I'm considering to buy a Honda Jazz (in Switzerland). One drawback is the integrated and non-removable radio whose CD drive does not understand MP3. So all one can do is attach an MP3-player to the AUX-in. Does anyone know about aftermarket products other than the high-priced Tension IceLink?
Thanx
Gottardo

 

are you coming from Ticino ?

Anyway, I asked Honda-Switzerland about add an mp3-player and they said there is no way. Off course I don't believe them, but for the AUX-in I did not find any documentation about it !!

I do not wanna unmount all the front panel to look for.
What you could use is the CD-Changer in, unfortunately I'm not sure which radio Honda Jazz-2005 model has, so I don't wanna spend to buy a connector which may not fit in the car !!

But if you have some news please teach us.

 

Aux input instructions for factory head unit.
http://ausfit.proboards37.com/index....ead=1122253145

Given the quality of the made in China factory head unit. You'll get much better sound quality from an aftermarket unit (which will play MP3s) but you'll need the double DIN kit to mount it.

 

This is my double DIN kit with the Pioneer head unit that plays MP3s, native IPOD tracks and WMA.

 

This shows you the difference between aftermarket speakers and the factory paper cups.

 

the double DIN looks pretty neat

 

Yeah. If and when I get this car in the U.S., the factory speakers have to go.

 

The factory speakers are actually quite meaty considering they're factory.

My friend's Fiat Punto ones are crud and so are my other friend's Clio.

 

The factory speakers sound better than they are because they are sealed into the doors - see the foam on the picture I posted.

Otherwise they are the typical car manufacturers 99c cardboard speakers.

You won't think they sound good once you try a set of aftermarket speakers in their place but the factory made in China head unit is too gutless to drive anything with a decent magnet in the back hence why the factory speaker magnets only weigh several grams.

 

your pictures aren't working for me :s....

Anyway, I was surprised to hear how meaty and pretty bassy speakers, although they sound crap on the outside, inside they're pretty damn good. I was thinking of changing them but I'll see how it goes once I get the funds to change head units.

 

Stock car setups will sound okay. I upgraded my Taurus with a Panasonic CD/mp3/WMA player. It was great to hear CD quality audio... compared to what I had.

Had I changed out the speakers I'm sure the difference would have been staggering. For my next car I'd love to put an aftermarket unit in, add a single amp for the speakers to supply them with adequate, recommended watts, and sport some Infinity speakers with a 10" sealed sub. I'm sure a system like that would rock. It's all about making it sound good, not loud.

BTW, nice head unit, vivid. I was just looking at that model in my crutchfield catalog. I forget if I ordered anything from them, but apparenlty I did. I get a catalog once every couple of months.

 

I'm running an 8" sub I had laying around in the boot which I can clip out if I need the extra space but a lot of people say a 10" is ideal for the size of the Jazz especially paired with the 6"-6.5" front stage.

 

Changing the head unit with the factory speakers makes a big difference on the Jazz because the aftermarket head units have alot more power. After changing the head unit we hooked up the rears and the sound difference was noticable.

Add a good set of front splits off a dedicated amp and you'll never want to get out of the car because the sound is just sooooo absorbing. The natural accoutics of this car aren't bad to start with together with better than average factory sound deadening (for a small car).

Adding extra deadening still helps enormously of course but adds considerable weight. Its this kind of aftermarket deadening that makes mercs and audis so heavy from the factory but so quiet and is what gives a car part of that quality feel.

 

looks good vividjazz... can this be DIY or do you have to take it to the audio shop to have them installed?

 

Professional specialist install. Took 3 days but the end product is showcar/ sound comp grade.

If your going to spend on good components its best to spend on a good install to get the most out of them. A good install includes sound deadening (Dynamat, GSpot), quality cable and connectors (Stinger, Audison), upgraded earthing and upgraded battery (Optima, Odyssey) if running 2 or more amps (or a big D class).

Removing the factory integrated head unit is a big job in itself as all the air controls have to be disconnected and transferred to the new double DIN and you have to get the Honda security bolts out. Plastic clips are easily broken and the cost of replacement parts could easily exceed what a professional will charge (if they break something they have to pay for it).

Speakers aren't such an ordeal but installing innner and outer layer soundproofing properly with the roller is a lot quicker for a pro. Then there are the speaker defusers, spacers, sealing and the fun of trying to make aftermarket speakers fit properly without cutting up your trim or metal. Always good when your windows can still go up and down afterwards.

Once you have all the gear in then there is tuning, optimal postioning of tweeters, setting correct gains for amps, optimal crossover points, staging, equalisation, imaging, etc.

 

Thanks a lot for all your suggestions on MP3 in Jazz/Fit. But what if you can't afford a super duper install like vividjazz suggests? I still haven't gotten an answer from the Honda dealer. What I found is more details on the Dension IceLink. They have a version that is specific to Honda Jazz and works for the iPod, using the CD changer input. They mention Pioneer as a head unit, i hope that is correct. Does anyone know more about the IceLink? Does the install also require to unmount the head unit? If I ever get more details from the Honda dealer, I'll post them.

 

Only way you can avoid having to take the factory head unit out to plug something into the back of it is to use one of those fm transmitting devices and just tune the head unit to the frequency of the device.

At best these can only give you fm quality sound and in most cases not that. The better the sound system setup the more you'll notice the difference between fm quality and cd quality sound.

The made in China factory head unit in the Jazz definitely isn't Pioneer or use Pioneer pinouts or connectors.

You can just rig a 2RCA output to the back of the factory head unit and plug your device into that. Here are the instructions http://ausfit.proboards37.com/index....ead=1122253145

 

Thank you vividjazz. Dealers in Switzerland I talked to confirmed that our versions are no better than down under ... non-standard connector, rather big job to attach anything. Hmm ... spend money on conversion or wait for 2006? Can anyone confirm the rumor that an MP3 radio will be stock? And what does it mean? CD-drive with MP3 capability, card-reader (that would be too much to ask for, probably ...) or external connector? Cheers / Gottardo

 

Is that a rear STB I see there? If so, I assume you have one up front too. I would imagine that with both front & rear stb's the car handles real well!

 

A$100 for the 2 bars has got to be the best value handling mod going. Got the lower strut bars to match which I'll fit up in the next couple of weeks to see if they make a lot more difference. 7 bars in total from XForce to fit the Jazz.

This car was just made for strut bars with the holes pre drilled for them in the front and clip off covers for easy attachment at the rear.