass and cut out some high-end hiss. However, the AVRCP functions don't work with TCPMP. They do work with WMP.
Is the quality as good as a CD player, or even using actual cassettes, would be? Probably not, but it's nicer having a wider range of music available to listen to in the car, and not having to tote CDs or tapes around in the car. And, makes it a little easier to keep hanging on to my 10yr old Q45 for another couple of years.

fj1200 said:
What kind of car radio do you have??
Sometimes (also with the older car hifi) on the back you have an IP bus or some connector to the cd changer.
You can buy connectors (ebay) brom this ipbus to the 2,5 jack (or3,5)
I have my pioneer ipbus directly connected to my Magician. Works perfect with no loss of quality
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i have a stock car radio. hmmm i actually thought about that. but i was thinkin, it would be kinda messy to install that by myself? i mean wires all over the place. i kinda want to keep my car as clean lookin as possible. i was actually thinkin of letting a professional do it for me instead, but i see negatives from it.
1. gotta pay about $100 for installation or so. plus the converter. (vs $20 at most for the casette deck adapter. just borrowed what my bro uses for his ipod)
2. wouldnt that mean that i'll lose the function of my cd changer? i know i wouldnt actually need it once i got it running but then again, it still would be nice to have one.
and 2 good things:
1, better quality
2. more space in my glove compartment. :lol: cd changer is located there.
i got question tho. since you replaced the cd changer, when you play music, do you play music through the cd option?

I saw this the other day at a local car audio store. I hear it works great. It's a bluetooth Pioneer deck. Here is the link.
http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-2006-PIONEE...ryZ39752QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
:wink:

It depends what type of car you have, but you can tap directly into the AUX of your car and transfer audio through headphone jack.
I did it on TL http://www.fperkins.com/AudioinputandAudiovox6600installina2006AcuraTL.html

Why not use an FM transmitter device?
I currently use this: http://www.the-gadgeteer.com/review/irock_wireless_music_adapter_review
Works great.

MPIIIMan said:
Why not use an FM transmitter device?
I currently use this: http://www.the-gadgeteer.com/review/irock_wireless_music_adapter_review
Works great.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you have to use a 3.5mm to 2.5mm adapter? If so, which one do you use?

Yep I use an adapter I picked up at Radio Shack.

