Develop Bugs

A bit of engineering on the audio!

Hi all! I have a question that someone who knows about electronics may be able to answer. Now, I know that a regular 2.5mm to 3.5mm audio jack converter won't work for the BA. I also know that I could (theoretically) buy one that will work. However, I have a spare XDA2s handsfree kit I can tinker with.
I want my XDA2s to play through an FM transmitter in my car so I can listen to it on the car stereo (like an iTrip, but not iPod specific, and externally powered). I was thinking how I could do this by just cutting the adapter off the transmitter and replacing it with the one off the spare handsfree kit.
Then I had a lovely idea. What if, I could simply wire it up AFTER the microphone of the handsfree kit?!?! Would this mean I effectively have a proper car kit that I will be able to talk through using the car speakers and handsfree microphone.
This picture should explain:
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I think if this is possible, with a bit of tidying up it would work a treat!! However, I have no idea about electronics. Would it really be this simple?
-Mike

Just cut up some old headphones. Now confirmed that each earphone has 2 wires going to it inside the rubber tube. Will it be possible to solder these together or will the thin wires be too delicate?

Those wires are almost impossible to solder but it can be done. I use a car baby transmitter, it clips over the speaker on the phone no connections are made, and transmits to a spare channel on the radio, the car baby is rechargeable and very cheap.

those things look good, but I want good quality audio for music.
I posted the question on an electronics site. Here's the thread:
http://www.dutchforce.com/~eforum/index.php?s=4c56bb9fd73d3ad08a11a1b42ec4cc03&showtopic=4174
If this actually works I will have an amazing car kit for the price of an FM transmitter off ebay (about £5).
Fingers crossed!

mike freegan said:
Now, I know that a regular 2.5mm to 3.5mm audio jack converter won't work for the BA.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why is that ?
I only just got my XDA IIs and wasn't keen on buying an expensive 2.5mm to 3.5mm adaptor cable. All I did was bought a 2.5mm plug from an electronics store for $2 and got an old 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable I already had and cut one end off and put the 2.5mm plug on the end.
Works a treat in the car when I plug into the CD input on my stereo (3.5mm)
The only thing is that there is a little bit of "noise" on the line when the charger is also plugged in.

Why is that ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because HTC like to tease us. I already have the Jack from use with my Himalaya but for some reason the wiring in the BA is reversed.
If this works, I will be able to have voice conversatuine in my car through the speakers
Most english stereos don't have a line in btw or I would do it like you

I bouthg the stuff on ebay to do this. Hopefully I will start arriving before the end of the week. I will let y'all know how it goes.
£10 says it won't work

mike freegan said:
Just cut up some old headphones. Now confirmed that each earphone has 2 wires going to it inside the rubber tube. Will it be possible to solder these together or will the thin wires be too delicate?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The wires are a bit difficult to solder, but it is not really difficult and it should work. Did something similar, by rplacing those terrible earpieces with something decent. The wires are color coded, so that left and right channels are easy to find.
You can also open the mic-piece (pry open the two end rings and it falls apart) and solder directly on the board.

[email protected] said:
You can also open the mic-piece (pry open the two end rings and it falls apart) and solder directly on the board.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like a pretty good idea...it shouldn't be that hard. Chip quik the old one off, solder on a new one that fits. Has anyone checked out how the default connector is soldered/mounted? I haven't even taken my BA apart yet, only had it a week or so, it looks like I will have to invest in a set of torx bits though. It would be great to solder on a standard stereo connector so I can plug in whatever I want, I don't see myself ever using the hands-free microphone.
edit:
I just pulled my BA apart and checked out the audio connector... It's some kind of SMD connector with 10 pins, only 4 of them seemed to be soldered down though. I searched Digikey for the part and couldn't find an exact replacement, in fact I couldn't find any audio connectors that had stereo and a microphone pin. I'm sure it would be easy to adapt a 3.5mm jack onto the board though.
Oh well... Not sure which pin goes to what, I guess an ohm meter would yeild which one is ground, but one would need to stick some vector wire onto the connections and check it with a scope while playing an MP3 or something to find out which ones were the stereo and the mic.
Damn backup battery... After I got it back together all of my settings were gone! Oh well, only had AIM, VLC player, and PHMregedit installed.

I just pulled my BA apart
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HAHA theres always one
Well, my FM transmitter arrived and works great with my laptop!! I also ordered a 3.5mm stereo extension cable off ebay. What I'm gunna do is attatch that to the hands free kit instead and then plug the FM transmitter into that. That way I avoid potentially destroying the transmitter as I won't have to cut that at all. Also, I will be able to use the transmitter on other stuff afterwards
Just waiting for my extention off ebay now. Should come tomorrow.

This is really difficult. I got everything here ready. Cut the earpices off, but couldn't get any sound. Even if I try and put the original earpieces back on I can't get sound. I haven't tried to solder them yet. AAARGH this is annoying!!! :evil:

PROJECT IS A SUCCESS!!
I soldered directly onto the circuitboard in the microphone!! It was really easy!
Now after the microphone, instead of crappy handsfree earphones, I have a 3.5mm socket where I can plug in my wireless FM transmitter, good headphone or connect to my tv/stereo!
In my car, I can play full quality music through the radio via the FM transmitter. When I get a call, it interrupts the music and the phonecall comes through my car stereo perfectly. There is no echo on either end of the call
Microsoft voice command makes playing songs easy! Better than any iPod. I just ask for the band I want and it plays it. No fumbling with buttons! Also, Media Player 10 with album art looks great on my dashboard!
Watching movies in the car on my XDA2s is awesome too. You can actually hear them now the sound is through the car stereo, so no need for a DVD player

if anyone wants any cheap brand new original xda2s head phones i have got them for sale for £11.98 inc p&p (UK) will ship international for extra
here is the link
http://stores.ebay.co.uk/XDA-EXTRAS_XDA2s-Accessories_W0QQcolZ4QQdirZ1QQftidZ2QQtZkm

cool, congrats... ;o)))
I'm thinking about this for a long time, but i'd rather buy a female 3,5mm cable plug and cut off earpieces 2 cms after mic housing. those two wires goes then into the female 3,5mm plug.
then you can stick in any headphones, transmitter, connector reduction, etc. and you have the whole headset functionality + hq stereo output.
buzz

but i'd rather buy a female 3,5mm cable plug and cut off earpieces 2 cms after mic housing. those two wires goes then into the female 3,5mm plug.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That Is what I did! I tried cutting after the mic, but it doesn't work. I think the wires were too thin, so I soldered my female 3.5mm plug to the chip board. It works a treat!
It looks really tidy! I had to make the hole in the plastic microphone case bigger, but there is no visible soldering. The wires are tied up so my car looks tidier.

