Connect iPod to car stereo via 3.5mm Jack

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Connect iPod to car stereo via 3.5mm Jack

Hi,

Can someone help me figure out the best way to connect my iPod Nano to my car stereo which has a 3.5 mm stereo input connection on the back.

I have been told that the best way, for sound quality, is to connect the output from the bottom of the iPod (not the headphone jack) to the stereo input. But I can't find any cables to do that. So a couple of questions:
1. is the sound quality better from the output on the bottom of the iPod, or is the output from the headphones jack just as good
2. do cables exist to connect an iPod Nano direct to a 3.5 mm jack, and last but not least
3. Are there combination car charger and connection cables available with a 3.5mm jack stereo output.

Any help or suggestions much appreciated.

Ken

Built to Order Windows XP Pro

Built to Order, Windows XP Pro

Posted on Apr 10, 2007 1:23 PM

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Answer 1

Therion

Level 1

90 points

May 14, 2007 1:19 PM in response to Ken-Welsh

1. The sound quality is better from the output on the bottom of the iPod. If you use the headphone jack, you are sending an already-amplified signal into your car stereo, whereas using the output from the bottom will be unamplified, giving you a better sound quality. (I can give you a more detailed explanation of why this is, if you want it, but just be aware that when sending signal to an amplifier, an unamplified signal sounds better).

What I would recommend you do is get an iPod docking cradle. Apple makes one, but it's pretty expensive. I use one made by Insten, which sells them a lot cheaper than Apple, and it works just as well. You can buy one from accstation, which is where I bought mine, using the following link for a black one: http://store.accstation.com/dappnanocra5.html, or the following link for a white one: http://store.accstation.com/dappnanocra6.html.

The dock has a 3.5 mm stereo jack on the back that sends a line out signal from the iPod. You will need a cable with a male 3.5 mm stereo plug on each end. I use a high quality one made by audioquest, but you can buy one for a decent price at any RadioShack.

Finally, for charging, the dock includes a 5 foot USB cable that can be plugged into the dock on one end and a typical iPod wall charger on the other end. For charging in your car, you would need a cigarette lighter adapter, which can be purchased from the accstation website as well. However, since this plugs directly in to your iPod's docking connector (the bottom output), you would have to use the headphone jack on the iPod for audio, which would have poorer quality, but, in my opinion, doesn't sound too much worse than a line-out (unamplified) signal from the dock.

You would have one more option, and that would be to purchase a car charger that comes with a built in FM transmitter for the iPod that would allow you to listen to your iPod from any FM radio (you can buy the charger from accstation using the following link: http://store.accstation.com/dothxxxxfm12.html). However, such transmitters tend to be extremely poor in quality, so I would recommend the dock for playing your iPod and the normal car charger for charging.

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