Related

MDA and Shure E3c earphones

I just ordered an MDA and want to use my excellent Shure E3c earbuds with it, but the connectors don't match. The MDA is 2.5mm and the earbuds 3mm. I tried a Radio Shack adapter with the earbuds and one of their phones, but it would produce only one channel when fully seated. Pull it out a bit and it worked okay, but this is not acceptable. The sales guy said he's seen this before.
Has anyone found a solution short of hacking the earbuds with a 2.5mm connector? I will do this as a last resort.
I'm looking for the same info.
I've read posts that Extensys carries them. I've heard a few complaints about the radio shack ones (poor quality and stick out too much). Perhaps some phone stores carry them as well.
However, I'm getting the GlobalSat BTH-820 Bluetooth Headset. This will allow me to use my E3c earbuds as headphones and a headset. The 820 has a mic. in it and a standard 3.5mm headphone jack. Seems like you are willing to have a wire to your MDA so you might be okay with a wire to the 820.
You will have to have A2DP flashed rom though to get stereo. True you will have a wire from the 820 to your ear but you get to use your favorite ear buds instead of larger bluetooth headphones. As another benefit, you can also just use one earbud while driving (some states forbid headphones) as a hands free phone. Battery life seems decent. I'm hoping the mic quality is not too horrible.
I have tried Radio Shack adapters, and they work, in stereo. You have to press it in all the way. Of course, you cannot use it as a phone with that type of adapter, no microphone.
There are adapters you can get that have a retractable cable with an inline microphone. With these, you can use normal 2.5 headphones in the same way as with the stereo headphones that come with the Wizard--for both music and phone. When there is a phone connection, the music is muted.
I have one for example, from Seidio.
IdeaDirect said:
I'm looking for the same info.
I've read posts that Extensys carries them. I've heard a few complaints about the radio shack ones (poor quality and stick out too much). Perhaps some phone stores carry them as well.
However, I'm getting the GlobalSat BTH-820 Bluetooth Headset. This will allow me to use my E3c earbuds as headphones and a headset. The 820 has a mic. in it and a standard 3.5mm headphone jack. Seems like you are willing to have a wire to your MDA so you might be okay with a wire to the 820.
You will have to have A2DP flashed rom though to get stereo. True you will have a wire from the 820 to your ear but you get to use your favorite ear buds instead of larger bluetooth headphones. As another benefit, you can also just use one earbud while driving (some states forbid headphones) as a hands free phone. Battery life seems decent. I'm hoping the mic quality is not too horrible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply. Someone on another thread mentioned that some adapters sold on Ebay worked, and Seidioonline carries one. I saw the same adapter elsewhere last night for $9 ($4 less), but I have yet to find the URL again.
The Globalstat system looks good, but I don't think I need to get that involved with it. I just need to plug into the MDA.
some 2.5 have 3 pins or 4, etc so if they don't line up, sound won't work out well on both ears
anyways, the treo adapter works if you are wondering
The expansys adapter lead works ok. it's specially wired as the sockets on these devices are wired so as to use the hands free kit, hence only 1 channel on a normal 3.5 to 2.5 adapter.
JwY said:
some 2.5 have 3 pins or 4, etc so if they don't line up, sound won't work out well on both ears
anyways, the treo adapter works if you are wondering
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just today I noticed the 2.5's have 4 pins, while the Radio Shack adapter has only three, which is obviously the problem. I suppose they consist of the two audio channels, one mic channel, and ground.
I should point out that the stereo earphones that come with the phone are also quite decent. Certainly not high-end like your Shures, but most people wouldn't notice the difference. And of course they can switch between music and phone use, without having to bother with an adapter. (To use them for the phone though, one has to turn off bt, at least if a bt headset is within range. Same with any wired headset.)
Being the normal earbud type, they (if used as they are) don't fit well in my ears, easily fall out, etc. I found a good soution for that--Griffin Ear Jams. You put these on normal type earbuds, and it transforms them to the in-the-ear earbuds (like the Shures and others), which stay in better, and sound better.
I got this 2.5mm 3.5mm adapter at my local Staples for $10 and it works with my HTC Tornado (Cingular 2125). Only thing is I think it swaps left and right! I think it's maybe the same adapter as the palm one but i do get stereo sound, and I didn't have to pay shipping.
sti3 said:
I got this 2.5mm 3.5mm adapter at my local Staples for $10....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This link points to a CompUSA set of earbuds with an adapter included, and I couldn't find such an adapter at Staples. However, I did find a number of adapaters on Ebay, including this one that apparently works like the standard headset with a mic: http://tinyurl.com/jllub
There are also some adapters available on Ebay without the mic.