That looks well tidy!
So let me understand what's going on here.
You plug the handsfree headset into the XDA as per usual:
XDA <----->mic<---->3.5mm Jack<---->FM Transmitter
Where does the mic sit so that it can clearly pickup your voice?
Also, I take it u still have to be able to reach the XDA in ya car so that you can trigger Voice Command?
Soz for the noob questions; just got my QTek 2020i yesterday and already starting to look at ways to "mod" it
I'm a .NET developer and one of the reasons I bought this was so that I could have a play with writting some media apps for in car use so what you've done here really interests me.
Cheers
Wayne

Does anyone know which of the three bands does what on the jack plug? (which is the left audio, right audio etc)

XDA <----->mic<---->3.5mm Jack<---->FM Transmitter
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly.
Where does the mic sit so that it can clearly pickup your voice?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Erm, well I have my XDA2s is in a holder stuck onto the windscreen. The microphone just hangs about 2 feet from my mouth. It works amazingly! My car is quiet inside but even the little engine noise doesn't seem to interfere. I'm thinking of making a case for all the wires and stuff.
Yeh, I still have to press a button to activate voice command, but it's still easier than fumbling with an mp3 player. Also, I can convince gullible girls that my car is talking to me
All in all, It cost £19 to build the whole car kit.

Fantastic bit of work, looking to do something like this myself!
I do have one question though......
As you are using an FM transmitter, imagine you are tootling through town and you get a phone call, you answer it, you chat happily away, several other people are listening to (probably half) of the conversation on their car radios, office radios and maybe even store PA systems!
Or have I completely got hold of the wrong end of the stick?!?
Cheers

HAHA no you're completely right :lol:
I was worried about that, but then I thought that a) they'll only be able to hear half of the conversation and b) I don't really have anything worth listening to
I think that the transmitter is on some odd frequencies. It has a choice of 4, so I use 107.1fm I know theres no local radio on that frequency, and shops aren't allowed to sell these transmitters, so the odds of anyone hearing my conversations are really slim.
If my stereo had line in it would be a hell of alot better, but it doesn't. If I ever get one that does, I can just use a 3.5mm to 3.5mm jack instead of the transmitter

HTC Car A100 Stereo Clip

Sprint has been offering the HTC Stereo Clip for a little while now, so I went ahead and picked one up. Even though I don't have a HOX or HOS, it is spec'd to work with practically any Bluetooth-enabled audio device, so I figured I might as well post a bit of a review for other potential owners. Initially the compatibility with apt-X piqued my interest, but since nobody seems to know if the GNex supports it, I didn't figure that I would get any better than A2DP streaming quality out of it. Still, the idea of turning any set of normal speakers or headphones into Bluetooth-enabled is pretty awesome, so even if the GNex won't support the full audio quality I expect I will eventually get a device that does.
The unit came in yesterday, so I charged it up and ran it through some basic tests. Here's the notable things I found.
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First of all, this thing is small. It's about the size of a thumb drive and can be easily stored in even the smallest pockets. That also means the battery is small, and it doesn't have much power to output sound, so you should expect to use an external amp if you need it louder.
Down next to the USB port it tells you the max voltage and amperage it is configured to expect; 5V, 1A. This was a big deal for me, since I had a previous Bluetooth audio adapter that I accidentally overloaded with my car charger. Since this accepts 1 amp, it should be compatible with nearly every phone charger currently in existence. I got it to full charge in about an hour after plugging it into a USB port on my computer, and the manual says it should most likely take no more than 2 hours to charge from most USB chargers.
Now based on the configuration of the audio plug, it's obvious HTC only designed this for car stereos with female auxiliary ports, which poses a problem if you want to hook this up to other various speakers and headphones that only have another male 3.5mm plug. Plus, my car doesn't have a dedicated aux port, so instead I use a tape deck adapter, which of course is another male 3.5mm plug. Thankfully, all you need is just a 3.5mm coupler (female to female), which I picked up at my local Radio Shack for about $5.
Does it work? Yes, and beautifully at that. You can also use it while it's charging, so for some systems you can effectively just leave it attached to the charger all the time. Using the coupler I hooked it up to my car, my A/V receiver at home, and even to my headphones. The effective range seems to be limited to about 5 feet, but this is still much cheaper than purchasing brand new Bluetooth-enabled systems for each time you want to wirelessly play your music, especially when 99% of existing Bluetooth systems are terrible quality compared to regular sound systems. I imagine the quality will be better too when I have something that supports apt-X, but for now I can deal with A2DP.

earlyberd said:
Sprint has been offering the HTC Stereo Clip for a little while now, so I went ahead and picked one up. Even though I don't have a HOX or HOS, it is spec'd to work with practically any Bluetooth-enabled audio device, so I figured I might as well post a bit of a review for other potential owners. Initially the compatibility with apt-X piqued my interest, but since nobody seems to know if the GNex supports it, I didn't figure that I would get any better than A2DP streaming quality out of it. Still, the idea of turning any set of normal speakers or headphones into Bluetooth-enabled is pretty awesome, so even if the GNex won't support the full audio quality I expect I will eventually get a device that does.
The unit came in yesterday, so I charged it up and ran it through some basic tests. Here's the notable things I found.
First of all, this thing is small. It's about the size of a thumb drive and can be easily stored in even the smallest pockets. That also means the battery is small, and it doesn't have much power to output sound, so you should expect to use an external amp if you need it louder.
Down next to the USB port it tells you the max voltage and amperage it is configured to expect; 5V, 1A. This was a big deal for me, since I had a previous Bluetooth audio adapter that I accidentally overloaded with my car charger. Since this accepts 1 amp, it should be compatible with nearly every phone charger currently in existence. I got it to full charge in about an hour after plugging it into a USB port on my computer, and the manual says it should most likely take no more than 2 hours to charge from most USB chargers.
Now based on the configuration of the audio plug, it's obvious HTC only designed this for car stereos with female auxiliary ports, which poses a problem if you want to hook this up to other various speakers and headphones that only have another male 3.5mm plug. Plus, my car doesn't have a dedicated aux port, so instead I use a tape deck adapter, which of course is another male 3.5mm plug. Thankfully, all you need is just a 3.5mm coupler (female to female), which I picked up at my local Radio Shack for about $5.
Does it work? Yes, and beautifully at that. You can also use it while it's charging, so for some systems you can effectively just leave it attached to the charger all the time. Using the coupler I hooked it up to my car, my A/V receiver at home, and even to my headphones. The effective range seems to be limited to about 5 feet, but this is still much cheaper than purchasing brand new Bluetooth-enabled systems for each time you want to wirelessly play your music, especially when 99% of existing Bluetooth systems are terrible quality compared to regular sound systems. I imagine the quality will be better too when I have something that supports apt-X, but for now I can deal with A2DP.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you tell me where/which Sprint store that you have found this item? I cant seem to find them ANYWHERE.....
Thanks!
Riggy

bigriggy63 said:
Can you tell me where/which Sprint store that you have found this item? I cant seem to find them ANYWHERE.....
Thanks!
Riggy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bought it online.
http://shop2.sprint.com/NASApp/onli...tion_box=htc stereo clip&id16=htc stereo clip

thanks for the quick review...i am thinking of picking one of these up for my gs3.

