how to connect a harman kardon go play sounddock (works with ipod gen 5) with a bluetooth adapter?

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how to connect a harman kardon go play sounddock (works with ipod gen 5) with a bluetooth adapter?

Hello everyone,

I have a question not really concerning my old ipod (5th gen) but the sounddock i used with this ipod.

It´s a harman kardon go+play - the first generation, issued in 2006 or 2008.

It works fine with the old ipod but as i recently moved on with my apple familiy and also my music usage behaviour changed i´m now in desperate need of a connection between the two worlds.

I would like to use the sounddock with my iphone/ipad via bluetooth for the music streaming apps like spotify. And i would like to use it outdoors. So a bluetooth adapter with a power supply unit is not the favourite solution. (This was the recommendation of the harman kardon support)

I have tried various adapters so far. The problem is, none of them works as they do not seem to take power from the 30pin cradle.

I have noticed that there has been a change in the pin allocation and this is probably the reason why the latest adapters do not work.

Has anyone an idea which product could work or what the keywords are I have to search for?

Or do you know if there is a adpater that can be placed between the soundock and the bluetooth adapter to change pin allocation?

Any advice is welcome.

Thanks a a lot!

Posted on Feb 27, 2014 12:22 AM

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Answer 1

Feb 27, 2014 5:51 PM in response to needtokno

If the "sounddock" has a auxiliary sound input, it would typically look like a headphones jack but it may be a pair of red and white "RCA" connectors, maybe you can connect a Bluetooth audio receiver to that connection. Using that sound input instead of the docking connection allows to use a product that is designed for ANY standard sound input, not one that specializes in an iPod dock connection.

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Answer 2

needtokno Author

Level 1

8 points

Mar 20, 2014 1:06 AM in response to Kenichi Watanabe

Thank you for your quick response.

This is of course a solution that would work instantly.

Most of those bluetooth devices have an external power supply with them. I want to avoid taking two devices with me (as I want to use the sounddock outdoors, powered by battery).

I have considered to try a connector extension. But I haven´t found one yet that is compatible to the iPod 5th Gen.

Again, thank your for your support.

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Answer 3

Mar 20, 2014 2:56 PM in response to needtokno

Some of those bluetooth adapters seem to be battery powered.

I have considered to try a connector extension.

If that is a wired extension cable, and the SoundDock has an auxilliary audio input, you can just get an audio cable of desired length to go between your device's headphones jack and the auxilliary audio input. For example

http://www.amazon.com/Monster-iCable-Auxiliary-Discontinued-Manufacturer/dp/B002 AR5XIK/

Then, just operate the iPod normally and play its audio through the external speakers.

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