Monster iCruze vs. Peripheral iPod2Car Comparison???

[highvibe]

Hey!I am totally done with trying to use an FM adapter for my iPod, Just doesnt't work!I am wondering if anyone has any experience with either of these iPod direct devices and would like to give some feedback. The main differences I've seen are:- Peripheral allows you to still use the controls of the iPod where as iCruze disables the iPod- iCruze works by creating playlists in which you can then navigate through from the radio- iCruze lets you use the "Random" feature of the radio (very important for me) I would love to hear feedback from anyone using the Peripheral deivce if the "Random" feature works for that unit or not?Overall, I like the "not disabling" feature of Peripheral, but I trust Monster for better quality products and they currently have an online deal where you can get the whole iPod set up w/ display for $99! Any input is helpful!Thanks!Antonio 04 Vibe, 200 watt system

[northvibe]

I have the itrip in my vibe, heres what i have found.when the ipod has a power source it is clearer, you also HAVE to find a good itrip station, itrip has some software that you tell it your city and it tells you the best stations to use. also if its a off brand and not the griffin or monster its going to suck.My friend has the monster cable one where its a fm tuner AND plugs into the cig lighter for power, he loves it and it works great for him, but theres fewer stations to choose from. The best way for the clarity is to hardwire aux into the head unit. There are also some products i forgot their name, aux2ipod or something. just search our forums for ipod or aux and you'll find TONS of threads about this.My future plan is to make a 5v usb adapter for powering my ipod and then just the itrip. If that ever causes problems im hacking my head unit for a aux input.

[rebbierae]

I just got the Peripheral unit installed in my car on Saturday--haven't done much driving yet so I really haven't had the chance to play with it much, but so far I love it. I like that you can choose songs through the iPod OR through the HU. I haven't actually done anything with playlists on my iPod yet--just got it after Christmas, so I can't really help you there yet, but so far I like my iPod2car unit a lot. Beats any of those FM transmitters I've tried.

[highvibe]

Let me know how it is working for you! I am not too thrilled with company that makes this, but if it works..... How is it as far as the radio controls go?Thanks!"A"

[mikey00]

I went with the ipod-2-car for all the reasons you already listed. It's a good product with a easy install. What is the "Random" feature of the radio?

[highvibe]

Hey Dude!The random button is like shuffle button on the Vibe radio that allows the cd plyer to play the tracks randomly. The iCruze unit, because it functions by creating playlists in itunes and then sees those playlists as cd's, allows you to use the random function on the radio and thus being able to shuffle play each of the playtlists. I did not see that feature on the Peripheral write up, but I do realize that because you have functionality from the iPod still you could shuffle play from there.

[mikey00]

No random button on my stock 05 radio.

[highvibe]

Hey!Here is a picture of my Radio. Notice the #3 button on the upper right of the radio. It says RDM. I have the 200 watt system in my 04 Vibe. DO you have the Monsoon System? The Monsoon system is pretty sweet! "A"

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[jeffgtx]

AUXPOD from....i forgot now............ but its the same as ipod2car.i had that with your radio. worked fine. cheaper alternative to monster system.

[orbix]

Frankly, if you're wanting to really do things right, I'd say forget either of those systems. I checked out the iPod2Car and was frustrated by the fact that you really can't do much of anything with it beyond what you could do with an Aux-in and an iPod mount... For the price, it's a waste of money. The iCruze isn't any better, as I recall.What I did was to run an aux-in using a Peripheral adapter (NOT the Aux2Car- I think they're a more expensive route to the same result) - I'll check the model number if anyone wants it, but it cost me about $60. Get a Harmon-Kardon drive+Play and connect its audio-out to the aux in. The drive+Play display will mount just above the factory stereo, and the controller will fit just below the shift knob. The drive+Play runs right around $200, but it's well worth it- you can do just about anything you could do with the iPod without having to mess with the iPod itself.I got both the aux-in and drive+play gear from Crutchfield for around $270 shipped, though you can get both components elsewhere for less. I just decided to stick with Crutchfield because I knew i could trust them and for the sheer convenience and speed of the order process.I'll be posting an install guide for this setup in the next week or two if I can remember to do it, so if you want to see a guide, let me know. This'll also cover just getting yourself a straight-up aux-in without hacking a bunch of cables together.(I'm also working on splicing the audio feed from my radar detector directly into the stereo so that I don't have to worry about the radio volume to hear the alerts properly- I'll keep you all posted...)

[mikey00]

So thats what "RDM" on my number 3 button is. To be honest, I never knew what it was and have never used it with the CD or ipod2car. I will check it out and see if it works with the ipod2car. I don't see any reason why it wouldn't but even if it doesn't it's no big deal as you can just put the ipod in shuffle.You really have to consider your needs and how much you want to spend being that there are so many options for connecting the ipod to your car. The least expensive thats sounds as good as any of them is to just wire an aux in jack to your radio if your are handy and plug the ipod into it. There are instructions on how to do it on genvibe. Of course then you have to handle charging the ipod with another cord.If your needs are more like I want to use it right away like when I walk out of the store and portability between cars is nice. Look at the FM transmitter types. I stayed away from these because of many bad reviews. But recently I have heard good reports from some users. It may work well for you but buy one you can return just in case.Then you have ipod2car (auxpac) and icruze. I went with the auxpac ipod2car for all the reasons you listed above in your comaparision of the two. The ipod2car is an easy install and nothing is out in view. You run the cable down to the little flip open compartment in front of the shifter and leave the ipod in there. Everything is controlled from the factory radio. If you really want to control from the ipod for some reason, just take it out of the compartment and place where ever you want. So far, I never needed to do that. Check ebay stores, you can get the auxpac ipod2car for $135. The last solution I looked at was the Harmon drive and play. A very nice setup but way to much clutter for me. You have to place the controller somplace and also mount the display plus you still need an aux in to connect to the radio. Not to mention it's twice the price of the ipod2car. But it is a nice setup if you don't mind the extra clutter and wires and price.

[highvibe]

So, here's the big question Mikey!Can you use the RDM buttom to randomly shuffle songs on your iPod through the radio? Also, when using the radio controls to skip around songs, what song list is the Radio noticing? Is it just seeing all the songs on the iPod in alphabetical order by artist?Thanks for the details! I am trying to get a sense of how the radio navigates the iPod without having to touch the iPod itself!"A"

[mikey00]

And the answer to your big question is no. RDM button on radio has no effect on ipod, however just setting your ipod to shuffle solves this problem.As far as your other question goes, the radio control lets you skip through whatever songs your ipod is set to. If ipod is set to all songs the radio sees the ipod as one big list and skips through all songs. If set to an artist it will just skip through that artist. If set to an album it will skip through that album. To take it one step further, you can create customized playlists on the ipod for whatever you want and the radio control will skip through that playlist.

[mikey00]

I just realized that in your first post you said you can get the icruze with display for only $99. That sounds like a good deal, I would go for it even if it does disable ipod controls. The only thing that bothers me is that optional screen. ipod thefts are very big right now, and having that screen is like putting a big sign in your window saying "there's an ipod in here, break my window and trash my car looking for it". Maybe you can come up with some way of hiding the screen. sure would be nice if it could just display on the radio.