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#1
Posted to rec.audio.car
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wired FM modulator question
Has anyone here had any success installing an aftermarket hardwired FM
modulator? I'm looking to play my ipod through the car stereo. The head unit is stock and doesn't have aux in's to plug the ipod into. I've tried a couple of FM wireless transmitters (Griffin Road Trip and DLO Transdock Micro) and found the fidelity to be less than satisfactory. I'd like to avoid replacing the head unit so my next option is to add an FM modulator that converts the signal coming from the ipod into a line in that is inserted into the antenna lead. Has anyone here had any experience with this and be willing to comment on the quality of sound obtained this way? Brand recommendations? thanks, Tom |
#2
Posted to rec.audio.car
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wired FM modulator question
"Wallace" wrote in message . .. Has anyone here had any success installing an aftermarket hardwired FM modulator? I'm looking to play my ipod through the car stereo. The head unit is stock and doesn't have aux in's to plug the ipod into. I've tried a couple of FM wireless transmitters (Griffin Road Trip and DLO Transdock Micro) and found the fidelity to be less than satisfactory. I'd like to avoid replacing the head unit so my next option is to add an FM modulator that converts the signal coming from the ipod into a line in that is inserted into the antenna lead. Has anyone here had any experience with this and be willing to comment on the quality of sound obtained this way? Brand recommendations? thanks, Tom Most wires FM modulators If used have better than radio quality, but less than CD quality |
#3
Posted to rec.audio.car
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wired FM modulator question
Wallace wrote:
Has anyone here had any success installing an aftermarket hardwired FM modulator? I'm looking to play my ipod through the car stereo. The head unit is stock and doesn't have aux in's to plug the ipod into. I've tried a couple of FM wireless transmitters (Griffin Road Trip and DLO Transdock Micro) and found the fidelity to be less than satisfactory. I'd like to avoid replacing the head unit so my next option is to add an FM modulator that converts the signal coming from the ipod into a line in that is inserted into the antenna lead. Has anyone here had any experience with this and be willing to comment on the quality of sound obtained this way? Brand recommendations? thanks, Tom Pioneer was one of the first I saw use this concept some 15 years ago, with a CD-changer. Installed several of those, mostly in cars where users wanted CD capability without replacing the stock system at all. Frankly, the limitation is in the FM signal itself, rather than the wireless vs. wired feed. The FM signal itself has very limited dynamic range (something like 60dB), and frequency response (60Hz-18kHz or so). It's also a multuplexed signal: the main signal is mono, with a higher subcarrier containing the differences between left and right channels. When a stereo signal is broadcast, it includes a "pilot" signal, a low-level tone at 19kHz. If the receiver detects this tone, it then knows a stereo signal is present and can de-multiplex it by combining the two separate (mono and difference) channels. The drawback is that this 19kHz tone can be audible and can sometimes appear as hiss, so most radios filter the high end significantly. Because of this process, stereo separation is also very limited in FM. All in all, it means there's a pretty low "ceiling" inherent to FM signal quality. There's just no getting around it. |
#4
Posted to rec.audio.car
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wired FM modulator question
In article UX8Hg.459553$IK3.425108@pd7tw1no, Matt Ion wrote:
Wallace wrote: Has anyone here had any success installing an aftermarket hardwired FM modulator? I'm looking to play my ipod through the car stereo. The head unit is stock and doesn't have aux in's to plug the ipod into. I've tried a couple of FM wireless transmitters (Griffin Road Trip and DLO Transdock Micro) and found the fidelity to be less than satisfactory. I'd like to avoid replacing the head unit so my next option is to add an FM modulator that converts the signal coming from the ipod into a line in that is inserted into the antenna lead. Has anyone here had any experience with this and be willing to comment on the quality of sound obtained this way? Brand recommendations? thanks, Tom Pioneer was one of the first I saw use this concept some 15 years ago, with a CD-changer. Installed several of those, mostly in cars where users wanted CD capability without replacing the stock system at all. Frankly, the limitation is in the FM signal itself, rather than the wireless vs. wired feed. The FM signal itself has very limited dynamic range (something like 60dB), and frequency response (60Hz-18kHz or so). It's also a multuplexed signal: the main signal is mono, with a higher subcarrier containing the differences between left and right channels. You will find a response that goes down much lower than that but the high end is likely to be less. Modulators don't have the stability a regular station has and they are easy to overload, meaning the overall output is going to be low. I installed an inline modulator long ago for a tape deck. Never used it much. greg |
#5
Posted to rec.audio.car
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wired FM modulator question
I got a cheapie from ebay and had to re-align it. I was kinda thinking I
needed to do so from the date of order The pilot was so high that it caused high end saturation, it also drifted a bit, it was only like 15 bucks. Fortunately I am a former broadcast engineer and own an RF spectrum analyzer Chad "GregS" wrote in message ... In article UX8Hg.459553$IK3.425108@pd7tw1no, Matt Ion wrote: Wallace wrote: Has anyone here had any success installing an aftermarket hardwired FM modulator? I'm looking to play my ipod through the car stereo. The head unit is stock and doesn't have aux in's to plug the ipod into. I've tried a couple of FM wireless transmitters (Griffin Road Trip and DLO Transdock Micro) and found the fidelity to be less than satisfactory. I'd like to avoid replacing the head unit so my next option is to add an FM modulator that converts the signal coming from the ipod into a line in that is inserted into the antenna lead. Has anyone here had any experience with this and be willing to comment on the quality of sound obtained this way? Brand recommendations? thanks, Tom Pioneer was one of the first I saw use this concept some 15 years ago, with a CD-changer. Installed several of those, mostly in cars where users wanted CD capability without replacing the stock system at all. Frankly, the limitation is in the FM signal itself, rather than the wireless vs. wired feed. The FM signal itself has very limited dynamic range (something like 60dB), and frequency response (60Hz-18kHz or so). It's also a multuplexed signal: the main signal is mono, with a higher subcarrier containing the differences between left and right channels. You will find a response that goes down much lower than that but the high end is likely to be less. Modulators don't have the stability a regular station has and they are easy to overload, meaning the overall output is going to be low. I installed an inline modulator long ago for a tape deck. Never used it much. greg |
#6
Posted to rec.audio.car
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wired FM modulator question
Chad Wahls wrote:
I got a cheapie from ebay and had to re-align it. I was kinda thinking I needed to do so from the date of order The pilot was so high that it caused high end saturation, it also drifted a bit, it was only like 15 bucks. Fortunately I am a former broadcast engineer and own an RF spectrum analyzer Heheheh, everyone should have one of those I recently used a Belkin wireless FM modulator to feed my Treo and portable DVD players' outputs to the moving truck's radio-only system on a cross-country move... I was quite happy with its performance (considering the limited fidelity of the stock system and the inherent limitations of the FM signal). |
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