How much better does hard-wiring sound than cassette adapters?

[tomjonesrocks]

I have a (highly rated at amazon.com) Coby cassette adapter I'm using to use my Ipod in the car. However, even though I've fiddled plenty with the EQ and volume settings on the Ipod, I think this setup sounds like absolute *garbage* though my otherwise pretty decent stock car stereo.

So, my question is, what kind of sound improvement do you get by spending hundreds achieving a direct-wire connect to your stereo? Unless it's a really *huge* improvement, I can't justify the cost--but I think the cassette solution is pretty unacceptable.

Any feedback is appreciated.

[bobb-mini]

If u are that unhappy, u may have to.

Wanna save $? How much do you know about cleaning the cassette's head, demagnetize it, attempt to troubleshoot why the adapter and your cassette is not aligned perfectly. When was the last time u use that cassette thingy? U turned off dolby, and followed the adapter's instructions for the correct tape settings right?

[tomjonesrocks]

If u are that unhappy, u may have to.

Wanna save $? How much do you know about cleaning the cassette's head, demagnetize it, attempt to troubleshoot why the adapter and your cassette is not aligned perfectly. When was the last time u use that cassette thingy? U turned off dolby, and followed the adapter's instructions for the correct tape settings right?

I don't know anything about these things and it's been a LONG time since I've used my car cassette deck for anything. But the whole setup just seems to make my setup sound so "tinny" and punchless (the higher the volume is on the Ipod the worse it gets). If I change the bass settings on the Ipod it sounds too artificial. It sounds really awful.

Could it be my cassette adapter sucks? I bought the one that had the best reviews I could find. I'd hate to go through a whole bunch of them and be unhappy with them all. My particular car happens to be *very* difficult to hard-wire though (Saab 9-5 Aero).

[bobb-mini]

The answer is in my paragraph#2. If u don't understand any of that, u could try to bring it in to a stereo store, show them my reply and ask them how much they charge to do the work. Or phone that bookworm nephew u haven't talk for a while.

Hit the "switch side" button while the adapter is in, u may get lucky.

[~tl]

Hard wiring makes a lot of difference. Tape adapters are quite noisy, and kill the balance of the EQ of the song you are listening to. You don't need to spend too much to achieve a hardwired system. A lot of cheap head units have an AUX in port which you can wire your iPod into. You don't get the fancy control system that you do with a dedicated iPod connection kit, but you should be able to find one fairly cheaply.

You might want to try a FM transmitter though, they are fairly decent if you have a lot of spare frequencies in your area. The quality still doesn't compare with a wired solution, but it beats the pants of a cassette adapter.

TOM

[tomjonesrocks]

Hard wiring makes a lot of difference. Tape adapters are quite noisy, and kill the balance of the EQ of the song you are listening to. You don't need to spend too much to achieve a hardwired system. A lot of cheap head units have an AUX in port which you can wire your iPod into. You don't get the fancy control system that you do with a dedicated iPod connection kit, but you should be able to find one fairly cheaply.

You might want to try a FM transmitter though, they are fairly decent if you have a lot of spare frequencies in your area. The quality still doesn't compare with a wired solution, but it beats the pants of a cassette adapter.

TOM

Thanks, Tom. I bought a head cleaner and demagnetizer and neither really made any difference.

Hardwiring my particular car (saab) is very difficult actually--I'm stuck with either wired FM Modulator solutions (which I've read really bad things about) or having to open up my stock car stereo (which is advisable to keep as it's closely tied to the car's computer) and getting really crafty with some complicated soldering. So I'm probably stuck with cassette adapters and the like right now--frustrating though.

[bobb-mini]

Sorry to hear. Try these last two things: Use a few long stick q-tips, soak it in household alcohol, enough just not dripping, REALLY rub BOTH magnetic heads. Do this with 5 q-tips, then on the 6th dry q-tip wipe any residues left. If u have a compressed air can, use that now.

Look at your adapter, there maybe is a adjutment screw to the head. Play with it. Yer trying to achieve the perfect head-to-head alignment. Do what the eyes doctor do when he's fitting u for glasses/contacts.

[micmic]

Do normal tapes sound ok ?

[cks2006]

All I can say is:
Coby? Snicker Teehee.

Where I am, the Coby brand shows up in the budget department stores.

[tomjonesrocks]

All I can say is:
Coby? Snicker Teehee.

Where I am, the Coby brand shows up in the budget department stores.

Yeah, I had no idea what I was buying. I wound up throwing the Coby in the trash and buying the Sony adapter and a SiK cable to use the USB line out--huge difference in sound. That Coby thing really is a piece of crap. Don't trust Amazon reviews I guess...wish I'd seen the "D+" rating that adapter got here before buying--would have saved some trouble.

[bobb-mini]

well, crap adapters exist, live and learn.

[Galley]

Glad to here the new adapter is working out for you. The next time you're in the market for a car stereo, make sure you get one with an Aux. input. Most of them have one nowadays. If so, all you need is a $5 cable, and the sound quality will be top-notch. :D