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MP3 player into Monsoon?

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Old May 26, 2009 | 09:13 PM
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Default MP3 player into Monsoon?

Ok

well I have just about had it with my monsoon and mp3 and fm transmitter combo.

So this is what I was thinking.

well somehow there has to be a way to make an input for the stock monsoon cd player to make use of the mp3 without the fm transmitter.

anybody have any ideas.

my only idea is that some monsoon systems used a cd changer and somehow tying into that input since the receiver doesnt see a cd changer just an input signal.

anybody have any ideas???
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Old May 26, 2009 | 09:34 PM
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.... im guessing you didnt read the sticky.
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Old May 27, 2009 | 08:32 AM
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Originally Posted by Captainofiron
my only idea is that some monsoon systems used a cd changer and somehow tying into that input since the receiver doesnt see a cd changer just an input signal.
Actually, the head unit does see the changer not just an input signal. That's why those auxiliary input adapters that plug into the CD changer port will only work on HUs that are changer compatible. The HU must be able to communicate with the changer and get the correct responses before it will pass through any audio signal. The adapters simulate the changer's responses to fool the HU.

If you don't mind taking your HU apart and are reasonably competent with wiring, you can modify the HU by patching in a standard headphone jack to connect an MP3 player or satellite radio. Details are in this thread.

And, as Flaring Afro said, please read the Monsoon FAQ sticky - there's lots of good information there (I should know, I wrote most of it ).
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Old May 27, 2009 | 01:21 PM
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I installed a FM modulator and I'm very happy with it... It plugs in between your antenna and the HU to give CD quality sound without any interference. It costs about $50 to do but I feel it was worth it because I wanted to keep the stock look. I placed the switch in my console ash tray so it is easily hidden. The only complaint is that the volume on my zune has to be up pretty high if I want good quality sound at loud volume.

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_142FMMO...MMOD01&tp=1287
you will also need
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_12040GM...40GM21&tp=2569
and
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_12040GM...40GM10&tp=2569
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Old May 27, 2009 | 10:17 PM
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get a hu with a usb plugin. so much better. 2gb worth of mp3 goes a long way
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Old May 28, 2009 | 01:10 PM
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Originally Posted by H0nDo
I installed a FM modulator and I'm very happy with it... It plugs in between your antenna and the HU to give CD quality sound without any interference. It costs about $50 to do but I feel it was worth it because I wanted to keep the stock look. I placed the switch in my console ash tray so it is easily hidden. The only complaint is that the volume on my zune has to be up pretty high if I want good quality sound at loud volume.

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_142FMMO...MMOD01&tp=1287
you will also need
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_12040GM...40GM21&tp=2569
and
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_12040GM...40GM10&tp=2569

I bought one the plugs into your cig lighter and the sound quality was crap! I might try that one, it'd be alot easier to plug in the MP3 player rather then burn a million cd's lol.
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Old May 31, 2009 | 10:29 PM
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I recall someone doing a writeup on here about adding an auxiliary port to the stock monsoon head unit, I tried searching but the search on here always gives me problems, anybody have any ideas?
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Old Jun 1, 2009 | 08:40 AM
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Originally Posted by greezy
get a hu with a usb plugin. so much better. 2gb worth of mp3 goes a long way
ive got 16 gigs.
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Old Jun 1, 2009 | 11:41 AM
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Originally Posted by Captainofiron
I recall someone doing a writeup on here about adding an auxiliary port to the stock monsoon head unit, I tried searching but the search on here always gives me problems, anybody have any ideas?
https://ls1tech.com/forums/stereo-el...t-adapter.html
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Old Jun 1, 2009 | 02:30 PM
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an easier method for this is to do it inside the dash WITHOUT taking apart anything. i took some splice tips, some copper wire from ethernet cable, and a little jack from radio shack. i spliced three pieces (left audio, right audio, and i think ground i'll have to look) without even taking anything apart except for the front plastic piece that goes around the radio.

soldered the wires to the jack, and i made a blank audio cd and put it in the changer. so the cd is constantly playing blank sound, while my ipod plays away. if you have other cds in the changer, you'll hear both the music of the cds and whatever else you have hooked up.

