waubers
08-03-2008, 10:06 PM
I have a Mazdaspeed 3. I love the car, and can't say enough positive about it.
My previous Mazda 3 had some faults, but the most annoying of them was the lack of a line in jack on the stereo. This issue is solved in my MS3 but, it's only a single input, and soon I'm going to need 3.
Why?
Well, if I can figure out a way to do it, this would be the setup:
Input 1: Sirius receiver (I <3 my Satradio, makes my 45 minute drive to work easier).
Input 2: Zune. Yes, I said Zune. I'm intending to install it for the express purpose of it's ability to use wifi. I want to be able to pull into my garage, fire up the zune, tell it to sync a folder full of updated podcasts off of my media server which downloads them automatically without me having to do anything.
Input 3: My Blackberry. Why? Well, because it'll stream radio really well. I live out in the boonies. Terrestrial radio sucks balls, and I like to listen to some stations that there's no way I can pick up in my car otherwise. The blackberry makes this happen, in splendid fashion, even on 1X data connections, and since I travel almost exclusively on the Interstates, I almost always have coverage. Also, think about if you have an iPhone, and how nice it would be to stream pandora of last.fm with relative ease.
Yes, this might seem a bit over the top, but it's 2008 and if I can't have a car that flies, I at least want one that has decent sounding audio from a variety of sources.
To that end, the MS3 is a PITA. for whatever reason, Mazda didn't install a ground-loop isolater, so if I plug my Sirius in without one hooked up it sounds like I'm listening to AM radio during a thunderstorm.
So basically, what I want (ideally) would be a compact, hopefully un-powered, box with at least 3 inputs for 1/8" stereo audio, a built in ground-loop isolator and a single 1/8" audio out cable that I can plug right into my MS3. It needs to be relatively easy to select inputs, unlike now which requires pulling over to the side of the road and re-doing a bunch of audio cabling.
Tall order I know, but it would be pretty slick to get it working. I've found similar devices, but they're all or RCA style discrete LR channel cables, like you'd use in a home entertainment center.
I'm not opposed to trying to build my own, but I'm a noob at this kinda thing so any guidance would rock.
Suggestions? I think this would make for an interesting Systm episode, especially if you're able to incorporate the ground-loop isolator, which a lot of people might not otherwise think of.
My previous Mazda 3 had some faults, but the most annoying of them was the lack of a line in jack on the stereo. This issue is solved in my MS3 but, it's only a single input, and soon I'm going to need 3.
Why?
Well, if I can figure out a way to do it, this would be the setup:
Input 1: Sirius receiver (I <3 my Satradio, makes my 45 minute drive to work easier).
Input 2: Zune. Yes, I said Zune. I'm intending to install it for the express purpose of it's ability to use wifi. I want to be able to pull into my garage, fire up the zune, tell it to sync a folder full of updated podcasts off of my media server which downloads them automatically without me having to do anything.
Input 3: My Blackberry. Why? Well, because it'll stream radio really well. I live out in the boonies. Terrestrial radio sucks balls, and I like to listen to some stations that there's no way I can pick up in my car otherwise. The blackberry makes this happen, in splendid fashion, even on 1X data connections, and since I travel almost exclusively on the Interstates, I almost always have coverage. Also, think about if you have an iPhone, and how nice it would be to stream pandora of last.fm with relative ease.
Yes, this might seem a bit over the top, but it's 2008 and if I can't have a car that flies, I at least want one that has decent sounding audio from a variety of sources.
To that end, the MS3 is a PITA. for whatever reason, Mazda didn't install a ground-loop isolater, so if I plug my Sirius in without one hooked up it sounds like I'm listening to AM radio during a thunderstorm.
So basically, what I want (ideally) would be a compact, hopefully un-powered, box with at least 3 inputs for 1/8" stereo audio, a built in ground-loop isolator and a single 1/8" audio out cable that I can plug right into my MS3. It needs to be relatively easy to select inputs, unlike now which requires pulling over to the side of the road and re-doing a bunch of audio cabling.
Tall order I know, but it would be pretty slick to get it working. I've found similar devices, but they're all or RCA style discrete LR channel cables, like you'd use in a home entertainment center.
I'm not opposed to trying to build my own, but I'm a noob at this kinda thing so any guidance would rock.
Suggestions? I think this would make for an interesting Systm episode, especially if you're able to incorporate the ground-loop isolator, which a lot of people might not otherwise think of.