I’m curious what kits others have been used to add Bluetooth to the factory radio. I use an fm transmitter with my other vehicles but I might delete the 5’ tall power antenna and would prefer to keep the interior all original.

 

This is what I’ve used, easy installation, great sound, and factory looks.

its only for Bluetooth, not phone conversations

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Bluetooth cassette. Works fine for my needs.

 

FM transmitter and fuse pull for the aerial works well for me

 

Is there another way to get quality music off of your phone besides Bluetooth ? Isn’t that what the OP’s end goal is ?

I know the FM transmitters will plug into many phones, but the sound quality is just lousy compared to the Bluetooth solution.

imho, even AM radio has better fidelity than the FM transmitters. Measured subjectively of course.

 

I tried one of the Bluetooth adapters from Amazon which supposedly supported handsfree. However, the sound was awful making me think I needed speaker upgrades. After listening to some cds, I found the sound to be adequate (mine has the premium audio). I have since ordered the A2DIY-JAG98 from discount stereos. It is due to arrive today, so I will try to install it this week. They have instructions for the coupe, but didn’t see them for the convertible. I’ve seen info on the forum about following the hydraulic lines, so hopefully won’t be too bad.

 

Yes, it’s a mixed bag. Not all Bluetooth adapters are equal quality.


thanks to the forum recommendations I was able to get one that met my needs on the first try.

Z

 

The cassette adapter I had bought a few years ago is one of these
I think it was about $20 at the time and for that money it did an admirable job. Streaming music was excellent and also able to make or take calls (although I really hate being in the phone while in the car). The main downside was that you could slightly hear the cassette player running while the cassette is in and whenever you needed to push the cassette back in after stopping the car (auto eject). Actuall the one listed by zray https://www.discountcarstereo.com/a2...ategory_id=448 looks like a slicker alternative.

 

I’ll probably do this but will add a 12v outlet to hide the transmitter.

 

If I don’t like using an fm transmitter I might get this one.

 

I use a little transmitter that plugs into the cigar lighter socket. Works fine and will take a USB memory stick. There's no point in trying any harder if you're only playing lossy-compression MP3 music.

Its bluetooth capability is great for my phone satnav audio.

 

I don’t know about other phones, but my iPhone lets the user choose between several types of digital music quality. If one listens to the same song on each type, it’s quite obvious the difference in audio quality.

 

I wonder if there has ever been an AM transmitter 🤔

 

sure. But the demand is a fraction of the FM type.

Amazon:
PRUNUS J-189 Bluetooth AM FM Radio, Small Portable Radio - Dual Speaker Heavy Bass, LED Flashlight, Pocket Size, TF Card USB AUX MP3 Player, Rechargeable Battery Operated Small Radio(Black)

(Link doesn’t work)

 

Bluetooth is all the rage these days but a hard wired Aux-in socket can still produces good results. Wiring in to the cassette player like so



The player still requires one of those FM Transmitter cassettes with the electronics removed to fool the player into spinning both drive shafts when aux-in is selected by pressing the cassette ply button.

 

I have installed the A2DIY-JAG98. I made a bit of a mess with the 12v aux connection. The sound quality over bluetooth is quite good. The cd's continue to play while using bluetooth. However, the handsfree hasn't worked so well. I can barely hear the caller, also they can barely hear me. They say the sound cuts out quite a bit and is very low. I will try to reposition the mic and also move some wiring to see if it improves.