fm modulator install ?

fallnangel · 02-11-2005, 03:19 PM

ok i went tothe shop to get the midulator installed and the guy says well the fm modulator will not give anywhere near cd quality sound, will give a whining sound.blah,blah,blah.long story short it will suck.is this true ? i reall hate my wireless one and im tored of chaning batteries.

i dont wanna get a new hu cause im tryin to be careful withthe car dont wanna mess with my warranty.

i do apologize if this has been covered before.thanx

lgbr · 02-11-2005, 03:25 PM

Its true. You're going to get bad sound quality (no better than the radio you get around town). If that's good enough for you, then do it. I would call Honda and ask if a new HU would affect warranty.

WebDog · 02-11-2005, 04:24 PM

yea i had one for a while and it started to **** me off. the SQ is = or lower then FM.

zPilott · 02-11-2005, 04:45 PM

but, on the upside it is A LOT better than a wireless transmitter (at least the transmitters I have tried)

A lot of people bag on modulators ground loop isolators, but I am using both. I do really wish I had an aux in that I could use on my stock HU (because I really can't stand the look of most aftermarket HUs) and some day I might replace it, but it works for now.

I tried two different wireless transmitters, and neither one came close to the wired modulator as far as sound quality. I'll believe that the modulator doesn't come close to an AUX in, but it is still a big step up from the wirless, and you don't need to change batteries.

IntellaWorks · 02-11-2005, 05:27 PM

I had a digital one that required power and it wasnt bad, not really CD quality but better than all the radio stations that were in my car, of course I live in NH and its a very mountaineaus area so FM quality radio is generally pretty bad...

mattress · 02-11-2005, 07:38 PM

I got my FM Modulator from http://www.autosound2000.com/index.htm .. the N-724

I was told this is a really great quality one (as far as FM Modulators go) ... But I haven't tried it out yet, I'll keep you guys notified

it totally blocks off the antenna when you turn the modulator on ... it seems really good to me. I can't wait to try it out

fallnangel · 02-11-2005, 09:56 PM

this really sux cause i got my car for the 6 disc cd changer and I like the factory radio. was hoping to still keep it. not saying i cant use the modulator,but the quality will suffer.i guess im more upset that i try so hard to rip 192+kb mp3's and i may get a static filled mess(occasionally).o well best thing to do is sleep on it and see what happens when i awake.thanx for the fast post guys .

Skipjacks · 02-12-2005, 12:21 PM

I just got a wireless mini thing that's made for an iPod. It takes two AAA batteries but it also had a 12 V input.

So I just put a molex connetor on the end of the power cable and ran it right off the computer's power supply. I tuned the modulator to the local NPR station and it's perfectly fine now.

It's not CD quality, but then neither is the radio. It's pretty damn good though.

I used this one

I originally tried to run it on a station that had no broadcast, but the static bled through. When I tuned it to the NPR station I had no problems. The signal is generally weak from NPR wherever you are. And it's quiet. There's no loud music or static that's going to bleed through. The little FM tranmitter easily covers up the talk format.

Now ocacsionally if the car is facing a certain direction and the conditions are just right there might be a LITTLE static on the modulator. But it's barely noticable and it goes away in like a second.

All in all, for $30 it's a great sollution. I'm sure an aux input to the head unit would be 800 times better, but for the price tag of an FM transmitter, you can't go wrong.

zPilott · 02-18-2005, 03:13 PM

Most of the MODULATORS I have seen completely cut out the outside antenna, so the only possible interferance you could get is from the line running from the modulator to the HU, so It is possible to get some, but I have never noticed any at all.

My only complaint about the modulator I have (audiovox) is that when it is turned off, it still seems to hurt my regular radio reception (and how much seems to vary by the station) It really ****ed me off that I could just barely hear howard stern on my morning drive to the office...

posicat · 02-21-2005, 04:57 PM

I picked up a digital modulator, for $25 or so. It doesn't cut out the antenna when it powers on (a must for me since the car computer is always on, running GPS and wifi apps). It definately sounds better than my tape adapter, or portable modulator.

An up side to not cutting out the antenna is that it broadcasts outside the car, so if you're traveling with a friend in another car, they can listen to the music as well. I'm pretty sure the other day the guy stuck in traffic was bouncing his head along to my music.

rmjjensen · 02-21-2005, 05:18 PM

I don't know how you feel about ditching your factory changer but I'd strongly recommend this:

http://www.autotoys.com/x/cust/produ...200&cat=0&page=