04 xt radio input jacks?

[Nu2Subies]

I have the o4 xt premium package.. with 6 disk cd changer.. thinking bout getting an mp3 player but my main purpose is to be able to listen to my tunes in the car... Im looking at the archos dv320. cinema on the go.. it has outputs but im wonderin if there are inputs on the rear of the radio.. I dont think archos makes a little fm transmitter that I can broadcast over a radio station, and secondly the quality wouldn't be all that good.. If Peaty can help me out on this one I would appreciate it... thanks in advance...

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[Peaty]

All the Subaru OEM head units I've removed do not have any inputs or RCA outs. I had the OEM XT radio out and didn't see any there either

[Nu2Subies]

thats what I thought.. I'm sure someone makes a remote fm modulator.. I know they make one for the Ipod but i cant find anything for the archos unit.... I dont want to get one if I cant find a way to play my mp3's in the car... humm.. thx for the speedy reply...

[jdchmiel]

my 2k 2.5rs I used to have had a clarion unit, with the same plug as clarion aftermarket players. The pin out was different I guess as the only functionality I found was ejecting and turning power on and off. But that does mean some of those pins are audio in/out

[Peaty]

That was because you could hook up a din plug for the CD player, the XT unit is an all in one unit. Also it's made by Matsu****a which is I think Panisonic, Magnivox and maybe Clarion I forget who all else.



edit ha ha the filter edited my make name, I think that's funny...

[donsev]

Peaty,

Do you mean that the XT head unit does not have data ports of any kind (e.g. pinouts for L/R audio, control etc.)?

If it had, one could have used something like the BlitzSafe interface to connect portable devices. But looking at their make/model compatability list I see NO Subaru models listed (but just about every other make imagineable).

Bummer.

[Peaty]

There are no AUX in-out lines other than the ones on standard power/speaker harness that plugs in normally.

[Black Blur]

There are FM modulators out there that will do the job.
For starters see: http://shop.store.yahoo.com/mobile-e...odulators.html
For the most part they work very well.

BB

[mgenti]

Originally posted by Black Blur
There are FM modulators out there that will do the job.
For starters see: http://shop.store.yahoo.com/mobile-e...odulators.html
For the most part they work very well.

BB

I have used a really old one in my XT that I used to use in my first car that didn't have a tape deck or CD player. It seemed to work better in my XT than my old car. I think it has to do with the fact that the antena is inside the car.

--Mark

[bozman9]

Doh! That sucks. I have a Blitzsafe adapter in my Audi for use with a Nomad MP3 player. It works great! I was hoping they made one for Subarus too.

-Boz

[boomer1]

It's disappointing that there's no input jack on the XT head unit. I've tried several of the FM transmitters, and haven't found them to be all that great. Last year's Forester radio at least had a cassette unit, so one could use a cassette car-kit to connect an MP-3 player to that.

When Subaru dropped the cassette unit, they should have provided either MP-3 compatibility in the CD player, or else a convenient input jack.

[Nu2Subies]

Okay.. puchased a portable mp3 player this weekend and went with one of the cheezy remote fm modulator units the local electronic shop sells and what a waste of money.. Im taking it back tomorrow for sure... This thing doesnt work for sh**. First off around the Cleveland area every station is taken... Its suppose to work from 88.1 to 88.9 and theres everything from spanish music to gospel.... Anyway... Im totally frustrated.. I went to the links you guys provided and it doesnt say much about these units.. Do you have to put them inline with the antenna? or do they xmit the signal? I think thats the a problem too.. The antenna in the Xt is in the rear and my mp3 player is up front...
Im hoping someone has had success with one of these units.. Im not expecting cd quality sound but I would at least hope for what is equivilent to strong signal from my local radio station.. Anyway.. any input would be greatly appreciated...

[wadejg]

Check out products like this:

http://www.hobbytron.net/product581.html

You can get the same thing at Circuit Shi**y, Worst Buy, Crutchfield (the only one with knowledgable staff), etc. They still run through the radio but at least they are hard wired to the antenna and have a real 12V hard wired power supply and can therefore emit a much stronger single than the cigarette lighter-wireless signal units.

