I'm after an adapter to work with my WinMo device which allows me to connect up my own Mic.
The one that almost fits the bill is this ExtUSB 3-in-1 Adaptor but the problem is with the Mic!
I have my own Mic already wired in and a fair way from where the adapter is going to be located. Ideally, I just need a 3.5mm jack for the Mic to go into, just like the 3.5mm jack for the audio out.
The final result being I have a handsfree solution in the car, connected up through the car stereo speakers and a handsfree mic.
Can anyone see any issues with this setup? Does anyone know where I can obtain such an adapter?
1) I tried that adapter with my Touch PRO and it messed up somehow the audio managment so after plugging it in once - after receiving a call I could speak but the device become totally unresponsive only reset worked until a next call... so I hard reseted device and bought the HTC original one.
2) You might get a ground loop when using audio together with charging. I have had it with different cars, devices (laptops/handhelds). The ground loop will give you loud unwanted digital noise while charging. There are workarounds but might not be easy to reach. Basically you need to get the power from the SAME WIRE as the amplifier does.
I have this exact setup in my car and it does work, no feedback problems. I also have the same problem of microphone placement. I have been unable to find an adaptor or a microphone with a long enough wire to do what I wanted, so I had to modify my microphone placement(put it on the dash as oppossed to my sun visor where I wanted it). Other than that issue, it does work great, sounds great over the stereo(both phone calls and music), and charges up at the same time. If you do find either an adaptor or a stupid mini usb microphone with about a 4 foot wire, let me know.
bsell1 said:
I have this exact setup in my car and it does work, no feedback problems. I also have the same problem of microphone placement. I have been unable to find an adaptor or a microphone with a long enough wire to do what I wanted, so I had to modify my microphone placement(put it on the dash as oppossed to my sun visor where I wanted it). Other than that issue, it does work great, sounds great over the stereo(both phone calls and music), and charges up at the same time. If you do find either an adaptor or a stupid mini usb microphone with about a 4 foot wire, let me know.
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How about the charging?... Is there any change in the audio when plugging in? Try lowering the vol of device as low as possible and maximize the vol of amp.
not at all. The way I have it set up, it is charging or powered the whole time. Of the 3 inputs on the adaptor, one goes to the aux in on my car stereo, one goes to a car power adaptor I installed under the dash, and the 3rd goes to the microphone. I have bluetooth on, so it works with the gps reciever I have(I have an older model without built in gps) and I programed 1 of the buttons to turn on the gps program. Another button is programed to turn on the audio player(I think it is pocket player), which feeds audio to the car stereo anytime I have the aux button pressed on the car stereo. When a phone call comes in, the song pauses and all I have to do is hit the little green answer button on the phone to use it as a speakerphone. Audio is great. I have all the wires snake into one of those little pockets on the dash so there are not a lot of wires going everywhere. Takes about 5-10 seconds to set it up when I get in the car, and about 3 seconds to disconnect when I leave.
http://www.londondrugs.com/Cultures...lack - AS11137&ProductID=5354873&ProductTab=3
Just thought I'd post to say I've tried this Phillips Fidelio Alarm Clock/Charging station/ Bluetooth speaker system.
My impressions are pretty good with it. The speakers are not amazing, but good enough for a bedroom use which it's intended for. It plays music via bluetooth and has an application that you install with it such that the bluetooth will turn on once you plug the phone in. It will automoatically revert back to your normal bluetooth settings once you remove the phone.
For the price of this system, it's cheaper than me buying a charging dock from samsung. Also, I'll be able to use it for future devices as the bottom slides to adjust for phones with the charging plug mounted on the side.
I have it too, and I like it. Their Fidelio app seems to work acceptably with the Galaxy Nexus. It's also possible to use Tasker to have a "nightstand" mode (based on charging and being connected via Bluetooth) if you want more customization.
When the phone is docked, it shows up as charging via USB, not AC. I assume that means it can only draw 500 mA of current. I don't mind this (I normally leave it docked long enough to charge fully, and I'd rather it charge slowly anyway since that's likely easier on the battery.)
The main annoyance I have with it is that the speaker makes a "boop boop" noise when it connects or disconnects via Bluetooth, so if my wife's already asleep, plugging the phone in will risk waking her up.
I use my phone without a case, but I would think that this dock probably would still work with the phone in a case as long as it's not too thick on the bottom.
The bottom of the mount has a couple of adjustment screws to adjust to different thickness bases in case you have a case on the phone.
Yep, so they should accommodate most any reasonable case. They do, however, hold the phone by the bottom and therefore render the headphone jack inaccessible if you wanted to use it for some reason.
Hi Folks,
Please forgive (and link) me if this has been discussed elsewhere, but I've not been able to find much..