Modifying head phones to get in-car DAB

I'm considering removing the ear-pieces from my Lobster headphones, and fitting a 3.5mm stereo line socket like this one: http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=1210&criteria=3.5mm stereo socket&doy=24m5 to the end which would connect to one of these http://www.coolsmartphone.com/index.php?option=articles&task=viewarticle&artid=421&Itemid=3 FM transmitters to get DAB radio in my car.
The reason for modifying the headphones would be to retain the antenna function of the headphone lead, which would be strategically placed in the car to hopfully pick up a decent signal.
What do you think?
Get yourself a jack converter
I've been thinking about doing this too. I've got a small (Lobby size) 2.5 mm jack to normal (iPod size) 3.5 jack stereo convertor from e-Bay. I use this all the time as I don't like talking 2 sets of ear phones around with me.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/2-5mm-to-3-5m...4QQihZ011QQcategoryZ14419QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Presumably you can get a wire (normal jack female to normal jack male) instead of detroying your headsets!
I wasn't sure whether an alternative cable would work as an antenna for the DAB radio channels like the original head-set does.
I have two headsets, so doesn't really matter if I butcher one of them.
Can you confirm that when using a 2.5mm to 3.5mm adapter and alternative headphones, the DAB radio stations still work?
Thanks!
I think it is the best one.
-----------------------------------
iPod Converter
http://www.ipodconverter.com
i was thinking about doing this, but i've heard that these fm transmitters really don't work that well?
From what I've read, just like most other electrical goods, some are good, and some are not.
According to this review http://www.coolsmartphone.com/index.php?option=articles&task=viewarticle&artid=421&Itemid=3 of the Audia X transmitter, the sound quality is "excellent", but I guess sound quality is quite a subjective thing, and what's excellent for one person's set-up may not be for another's.
The Audia X is now available in the UK from places like this http://www.intomusic.co.uk/scripts/digiana-audiax.asp
so anyone got this working?
Aleemz said:
I'm considering removing the ear-pieces from my Lobster headphones, and fitting a 3.5mm stereo line socket like this one: http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=1210&criteria=3.5mm stereo socket&doy=24m5 to the end which would connect to one of these http://www.coolsmartphone.com/index.php?option=articles&task=viewarticle&artid=421&Itemid=3 FM transmitters to get DAB radio in my car.
The reason for modifying the headphones would be to retain the antenna function of the headphone lead, which would be strategically placed in the car to hopfully pick up a decent signal.
What do you think?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For the best result you are better off soldering rather than plug in, wherever you can.
I am going to put two phono sockets on mine, to plug into Hi Fi so that I have DAB reception on stereo.
Press-E-Dent said:
For the best result you are better off soldering rather than plug in, wherever you can.
I am going to put two phono sockets on mine, to plug into Hi Fi so that I have DAB reception on stereo.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, thats the plan, remove the ear-pieces from the headphones and solder a 3.5 mm stereo socket on the end so I can plug in the FM transmitter.
ringp3ace said:
I've been thinking about doing this too. I've got a small (Lobby size) 2.5 mm jack to normal (iPod size) 3.5 jack stereo convertor from e-Bay. I use this all the time as I don't like talking 2 sets of ear phones around with me.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/2-5mm-to-3-5m...4QQihZ011QQcategoryZ14419QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Presumably you can get a wire (normal jack female to normal jack male) instead of detroying your headsets!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried this method by buying this: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/2-5mm-to-3-5m...6QQihZ015QQcategoryZ86541QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
I've tried 2 types of headphones with this but the radio and tv function won't work - not enough signal.
So I guess it's back to the original plan of butchering the headphones.
Sorry didn't realise that FM trannie had a male plug on it. thought it would have a female.
Mind you, being a trannie, how can you be sure.
Got it working
I've just got around to giving it a go.
I bought my FM transmitter (Power Trip FM) from HMV, and it comes with both 3.5mm and iPod connections.
I used the stereo 2.5mm male to 3.5mm female converter I bought off eBay.
Plugged it all together and hey presto, TV with the sound coming through the car speakers.
I'm in a good DAB area, so the signal is fine - even better with playing DAB radio.
No chopping or soldering required!!!
ringp3ace, are you saying that you're successfully tuning into a DAB signal using only a 3 pole 2.5mm jack? From Aleemz’s experiments with this earlier in this thread I thought the conclusion was that this wouldn't work. You must be in an area of ridiculously good DAB signal!
kettle,
Yep.
lobster > 2.5mm to 3.5mm > PowerTrip = no problems.
I am in a good DAB area too.

USB headphones?

