Help What is needed to hook up epic to car stereo?

[cmkworm]

I am going to be buying a new head unit soon and I have a question. The receiver has an Ipod and usb input. Will my epic play music and Pandora through the receiver? If so, what is needed? Will I use the USB cable or buy an Ipod type aux. cable to plug into the headphone jack? I have plugged my epic into another car with an Ipod cable and it plays Pandora however with the volume up I can barely hear anything through the car speakers. Please help. Thanks.

 

[LMychajluk]

First off, you did NOT hook up your Epic to anything via an iPod cable (which would be proprietary to the iPod). You probably used a standard mini-jack audio cable (headphone-type conectors at both ends) to a standard AUX input. Sometimes these work well or not, depending on the device used, and Pandora will work, though you would control it from the Epic, not the head unit. I do this with my Epic in my truck, and it works fine, but it could be louder (I need to max the volume on my Epic, and crank the volume of the head unit pretty high). If this is the route you want to go, look into a Boosteroo in-line amp to address the low audio problem (Headphone Amplifiers, Headphones, Audio Splitters).

If the head unit has an iPod input, that probably means the head unit has built-in software for controlling an iPod, which is useless w/ an Epic. Epic <> iPod.

A USB input on the head unit may mean that it can read audio files over a standard USB Mass Storage Device, and provide the display and control of playback. That Mass Storage Device can be a USB stick, or an Epic, but the Epic basically would act like a memory stick, and the head unit will control any and all playback. You will NOT be able to play Pandora in this way.

Hope it helps...

 

[Tyrahn]

You need a 3.5mm TRS auxiliary input, and associated male-to-male cable, to get stereo audio from the headphone jack on the Epic. Most auxiliary inputs, unless they are designed specifically for the iPod charging plug, match this description. I do this very often in my car and it works great, with the exception of a minor Bluetooth bug. You shouldn't need an in-line amplifier, I don't.

That Mass Storage Device can be a USB stick, or an Epic, but the Epic basically would act like a memory stick, and the head unit will control any and all playback.

That would be true if the unit had the proper drivers to read the Epic ... which I would rather doubt.

Clark

 

[KillerQ97]

Hey all,

I have a JVC that has 'ipod' input, and it also reads USB mass storage. It works perfectly with the Epic (as a mass storage device). No additional drivers or anything were needed - it just treats it as a thumb drive.

Good luck,

Matt!

 

[Aero1]

OP is asking about Pandora, not just mass storage.

If you want pandora and other audio output from the epic (scanners, radio station websites, telephone conversations, gps directions, audio from video files, etc) as far as as I know you will need to use the 3.5 mm output. If you just want mp3 files residing on the epic storage than you can use usb.

If it is 3.5 you ant you will need to look at your head unit (aka your car stereo) manual. If oem with the car than start with your car's users forums, if aftermarket, look for the maker website for the manual and also look for user forum.,

there may be audio-in free already in which case you juut need to run a 3.5 mm out t0 where you keep your epic. If there is not tape see if if there is a "PIE" adapter for your head unit (usually $30 one ebay).