I have an '06 tC with the upgraded HU that is iPod capable. It's nice, but I'd like a bigger display that scrolls and shows artist/album/track all at once, like an LCD touchscreen unit. Pioneer makes a few, that work with some kind of iPod adapter. I was wondering if the HU's could be swapped out so that my iPod connector in the armrest will still work with the new HU. Anyone done this? Can you recommend a good model?

Thanks,
Eric

 

Me Too !! I would love to get another HU but keep the ipod compatibility!

 

well i know alpine & ipod work together cause i have an alpine HU with ipod hooked up! Alpine is comming out with a new touch screen in dash player. I know its gonna have ipod hooked up to it but idk about in the arm rest. I know you probally can do a lil modding and get it done?

http://alpine-usa.com/en/products/pr...model=IVA-W200

check it out! I dont think they will all hook up to the arm rest but then again i havent seen the inside of that connection? All the new alpine HU's are comming out this month and i believe march too! I cant wait to get this one! i think it has navi too!

 

if you upgrade the HU then can it work with the steering wheel controls?

 

i think but im not too sure? But im sure if you get a new HU it comes with a remote?

Im pretty sure you still can but you might wanna ask some1 with an 06 tC and an aftermarket HU?

 

I'm surprised more people with Scions don't have iPods and have done this. I thought the factory HU would control the iPod 100% and be fine - but the display is too small and I can't browse by genre which is annoying. I thought one of the Scion's main selling points was how it integrated with iPod right from the factory since I'm no stereo guru to run wires and pull off panels. Please, if anyone can recommend a HU that works with the iPod connectors already installed in my '06 tC, let me know!

Eric

 

for the display your gonna have to get a double din to display eerything that you want on there. Or why dont you just make your own playlist on the ipod and listen like that, if you know what songs are on what?

 

i had the upgraded unit and im pretty sure u cant hook it up to any aftermarket unit. you're goin to have to get the ipod interface with watever manufacturer such as kenwood, alpine, and even pioneer (i dont think the factory wiring will work with "real" pioneer decks). i recently got a new alpine 9855 (i think) and its a little easier to control even tho its single din. but the think i bought it for was that it is not a stock deck so it sounds so much better (and has eq, x-over, and other goodies)

 

there are four alpine units with the iPod FullSpeed connection- the $349 CDA-9857 has a good multiline display that shows your menus- I played with one in a store and it works well with the iPod, the display is fourish lines I think. That'd be my choice for an aftermarket option, but i have a kenwood sat tuner already so I'm builing around that.

 

^^ thats what i plan on getting

 

the IWA-W200 doesn't have nav, but it's compatible with the Alpine Blackbird nav system through a $200 dock system.

the iPod fullspeed connection requires a cable that plugs into the head unit, but I don't think it's long enough to go to the armrest- it's designed to be long enough to go to the glove compartment, it looks like.

the CDA-9857 is a pretty nice setup- you can see what the menus look like on the alpine fullspeed "microsite," they have a demo featuring that headunit.

 

The IVA-W200 looks perfect! Especially the % search capability. When you have 30GB of music it takes for-EVER to scroll using the dial on the Pioneer.

Would a custom audio shop be able to put this HU into the tC, and run the cable down to the armrest, replacing the old Pioneer cable run?

Eric

 

My main criteria when replacing my stock iPod HU were to be able to retain the use of my steering wheel controls(SWC), and have an iPod interface that was at least as good as if not better then the stock iPod interface. After researching various products, here is what I settled on. I got the CDA-9857 last week from my local www.cartoys.com store, for $300 out the door. They weren't a dealer participating in the free iPod full speed cable deal, so I had to pay $30 for that. I also got the PAC SWI-ALP so that I could get my steering wheel controls to work with the HU, but I returned the HU and the cable before I got around to installing the SWC interface for reasons I will mention later. Here are links to the products:

http://www.alpine-usa.com/en/product...model=CDA-9857
http://www.alpine-usa.com/en/product...KCE-422i&tab=D
http://www.pac-audio.com/products/pr...el%20Interface (Check out the SWI-ALP)
http://www.pac-audio.com/instruction...Search=SWI-ALP (SWI-ALP instructions)
http://www.pac-audio.com/swixprogram...ehicles&ID=397 (Wiring instructions specific for the TC, however should be same for any Scion with SWC, and MOST Toyotas, states this is for the SWI-X, the infrared emitter model, but should work for the SWI-ALP as well, just remember that instead of an infrared emitter, you are using a direct wire connection to the back of the new HU)

The sound quality compared to the stock HU is of course 100 times better, which was to be expected. I personally hate the stock HU's EQ curves, and how it limits bass when cranked up.

Installation was fairly straight forward, I got a harness to plug into the wiring into the car, then I spliced in the HU harness with the add on one using solder and heat shrink tubing. The iPod full speed cable is very long, in fact, its plenty long enough to go from the back of the head unit, down by the shifter, and into the center armrest. I did exactly that, tie wrapping the cable to the existing cables down there for the DC power port in the center console, to keep the cable away from the moving parts of the shifter and ebrake. I then removed the factory iPod and AUX in connectors and cables from the car, and fed the Alpine cable through the hole left by the factory iPod cable. Easiest way I found to remove the factory iPod and AUX in ports were to actually unplug both from the connection right next to the ebrake(you cant miss it once you remove the cup holders), then popping out the panel that they plug into. They are very similar to the panel up on the dash that house the switches for your power mirrors, you just pop them out from the back. Once you get them out of that panel, put the panel back into the car, and feed your wire through. Simple enough, and the iPod still gets stowed in the same location it was in before. I tried the route of putting it into the glove compartment, but its much more of a reach to get to compared to the center console, and I already have my glove box stuffed with other junk.