Two questions:
Does it time out to save power?
Does it turn on automatically when it recieves external power?
If so this would make for a perfect semi-permentant install in a car where it will get power as soon as the car starts. so far no other adaptor will do this that I have found. Either they won't accept music while charging, or if they do, they will not auto-power-on once they've timed out.

just got mine in the mail yesterday...
^ it does have a time out feature for power save, not sure about auto turn on when receive external power but it does charge and stream at the same time.

jumperalex said:
Two questions:
Does it time out to save power?
Does it turn on automatically when it recieves external power?
If so this would make for a perfect semi-permentant install in a car where it will get power as soon as the car starts. so far no other adaptor will do this that I have found. Either they won't accept music while charging, or if they do, they will not auto-power-on once they've timed out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you seen the Kensington LiquidAux? Works exactly as you describe: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B0011UIX2K

DJGibbon said:
Have you seen the Kensington LiquidAux? Works exactly as you describe: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B0011UIX2K
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Kensington LiquidAux does not have APT-X though.

Hi.
Just ordered one. Trying to find out which bluetooth version it has, as it said 2.1EDR in the specs, but The Verge listed it as 4.0 in their test.
Was the sound quality and volume acceptable when using the cassette adapter??

Hey guys, I've had this stereo clip for about 4 months and it's fantastic. The fact it's wireless, so small, and gives a brilliant quality are my favourite points.
Although the battery is pretty poor, so now i've hooked it up to my cigarette lighter which solves that problem.
Now though, my calls are not distributed through the stereo clip to my cars speakers. Where-as a couple of months ago they were. Is this something that can be turned on/off or restored? It was super clear through the car speakers but now voice comes through the phones speaker and the sound is pretty crap when I'm driving to be honest.

Car System with NOTE

I want to make the beast (aka note) the centre of entertainment/info in my car.
The problem: My car has no aux input.
Solution: FM Transmitter.
Now I tried a few cheapo fm transmitters, and they all had horrible sound connection. The transmission was fine but something was wrong. I pretty much gave up on this idea until I tried my brother's fm transmitter. It was crystal, however it had long cables which dangled over the driver -not ideal. Also, his one was from a good company and cost $120 -yikes.
Anyways, just the other day I saw my friends set-up. All he had was this:
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Which can be bought off ebay for ~$15, or even cheaper from other sources.
It is the perfect companion, since the rigid arm holds the phone just firm enough. It cleanly connects to fm. And charges it simultaneously.
Here's one for example: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/FM-Trans...Accessories&hash=item20c69cb619#ht_3654wt_905
After looking for it for many hours, I can't find a suitable one for androids.
For once, I am jelly over Apple's monopoly of its proprietary connector.
Any good solutions you guys know of?

Why would you bother, just buy radio with aux and a stand.

dawids2k8 said:
Why would you bother, just buy radio with aux and a stand.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, this was your first post on xda, I'm honored.
The thing is, I'm not planning on keeping this car for too many years... so a new head-unit will be a little pointless and expensive. Another thing, there is a separate display unit which pairs with the headunit...so removing it will stuff that up (which is handy for quick time and temperature).
It plays CD's but I don't have any cd's...they're all digital media.
I know I'm not the only one with an Android phone who has this problem, so a solution is out there.
Anyways, I found these solutions on ebay:
1) Bought, tested, its useless. Cables float everywhere. Costs ~$5.
Picture: http://i875.photobucket.com/albums/ab314/youkeshu/youkeshu-7/AA404_5-ALL.jpg
2)Then I found this one, costs ~$11, also suffers from the same noise distortion. Again cables galore!
Picture: http://cdn1.sellerimage.com/cdn2/120802/9e/78/f4/fmt-uni023_1_cc.jpg
3) I found this. Its just like the first crappy one. This one I haven't bought and tested, it may actually work well. But again cables galore!
Picture: http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab238/ebay510/home and garden/CBA00031-1.jpg
4) Okay I found this a working solution. The seller contacted me said it doesn't have the noise problem like the other options and backs it up with a full refund. Sad part is it costs ~$45...and what makes it worse is that the cables are still hanging about but at least not as much as the solutions prior to this.
Picture: http://gomadic.us/imgs-prod/fmt/samsung-galaxy-2-car-auto-charger-fm-transmitter.jpg

I finally found a (2yo?) thread in Google where they were discussing the same thing for the original Droid.
Anyways, I found a link to it on Amazon but it was discontinued.
Luckily enough, it was "related" to another product which led me to find this:
http://www.amazon.com/GOgroove-Flex...?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1339419456&sr=1-39
Same as the iPhone dock, only costs double the price. Instead of Apple connector, its a microUSB.
edit:
Hold on, found this. Same product (moreless) but $18
http://www.amazon.com/Accessory-Pow...?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1339419702&sr=1-19
edit:
Okay now its pouring in, found an even cheaper one ($13) lol.
http://www.amazon.com/GSI-Dock-Moun...-Smartphones/dp/B004006L7W/ref=pd_sim_sbs_e_2

Okay, so there was more to this story than I thought. Wondering how I couldn't find any in the sea of thousands of other (mostly iphone) fm transmitters.
Anyways, back on ebay and finally found this:
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/17083475...X:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649#ht_3398wt_1270
Same as the other ones (~$20) but ships Internationally so anyone can get a hold of it.
It looks to be too small to fit the beast, and the seller hasn't responded back to my message.
But another seller has.
And no, the clamps maximum width is 80mm. We need at least 83mm, or ~90mm (comfortably) to clamp the note. But I have good news from the seller:
"But we will list another item which will fit for your Samsung NOTE,
Please come back to our shop 10 days later,or I can notice you when we list the item."
"Ok,I will let you know when we get new model.
Please don't worry,we have professional Technician?"
I'll keep this thread updated once I get my hands on it.
(ps I broke my windshield mount the other day, so hopefully 2-angry-birds-1-stone)

just to let u know, transmitters/holders that plugs into the cigarette lighter last a week max.
once the rubber that that goes into the cigarette light wears out, its all over, it wont stay up.

werks said:
just to let u know, transmitters/holders that plugs into the cigarette lighter last a week max.
once the rubber that that goes into the cigarette light wears out, its all over, it wont stay up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the input.
I'm going to try anyway and give a review. It shouldn't cost much $15-$30 so the burden wouldn't be great.
And if it does fall apart, I'm planning on modifying it so it becomes a windshield mount.
That way I can have eyes on the road, and glanceable navigation... while having music from car speakers and hands-free phone function. The Ultimate Road Warrior! xD

this is what i would do if i werent to invest in a head unit.
www.firesport.com.au, buy a 2nd hand amp for cheap.
connect the amp to speakers.
connect the note directly to amp via cheapo 3.5mm to aux cable.
sound quality will be 10x better than transmitter lol.
migrate amp to next car

werks said:
this is what i would do if i werent to invest in a head unit.
www.firesport.com.au, buy a 2nd hand amp for cheap.
connect the amp to speakers.
connect the note directly to amp via cheapo 3.5mm to aux cable.
sound quality will be 10x better than transmitter lol.
migrate amp to next car
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks.
Of course the advantage of the ebay item is that its too easy to setup and can work in literally all cars. And the unit is still purposeful even if the fm isn't transmitting (ie phone holder + charger).
And you will definitely get x10 better sound via a wired solution.
I'm tempted to try both methods, not much to lose.
For now I just have to wait and see the item description when its up and report back.

