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I have a 2004 xkr and i would like to add Bluetooth for audio playback from my phone, i dont need to connect up the jaguar phone or use my mobile hands free for calls. Im hoping to find something at a budget price just for audio, is it easy to fit yourself or is it worth getting an installer to do it? I have searched for info but the stuff i find seems to cover hands free and using the phone etc.
There are also, CD changer splices that add Bluetooth. Parrot MK kits to add more features. And of course, stereo replacement.
Thanks. Ill search again but i had not come across a set up that just used audio playback by bluetooth. I am at work now so i have time to do some research on my laptop.
The cassette is something to consider if it works well. Old tape heads can give off poor sound so i was unsure about going this route.
Originally Posted by MRomanik
I use the Ion cassette adapter in my '97 Jag & '04 Audi.
I have seen the Ion adapter, does it have any drawbacks and how does the sound compare to cd?
Originally Posted by SeismicGuy
I was just about to mention this--the best $20 I ever spent!
Doug
I have seen the Ion adapter, does it have any drawbacks and how does the sound compare to cd?
There are really 3 Bluetooth profiles of interest here:
Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP)
Audio/Video Remote Control Profile (AVRCP)
Hands Free Profile (HFP)
A2DP is just music streaming and maybe Next/Previous/Start/Stop
AVRCP is where you can browse your library and select tracks.
HFP is for phone.
Almost all cars solutions will have A2DP and HFP (like it or not). AVRCP requires a more upscale solution.
[QUOTE=Rob L;1691937]Thanks. Ill search again but i had not come across a set up that just used audio playback by bluetooth. I am at work now so i have time to do some research on my laptop.
The cassette is something to consider if it works well. Old tape heads can give off poor sound so i was unsure about going this route.
I have seen the Ion adapter, does it have any drawbacks and how does the sound compare to cd?
It works well for me but I'm not an audiophile. It does have to be recharged after about 4-5 hours. I haven't tried to use it for phone calls though.
The Nulaxy device is an FM transmitter. It broadcast your music on an empty channel.
YMMV. In some places they work well, in others they are useless. The FM channels are very tight by me, so FM Xmitters never worked well for me. I'd go with a tape adapter over this.
Thanks. Ill search again but i had not come across a set up that just used audio playback by bluetooth. I am at work now so i have time to do some research on my laptop.
The cassette is something to consider if it works well. Old tape heads can give off poor sound so i was unsure about going this route.
I have seen the Ion adapter, does it have any drawbacks and how does the sound compare to cd?
I have seen the Ion adapter, does it have any drawbacks and how does the sound compare to cd?
Again--keep in mind we are talking about 20 bucks here. The performance of this little device is absolutely astounding given that price. I stream Pandora at various times and you can also use it to talk on the cell phone. For me, the music quality is excellent--sounds like a CD in terms of quality as far as I can tell. But then again I am not an audiophile.
I investigated several times about doing a hard-wired upgrade using Parrot or something similar but we were now talking about $500+.
Guys many thanks for your helpful replies, after some consideration i have bought the bluetooth cassette adapter, there is one called DigitNow available in the uk, it may well be made by the same folk as Ion one, the Ion one is a lot more expensive.
I got it for £20 off of Amazon, if i like it i will have saved a bundle, if i dont like it i can utilize it at my work in an old cassette player. I hope i like it. For the sake of £20 its worth a punt. I will report back my thoughts.
Hmm the good thing about Amazon, order on sunday for free delivery and it arrives on the bank holiday Monday afternoon. Good service.
The bluetooth cassette sounds ok however when i turn it up you can hear the mechanical turning noise of the cassette player motor coming through my speakers, it is not really acceptable, also when you push the tape about it with your finger it goes from dull to clear so your not always getting the best sound. I dont know if they will let me return it as i have obviously removed it from the packaging.
Slightly different solution, but I fitted a DAB receiver that runs through the exisiting head unit, and has an AUX in (wired rather than bluetooth). I have the aux-in emerging in the centre cubby box, and can plug any device in. The sound is excellent, plus I have DAB radio too. This is the device I used: Kinetic digitizor DAB, DAB , DMB-A add-on car radio
If you just want bluetooth music, then a simple solution would be to buy a Bluetooth audio streamer and connect that to the audio L-R connections from the CD player in the boot. Something like this one:-
You would lose the ability to play CDs and instead get Bluetooth when you select CD on the head unit. To do this you need to splice into the audio lines in the cable that goes from the CD unit, leaving the other connections intact (so the head unit can still "see" the CD player). A car audio installer should be able to do it.
A while back I decided to dedicate my cassette player as the input for phones, etc.. I also wanted a solution that does not require removal/charging of the adapter. I am halfway thru the process.
First I "hard wired" the cassette adapter into the unit so that the 3.5mm jack is not dangling out of the front of the cassette flap.
Wire is routed out the back of the unit and into the console. I disabled the auto eject of the cassette so the flap stays down and hides the adapter entirely.
All that is left for me to do is purchase one of these small bluetooth receivers that will output to 3.5mm and plug in my hidden wire. I plan to hide the BT receiver since it will be always powered when key is on.
On a similar note, and if we're talking dismantling, I have previously wired a 3.5mm jack directly to the board where the tape head signal goes. This was on a 1998 Range Rover, but would work on any unit with a tape deck. I unplugged the small board that the tape head is actually mounted to. That stereo didn't object if there was no actual tape inserted (some will) so as long as the lever that indicates a tape being present was pushed back (using a screwdriver) it was happy. As long as you didn't accidently press eject you could happlily swap between inputs. And if you did hit eject, a quick prod with a screwdriver re-engaged the tape player.
Hmm the good thing about Amazon, order on sunday for free delivery and it arrives on the bank holiday Monday afternoon. Good service.
The bluetooth cassette sounds ok however when i turn it up you can hear the mechanical turning noise of the cassette player motor coming through my speakers, it is not really acceptable, also when you push the tape about it with your finger it goes from dull to clear so your not always getting the best sound. I dont know if they will let me return it as i have obviously removed it from the packaging.
I know what you are saying. When I first got the ION I also noticed that you can slightly hear the turning of the cassette (just like a real cassette) but that was only if I had the volume extremely low and the noise did not transmit through the speakers. The very slight mechanical noise was not noticeable once I turned the volume to normal listening. Also, not sure why you would be fiddling around with the cassette once it is in and operating. I have had others in the car when streaming music from my phone to the ION and everyone had thought it sounded just like bluetooth that is built into most cars these days.
Bluetooth For Audio Only XKR
