ipod

[newv70xcmom]

I was wondering if anyone has any suggestion on what is the best way to intergrate an ipod. I was told that some people retro fit the power adapter. Has anyone had any experience or suggestions on how you use your mp3 player in the XC

[Litster]

I use iTrip. The sound quality is not that good. But the road and engine noises mask out the static most of the time. So it is acceptable. As for power you can get a Belkin iPod car adapter. I have seen the car adapter at CompUSA and Target. CompUSA also sells the iTrip for $30, about $5 cheaper than other stores I've seen.

[barrysharp]

I use iTrip with my iPod/HU803 and use 89.9 FM in my Seattle Area and surrounding areas and get acceptable music quality. For $30 it's the way to go until Volvo provides AUX IN in future models such as late 2005.

[NeuDaddi]

Maybe I am behind the times, but I just use a cassette adapter for my iPod. I enjoy music, but I guess I don't care that much about perfect sound quality. Truth is, I think the XC70 has a little too much road noise, compounded when I use a roofbox, so I don't see the point in going nuts about getting the best possible sound out of my iPod. I don't rip the music at the highest quality possible, either.

Maybe I am just lame.

[Litster]

Cassette adapter has a higher fidelity then FM transmitter. Cassette adapter's quality is actually very close to AUX line in. FM's stereo separation is pretty weak. The optimal FM frequency is between 98 to 103, from reading some iPod sites. That's why there are so many radio stations in this range.

[barrysharp]

Maybe I am behind the times, but I just use a cassette adapter for my iPod. I enjoy music, but I guess I don't care that much about perfect sound quality. Truth is, I think the XC70 has a little too much road noise, compounded when I use a roofbox, so I don't see the point in going nuts about getting the best possible sound out of my iPod. I don't rip the music at the highest quality possible, either.

Maybe I am just lame.

I understand your position. I have to say though, that when you turn the volume up to drown out the car's road noise and noise from air turbulence the music sound quality becomes far more important. The difference in music sound quality between playing a CD and iPod/iTrip at high volumes is very noticeable to me.

[jgoldsmith]

Cassette adapter has a higher fidelity then FM transmitter. Cassette adapter's quality is actually very close to AUX line in.

Really? I got an iTrip because I was dissatisfied with the cassette adapter.

[newv70xcmom]

The person I talked to at the Apple Store says that she uses the cassette adapter and the power connecter at the same time. She seems to think that the power adapter has a small hole where sound comes out and can be used similar to a tweeter

[asilverm]

newv70xcmom-
i've used both. we have a 2004 XC70 with both a single CD and a cassette. The easiest arrangement I've found is the Belkin auto charger which has a 3.5mm (standard mini earphone) jack which a cassette adapter can plug into. The charger plugs into the bottom of an iPod (3rd gen, 4th gen or mini). The Belkin has it's own volume dial so you can adjust the output so that it's approximately the same volume as the radio and CD.
Our other car only has a radio and a 6-CD changer. In this case, and FM transmitter (like the iTrip) is the only way to go. I live around LA and the problem is there are too many radio stations and the iTrip transmission is too weak. Plus, It's difficult to go through the iPod's display to change stations if you get too much interference and you still need a seperate charger.
I switched to a DLO TransPod. The iPod slides into it, it charges the iPod, displays the FM frequency being transmitted, and the station can be switched using 2 buttons on the side. And it is much more powerful (I've never had to switch the station since I bought it).
So that's my 3 cents. hope it helps.

[barrysharp]

The http://griffintechnology.com/products/roadtrip/ Griffin RoadTrip might help ease the pain in dialing in a new frequency. Just a thought for those in areas where all frequency being used etc.