The problem is the head unit in some cars, such as mine, are built in and cannot actually be changed our it's a big job. I was still using my Nokia N8 for music duties untill last week as it has a transmitter built in, but I've just gotten a Belkin from Amazon and it's superb. Still has to be plugged into the cigarette lighter but I don't mind that.

FlamingGoat said:
The problem is the head unit in some cars, such as mine, are built in and cannot actually be changed our it's a big job. I was still using my Nokia N8 for music duties untill last week as it has a transmitter built in, but I've just gotten a Belkin from Amazon and it's superb. Still has to be plugged into the cigarette lighter but I don't mind that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're into a bit of soldering, I have successfully added aux into older cassette deck stereos and my DAB stereo clock radio.
Basically, you open up the head unit/radio, google the chip numbers, find a datasheet. Only one of them will be some kind of mixer/preamp/processing chip. Find the pins that are the input L/R and ground. Then solder a 3.5mm stereo lead in. Close it up, plug in your phone, hey presto, AUX in! And better than any FM transmitter.
On the cassette radio, I just wired in to the cassette audio input and disconnected the tape motors. On my clock radio, I added a 2 pole 2 way switch to toggle between the tuner input and my phone. Later I'll add a bluetooth input to get rid of the slight noise hum when my phone is charging.

I bought one,but broken one.

china2834 said:
I bought one,but broken one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which one?
Can you link it for us.
I got a response from another seller, and one from local. They won't be getting it.
Its been 6 days since I received the email from one seller who said they will get NOTE compatible models (hopefully 90mm wide, so NOTE with case can also fit).
So there's another 4 days until he will respond back to me with the link, and then probably a week or two until I can test it.
Getting excited!

I know you said you wouldnt be keeping this car long but imho you would be much better served changing your head unit to one with bluetooth. You can find used ones in great condition shipped on ebay for$100. Installation time is under an hour. Trust me its worth it. My head (eclipse cd5030) automatically connects to my phone as soon as i start the car. No wires, just press play. And also, it has a usb plug for charging it.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk 2

That's a good idea.
My options seem to be:
-FM transmitter/dock
-Change head unit for Bluetooth (break the overhead display and car cpu though)
-Change head unit for AUX in (break the overhead display and car cpu though)
-Install a low-powered/cheap amplifier with an AUX in.
Here's the inside of my car (though not so new, heh):
The head unit (ie CD slot and music controls) is located in the middle of the centre-console.
The actual display for it is displayed higher up on the centre-console.
The display is also wired into the car, if the engine runs out of power for a second, it locks and needs the password. Same thing if I jump start someone.
If I can install a new head-unit without stuffing up the relay going between the display and car cpu, I'd be all set... I wished I was more experienced in this field
Anyways, I've already decided on my next car, so I better start saving now:

I may be wrong buddy but i believe that your stock equipment is set up for an optional CD changer from the factory so there will be an option for an auxiliary input..
What you need to do is call an aftermarket car audio supplier and ask about a 3rd party wiring loom, more than likely they will have a plug in solution for it..

bazrippa said:
I may be wrong buddy but i believe that your stock equipment is set up for an optional CD changer from the factory so there will be an option for an auxiliary input..
What you need to do is call an aftermarket car audio supplier and ask about a 3rd party wiring loom, more than likely they will have a plug in solution for it..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with that,
Kangal,
Most of the car stereos have port to get AUX out behind. An audio shop can use this to get a 3.5 mm female port

A new quality brand like pioneer car stereo with aux on the front is about $45 NZ these days. Problem solved. And you never know your stereo may have line in in the back you could use.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda app-developers app

I have the same problem as you.
My solution requires the following equipment :
1. Jabra SB600 car hands free
2. Original Samsung car dock for Note.
You basically pair your Note with Jabra via bluetooth and the Jabra transmits the audio via FM to your car radio. Simple, clean, no wire solution. Music and calls play via your car speakers and the Jabra's DSP does a fantastic job to cut out ambient noise in a moving car.
The sound quality is decent. Probably not the very best, but bearable. And more importantly, it gets the task done without any extra wires and stuff. Consider it a trade-off between ripping out / modding your car stereo and making no changes at all.
Though the Jabra's price may be a bit steep, it is a better bet if you consider it against replacing your stereo or spending the time (and taking the risk) on modding it.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda app-developers app

I'm assuming that not a whole lot of people here are really into cars. I am really into modding my car and one aspect of that is audio. I love car audio and have a moderately nice system in my car. I can say that if you're looking for a good way to integrate your phone as your main source of media, then perhaps a new head unit would be a great upgrade for both your media and for your car.
Some people may be on a tight budget, and if so then the previously mentioned solutions may be the only options viable to you, but if you are willing to branch out and see what you can do with your ICE (in car entertainment), then you may find something that you might want to invest in.
So what are the options? You can use a wired fm transmitter, and as people have mentioned, you're dealing with wires and such. You also have wireless fm transmitters, which eliminates your wiring, and your results don't stray far from the wired transmitters in terms of sound quality. If you're willing to upgrade your headunit, then you have two options, single dins which is the base tier headunit. It has most, if not all, of the features your stock headunit has, and a few extras. If it is equipped with bluetooth, you can send/make calls from the headunit, but most single dins don't solve your audio needs in this way. What you want to look for is if it equipped with USB, so you can connect your phone via USB and play your music that way. Yes it does involve wiring, but there have been many ways to tie in a nice docking station for your phone to really make it appealing to many users. Double dins are almost always touchscreen type headunits and are a great way to upgrade your system. They have many more features that single dins will not have, such as GPS, movie viewing, etc. These types of headunits will follow single dins in that you will be wiring your phone via USB to source your music. I think there may be some double dins that are capable of bluetooth audio but I am not totally sure as mine does not have that feature as a 2011 model from Alpine.
W W W[dot]thebizzy[dot]com/technical_pages/thebizzy/audio/ipod2.jpg
Here is an example of how many users like to mount their phones/ipods/etc.
I will say that the benefit of a wired connection over a fm transmitted connection is that the sound quality is so much better. Music is much more crisp and clean with none of that distortion. Granted your overall sound quality will be determined by the quality of your speakers, but the differences from a USB connection and an fm transmitted connection are really noticeable.
So think about what your budget is and what you really want in your car audio system/integration. I went with a double din because the features are just spectacular. I do want to note though, that a headunit does not make your car system sound better, you need to upgrade your speakers, amps, subwoofers, etc. The main purpose for a new headunit is features. For me, I went with the double din because of benefits such as GPS, bluetooth (syncs my entire phonebook so I can just search for people whom I need to contact, shows recent call logs, auto answering for incoming calls), better interface when selecting music (it can utilize the entire interface of the ipod giving me access to movies, artists, playlists, genres, etc.), and overall ease of use.
So to conclude I'd recommend you find out what you want, and what your budget is, and start a project because my daily commute is worlds better than what it used to be because I made my upgrade happen. If you have any questions about ICE then feel free to ask.