Hello,
From the searches I have done on here and other forums to include cell phone stores, I can't seem to find any information pertaining to USB headphones. Basically my question is: Are there any reasonably priced headphones that directly plug into the usb port (without any adapters or mini jacks as the plug)?
Thanks.
HTC headphones
http://store.wmexperts.com/htc-stereo-headset/11A29A1450.htm
For 15 bucks you get something from HTC that's workable until you find what you really want. Decent music quality. No adaptor needed.
It is funny you post this. I was just searching for some today and I purchased these.
If you search OEM Heaphones Fuze on eBay, you can find some for $10 shipped.
i have a sprint TP and DL the fuse FM radio app and it says that the phone uses the headphones as an antenna. mine does not work, you think with the fuse headphone it would??
USB Headphones - Not all work?
Are there different types of mini-USB headphones?
I just purchased a pair of Motorola "Stereo Headset with Enhanced Mini USB Connector" headphones that do not work when plugged into my fuze.
However, I went and found the old headphones from my Dash and plugged it in and it works.
Both have the phone/music switch.
Why would one work and other not? The shape of the of the jack on the old set just a little different that the Motorola's which look like a fat little "t" and is the same shape as all the connector wires and charging wires I am using. The shape of the jack on the old ones, however, does match the shape of the fuze jack.
Sorry if this is an obvious questions, but what am I missing? What do I need to look for when purchasing earphone/headset?
I have answered my own question. HTC is using a proprietary form of USB...extUSB. It combines audio and data, so you can use regular mini-USB for everything except audio. This bugs me. why do you take something that is supposed to be "universal" then make it proprietary. So now I gotta look for and buy special headphones.
bluetooth headset
I personally use the bt3030 bluetooth headset from jabra. Full stereo use any regular headphones you like. I use the stock ear buds works fine. These work for phone calls sprint nav as well as full stereo from mp3's basically any audio can be funnelled into these. cost around 80 bucks.
arsmithsr said:
I personally use the bt3030 bluetooth headset from jabra. Full stereo use any regular headphones you like. I use the stock ear buds works fine. These work for phone calls sprint nav as well as full stereo from mp3's basically any audio can be funnelled into these. cost around 80 bucks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can get the 3030's from newegg for 40 shipped in bulk packaging. Work great and no need to plug them into the phone since they are bluetooth. Give you the ability to answer phone, have remote, and listen to music. I love them. Got some skull candy headphones for 10 bucks from marshalls to replace the stock headphones they came with. Check them out
Headphones
Anyone found any USB headphones that have equal cord length on both sides? I really hate the uneven setup..always seems to pull one or the other out...... Thanks !!

Streaming music wirelessly from phone to car stereo

My car does not have an aux port for the simple solution, so about a year ago I reluctantly invested in this guy:
http://www.amazon.com/FlexSMART-Transmitter-Hands-Free-Blackberry-Smartphones/dp/B003PPGOC0
I've used countless wireless transmitters in the past and they were all garbage. You'd have to have the phone right up against the radio, and even then it wasn't that clear. This is by far the best product I've used for the purpose. You can connect via bluetooth or even a 3.5mm headphone port(cable included) on the side. My phone doesn't have to be anywhere NEAR the unit for it to work perfectly. It also comes with a microusb cable that plugs directly into a usb port on the unit, to charge while it plays. I highly recommend this product.
motorola roadster
I use the motorola roadster.
You can find an OEM version for about ~ $40 if you google search for it.
I use it along with voice command. You touch a button on the speaker phone and my S2 lights up and asks for a command. Ofcourse it also has FM transmitter mode and it has a play/pause button, though it doesn't seem to work with the stock music player, but the play/pause works with Winamp.
Not as nice as the bluetooth built into my wife's 2012 murano radio but on my older 2002 pathfinder this works great.
Thats cool. Does it matter how you set a station? Does it have static like regular "transmitters" ? I used to use/try one with my zune, and it was awful.
My friend plugged his in with an AUX jack (from top of phone into car radio) and it played stereo/cd quality
My car doesn't have an aux jack but I think it can be done for 20-40$? maybe
with the motorola roadster how do you set the fm transmitter?
I'll be honest with you - I've never seen an FM transmitter that wasn't horrible.
I'd invest in a new headunit (with an aux input, or MAYBE bluetooth if you must have wireless) and a wiring harness adapter kit over any FM transmitter, any day of the week.
I'm in the same boat as the OP, my car doesn't even support an aftermarket stereo due to the Bose/HUD integration and I got the FlexSmart and love it as well. Would certainly recommend to anyone.
I'm with Edgarhighman . How's the audio quality? Any static?
skelevate said:
I'm with Edgarhighman . How's the audio quality? Any static?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm thinking I'll DIY aux input or have a store down the street do it
I'm not yet fond of splicing, soldering, or using a heat gun =/
VERY minimal static. Nothing that is even close to hindering the experience.

