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You are here: MacNN Forums > Hardware - Troubleshooting and Discussion > Consumer Hardware & Components > Alpine iPod Interface Adapter - YES!

Alpine iPod Interface Adapter - YES!
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Sirfishalot
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Oct 9, 2004, 02:06 PM
 
Hooked up the iPod Interface adapter to my Alpine 9825 head unit. Was pretty easy, just mounted it in glove box and plugged the power cable into back of the head unit -walla. Tunes to go. My system truly rocks now with Kenwood 4 channel amp running front speakers and other 2 channels bridged to JL Audio 3w08's. I'm in audio nirvana. I still need to learn how to do all the navigation via the deck as opposed to the jog wheel. But dispay and all seems to be working fine. This is the entry level Alpine with Ai-Net feature. I imagine the more expensive units work better for display/navigation, but that's not that important to me. The cool thing is that the adaptor charges the iPod while it's in use.
I think this $99 box will win some awards. I definitely recommend it. It only works with Ai-Net (newer) compatible Alpine head units: 9820XM, 9825, 9826, 9827, 9830, 9833, 9835 and A/V head units D300, D901 & 1004.
     
JonahLee
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Oct 13, 2004, 03:11 PM
 
I got an ALPINE CDA-9827 and the Alpine iPod interface. While I like the audio quality, and the fact that it charges my iPod, I think the interface is garbage. It is like putting a Ferrari engine in an old VW bug. Why?

And my reasons. Well the navigation is awful. I was prepared for the 8 character screen, though if the unit scrolled when you were selecting so you could see which playlist by which band it was, it would be much more usefull. And if you get the wrong playlist, you have to go all the way back to get to the right one, and that takes a long time!!

And to my biggest complaint. Searching. Instead of a smooth scroll through your playlists, this thing is so damn slow. It goes one playlist per turn, no matter how much you turn, and you must stop and turn again to go to the next one. And I have a lot of playlists. It takes minutes to find a playlist that isn't in the beggining or end. I want to scroll quickly through my playlists, not this one at a time thing! This is ridiculous, especially when you can't tell which one is which.

In fact I have found it is so hard to find the right playlist, that I have taken to going to the playlist on the ipod, and getting it to play, then connecting it, so it goes to that one.

Now I like the audio quality, and that it charges the iPod, and it can navigate within a single playlist alright, but when searching other playlists this thing is useless.

I would have preffered a better stereo head unit, and just used an Aux input and then plug the iPod into my cigarette lighter for power.

Really the interface feels so slow and bad, I think this thing is awful!
-Jonah Lee

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GORDYmac
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Oct 13, 2004, 03:19 PM
 
Hmmm, I guess this is why BMW opted to keep it simple, instead of trying to emulate the iPod in the receiver.

I guess their way is more user friendly.
     
JonahLee
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Oct 13, 2004, 06:24 PM
 
Yea, if this is how bad interfaces are going to be, simple is probably better.
-Jonah Lee

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Sirfishalot  (op)
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Oct 13, 2004, 11:25 PM
 
JonahLee,
You are correct about the navigation, it bites big time. I was hoping it was just my ignorance of not studying the manual. But it is very cumbersome and slow. I take back what I said about it being an award winner. Not sure how it works with the more expensive dual line display head units, but I can't even figure out how to have it shuffle play songs throughout the library which is how I use my iPod most of the time.
I will definitely be posting my displeasure to Alpine. Nice concept, but flunked on implemetation in my book.

     
JonahLee
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Oct 13, 2004, 11:40 PM
 
Yea, i am glad to hear you think so too. This interface sucks, and is not worth the money. Alpine screwed up big time.
-Jonah Lee

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JonahLee
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Oct 13, 2004, 11:50 PM
 
I am going to contact Alpine and complain, and I hope you so as well.

ALPINE
19145 Gramercy Place
Torrance, CA 90501
Tel: 310.326.8000
-Jonah Lee

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rozwado1
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Oct 14, 2004, 11:12 AM
 
You have to wonder how they even released it if it's that slow. Sure, it's the first of it's kind, but do you really think the engineers at Alpine are proud of their achievement? You'd think that before release they'd test it and find out it sucks...
     
JonahLee
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Oct 14, 2004, 11:31 AM
 
It is really that bad. And Alpine has to know. THey have to have promissed mopret than they could actually deliver, cause it really sucks.
-Jonah Lee

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GORDYmac
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Oct 14, 2004, 12:30 PM
 
We're so finiky. First, we bash BMW for being too basic--while praising Alpine, and now we have completely flip flopped.

Hey, maybe we should run for President.

The best implementation, I think, is one I saw being sold in Europe, where the iPod was still used for navigation, but it was connected to the car's sound system in a seamless design.

Now where's that link...
     
Macrat
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Oct 14, 2004, 03:25 PM
 
Alpine already knows the current system isn't that great, it was mentioned in a very thorough review of the iPod adapter somewhere (too lazy to look). Basically the current decks were really only designed for mp3 cds, adding the iPod adapter was a bit of a hack. Supposedly next year they will be coming out with decks that will be much better.
     