The $43 Galaxy S3 + Car Stereo Upgrade for WaaaY better sound quality! USB-DAC Audio

EDIT/UPDATE January 2013: The USB-DAC option is now working for AOSP based i9300 and North American phones!
Here is my thread on how to get it working for Liquidsmooth (cm10.1 clone) on my AT&T S3:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2116877
---------------------------------------------------------
EDIT/UPDATE 02/12/2013 --- This USB-DAC functionality also now works with the Xylon AOSP ROM after the JackNorris patch:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=37925178#post37925178
Also, LiquidSmooth thread is closed now due to the team breaking up. But a new thread will likely be opened soon as the ROM is still being developed by the new Liquid team.
---------------------------------------------------------
EDIT/UPDATE 2/28/13 for North American S3's (not sure about Euro S3):
CZ Eddie said:
For the 4.1.X AOSP ROM's, only LiquidSmooth and Xylon work. If you can find them anymore. All stock based/rooted ROM's work.
LiquidSmooth ROM never skips, it had flawless audio performance. But you lose the headphone jack on LiquidSmooth. And the 4.1.X Xylon ROM was a WIP ROM with various bugs.
The 4.1.2 LiquidSmooth ROM was fantastic. Never once had any cd-skipping type sounds. Sounded excellent and was a flawless, bug-free ROM. Perfect if you didn't need the headphone jack, which was the only issue. BUT, I can't find that ROM download anymore. I have a nandroid and if someone bugged the hell out of me, I might be talked into uploading it. But it was a nandroid from a dirty flash so I can't guarantee it will work perfectly.
Stock ROM's skip sometimes when initially connecting audio and also when taking calls or other events occur. Otherwise they work great.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
---------------------------------------------------------
ORIGINAL THREAD TEXT BELOW:
---------------------------------------------------------
So, you're like me and you want to use your North American Galaxy S3 with your car stereo to stream Pandora, play MP3's and listen to your phones Navigation directions.
But, Bluetooth obviously sucks for so many reasons.
And the USB analog audio output has too many clicks/clacks and otherwise degraded sound.
So what do you do? You're an audiophile (or a wanna-be like me) and NEED better, cleaner sound!
Well, here is how you can get near audiophile quality sound from your GS3 to your car stereo.
1) Purchase an external USB DAC (digital to audio converter). This takes your phone's digital audio and cleanly converts it to analog audio for your car stereo to handle.
So why don't we just use the phone's internal DAC? Well, because it's a cheapy, crappy sounding Yamaha DAC. Samsung cheaped out on us! So we're using a BETTER DAC instead.
I bought the Behringer UCA202 USB DAC for just $30 shipped.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/160904879602?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649
2) Now you need to get the digital audio out of your phone and into the external DAC! And you also need to make sure your phone still charges! So I bought this USB-OTG cable that has a charging adapter. It's just $10 shipped:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/160912100776?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649
3) And then you need a dual-RCA to 3.5mm cable to get the analog audio from the DAC into the Car Stereo! I used one similar to this $3 shipped one:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/5-FT-3-5mm-...=US_Audio_Cables_Adapters&hash=item2a134140b0
And so what are the results you ask?
HOLY MOLY!
Not only is the audio quality MUCH improved, but the sound is so CLEAN now. No clicks, burps, or any other weird background noises. Just straight CD quality background silence.
Even my GPS voice sounds prettier. hahah
Bass is tighter and deeper. Highs are more revealing. Everything is so much better that a novice could tell it sounds better.
And yes, GPS navigation works perfectly. If I'm listening to Pandora or an MP3 and my GPS needs to talk, then my music will go several db quieter and GPS will speak up, then afterwards the music will automatically go back to full volume.
UPDATE EDIT: Google Maps voice gets cut off when it starts talking, if I'm not already listening to music. When music is playing, then Google Maps voice talks perfect. But if nothing else is using sound, then I think Google Maps doesn't force its voice out enough and the first part gets cut off. This could have been a one-day deal or other issue. I need more time with it.
Also, one thing I hated about Bluetooth was everytime I turned my car off for just a minute, when I would power it back on the Bluetooth would not consistently reconnect. Well, this USB-OTG has been very consistent for me so far. Music just picks back up where it left off at and is fairly quick to do so.
Cons? Well, I haven't tested hands free calling yet. But I'm told it doesn't work with this USB-OTG to DAC configuration. Maybe there is a bluetooth solution for that. I dunno? And AOSP does not yet support DACs.
UPDATE EDIT: Bluetooth hands-free works perfectly when I'm using the USB-OTG to my DAC. I'll add pics & info below.
UPDATE EDIT: Once in awhile, my cheapy DAC gets weird sounding when I first start up music. Like a CD player skipping. I just stop and start the music again and it's fine. Or it quickly goes away on it's own. Doesn't happen very often though.
UPDATE #2 EDIT:*I flashed a new ROM today and everything has been 100% flawless so far. That last ROM had lots of weird issues.
Pros? Freakin everything.
Pics are below.
Here is the DAC and the USB-OTG cable:
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This is how you configure the DAC. You can probably also use the headphones output instead of the stereo RCA, but I didn't try it.
I wired up my USB-OTG cable to my iBOLT dock. It comes up through my dash defrost vents.
This is what the three connectors on the USB-OTG cable look like:
Here is the DAC being wired up. I taped up the non-used RCA's to prevent anything bugging with them.
I wrapped up the DAC with DUCT tape.
Hid it behind my dash.
Here is the USB-OTG cable with my iBOLT dock.
The car stereo w/audio cable attached. Some car stereos have the 3.5mm connector in the back. Or a dual-RCA input. I'd prefer one of those to have a cleaner install. Maybe someday I'll upgrade my car stereo.
And here is the finished product. My S3 docked, charging and outputing beautiful digital music!
LINKS:
How to make your own USB-OTG cable with power:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1828032
List of compatible DACs:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/595071/android-phones-and-usb-dacs/1320#post_9038046
The official Galaxy S3 sound quality thread (TONS of info!!!):
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1633685&page=2
UPDATE EDIT:
Here is how you get Bluetooth hands-free calling working. I tested it today. Started listening to music via PowerAmp through the USB-OTG to DAC to my car stereo which was set to the AUX input. Then I accepted an incoming call. My car stereo automatically switched to Bluetooth input on it's own and I could hear/talk over bluetooth to the car stereo/speakers without any problem. After disconnecting the call, my car stereo automatically went back to AUX input and my USB-OTG/DAC music resumed playing nicely.
So here are the steps.
1) Connect your phone to your car stereo via Bluetooth.
2) Click the "settings" button next to your Bluetooth connection in the phone:
3) Put a checkmark in "Call Audio" and de-select "Media Audio".
4) When you accept a call on your phone, click the "headset" button and all audio will be played over your car speakers and your voice will be picked up by your hands-free microphone.
My next step is to figure out a way to get TASKER to automatically select "headset" when I'm in my car.
EDIT:
Here is my new dock and new cable solution. Just one single cable down under my dash.