Playing music in car?

In my bmw, I have a cable that I used to plug my iPhone in and was able to charge/play my music thru the interface. Since I switched over to SGS2 (love it btw), I haven't been able to find a suitable replacement for this cable. Is there anything like this for the SGS2, or am I out of luck?
Thanks
kash1f said:
In my bmw, I have a cable that I used to plug my iPhone in and was able to charge/play my music thru the interface. Since I switched over to SGS2 (love it btw), I haven't been able to find a suitable replacement for this cable. Is there anything like this for the SGS2, or am I out of luck?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use the car dock that is made for the phone by Samsung.
Best Solution:
Get a new car. My 2010 Mazda M3 has Bluetooth in it so all I had to do is buy a new car charger and connected it to Bluetooth. That's for your best experience though.
Less than the best solution:
Buy a Samsung Car dock, hope you have an AUX port or get an FM transmitter! It's a lot of work to have this done right, clean and everything. But it works! You can find most of the parts on amazon for really cheap. But i hope your car stereo has an Aux port or Bluetooth cuz if not you are kinda gonna be screwed into buying a new one. I don't know of any that support connecting through usb on any other phone than the iPhone or a standard flash drive with just MP3s on it.
Yea, my car has an AUX port, so I will just go buy the dock. Thanks for all your help
Hopefully another item like this takes off. http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/401662159/pair-with-pear-bluetooth-to-your-speakers-dock Not trying to advertise, but this looks like it's exactly what you need. Unfortunately it doesn't exist yet... Unless another company makes one that I don't know about.
I highly recommend the Bluetooth Gateway by Motorola that turns your aux-in into an A2DP stereo like these fancy new cars.
A brief guide in the beginning of a little review I wrote here.
Takes a little DIY to get it set up out of the way, but once you do, it's a fantastic, under-$50 solution to get A2DP like the new $20k cars
Bt-35 bfhak
Has anyone used either of these devices: BT-35 or BFHAK
They have them for different makes of cars. just wanting to know how well they work.
I have a Jeep with the bluetooth touchscreen. I just play mine through BT, even though the sound quality isnt the greatest.
wrs223 said:
I have a Jeep with the bluetooth touchscreen. I just play mine through BT, even though the sound quality isnt the greatest.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the same, wonder why the quality suks
I just use a simple cable from my headphone jack to my aux in jack. I do wish it was able to display stuff like track info and album art, but hey, first world problems I guess. Poweramp does the job.
I think it's because bt audio only streams at 96 kbs.
Sent from my SGH-I777 using xda app-developers app
I don't know why you're having problems, but my bluetooth audio sounds heavenly using the gateway that I referenced in my earlier post.
And by the way, this 2003 spec sheet lists a top bit rate of 345 kb/s on Bluetooth 1.0. I don't know where you got your number.
BT streaming is worse than wired because you've got your phone/player transceiver encoding, and then the external receiver decoding your music. You can have all the bandwidth in the world but you'd still be limited by the quality of your transmitting and receiving hardware's digital audio capabilities.
I have one of these, it works very well. I've used FM tuners before and they all come in static-y. This one comes in perfectly, can charge your phone, has audio IN, and can be used as a hands free phone. Pretty nifty.
GOgroove FlexSMART X2 Wireless
(Can't post external links yet)

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