Hands free car kits / MP3 Music

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Naz
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Hands free car kits / MP3 Music

Post by Naz »

Series 1

On the Series 1 (S1) if you want a complete hands free car kit the easiest is a Parrot Kit with an extra lead to work with the Bose head unit (the correct lead depends on which car kit you decide on). This will connect to your Bluetooth handset every time the engine is switched on and mute the music when you make or receive a call. It will also play the sound of the call through the car speakers and a microphone is place on the roof near the driver which will pick up speech. These can be installed yourself or get a professional installation service. The Parrot MKi9200 will also stream music from your handset to play through the car stereo as it doesn’t have an AUX in (only the R3 does).
The R3 has built in Bluetooth capability, so the above only applies to the S1.

MP3 music can not be played via a CD in the S1, but can in the R3 version; nor does the S1 have an AUX input. Alternative methods to play MP3's are listed below. These only apply to the S1, not the R3, this already has an AUX in.

1 – iPhone users. Get an Axxess iPod Adapter. This will connect to the heads unit and a lead will connect to the iPhone. The iPhone will be charged at the same time as playing the music. Music needs to be placed in playlists for the system to recognise the music and the display will show the name of the track also. You can also get an x-car link, works in much the same way as the Aux mod.

2 – Non iPhone or stand alone MP3 players – you can get an x-car link or an Aux Mod with a 3.5mm jack. This will simply plug into any device with a 3.5mm jack input and amplify and play whatever is being played on the device.

3 – Bluetooth – if your phone has Bluetooth capability, the best option is the Parrot MKi9200 handsfree option. This will work as a hands free kit as well as stream music from Bluetooth phones. This unit also allows iPhone users an extra cable which will charge the phone and to view tracks on the Parrot screen and select which track to play via the parrot screen (not possible if bluetooth streaming, in that case the device controls what is being played). extra cables also allow a USB device and standard 3.5mm lead to be used to play devices.

All of the above is also dependant on your firmware on the head unit. More information on checking your firmware and discussion on these items is available in the members section.

More detailed information on iPod and Aux input now available here
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