Great post and very well put together but there a couple of things
1) doubt pandora is of audiophile quality
2) most people won't hear a difference since most don't have super expensive speakers in their car
3) the amp/dac you have has 2 ANALOG outputs (rca and headphone) and 1 digital output (Optical cable)....since you're using the analog output.... its been through an amp already.... then your stereo amps the signal again.... so technically you're amping an already amped signal. If you want to notice a difference use a line out/digital signal to ur stereo.
http://www.headstage.com/USB-DAC-Cable/USB-DAC-Cable-with-35mm-Mini-Plug-75cm-30::10134.html
would be the perfect solution..lineout.... small.... don't need to hide anything, and take it with you inside ur house and use it for the receiver at home also.
But if you want something with analog, lineout and portable.... i'd go with an E7 from Fiio... need to buy a 10 dollar adapter for the line out.... but for about 80 you can listen to it from ur s3 or computer straight to ur headphones via analog. use the line out adapter to hook it up to ur car stereo or home receiver. so best of both worlds.

If you're going to quote something, please don't quote a zillion pictures with it.
krash183 said:
1) doubt pandora is of audiophile quality
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Absolutely it is not "audiophile" quality. But that doesn't mean it doesn't sound better with my current DAC configuration. Because it does sound better now. Though it's still limited by the lower bitrate/conversion Pandora offers us.
My 320kbps and FLAC MP3 collection sounds absolutely incredible though.
krash183 said:
2) most people won't hear a difference since most don't have super expensive speakers in their car
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have $60 Alpine speakers and it was a heck of a difference. I can only imagine how much better it'll get when I do eventually put high end separates in here.
My subwoofer is fairly high end though.
You don't need high end speakers to notice a cleaner sound.
krash183 said:
3) the amp/dac you have has 2 ANALOG outputs (rca and headphone) and 1 digital output (Optical cable)....since you're using the analog output.... its been through an amp already.... then your stereo amps the signal again.... so technically you're amping an already amped signal. If you want to notice a difference use a line out/digital signal to ur stereo.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Huh?!? Nothing has been amplified before it hits my car stereo. My phone deliveres a digital signal to a converter, which convers the signal to a high end analog signal directly into my car stereo. This means neither the DAC in my phone or my car stereo is used.

CZ Eddie said:
Huh?!? Nothing has been amplified before it hits my car stereo. My phone deliveres a digital signal to a converter, which convers the signal to a high end analog signal directly into my car stereo. This means neither the DAC in my phone or my car stereo is used.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not talking about the DAC... talking about the amp section. But I read the specs wrong on your link,
"The stereo headphone output features a dedicated level control and lets you listen to both the input and output."
I thought the level control was for the headphone and RCA out, but reading more the RCA is a lineout.

The E7 you mentioned is a very popular one indeed.
This one is on my "upgrade wishlist" if I ever get more serious. It's being compared with >$300 DAC's due to the chipset it uses.
edit: removed link due to report that this particular DAC may not be compatible with Android.
Here is a list of known working DAC's:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/595071/android-phones-and-usb-dacs/1320#post_9038046

by using the rca to headphone cable it automatically is in analog therefore not digital at all and all those conversions and amplifications can and most likely causes some signal degradation...it's kind of a round about way to get cleaner sound when your using low bitrate streaming music...

CZ Eddie said:
The E7 you mentioned is a very popular one indeed.
This one is on my "upgrade wishlist" if I ever get more serious. It's being compared with >$300 DAC's due to the chipset it uses.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/140847495065?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
96khz/24bit...wow thats impressive.... I'm using a old silverstone DAC with a burr brown connected to an old x-head amp, But it works well since it was only 10 bucks used haha. Want to get this and find a used objective amp.

killj0y said:
by using the rca to headphone cable it automatically is in analog therefore not digital at all and all those conversions and amplifications can and most likely causes some signal degradation...it's kind of a round about way to get cleaner sound when your using low bitrate streaming music...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm, you may want to research the subject a little more.

Subscribed.. Great thread..
Does this provide a true line out, or is volume still controlled by the phone?
Also since there's clearly audiophiles here has anyone tried or heard of this?
http://www.gromaudio.com/store/usb_adapters/index.html
I have a Jetta and it would be great to be able to use my steering wheel controls to skip/replay tracks...
Again.. Great thread..

ddiehl said:
Does this provide a true line out, or is volume still controlled by the phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Volume is controlled by the phone still.
Though the volume button on the DAC does also affect volume.
I set mine to full volume on the DAC. Forgot to mention that in my OP.
So my Car Home Ultra application automatically sets Android volume to max, and I end up using my car stereo's volume knob for everything.
ddiehl said:
Also since there's clearly audiophiles here has anyone tried or heard of this?
http://www.gromaudio.com/store/usb_adapters/index.html
I have a Jetta and it would be great to be able to use my steering wheel controls to skip/replay tracks...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope, never looked into that. But there are lots of steering wheel control thingies developed for car stereos.
Something else I want to look into is this sucker. Infinity IMS:
http://www.harmanaudio.com/search_browse/product_detail.asp?urlMaterialNumber=IMS

A DAC developed *specifically* for Android should be available in January.
It's kind of expensive though.
The AudioQuest Bumblebee:
Designed specifically for Android devices
24-bit ESS Sabre conversion chip
Supports all music files including 24-bit/192kHz lossless
Drives headphones directly with 3.5mm mini-jack output
Fixed or Variable output modes
Asynchronous transfer for accurate digital timing
64-position (computer-controlled) analog volume control
Isolated dual master clocks
Colour changing LED to indicate source sample rate
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://www.avland.co.uk/aasp/audioquest/1220/bumblebee/bumblebee.asp

