porsche and Apple - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

Perfectlap · 11-02-2005, 06:13 AM

What's missing from this gallery?
http://www.apple.com/ipod/ipodyourcar/

Yep, BMW, Mercedes, Audi,VW and even Ferrari are represented but no Porsche.

Has anyone tried getting an answer from Porsche on this?

limoncello · 11-02-2005, 07:02 AM

most of the lux cars are "Coming Soon". Scion out ahead of the pack, I see

blinkwatt · 11-02-2005, 08:34 AM

How is the quality of iPod music transmitted over the air?

whttkrasst · 11-02-2005, 09:22 AM

I use XM via a FM modulator and the sound quality is crappy compared to CD. In my BMW with factory Sirius, it's virtually CD-quality, but in the Boxster, over the FM band, the dynamic range is reduced (as I understand it), and just doesn't sound good. I really only use it for news therefore. And when I'm travelling, I have to change FM frequencies as I move from area to area, when I get interference from local stations. FM modulator is a poor solution. It makes me wish - funny - I had a cassette deck in-dash - so I could at least use the cassette adapter.

Until there's a MOST-bus connector/adapter, or the iPod connector, us with these newer cars are out of luck.

RandallNeighbour · 11-02-2005, 10:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Perfectlap

Yep, BMW, Mercedes, Audi,VW and even Ferrari are represented but no Porsche.

Personally, I think it has a lot more to do with demand than anything else. Ipods are a "must have" item for young people, and the cars above (sans the Ferrari) are all sedan-based manufacturers as well, meaning they sell a lot more cars that are driven daily.

Porsches are often stored in garages and driven by older persons who don't need iPod connections in their toy, but many probably want it in their daily driver such as my brother, who drives a S500 and gets a new iPod every year it seems. He has a bluetooth hookup for his that sends the signal directly to the stereo system and turns off when his bluetooth cellphone receives a call. The man does love the toys designed for his other toy.

eslai · 11-02-2005, 11:49 AM

Actually, it mostly has to do with the fiber bus used in the Porsche. Dension hasn't gotten around to interfacing with fiber yet.

Perfectlap · 11-02-2005, 12:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by whttkrasst

I use XM via a FM modulator and the sound quality is crappy compared to CD. In my BMW with factory Sirius, it's virtually CD-quality, but in the Boxster, over the FM band, the dynamic range is reduced (as I understand it), and just doesn't sound good. I really only use it for news therefore. And when I'm travelling, I have to change FM frequencies as I move from area to area, when I get interference from local stations. FM modulator is a poor solution. It makes me wish - funny - I had a cassette deck in-dash - so I could at least use the cassette adapter.

Until there's a MOST-bus connector/adapter, or the iPod connector, us with these newer cars are out of luck.

avoid the FM modulator altogether. If you call Becker in New Jersey they'll sell you the auxiliary plug($20) that connects to the back of the Porsche head unit on one end and plugs to the Ipod or XM via the stereo/headphone jack on the other end.
Turn the volume all the way up on the ipod and the sound will be CD quality.

I noticed Alpine makes a cool headunit that has a glide button that once connected to the Ipod acts like a scroll wheel to click thru your music collection.
Right now I'm using the nano which sits just below the headunit. But Satellite rocks always something new playing or something I havent heard in a while.

ukchris · 11-02-2005, 12:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Perfectlap

avoid the FM modulator altogether. If you call Becker in New Jersey they'll sell you the auxiliary plug($20) that connects to the back of the Porsche head unit on one end and plugs to the Ipod or XM via the stereo/headphone jack on the other end.

Only on pre-03 cars. 03 onwards it is FM Modulator or replace all the audio gear. I have a PC int he front trunk with 20Gb of MP3's that play through an FM Modulator. The sound is -ok- but not great.

Perfectlap · 11-02-2005, 12:43 PM

all the audio gear? or just the head unit? I imagine you could proably selll the pricey stock head unit buy the Alpine-XM-Ipod head unit and have enough left over for a new set of rear speakers.

whttkrasst · 11-02-2005, 01:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ukchris

Only on pre-03 cars. 03 onwards it is FM Modulator or replace all the audio gear. I have a PC int he front trunk with 20Gb of MP3's that play through an FM Modulator. The sound is -ok- but not great.

Right - I'm in an '05. I've ordered what I think is the correct adapter from Scosche to go inline with the FM antenna, rather than broadcast - hoping that will improve things, but am still looking forward to the direct-connect days of a fiber interface.

Isn't the issue not that the fiber is hard to interface with but isn't it that all of the car's data is flowing in there? So, short of somehow mimicing the CD changer, or something, how will the head unit know the data is for the audio system?

I'm way outside my range here, so I'm guessing. Don't these iPod adapters have to connect directly to the head unit?

Rail26 · 11-02-2005, 03:37 PM

I have called everywhere for my '05..Dension, Becker, Crutchfield etc. Nobody has the adapter yet. Using an IPOD with the transmitter...sounds horrible.

eslai · 11-02-2005, 05:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by whttkrasst

So, short of somehow mimicing the CD changer, or something, how will the head unit know the data is for the audio system?

You're 100% correct. It's a fiber bus and so it's not just a matter of mimicing CD changer commands back and forth across a dedicated wire.

However, I'm surprised it's taking them this long. These companies should've hired someone if they didn't have someone with the expertise. Whoever gets out the door with this sort of product first is going to reap massive benefits.

It's not just in the realm of iPod connectivity. Once someone figures out how to mimic the CD Changer, they're not far from creating a device that can translate messages for other audio equipment. I would love nothing more than to interface a nice head unit with a DVD/Nav display, but I'm not about to go tearing into my car to run wires all over it.

I'd love to be able to keep the stock amp, speakers, etc. and just plug in a new head unit. That would actually make the cost of fabricating a new, matching instrument surround somewhat worthwhile. The stock 987 stereo is a glorious pile of garbage, and I'm not even talking about audio quality when I say that.