I'm trying to build a sort of car dock so I can charge my phone, play music and satnav through my cars head unit and maybe take calls...
I've got the charging covered by using a USB cable (with a USB OTG adapter on the end so that my phone goes into Car Dock mode when it's plugged in) and 12v-USB adapter which are both going to be hidden behind the dash and fed from a 12v accessory feed.
I can butcher a line in on my cars head-unit (VW Gamma in a mk4 Golf) and would like to feed this using the same USB-OTG cable, rather than a separate 3.5mm jack connection.
I've been able to find people who have rigged up a cable like this for other phones, connecting the L/R to the USB data lines and ground to ground to effectively provide a line-out. But I haven't been able to to get the same going with my Desire Z. I've rigged this up to my phone and it opens the car dock and charges, but still plays audio over it's external speaker as it usually would.
Does anyone know if there's a way to get my Desire Z to output audio over a USB(OTG) cable please?
Thanks in advance,
'tunes
When I drove a Taxi a couple of years back I had my SGSI connected to the car stereo with a small FM transmitter. This got its power and powered my phone, through the USB port, via the cars cigarette lighter socket. Spotify supplied the music and Google maps the navigation. I did not try, but guess that a bluetooth headset would have worked if I'd had one. I should mention that the phone did discharge despite being on 'charge'! I guess constant streaming of both music and map data over a data network, full brightness and the charge to the FM transmitter was a bit much for the usb charger
Hi
I'm fed up with audio quality of my HTC when connected to my Hi-Fi Amp. On headphones my HTC one sounds amazing, but when paired to my Hi-Fi amp I have to turn the audio levels on my phone and HiFi amp turned up to max just to hear the music at "normal" levels (this introduces back ground hiss / and distortion). There's an article here that explains where this is the case (in essence the output voltage from the headphone output is insufficient to drive an Hi-Fi amplifier).
Does anyone know where I can get a device (I'll call it a pre amp) that will convert (i.e. amplify) the headphone output to Line-out level voltages. I'm guessing a dock with line out would be okay - but my GF uses iPhone (with the same issues), so Ideally the headphone jack on my phone will connect to the pre-amp, with the pre-amp connecting to my Hi-Fi amplifier (the pre amp will be externally powered my mains adapter).
I live in the UK, so UK sources / experience be most relevant, but any feedback is welcomed.
Many thanks!
if you can find somewhere locally to buy/try out something like this it might work
http://www.amazon.com/Fiio-E07K-Portable-Headphone-Amplifier/dp/B00A9LHLQ6
The posts I have read show some success with certain android phones, though it's by no means a guaranteed success. It works with some Samsung devices, and our phones support USB OTG/Host mode, so at least on paper it should work.
well if the amp you're looking for is anything similar to amplifying nicer headphones, theres a couple of options available for you to just flat out buy (for anywhere from $20 - $100), or you can just make one yourself from an altoids can for $10 - $20 if you know the basics of electronics and soldering.
Supposedly you can use an OTG cable/adapter to hook up the phone to an USB DAC (must be self-powered, as the OTG cannot supply enough juice to the DAC) and then DAC to the amp. I'll try it when I get home tonight to see if it works. I read that it's possible, but haven't tried it myself.
[update] I tried hooking up my AT&T HTC One to the USB DAC (self-powered, not USB bus powered) via the OTG cable. The stock music app still play music through the phone. However, fire up PowerAmp and the music comes through the stereo! Sweet sound...
why not consider a bluetooth speaker adapter like this?
http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Wireless-Speaker-Adapter-Bluetooth/dp/B004VM1T5S
i have one, connected to my hi-fi amplifier.
it's cheap, ands sounds very good!
I am a huge fan of the HTC Bluetooth adaptor, it works great and has great sound quality for a bluetooth.
Just got mine; ordered directly from their site on Saturday, received it today... $39.99, free shipping, no tax.
I was using a Logitech unit previously, and while it sounded fine, it had the disadvantage of not being very good at automatically reconnecting to the phone, and of course it had no hands free capabilities. As with pretty much all bluetooth units, there are a ton of reviews on the Kinivo; both good and terrible, so I thought I would offer this up strictly within the context of the Moto X.
Short story... I am thrilled with it!
Pros:
Amazing connectivity. It reconnects under every condition possible; moving out of range and then back in range, power off and then on, Bluetooth off and then on. My vehicle's power ports are always hot, except when cranking. This gave the Logitech fits, and I was concerned about the Kinivo as well. Bottom line... if bluetooth on the phone is on, it is always connected!
Reasonable audio quality, and contrary to a number of online reviews, both in call and media volume are good. See my cons below for more on audio.