CZ Eddie said:
Hmm, you may want to research the subject a little more.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with killjoy. You are not getting the full benefits of your dac if it's just connected via aux in.
You will have to either use a usb or optical connection.
I was about to get a leckerton uha 6s mk ii, but I couldn't find a way to have hi fi connection with my car stereo.
And fwiw, I do connect my international sgs3 (Wolfson chip) with a denko cable interconnect tipped with neutrik plugs. Audio via neutron player. Very good. But definitely not hi fi.
Sent from a Galaxy far, far away

rab1412000 said:
I agree with killjoy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So you also think that the DAC or phone is amplifying the signal? Because that's what he said.
It's a pre-amp DAC, guys.
rab1412000 said:
You are not getting the full benefits of your dac if it's just connected via aux in.
You will have to either use a usb or optical connection.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well that would be great if there were a plethora of car stereos with optical input, but there aren't.
This isn't an "audiophile" thread. This is a thread to help people get cleaner and better audio sound in their cars when using the S3 as a source.

CZ Eddie said:
So you also think that the DAC or phone is amplifying the signal? Because that's what he said.
It's a pre-amp DAC, guys.
Well that would be great if there were a plethora of car stereos with optical input, but there aren't.
This isn't an "audiophile" thread. This is a thread to help people get cleaner and better audio sound in their cars when using the S3 as a source.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Afaik all stand alone dacs have a pre amp or else you wouldn't hear music from it. However the better ones have specific connectors to bypass the internal amp to avoid double amping.
The reason I mentioned hi fi sound and the limitations of the aux in is to serve as a sort of warning to you and others. As you have the us sgs 3 (with the poor internal dac) and a cheap external, connecting via aux in is definitely a good option.
However getting a more expensive dac such as the Sabre equipped ones you mentioned MAY NOT improve your sq due to the limitations of the inter connection.
Sent from a Galaxy far, far away

rab1412000 said:
Afaik all stand alone dacs have a pre amp or else you wouldn't hear music from it. However the better ones have specific connectors to bypass the internal amp to avoid double amping.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is no freakin internal amp in this DAC. WTF.
How many times do I have to stress this point? LOL
rab1412000 said:
The reason I mentioned hi fi sound and the limitations of the aux in is to serve as a sort of warning to you and others. As you have the us sgs 3 (with the poor internal dac) and a cheap external, connecting via aux in is definitely a good option.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We're not using AUX in on the DAC. We're using the digital input on the DAC. The DAC is then converting that digital signal to analog where it's being sent directly to my car stereo amps (via the car stereo).
The signal is going to be analog at some point, no matter what you have in your bag of tricks. I believe that even digital amplifiers have to convert the signal to analog at some point, though I could be wrong on that one.
rab1412000 said:
However getting a more expensive dac such as the Sabre equipped ones you mentioned MAY NOT improve your sq due to the limitations of the inter connection.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is the craziest statement ever.
Yes, interconnection will always be somewhat of a limitation.
But processing can always be improved upon.

Nice writeup, it was an a-ha moment for me recently, that I should be using my Fiio E7 in the car. Haven't done anything about it like you have.
The next step is to take the digital out of the DAC and send it right to the digital input of a DSP, such as this:
That's what I'm talking about! Who needs a head unit?
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy SIII

OSNPA said:
The next step is to take the digital out of the DAC and send it right to the digital input of a DSP, such as this:
That's what I'm talking about! Who needs a head unit?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Whoahh. :good:
http://www.zapco.com/zapcoprocessors.html

Lol I wasn't talking about the aux in of the DAC but the aux in of the stereo, which is the weak link here.
The dsp unit above is the solution your looking for if you want true hi fi. You will never get it by connecting thru aux in of stereo is what I'm saying.
Also no need for insults or derogatory statements here mate. We are all trying to help each other. My comments, whether they agree with your opinions or not, should be taken constructively
Sent from a Galaxy far, far away

It's actually not a DAC (digital-to-analog converter). It doesn't have a Digital input, per their Website. The volume control is for monitoring the input and output so that wouldn't need a Amp. This is a USB audio interface for pc and macs.
The UCA202 allows you to connect instruments and other audio devices to your computer, effectively merging the analog and digital worlds. It accomplishes this by providing two analog mono Inputs and Outputs (for monitoring), USB connectivity and an additional S/PDIF optical output for direct analog-to-digital conversion. The stereo headphone output features a dedicated level control and lets you listen to both the input and output.
It has only analog inputs and a S/PDIF out that coverts analog to digital. So i'm sure what he's saying is that this unit takes the analog from the phone and cleans it up before it's delivered to analog input of Head Units...
http://www.behringer.com/EN/Products/UCA202.aspx

CZ Eddie said:
Whoahh. :good:
http://www.zapco.com/zapcoprocessors.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've used that specific one, just not with the digital input. I am more experienced with audio than I am with android, pm me if want to do something drastic.:thumbup:
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy SIII (AT&T)

Review of Antec GAIN bluetooth receiver w/pics!!!