Grrr
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Oct 14, 2004, 10:38 PM
 
Originally posted by GORDYmac:
The best implementation, I think, is one I saw being sold in Europe, where the iPod was still used for navigation, but it was connected to the car's sound system in a seamless design.

Now where's that link...
Dension Ice Link? I think they may be American though? I have this kit in my car. It's pretty good, but i'm not sure if the sound quality is all that. It's hard to say whats wrong with it, but it seems somehow harsh to me, and not as good as the CD multi-changer that was plugged into the back of the HU via the same socket that the Ice Link kit is now using. And its not the iPod as it sounds fine plugged into anything else.
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GORDYmac
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Oct 15, 2004, 09:24 AM
 
Nope, it was from an automaker. The iPod was actually part of the vehicle's interior, they made it seamless, very nice looking. Anyway, that's where this needs to go--have the iPod pump the sounds, leave head units out of it.
     
JonahLee
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Oct 15, 2004, 02:22 PM
 
Well I sent a 2 page letter to Alpine complaining, and also sent it to Crutchfield, who offered to take the stereo and unit as a return, even though it has been installed already. I think I just might do that, though that will leave me without a car stereo for a while.
-Jonah Lee

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rozwado1
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Oct 15, 2004, 03:08 PM
 
Originally posted by JonahLee:
Well I sent a 2 page letter to Alpine complaining, and also sent it to Crutchfield, who offered to take the stereo and unit as a return, even though it has been installed already.
That's pretty awesome that Crutchfield will do that.
     
Macpilot
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Nov 9, 2004, 09:37 PM
 
Damn! I hope it does not suck as bad as you guys say. I just ordered one today.

Is scrolling for everything a pain, or just playlists?

My previous setup had my iPod hooked up to one of those aux input converters into my factory stereo, but with my new vehicle I am replacing all the factory stuff.

I shall post my opinions next week when I get the system installed.
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JonahLee
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Nov 9, 2004, 09:43 PM
 
I don't recomend it. I literally unplug my ipod, scroll to whichever playlist and hit play, then plug it in, and miss the first part of the song. The scroll feature is useless!
-Jonah Lee

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STAT
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Nov 10, 2004, 02:15 AM
 
Y'all need to stop complaining and either buy it or don't buy it. You should be happy that they're even offering this. Five years ago if you'd said that the leading car stereo manufacturer was going to be making a product specifically to work with an Apple product, everybody would have laughed.
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JonahLee
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Nov 10, 2004, 10:23 AM
 
I don't agree about stopping complaining. This is a completely sub standard product, and people should be warned before they purchase it. Someone who has an ipod is used to some level of quality, and this product does not deliver.
-Jonah Lee

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MikeD
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Nov 10, 2004, 10:42 AM
 
You can't scroll while the iPod is plugged in? ie, when my iPod is docked, I can still scroll and select songs...
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JonahLee
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Nov 10, 2004, 10:45 AM
 
No I can scroll through songs, but the interface is so slow it take me many minutes to find anything not at the beggining or the end. Like a single turn goes a single plyalist, or song or artist.
-Jonah Lee

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STAT
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Nov 10, 2004, 02:08 PM
 
Wah. Don't like it, don't buy it. EOR.
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Sirfishalot  (op)
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Nov 15, 2004, 02:06 AM
 
I begin to wonder now if this piece of work really does what they claimed it would - charge the iPod? Mine doesn't seem to be doing so. My battery power had run down and I took the iPod with me in the truck thinking low battery; no proplem. Lo and behold the unit would not even start up when connected to the Adapter.
Either I don't have something hooked up right (self-installed) which I doubt since the iPod is able to play from the unit or the thing simply does not charge the unit. I had it playing in my truck half the day on Saturday and now the battery is depleted again which shouldn't be if it is supposed to be charged from the interface adapter. This really pisses me off.
Can anyone verify if theirs is actually being charged?

     
JonahLee
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Nov 15, 2004, 11:30 AM
 
Mine does seem to charge when it is attached.
-Jonah Lee

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Macpilot
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Nov 17, 2004, 01:57 AM
 
Just got my car back from the installer.

For the most part this thing is pretty cool. The instructions that come with it are quite lame.

Yes, the scrolling is slow, but this is compared to scrolling on the iPod itself, which makes scrolling on any other device seem so slow. This makes creating the optimum playlists so much more important.

I quickly noticed the limitation of finding a certain artists. Mine stopped at the "T's". So it appears I will have to make playlists for my artists that come after T.

I also noticed that you can't search for artists, albums, and playlists, once you are playing something when the Mix setting is enabled. So this seems kinda crappy, as you must turn off the Mix (shuffle) feature on the Alpine head unit in order to exit that playlist.

The display on my CDA-9833 is quite nice. I only scratched the surface in terms of different settings on this unit. There are too many. Why doesn't Apple make a head unit?

My issue now is how to mount the iPod so it looks nice. I have a pocket under the head unit now because the stock Scion stereo was so tall. Anybody have any suggestions?

Thanks
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