Very positive buttons. While the thing looks a little cheap, it feels surprisingly good.
While not as good as a quality headset, I thought the in call quality was pretty good. Tried it in town on some bumpy roads, as well as on the freeway and intelligibility was good. I mounted it on the side of my center console so I can access it with my thumb when my arm is on the armrest.
Interoperability with voice commands works very well. Long press the main button and speak after the prompt. Bingo!
Cons:
In my Ford truck with Eclipse head unit, it requires a ground loop isolater, as has been the case with any 12v powered device in this vehicle. However this IS a 5v device. I suppose I could've cut the 12v adapter off and power it from my daqstuff isolated 5v supply to eliminate the need for the isolation transformer, but didn't want to mangle it before checking out how well it worked. Obviously, the audio will be much better without the transformer, but it is still bluetooth, and I primarily listen to podcasts while driving. Plus, all the music on my phone is from Google Play Music, which is notoriously poor quality anyway. I doubt I will be rewiring this to the 5v supply as I am happy enough with it as is. I can always pop in a CD when I really care about audio fidelity.
While in call quality seems completely acceptable to me (it sounds easily as good as my brother's fairly recent Sony unit), if you're doing business while driving, and expect it to sound like your not, this is not for you.
While voice commands work perfectly, the initial prompt to say a command is very low in volume; like 10db lower than anything else. The rest of the prompts / confirmations / responses are fine, so this is a mystery I have yet to figure out.
Wires are thin. While I suppose this makes it easy to route them, they will not stand up to a lot of stress. The interior of my truck is dark gray, and I felt it prudent to use some black gaffer's tap to secure all dangling wires to surfaces.
Bottom line... How well this works, and being able to locate this little button practically anywhere, makes this thing insanely convenient.
I have been using mine for over a year and am still loving it. Coming from the Belkin one, this one is much better since it auto-connects/disconnects with vehicle power. This can also be a con for some vehicles though, since some vehicles give the outlet constant power even when powered off, the unit won't know to disconnect and will keep your phone paired. This was a problem for me since my vehicle is close enough to my desk in my office that it would stay paired until I manually disconnected. What I ended up doing was hard wiring an outlet into my fuse panel that was switched on and off with vehicle power.
I've been using one in my work vehicle and my personal vehicle for a month or so and love it. I thought the audio quality of music was really good, as is hands free phone calls.
My phone does not auto connect on either device, but its not a big deal. I just push the main button on the BT and it connects immediately. This may be because I have my phone paired with more than one BT audio device, not sure.
Either way, I'm very happy with the Kinivio.
Mr. Orange 645 said:
My phone does not auto connect on either device, but its not a big deal. I just push the main button on the BT and it connects immediately. This may be because I have my phone paired with more than one BT audio device, not sure.
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My Moto X is paired with no less than five devices with three of them both HF and A2DP protocols, so I doubt that is the issue.
The Kinivo however will only automatically reconnect to the last device that connected with it.
Solutions Etcetera said:
My Moto X is paired with no less than five devices with three of them both HF and A2DP protocols, so I doubt that is the issue.
The Kinivo however will only automatically reconnect to the last device that connected with it.
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My Moto X is the only device that's ever been connected to the Kinivio. How long does it usually take to auto connect? Maybe I'm just impatient? And are you on stock 4.4.2?
Mr. Orange 645 said:
My Moto X is the only device that's ever been connected to the Kinivio. How long does it usually take to auto connect? Maybe I'm just impatient? And are you on stock 4.4.2?
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It connects as soon as I get in range or almost immediately after it powers up, unless the Kinivo has dropped into standby mode (then I have to push the button). I am stock 4.4.2, unrooted xt1053.
My truck's power outlets are always hot, but cranking the starter shuts them down momentarily. The only time I have to press the button is if I don't start the truck and it's been a while with BT off or out of range.
Solutions Etcetera said:
It connects as soon as I get in range or almost immediately after it powers up, unless the Kinivo has dropped into standby mode (then I have to push the button). I am stock 4.4.2, unrooted xt1053.
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I bet my Kinivio is going into stand by mode then.
I have had this for a while and mostly happy with it, but recently people have been telling me that its way too hard to understand what I am saying when I am on the phone with them using the kinivo, and every time I have had to switch to speakerphone for them to hear me right. Other than that I have been happy with it. I also am able to connect my moto x and nexus 7 2013 with it at the same time, using the nexus 7 on media and the moto x on phone. The key is I must connect the nexus 7 first and the moto x 2nd. If the moto x is connected first the nexus will not connect.
Just an update regarding how I was able to eliminate the need for a ground isolation transformer, and hence significantly increase the audio quality.
