USA-SPEC iPod Auto Adapter
I just installed this adapter in my Ford truck and it rocks! If you have a factory stock radio in your car, and you want to listen to iPod/MP3/DVD through your car stereo, your options are somewhat limited. In the past, I used a cassette adapter and suffered through the poor quality. I also tried the FM transmitter option, which only worked for me if I held the antenna to boost its strength.
USA Spec has a better option. They sell an adapter that plugs into your factory stereo and pretends to be a cd-changer. This gives you the best possible sound…far better than even plugging an adapter inline with your FM attenna, and certainly better than the cassette adapters and FM transmitters.
USA Spec sells several different models, depending on your vehicle and what you want to connect. The model I chose has 2 RCA outputs, meaning I can connect 2 different inputs with an RCA-to-Headphone cable ($79.99 @ Crutchfield). They also sell an iPod specific model that has 1 RCA output and 1 iPod output which will charge your iPod.
Because the adapter is model specific, it pays to check USA Spec's compatability page 1st. Several online sites, such as Circuit City are misleading as to which adapter you need.
If You get the correct one, it will plug in to your existing stereo in about 5 minutes (just long enough to pull out the old stereo, or the whole dash, plug it in, and put everything back).
By far the best place to order these adapters is Crutchfield.com. Crutchfield has on-hand inventory, and their online vehicle guide will actually match your vehicle to the correct adapter. Also, Crutchfield.com was smart enough to know my stereo needs a DIN tool to pull it from the dash, and recommended it for $5. I placed my order at midnight and they had shipped it by 8:00AM the next day, in the middle of the Christmas rush! They also included installation instructions for my vehicle, not really necessary but nice. To make this work, you will also need an RCA-to-headphone cable. These come in different lengths so I recommend you plan your install carefully and get the exact size you need. I recommend the Monster cable for the best sound.
Crutchfield was kind enough to give me a referral code with my order. If you purchase more than $200, and enter this code, you should get $20 off your order. Not sure how long the code is good for, so give it a try: (p248g-u1ru3-v662x).
-Bill
Jerry said,
December 19, 2006
I bought and installed this device, due to Bill’s recommendation. I give it a 5+ stars…
Purchased from ipodcarparts
. Everything I needed was in the one kit.
Complete time for install: 10 minutes.
First, I removed the face plate from around the head unit (I have a Ford Explorer with a factory unit). This involved using a wide flat head screwdriver (I saw where people recommended a putty knife to prevent scarring… either way do it carefully) to pry the plate off — there are no retaining screws, merely clips that hold it on.
Once the face plate was off, two screws released the head unit, which then slid out easily enough. remove the plugs from the back, and insert the wiring harness that came with the USA-SPEC device. plug the old wiring back into the new harness, plug in the cord that runs from the harness to the USA-SPEC device, and run it down the inside of the dash out under the glovebox.
Slide the head unit back in, screw it back down, replace cover… plug extension (now hanging out below the glove box) into the USA-SPEC device, screw USA-SPEC device down, attach iPod cable, and that’s it.
Literally 10 minutes.
I love being able to control the iPod through the stereo unit… and the sound quality is superb.
Now, I’m going to do this again in my Camry… after the holidays!