Unfortunately, even wired FM units will still not have the signal quality of an Auxillary input or even a tape deck adapter, since it is limited by the cut off frequency range and compression inherent to crumby FM tuners found in all car head units.

Anybody that wants a nicer wireless unit can expect to spend $80. I lost the link but a couple are recommended at the XM radio forum www.xmfan.com.

Regards,
Justin Wade

[Nu2Subies]

Thanks for the info... a wealth of knowledge.. I just installed an fm modulator tonight... Pyle unit.. Not all the great. a bit of crackling but nothing really bad... it was only 30 bucks.. They have a unit they claim to be better.. Its almost 70 bucks, but it can be tuned to 100 different frequencies... also they claim its digital. wonder if that would clear up the sound.mine currently only has 2, and there are stations on both.. I read about the antenea amp also.. this could be causing me problems.. Im wondering if peaty has a schematic on this and how to deenergize it ... Also I wonder if he has a schematic for the cigarette lighter plug.. I need to find a better ground.. I currently have it wedged between two bare pieces of metal (with a bolt..) Im sure this isnt the best route but its temporary..When I had the plug out it has 4 wires.. two for cigarette. red and black and I think the other 2 are for the light? blackwhite stripe and green.. Im wondering if green is ground? I doubt it its probably neutral.. Not sure how cars actually are wired because there is no true ground.. Ahhh what a mess.. Anway at least I have a few more tunes now.. thx guys ... love the site..

[Nu2Subies]

Oppps.. forgot one things.. I also noticed another port on the back of my 6 cd changer.. almost looks like a Svideo jack but bigger.. Im wondering if that has an auxiliar input by chance? but there is no way to select auxiliary on the front of the head unit... Interesting...

[bozman9]

Hmmm, can anyone confirm what that big jack on the back of the unit is? Please please please let it be some type of AUX jack!

-Boz

[jdchmiel]

the s video like jack sounds exactly like the clarion jack that was on my '00 impreza. The oem in that car was actually 2 separate units. the botom unit was CD player only, which plugge dinto the top cassette/stereo unit, so the CD sound had to get up there somehow. My aftermarket clarion unit also had the same jack, but differnet pin out. It could have just been different versions of the interface as it mentioned somehting about it in the manual that i only glanced over. I would be wiling to bet that there might be different in dash units depending if you have th ein dash 6 disc player or not, and possibly other options?

[donsev]

Originally posted by Nu2Subies
but there is no way to select auxiliary on the front of the head unit... Interesting...

On our MDX, you press the CD button on the steering wheel audio controls to cycle through the inputs, including the Aux input if you have a BlitzSafe type adapter installed. This is not a documented feature. It is possible that on other head units, a nondescript button may perform similiar double duty.

[mgenti]

In a previous car I had a Clarion head unit. I would not be surprised if you could not cycle to the possible AUX port you guys are talking about until something is plugged in there. In my old unit I could plug in a six disc changer but you couldn't cycle to it until it was plugged in.
--Mark

[Nu2Subies]

I ment to contact subaru directly today but got tied up at work.. I wonder if customer support could tell you what the head unit is and what the jack on the back is?

[mgenti]

Peaty posted this on subaruforester.com I think it might help out a little:

[Peaty]

It's also on our Scoobymods site

[donsev]

To my naive eye, it looks like the pinouts for Aux In are right there in the, as Nu2Subies calls it, S-Video jack.

Heck, with a little searching through the RadioShack catalog, you could probably find the right connector and solder up your own adapter.

(...now which button would cycle through the inputs?...)

[Nu2Subies]

from what I've found out, and on other head units. this is connect an additional cd changer.. In order to access that you must hit cd1 track one. or something to that effect...

[BOXXER]

This is something that I am extremely interested in. I did do some searches for connectors but did not come up with anything. If I could find some connectors or build some from radio shack I will definately take this on. I some prototypes of connectors that people made for Audis. It will be a few weeks before I can start though. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.