2005 Odyssey iPod Connection

[Russ Fink]

I want to connect an iPod to my new 2005 Honda Odyssey EX. The van has the factory radio, the factory 6-disc CD changer, plus we added the factory XM radio option.

I saw the AuxPod on logjamelectronics.com but it doesn't mention compatibility with the '05 Odyssey.

Can you recommend a product or a strategy that will let me connect the iPod? My requirements are:
* I don't want to disconnect or remove any existing component.
* I don't need specific support for iPod features. It will be enough to hear the sound, okay to not see the menu/playlist info.
* I could live with a manual switch if necessary
* The solution does not have to power the ipod, I have car plugs for that.

The only other alternative is to have the factory tape deck installed and use a cassette adapter, but from what I've read, they sound terrible.

I have tried two FM transmitters, a $39 generic one from Sam Goody which is total crap (static, distortion, poor sound quality), and a $79 one from Monster which has decent sound quality but I get hiss/interference on all stations that I try. This might be because the integrated antenna on the '05 Odyssey is located in the back of the van, away from the transmitter.

I'd like to go direct-connect. Any ideas? Thanks in advance - Russ

Discussion about tape adapters and iPod -
http://www.ipodlounge.com/reviews_more.php?id=987_0_6_0_M

LogJam product, but not listed for the 2005 Odyssey -
http://www.logjamelectronics.com/piehon98aux.html

 

[dold]

I want to connect an iPod to my new 2005 Honda Odyssey EX. The van has the factory radio, the factory 6-disc CD changer, plus we added the factory XM radio option.

One of the logjam products uses the same port as the XM radio and does intelligent switching. There's some oddity about needing to have a CD inserted and playing, but you don't hear it. I forget which application that is.

* I don't need specific support for iPod features. It will be enough to hear the sound, okay to not see the menu/playlist info.

logjam likes the ipod-control, so if you talk to them or email, I would just say "mp3 player". When I said "Sony NetMD", they referred to a product that controls an in-dash Sony MiniDisc.

The only other alternative is to have the factory tape deck installed and use a cassette adapter, but from what I've read, they sound terrible.

I find that the cassette inserts some high pitched noise. I can also hear something rattling around in the cassette that fools the deck into thinking that it hasn't mechanically reached the end of the tape. This doesn't seem to work with optical sensors, like in the VW Monsoon, which just won't work with the cassette adapter, but has the high pitched squeal for the few seconds that it does work.

I have tried two FM transmitters, a $39 generic one from Sam Goody which is total crap (static, distortion, poor sound quality), and a $79 one from Monster which has decent sound quality but I get

Yep. A Belkin FM is barely usable in my Honda, unusable in my Dodge. The iPod-specific thing barely works in a Chevy Metro.

I'd like to go direct-connect. Any ideas? Thanks in advance - Russ LogJam product, but not listed for the 2005 Odyssey - http://www.logjamelectronics.com/piehon98aux.html

I am very happy with the that one in my 2003 Civic.
I would call them and ask if it will work. They reply to email, but the answers don't always match my question. It's as if they are in a hurry. They seem very nice on the phone.

I have purchased two PIE adapters now, one for an iPod to an Alpine head unit, and one for the NetMD to a Honda stock single-CD.

 

[Elmo P. Shagnasty]

The only other alternative is to have the factory tape deck installed and use a cassette adapter, but from what I've read, they sound terrible.

Not at all. I use XM through the cassette player of my 94 Lexus, and it sounds utterly superb.

That being said, if you can add a CD changer to your factory stereo, you can add a third-party piece that plugs into the CD changer port and brings out standard RCA jacks for your iPod. Your radio thinks it has a CD changer attached, and happily switches to that input.

Any decent auto electronics place can help you with that.

My concern is that maybe the factory XM radio system uses that same port, and that you're out of ports on the back of your head unit.

You didn't buy one with the factory DVD system by any chance, did you? That comes standard with RCA jacks in the back.

 

[DC]

The only other alternative is to have the factory tape deck installed and use a cassette adapter, but from what I've read, they sound terrible.

Personally, I have had great experiences with cassette adapters on Corolla and Civic. No high pitch noises or hissing. I would tell you to buy a cassette adapter and try it out, and if it sounds bad return it. But it seems that you don't have a cassette player, so it wouldn't be worth installing one to try it.

Ideally, car stereos will have an audio input (and output!) jack so you can plug in the latest technology since manufacturers can't keep up.

 

[SoCalMike]

id see if the stereo is compatible with any other honda stereos on the market, or if it uses a different wiring harness. the dealer service dept should know.

if it uses the same harness, then the same PIE things should work. if not, you might have to wait a few months for PIE to engineer something.

 

[dold]

I want to connect an iPod to my new 2005 Honda Odyssey EX. The van has the factory radio, the factory 6-disc CD changer, plus we added the factory XM radio option.

I saw the AuxPod on logjamelectronics.com but it doesn't mention compatibility with the '05 Odyssey.

A while ago there was a similar thread here.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?C3B91212A
2005 Honda Odyssey

Someone pointed out a link to
<http://www.myradiostore.us/auxadapters/pie/factory/no-external-changer/hon03-pc-son.html> but I couldn't tell if it was a suggestion, or actually in use.

 

[Frank]

It's 2005. Every radio should have auxiliary inputs.

 

[Frank]

I went through this with my last vehicle, a saturn. there was no good way to hook up my mp3 player to the factory radio. i'm now looking at a 2005 odyssey EX and it appears like i'll be in the same boat with no easy way to hook up an external mp3 player. With the saturn, I went out and bought a whole replacement unit for it for about $150 that played mp3 cds and had 2 auxiliary inputs. So, why can't they put this basic functionality into 2005 vehicles?

 

[Mike Iglesias]

I'd like to go direct-connect. Any ideas? Thanks in advance - Russ

Check out the forums at http://www.odyclub.com. I'd bet someone there has solved this already and has posted how to do it.

 

[Robert Mozeleski]

Can't you use one of those fm transmitters?

 

[dold]

Can't you use one of those fm transmitters?

In some cars, like my Dodge, the Belkin FM Transmitter doesn't work at all. In my Honda, it works, but gets swamped by KQED as soon as I get anywhere in the Bay Area. Overhead powerlines interfere, adjacent stations seem to interfere more than a station on the frequency that it is using, and the quality is never great.

<http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Merchant_Id=&Section_Id=201526&pcount=&Product_Id=140984>

 

[Gordon McGrew]

In some cars, like my Dodge, the Belkin FM Transmitter doesn't work at all. In my Honda, it works, but gets swamped by KQED as soon as I get anywhere in the Bay Area. Overhead powerlines interfere, adjacent stations seem to interfere more than a station on the frequency that it is using, and the quality is never great.

<http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Merchant_Id=&Section_Id=201526&pcount=&Product_Id=140984>

My experience with the Belkin (adjustable frequency) is that it worked very well in the house with a portable radio but was virtually unusable in the car. Far from the ideal solution of a simple input jack.