Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Audio has anyone installed an Ipod into their car??

I have an alpine HU (CDA-9807 IIRC?) that my sister installed in the car and I inadvertently "inherited" when she bought a new car ...

I personally am not a huge fan of the interface of this head unit ... it's rather limiting and I think trying to scroll text (as browsing an iPod's playlist) would be too tedious.

Instead, I bought the $20 alpine-input-to-RCA cable (still angry about how much that thing cost for all it does) and a six-foot RCA-to-1/8" cable. I snaked this wire through a hole in the dash underneath the head unit's location, and have my iPod rest in the parking brake cubby area. This way, I can very easily use all buttons and the scroll wheel by my right hand, and if I need to view my playlist I can quickly hold it up into view. It's also more versatile, because if I have a friend without an iPod then he or she could connect his device to my Alpine's input. I have a third generation iPod, whose touch-sensitive buttons are a bit too sensitive, so it helps to have it in one given location where I know where each button is and don't have to feel my way through the interface (as you would if it were on the passenger seat, in the cupholder, or in the glove compartment).

My 2c ... I don't think they've refined the interface enough to be worth the trouble of scrolling the playlists via the head unit.

good point. im now reconsidering..
where did you buy the alpine rca input thingy at? and what was the rca to 1/8 for? im new to this.
i have the same radio. it doesnt have any inputs, how does your setup work?

There is this one with the RCAs RCAs
then this one that goes straight to the headphone port
headphone

This is the OEM product used by the car manufactures. Works VERY well. It should, my roomie works for them.

www.densonusa.com

Actually I take back some of what I said above.. There is no such thing as an "E-bus" If alpine has CDE in the model # it means that there is no cd changer control. It just so happens that all the 2004 models had changer control of some sort. For 2005, their lower models won''t have it.

I have a Neo mp3 jukebox in my car and have it hooked up to my pioneer headunit so I control it with that. It thinks it is a cd changer and change folders just like any pioneer mp3 playing headunit. I seriously don't see why more people don't get one. You can also upgrade the harddrive your self and put in a 160 gigs!!! check out www.ssiamerica.com for them.