This is a review of Antec GAIN bluetooth receiver with Android phone controls: http://www.antecmobileproducts.com/product_detail/148
I think this little gadget is one of the best kept secrets, and I will tell you why in my review. After spending some time reviewing wired headphones with in-line remotes and wireless bluetooth headphones with built-in controls, I have a good idea of what to expect from a headphone and it's control when using Note 2 or any other Android phone, like S4 I was just reviewing. Bluetooth technology is great since you don't have to tie yourself up with an umbilical cord to your phone and can pickup/end a phone call and play/pause audio and maybe control volume or skip a track, depending on models you use. But you also run into an issue when you are in a middle of something and battery goes dead. Plus, not all the headphones have both volume and track skip controls, and sometimes you are dealing with a single button with multiple functionality. Either way, you have some pluses and minuses with both. What GAIN does is to bridge these both giving you an option to use either one while also providing you all the necessary controls.
This little device is small, well actually its tiny! Measured at 40mm x 23mm x 15mm and weight of under 10 grams it looks almost like a toy you get with a Happy Meal. But it actually packs a lot of functionality and executes it really well. First of all it has a clip on the back so you can attach it close to you. Keep in mind, it will host the microphone so you have to remember its not the same as in-line remote on your wired headphones which is close to your face or a microphone built into your earbuds. You want to keep it close to you so it will pick up your voice better. It has a regular micro-usb charging port which is a big bonus since you don't have to dig for any old mini-usb or proprietary cables. According to Antec the battery should last 6 hours of continuous music play. I haven't tested it for 6 hours, so can't confirm that yet. Will rely on a vendor data for now. Next you have 3.5mm jack where you connect headphones. Headphones are supplied as part of the package. These are actually decent looking earphones, doesn't look cheap at all, and they even come with 3 pairs of interchangeable ear tips. The sound quality is not top notch, but its acceptable in this case. I have to note, they have a short cable which is the whole intent of the use because you are not plugging these into a remotely located phone, but rather into a small GAIN receiver which should be closer to you with it's microphone. Of course, the main idea is that you can use ANY headphones connected to this bt receiver to turn them into wireless headphones!!! In case of any regular wired pair of headphones, you will have to deal with an excess of wires, so will have to figure out how to manage it. Another bonus, this is BT receiver so you can use it to turn ANY speaker into a wireless speaker! As a matter of fact, you can even hook it up to aux input of your car stereo to stream music from your phone and/or pick up the calls that way. The possibilities are endless, but I wish Antec would have included 3.5mm to 3.5mm audio adapter cable. They did include usb/micro-usb cable in the package, but audio adapter cable would have been nice as well.
Now, about the bluetooth interface and phone/multimedia controls. When you look at this device, you don't see any buttons. It has a top flat panel which is clickable in the corners and in the middle. The corner functions are assigned to next/prev track selection and volume control, while the area in the middle is multi functional to pick up/end the call and to play/pause the music and the videos. To prevent accidental clicking, there is a lock button on the side. You also get LED indicator in the middle with a cool blue and red light. Pairing up with Note 2 and S4 took seconds, no need to enter any code. From the get go it was working controlling the audio tracks, volume, calls, YT videos, etc. Everything worked as expected. When you pair up with Android smartphone, you get both multimedia and phone pair up and this device supports all the profiles such as EDR, A2DP, Hands Free, and Headset. I was very impressed because I have seen bluetooth receivers before, but this one has a unique functionality to integrate all the audio, multimedia, and phone controls, comes with a bonus pair of headphones and charging cable, and cost around $30 plus change. I do have to mention the sound quality. It will not make a cheap pair of headphones sound like a million bucks. It just transforms it into wireless. So the bundled headphones were not necessary of the highest quality which is noticeable especially at higher volumes. But once I plugged in a pair of my Klipsch earphones - the sound was top notch. I did a/b comparison using Klipsch (S4A II) pugged directly to a phone and through GAIN and found very little degradation. I'm not an audiophile to analyze the whole frequency spectrum to exhaustion at different volume levels. I'm looking at it from a consumer point of view, and I was satisfied.
So, this one definitely gets my two thumbs up!!! A great design, excellent functionality, easy to use, and flexibility of converting any wired headphone into wireless and then back if you run out of battery - definitely a very impressive gadget. I will try to see how it works in the car next, just need to get audio cable adapter.
Here are some pics for your enjoyment:
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OK now you have made me want something else!
How do we buy this? How much is it? The link didn't seem to have purchase info just a link to download a manual. Maybe I missed it.
Time to Google! No. Time for bed!
Edit... OK Google saved me. It comes in other colors too!
Now no more play time. Vacation's over. Work tomorrow. Bummer.
Sent From My Ginormous Note 2

Does this also support the built in mic on some headsets?

DeMiNe0 said:
Does this also support the built in mic on some headsets?
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I'm pretty sure it won't. The whole idea is to transfer only audio to your headphones, not a two-way communication with any other control built into your headphones. As a matter of fact, I was using my S4A II Klipsch which has built in-line control and also mic, and it made no difference. Only controls on the box and its built-in mic communicate with your phone.
This this box is my new favorite toy!!! I looked up other similar devices from Sony and Samsung, and nothing even comes closer in price. Plus, I was just testing it with external bluetooth speaker (and those usually have only volume up/down control, no way to play/pause or skip a track), and after connecting GAIN to that speakers 3.5mm input - I was able to use it as a remote control. Super cool!

very nice review bro! i have the same color, and it works just great. the only difference is, you might have a newer model because mine does not have a lock/unlock button on the side.
also, you are right, you cannot use the mic button functionality of your headphones. i have confirmed this.

Can you use it as a bluetooth headset for calling?

c0nvict said:
Can you use it as a bluetooth headset for calling?
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Absolutely, it support all the Phone and Multimedia functionality. So you can play and control music, and also receive phone calls, thus a built in mic.

opasha said:
very nice review bro! i have the same color, and it works just great. the only difference is, you might have a newer model because mine does not have a lock/unlock button on the side.
also, you are right, you cannot use the mic button functionality of your headphones. i have confirmed this.
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Gotta give you big credit for helping me discover Antec (your mentioning of ISO headphones)!!!

vectron said:
Gotta give you big credit for helping me discover Antec (your mentioning of ISO headphones)!!!
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Haha, anytime bro!

I'm using the BlueAnt Ribbon which basically does the same thing and looks classier.

IsolatedAbyss said:
I'm using the BlueAnt Ribbon which basically does the same thing and looks classier.
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Indeed, not bad! But $20 more than Antec?

IsolatedAbyss said:
I'm using the BlueAnt Ribbon which basically does the same thing and looks classier.
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I think the Antec looks very nice, BUT, I do prefer the way that the BlueAnt looks! That said, with the BlueAnt being almost double the price, I would definitely purchase the Antec over the BlueAnt!
I bought the Acoustic Research ARWH1 about 4 or 5 years ago(it's an antique by now going by technology standards! Lol) . I think I paid around $20-30 when it was on sale back then. It still works great and has never given me a single issue! IT is pretty small and not too much bigger in overall size, has a clip on the back, and it has all of the needed controls on it too. That said, I'm not in the market for a BT bridge, but if I was, the Antec would definitely be my choice!
Thanks to the OP for the excellent review and pictures! This will be very useful to anyone looking to get one of these devices!
Here's a few pictures of my old Acoustic Research ARWH1
SwiftKey'ed from my White Sprint Note 2 using XDA Premium

Hey
If you are Europe based, you can purchase from Overclockers UK.

acemodder said:
Hey
If you are Europe based, you can purchase from Overclockers UK.
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Thanks for pointing this out. Often I forget that XDA is international community and outside you can't use US Amazon. I just looked it up from your reference and the link is: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HS-008-AN

Just bought from Groupon for 19,98€
Good deal

Thanks for your review

Bad audio quality! Sent back to groupon

ribelle85 said:
Bad audio quality! Sent back to groupon
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What headphones did you use? The bundled one are not that good. Also, keep in mind, this bluetooth wireless connection compresses the sound, and that going to affect some high frequencies.

vectron said:
What headphones did you use? The bundled one are not that good. Also, keep in mind, this bluetooth wireless connection compresses the sound, and that going to affect some high frequencies.
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Bose in ear

it's look a touch buttons wright ?
I think the normal ones is better
Maybe try it, after makes comparing with another types