[stevearliss]

I listen to my ipod through the cd charger input of my car stereo but have to plug a jack lead into the headphone socket. Having looked at a couple of threads it appears that the headphone signal is not as good as the line-out on the dock.

Does anybody know whether you can get a cable that will provide a line-out signal from an ipod without having to use the dock. i.e. I want a cable with the bespoke ipod plug on one end and a 3.5mm jack plug (or preferably socket) on the other.

A tenner from your local Maplin store gets you one with phono plugs on, so depending on your car stereo input you may also need an adaptor of sorts:

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?...0740&doy=27m6D

[stevearliss]

Originally Posted by mick's cat

A tenner from your local Maplin store gets you one with phono plugs on, so depending on your car stereo input you may also need an adaptor of sorts:

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?...0740&doy=27m6D

Cheers; also just discovered the pocketdock; as I already have a 3.5mm lead coming from the head unit, the pocketdock may be the easier, although more expensive solution.

There's also the Sik Imp, which features a charger too:

http://digitalall.co.uk/product_deta...id=103&pri=466

[stevearliss]

I don't suppose you know of a car mountable cradle that has something like the Sik Imp built in? I've seen the ones that also have a built in FM Transmitter or battery backup, but not ones with just line-out and charger.

The PodGear CarDock comes in two versions. One, the FM features a transmitter, but the non-FM probably does just what you want:

http://shop.ipodworld.co.uk/iPodWorl...ories/PG02.htm

It doesn't fit every car though, as it depends where the cigar lighter socket is in relation to things like the gear lever and so on...

[stevearliss]

Yes, I have seen that one; unfortunately, the cigar lighter position rules it out as you said.

The Sik Imp definitely does what I originally wanted, it is just that having come across so many 3rd party ipod accessories today, I would hate to find a cradle with a build in connector after I have bought the Sik Imp.

It is a shame there isn't a single site for all ipod accessories!

There is another way (a bit Heath Robinson) to mount the CarDock if you're interested. The cigar lighter connector bit disconnects easily from the main body of the CarDock, terminating in a standard (I think a 5.1mm low-voltage connector) male plug. With a corresponding female connector wired into the car's electrical supply directly (missing out the cigar lighter altogether), it's a simple matter of attaching the CarDock to the dashboard with, say, sticky pads. Positioned carefully, no wires need be visible and it looks neatly integrated.

[MagicBoy]

The PocketDock is a wee bit expensive - cost me £24 after conversion from € ordered from their website. I got the USB/line-out version so I can also use it a portable HDD. It shipped from Germany and arrived in 2 days (impressed!). It also comes with 3.5mm-3.5mm and 3.5mm-RCA leads. They're match the iPod, but are a bit thin - the £2 one I got from TVCables.co.uk has more bass weight.

I'm tempted to go the aux-input route for the car just to get better quality than via the iTrip the downside being it won't charge the iPod. I'm still weighing up the pros and cons of doing it properly and sticking an aftermarket headunit in with an iPod interface eg Alpine, Blaupunkt.