As just a short introduction - I'm a new vendor here on Nasioc. I'm a fellow Subaru enthusiast that did some problem solving to get a clean aux-in for my XM radio for my '05 Outback XT and it has developed into a fairly successful side business. So far I've had about 500 people successfully install this mod and would like to offer this as an available mod to the Impreza community as well.

Basically what I've developed is a small circuit board that utilizes the ribbon cable between the CD changer and the amp inside the stereo, piggybacking onto the CD audio lines by plugging that ribbon into this board and the ribbon that comes with the board back into the amp. This gives you a clean line level in, although admittedly it comes with a catch - you have to play a Silent CD so that you don't hear two things at once. Still, this is a small price to pay for many of us suffering through FM modulated sound with the factory deck when you can up it to CD quality audio.

As far as I know, the only Impreza radio this works with is the 6CD 2005 & 2006 radios - P-133. Several WRX owners have already tried and verified that it works in this radio. As far as I know, it will not work in any other Impreza radio because the pinout on the CD ribbon cable is different. Sorry about that - you can't win them all.

Keep in mind that you have to disassemble the factory radio to install this board since it utilizes connections internal to the radio to give you an aux-in. If you download the PDF instructions (http://www.jazzyengineering.com/Installation_Manual_2-0.pdf) off the website, it will give you a better idea of what's involved.

The product is available on my website: www.jazzyengineering.com

I'd be happy to answer any questions. Following is the FAQ I've posted on other sites.

Cool product, and nice documentation. Not in the market myself, but props on attention to detail!

The FAQ:
Will this work on other Subaru's? YES. This will work on WRX/Impreza/Outback Sports, Legacy's & Outbacks. As far as I know, it will not work in Bajas, Forester or Tribeca's. It will not work for any years but 2005 & 2006. This mod is only for 05/06 Subaru Legacy's, Outbacks (2.5L & 3.0L), and Outback Sport/Impreza & WRX's with 6CD radios (P-133). It has also been found to work additionally in the 2004 LL Bean Outback Radio (P-126).

Will this work on non-US radios? Yes, it will work with Canadian radios. It will not work in the McIntosh radio, and it will not work in overseas radios (European, Japanese, Australian)...sorry. I wish it did.

There is no loss of function of the changer correct? Correct, all the board does is piggyback another audio signal onto the CD out. Your whole stereo functions 100% normally if you have nothing plugged into the aux port. Also, since there is no soldering/cutting, if you decide you don't like it later, you can always unplug it and reassemble your radio to be 100% stock, like nothing ever happened.

Where is the aux-in btw? The stereo jack (aux-in port) is soldered to the board. The board has a plug that accepts the ribbon cable from the cd changer and a plug + ribbon cable that plugs into where the CD changer was plugged into the amp. If you take a look at the install manual, you'll have a better idea what I'm talking about.

Would I have to run a cable deep into the dash to connect? Yes...since the board is not only deep in your dash, but deep in your radio, that's where you would have to run a patch cable to.

What type of cable comes with the board? RCA? Stereo? Neither...because there are numerous possible ways to connect different audio devices, I have not provided an audio cable. To directly connect a device with another 1/8" stereo jack (like headphones), all you need is a 1/8" stereo patch cable (male to male). If you want, you can put together your own configuration of cables and adapters using my website (http://www.jazzyengineering.com/).

Would I be able to change sources easy enough (iPod and Sirius)? or would I have to disassemble everything to switch things out? What I would do is run a good 1/8" stereo patch cable from inside the stereo to somewhere convenient in your car, then you can easily change what you plug that end of the patch cable into, be it an XM radio or ipod. You could also run a headphone jack splitter and plug both in, and just use one at a time.

How does the sound quality compare to a line in fm modulator? I would assume it is perfect, is there any audible loss? I'm not enough an audiophile to legitimately qualify it as "perfect" but I would confidently suggest that it is "near-CD" quality. It literally connects your aux in device to the same point as the audio line levels for the built in CD changer, so I suppose it's as good/bad as your source. There is no comparison to an FM modulator. Several others have reviewied the sound quality that would suggest it is very good.

How does the loudness compare to the CD player or FM/AM Radio? Unfortunately, I have to give you another subjective answer, but with the line levels on my XM Roady2 out at 5 or 6 out of 10 it's easily as loud as the CD player and radio. I had to turn it down from where I had it set on my old stereo (8) and it's still much louder. As a result, the bass sounds stronger at lower volumes too. If you're using a portable audio device with a headphone jack, it's not going to be as loud or as good as if you use a docking connector or something else that will provide a (higher) true line level signal.

Will the silent CD repeat or continue to the next disc? You can use track repeat, but it will loose the "repeat setting" every time you turn your car off. If you use the aux-in regularly instead of other CD's (like me), I would just eject all the other CD's & then it will just repeat the silent CD automatically (forever).

Can I make my own Silent CD? Sure. It's very simple to make your own CD. It's just a single 75 min audio track of silence.

Be aware that this aux-in port is 'always on' to the amp...so if you're running it to something that doesn't turn off, and you have ground loop noise, you will hear it on every function, be it radio or CD...in that case, you would probably want a way to unplug the 'convenient end' of the patch cable from your source...or better yet, eliminate your ground loop. Whatever you do, plan accordingly. If using a device which draws its power from the vehicle such as XM, cigarette lighter adapter, etc., it is highly recommended to also purchase a ground loop isolator to prevent this problem. I highly recommend the PAC GLI available on my website (http://www.jazzyengineering.com/product_info.php?cPath=22&products_id=29), but others are also available from retail locations such as Crutchfield, Radio Shack and Walmart.

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-OH3qaMU6PwZ/cgi-bin/prodgroup.asp?g=181150&est=&search=ground+loop

Bump for an awesome product. :cool:

Just ordered one after finding your thread on the legacy forum. Can't wait to get it! The next week or so of listening to CD and Radio only in my "new" 05 LGT is going to kill me.