I'm thinking about buying this set up instead of the music link. Has anyone tried the Harman Kardon Drive+ Play? It's defintely cheaper than the music link.

 

I bought the Drive + Play yesterday. I haven't installed it yet, but did go out and play around with it. The functionality is amazing, and much much much better than the music link, which I tried at the dealership. You mount a control pad and viewing screen to your car, so you don't have to deal with the stereo like the music link. I found the honda version very non-intuitive and confusing; definitely not something I want to play around with while driving.

Here's a link to a review of the honda music link:
http://www.nuxx.net/hondamusiclink.html
the message I took from this was: DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY!!

And here's a link to a review on the Drive + Play:
http://arstechnica.com/reviews/hardware/driveplay.ars

I like the Drive + Play system: I find I can use the controls to navigate without having to look at them or think much about it.

My biggest question, which I hope someone can help me with, is how to mount the viewscreen.
Has anyone bought and mounted one of these yet?
I have a nice spot on the center console in front of the ebrake for the controller, but need a nice spot to mount the viewscreen. My biggest hangup is whether I want to drill a hole in my dash to run the cable. Anyone have a mounting suggestion that doesn't require damaging my dash? I really wanted to mount it up next to the guages somewhere... is there a spot I can easily sneak the cable down? Anyone had success mounting one in their Fit?

 

Don't have my Fit yet, but I will be looking at getting the Drive + Play later on. I likely WILL mount the display up on the dash, so I will be prepared to drill. If I don't really think I can do it cleanly, I know a guy that does custom car stereo installations, and has won many competitions with his custom work. (he's focking amazing) I'll take it to him, and have him install, and probably talk to him about some future upgrades. I will want the fit to have a decent system, but doesn't have to be TOO much.

 

does the stock fit stereo have an aux input for the drive + play? because if it didnt, you might have to pick up an aftermarket stereo..

 

I have an appt with Best Buy next week (they had to order a reverse antennae).
Anyway, they pull up the dash and snake the wires through there, so they don't have to drill.

 

Anyone had this installed in their Fit?

 

I purchased one and installed it a few months back. I did the install myself, and the wires peek out in a few places before disappearing under the dash, but it was worth it to me to keep the dash intact.

I'll post pics next week when I get my camera back.

The only problem with my install was the adhesive tabs. Either because of the pattern in the plastic I stuck it to or because of its heavy use, the joystick has popped off two or three times so far. I bought some 3M removable adhesive and have been resticking it with that.

 

Can you hardwire the Harman Kardon drive and play or is it just purely an FM transmitter? How's the sound quality?

 

I have the system hardwired into my Fit sport automatic.

The drive and play has an audio out cable that can go to an input jack on your stereo. The sport model has an input jack on the console and one on the back of the stereo. I was too lazy to take apart too much of the dash, so I ran the wires underneath the panels and had it pop out just above the Aux in jack and plugged it in there.

The quality is as good as the quality of your mp3's. Because the system plugs into the bottom of your ipod (not the headphone jack) you get full stereo sound. Since the Sport's stereo is pretty decent, the quality is nearly as good as my home system (and my mp3's are of average quality).

If you don't have the sport model, you can hardwire it into the stereo, it just takes a little more work. They sell an adapter that (from what I understand) lets you plug it into the antenna in jack on the back of the stereo. They refer to it as a "wired FM transmitter" and I think it gives you better sound quality than a wireless FM transmitter.

Here's a comment about it from the review I referred to in an earlier post:
"Depending on the stereo, your interface might be a 1/4" jack, a set of right and left RCA plugs, or something proprietary..." The base fit has something proprietary.
"As yet another option, there is a way to hard-wire your car's antenna into the brain, and then plug the brain into the antenna port in the back of your radio. This is a good option if you don't have an auxiliary line-in port, since it uses the built-in antenna. You might still be subject to FM interference, but not nearly so much as if you were using the built-in FM transmitter."

 

First post!

I'll be picking up my NBP Auto Sport this evening! I just got the call that it arrived.

Anyway, back on topic.

The Drive + Play seems like the best option and is really easy to install, but be aware that next month (April '07) the Drive + Play 2 will be coming out. It looks to be quite an upgrade from the old model. From the site:

• Compatible with Apple’s iPod®, USB flash memory drives and many other portable music players
• 3.5” full color display screen
• Wireless 2.4GHz controller
• Media hub provides connectivity, power, and audio
• Full-music browsing and control
• Built-in wireless FM transmitter
• 3.5mm direct audio output
• Wired FM transmitter included
• Displays album art
• Display screen is skinnable allowing change of appearance with built-in themes, or download additional themes from the web.
• Automatic Music Mix makes “channels” of music, grouped according to your taste and habits
• Fast letter search with speech confirmation
• Updateable firmware so Drive + Play 2 is never outdated.

OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES:
(Shipping later this year.)

• Satellite Radio kit – Allows display control of SIRIUS® satellite radio tuners
• Bluetooth® cell phone kit – Adds complete hands-free phonebook and caller ID.

The screen upgrade is a big selling point for me. The price has not been announced yet, but the original is down to $99 at Best Buy.

 

I might consider the new version of the drive and play.

The current model's screen isn't worth it to me, though.

 

Anyone have the Drive + Play 2? Seems like a good choice for the best user interface out there for iPod integration.