Hi All - new the board so here it goes

I currently have the factory deck in my '03 Civic and am tired of the FM transmittor to listen to my Ipod - damn static!!

I have looked at decks that have an Aux port. Is the sound the same as you hear through the headphones or am I back to square one with the static?

When it comes to Ipod Control decks, do these also play the playlist you have saved on your Ipod or just the songs?

What is the better way to go as far as sound and simplicity?

 

What kind of investment are you prepared to make into the new headunit? Here in BC our law changed on 2010-01-01 and we now have a outright ban on handheld devices like I-pods unless they are a one button one push operation and are mounted. I would expect that most provinces will follow suit or have already done so. For this reason I would short list a headunit that both controls and charges the ipod, this way the ipod is buried say in the glove box and you will use the headunit to control the operation ensuring that you are compliant under the motor vehicle act.

To answer your question, going through a aux input is going to result in far better sound than the fm modulator route you are at presently. The static (unless recorded that way) would be non existent. For ease of use, get a good cd player that has a better display on it to allow it to show more information. There is nothing worse than a headunit with 1 line of information only. Bought properly you might also find a cd player with built in A2DP bluetooth for the cell phone ban in your province as well. I have lots of solutions for you, depending upon the investment you would like to make.

 

I'm running an Alpine IDA-X305 and love it. Controls are very similar to the Ipod & yes you can play your playlists. It has a color screen, same size as the ipod. Great sound quality. Retail is about $350 but you should be able to find a better deal on it.

 

Yeah I forgot about the hand-held law - its the same here in Ontario too.
So I guess the smart choice would be the deck with Ipod control.

I am not sure what is better though - going to a big box store like Best Buy and Futureshop OR trying to find an independant car audio place.

Any recommendations in the Mississauga or Oakville area that sells what I am looking for?
I don't want to spend alot but want quality.

 

Once you have more posts on your account (but do not post dump to get them up no matter what) you will start to see more of the site. If you contribute to the site all the ads are going to dissappear as well. I have lots of deals on cd players right now, I still have 2 of the Eclipse CD5030 if you are after a top notch cd player. Again it depends on budget which is what you need to have the answer to. I have lots of solutions for you, we just need to nail down which one.