Last year I installed one of these in my center console to charge my mobile devices...
http://daqstuff.com/400116_5volt_switching_power_supply.htm
Since the Kinivo runs on 5v, I was planning on ripping apart the 12v power plug and wiring 5v from the DaqStuff supply to it. But the power plug HAS a 5v USB port on it. Surely that was in parallel to the 5v being supplied to the Kinivo.
I asked Kinivo whether I could just plug a 5v supply into it via the USB port rather than plugging it into a 12v power port. Their answer was that the USB port was an output. I understood that, but it is only an output when the thing is plugged into 12v. Rather than belabor the point with a CSR who most likely has no knowledge of electricity, I just decided to try it.
Success! After verifying the Kinivo operated normally with 5v plugged into its USB port, I removed the isolation transformer from the audio line. No noise, much better audio quality (sans transformer), and all without having to hack the power plug!
I too just picked one of these up from Amazon and am pretty happy with it. It so happens that this thing also supports apt-x codec in addition to standard SBC audio codec, so music should sound a little better too.
Question here: If a pare the device to a galaxy s4 and I push the middle button, what application opens to receive the voice command? google voice or s voice?
mnunez2 said:
Question here: If a pare the device to a galaxy s4 and I push the middle button, what application opens to receive the voice command? google voice or s voice?
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I believe it will pop up a window asking you which one you want to use and the option to set as default. When I press it with my Moto X connected it gives the option to select touchless control or google now as the voice command application, so I think any app that offers that functionality would show up.
alk195 said:
I believe it will pop up a window asking you which one you want to use and the option to set as default. When I press it with my Moto X connected it gives the option to select touchless control or google now as the voice command application, so I think any app that offers that functionality would show up.
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Good.. Thanks...!
Solutions Etcetera said:
Just an update regarding how I was able to eliminate the need for a ground isolation transformer, and hence significantly increase the audio quality.
Last year I installed one of these in my center console to charge my mobile devices...
http://daqstuff.com/400116_5volt_switching_power_supply.htm
Since the Kinivo runs on 5v, I was planning on ripping apart the 12v power plug and wiring 5v from the DaqStuff supply to it. But the power plug HAS a 5v USB port on it. Surely that was in parallel to the 5v being supplied to the Kinivo.
I asked Kinivo whether I could just plug a 5v supply into it via the USB port rather than plugging it into a 12v power port. Their answer was that the USB port was an output. I understood that, but it is only an output when the thing is plugged into 12v. Rather than belabor the point with a CSR who most likely has no knowledge of electricity, I just decided to try it.
Success! After verifying the Kinivo operated normally with 5v plugged into its USB port, I removed the isolation transformer from the audio line. No noise, much better audio quality (sans transformer), and all without having to hack the power plug!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you just use a cable like https://www.computercableinc.com/ccinc/images/USB-A-A-Black-BestLink.jpg or something else to do this?
Yup, standard usb A, male to male.
Solutions Etcetera said:
Just an update regarding how I was able to eliminate the need for a ground isolation transformer, and hence significantly increase the audio quality.
Last year I installed one of these in my center console to charge my mobile devices...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is the very solution I've been searching for. The ground loop isolator I have connected introduces way too much noise for my liking. I checked out the site... I understand what the IN +12V and IN GND are for, but what's the OUT DGND connected to? The vehicle chassis?
waybeyond said:
This is the very solution I've been searching for. The ground loop isolator I have connected introduces way too much noise for my liking. I checked out the site... I understand what the IN +12V and IN GND are for, but what's the OUT DGND connected to? The vehicle chassis?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's the negative(gnd) terminal for the wired 5V output. If you're using only the USB connected outputs, the wired OUTputs will not be used.
Solutions Etcetera said:
It's the negative(gnd) terminal for the wired 5V output. If you're using only the USB connected outputs, the wired OUTputs will not be used.
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Click to collapse
Ahhh. That makes a lot more sense. Okay, got it. Thank you!
Solutions Etcetera said:
Yup, standard usb A, male to male.
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Click to collapse
I just bought one of these but didn't realise the 12V adapter was hard wired. I want to use it in a centre console cubby hole on my car which has Aux-in and USB power - no 12v adapter.
So what you're saying is that with a simple USB A-A cable, I can take the USB power socket in my car, plug it into the USB output socket on the 12v adapter of the kinivo, and it'll power it? That'd be fantastic if true - save me returning it or hacking the cable. Especially as this sounds like a pretty great receiver too.
rplumb said:
So what you're saying is that with a simple USB A-A cable, I can take the USB power socket in my car, plug it into the USB output socket on the 12v adapter of the kinivo, and it'll power it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup. You may run into ground loop issues if your 5v supply is not isolated, but can't say for certain as mine is.