took me about 20 minutes to do this, not including the soldering. i can get you the wire colors of which ones i spliced into if you want. i would have to do it after work this evening though. real easy compared to the steps in the link. although that looks a lot nicer, mine involved very little work.
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Old Jun 1, 2009 | 04:12 PM
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Originally Posted by wtomlinson
an easier method for this is to do it inside the dash WITHOUT taking apart anything. i took some splice tips, some copper wire from ethernet cable, and a little jack from radio shack. i spliced three pieces (left audio, right audio, and i think ground i'll have to look) without even taking anything apart except for the front plastic piece that goes around the radio.

soldered the wires to the jack, and i made a blank audio cd and put it in the changer. so the cd is constantly playing blank sound, while my ipod plays away. if you have other cds in the changer, you'll hear both the music of the cds and whatever else you have hooked up.

took me about 20 minutes to do this, not including the soldering. i can get you the wire colors of which ones i spliced into if you want. i would have to do it after work this evening though. real easy compared to the steps in the link. although that looks a lot nicer, mine involved very little work.

How's the sound quality? I'm guessing good since it's going directly through the left and right audio wires.

I'd like to know what wires you spliced into i'm going to give this a try. Plus i like the very little work idea lol
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Old Jun 1, 2009 | 04:19 PM
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Originally Posted by 89tang
How's the sound quality? I'm guessing good since it's going directly through the left and right audio wires.

I'd like to know what wires you spliced into i'm going to give this a try.
Bear in mind that you MUST have a functional external CD changer for this modification to work. The internal modification in the earlier link is more complicated but it will work without a CD changer installed.
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Old Jun 1, 2009 | 05:29 PM
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thanks for the link WhiteBird00, thats exactly the one that I was thinking of
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Old Jun 1, 2009 | 07:30 PM
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Originally Posted by WhiteBird00
Bear in mind that you MUST have a functional external CD changer for this modification to work. The internal modification in the earlier link is more complicated but it will work without a CD changer installed.
guess i wasn't thinking when i wrote that earlier. good point though, because the instructions i read once (on here somewhere) were just for people with external cd changers.
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Old Jun 6, 2009 | 02:40 PM
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kinda hard to see in the pictures, but i used a piece of cat5 (i used the solid orange, blue, and green wires). i took some of the little cable splicers that you just crimp on without cutting, and spliced the following into the harness with the red clip:

orange cat5 --> brown-white striped
blue cat5 --> black-white striped
green cat5 --> green-white striped

on the other end, where the $1 radio jack is, i soldered the orange and green cat5 to the bottom two clips, and the blue cat5 to the side.

i took a blank cd, recorded some blank sound (just clicked record on Window's sound recorder and kept quiet for about 30 seconds), and copied this "audio" track till i couldn't fit it any more onto a cd, and burned the cd like you would a normal audio cd. took all my cds out of the changer except that one, and it just plays and plays and plays and keeps looping, this way you don't hear anything else over the radio.

when i did this the first time, i had other cds in there, and i could barely hear them over my ipod, but nonetheless you could hear it. hope this helps



this is where i had it before, but the cable got pulled a lot, and the jack wasn't secured in the plastic because it was thicker than i thought when i drilled the hole, so i couldn't put the fastener on the end. i've since tucked it behind the stereo so the audio cable is just always plugged in:
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Old Jun 6, 2009 | 03:02 PM
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Saving some weight by removing that Camaro badge?
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Old Jun 6, 2009 | 03:08 PM
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i had taken it out at one point for something, and it got cracked i think. it's been a while ago. i just never felt like paying for a new one. it did cut 2 seconds of my 1/4 time though.
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Old Jun 7, 2009 | 11:09 AM
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lol, saving weight always good.

ok, so for wtomlinson's mod you need a factory external CD changer?

What about for the write up Jason Novak did in the link you provided WhiteBird00??
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Old Jun 7, 2009 | 12:34 PM
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One More question, which would sound better, the FM modulator or the hooking into the CD player wiring?

Also I have to have a CD playing in the HU to have the input working on the wtomlinson mod and the jason novak mod??
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Old Jun 7, 2009 | 03:15 PM
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FM is inferior to everything except AM. Hardwiring FTW.
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