Like I said before, I never got around to installing the PAC SWI-ALP, as I returned the Alpine before I got around to it. But if you check out the links I have provided, it seems to be a fairly straightforward install.

The display is very nice on the CDA-9857. You can configure the track information display to auto scroll information, and even auto rotate showing track name w/album name, and then track name w/artist name. Its a 2 line display for track information by the way. For the couple days I did spend with the HU, I didn't find a single track on my iPod where any information would be cut off. And I have some songs on my iPod with REALLY long track names. Navigation of the iPod is good, easier to use then the factory iPod controls, however, the ability to search via genre does not exist. But since this didn't exist with the factory HU, I really wasn't missing anything. A kind of neat feature is the percentage search. It works by jumping ahead in the list by a certain percentage using the buttons just below the display. Lets say you are viewing all songs on your iPod by song title, and you know the song title starts with a M, hit one of the middle buttons under the display to get to somewhere around the middle of the list, then use the rotary encoder to get to the song you want. This is much better then spinning the rotary encoder all the way through the list.

I still own my older Alpine, a CDA-9813, and didn't realize how spoiled I was with the EQ and crossovers and time alignment on that thing. Much to my surprise once I got the CDA-9857 installed, it did NOT have these settings. That was the reason why I returned the CDA-9857. I was so preoccupied with making sure that I was getting a HU with good iPod controls and still be able to use my SWC that I neglected to even check to see what kind of audio manipulation/tuning I could do with the CDA-9857. The only real controls for audio adjustments are Treble and Bass w/center frequency adjustment, and subwoofer level. So, with that said, the CDA-9857 is a GREAT unit, however if you want more control over the audio with crossovers, EQs and whatnot, this is NOT the unit to get.

So I'm now in the market for a HU, and have two in mind:

http://www.eclipse-web.com/cd/cd7000.html
http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/pn...159553,00.html

Upsides to the Eclipse, possibility of not needing a SWC interface, may work straight out of the box from what I have read. Also, button color is configurable so I could get it to match the complete red LED swap I have done. Feature that may be neat to play around with is the GPS stuff, if I decide to get the GPS add on. Downside to the Eclipse, I have never owned one and don't know what to expect out of it.

The upside to the Pioneer unit, seems to have a similar **** as the stock HU in regards to how it mimics the iPods click wheel for navigation of the iPod content(possible downside to this as well is the necessity to spin through your entire list to try and find a song). Neato features I would like to play with, the Auto EQ and Auto time alignment, not to mention the built in bluetooth, it would be very cool to be able to actually talk to people on my cell phone through the car stereo. Downsides, fixed blue button illumination, but its not like I can't open up the face and see if I could swap out those LEDs too. I have not heard good things about Pioneers first gen iPod controls, but this unit is supposed to have an improved iPod interface with "Full iPod Control".

Anyone got any feedback about those two units?

 

champagne_supernova, I got the IVA-W200 with the ipod cable and it's definately long enough to get to the glove box. I have mine fished through the center console cuz I don't need the ipod out when I can navigate through the ipod on the screen. About the gps, I though I saw a unit that u can get to add on to it to give it nav cuz under visual, it shows nav. I'll look into it.

 

bump, looking for comments on the new pioneer and eclipse units. I was looking for an HD Radio Unit, but the box to adapt it itself is like 400 bucks.. the bluetooth sounds nice. Is the Pioneer one even released yet? no one online seems to have it.

 

I ended up getting the Eclipse CD7000, and am none to impressed with it. The SQ is satisfactory to my ears, but the issues I have with it are as follows:

1. For ~700 bucks, I was expecting a little bit better build quality. The face feels cheap. The Alpine CDA-9857 I returned was 500% better in this respect.
2. When trying to detach the face, it gets caught up on the latch and takes a lot of fiddling with it to get it to come off.
3. The 5 way control in the center of the rotary **** is touchy. It has up down left and right, and a center enter button. You have to be VERY sure you are only pushing straight in on the enter button, because going off center by any amount will change a setting a resulting in undesired results.
4. I hate navigating through the HU’s menu's in general, it is not very intuitive.
5. I ordered from Crutchfield, and am using their fit kit, but I also have a Scosche fit kit, and I cannot get it fit to my liking. The trim ring that surrounds the faceplate must be removed to facilitate operation of the motorized face plate. Making it look ugly IMHO. With the Eclipse iPod adapter, the cable is not on a pigtail on the back of the unit, and the cable isn't a right angle connector. So it adds a good 2 inches to the mounting depth of the HU, making it impossible to install the deck, at least with the 2 kits I mentioned, so that you can close the radio door with the face plate still on the HU. The radio door hits the rotary **** on the face.
6. With the HU in 4 speaker + sub mode, and the sub amp plugged into the non-fading/sub preamp out, I can't for the life of me figure out why the EQ doesn't seem to effect that sub output. This is with the HU's crossovers on, I haven't tried turning the crossovers off and playing with it for the aforementioned issues with the navigation controls being so touchy.

Overall, I am not impressed with Eclipse, thankfully Crutchfield has a 30 day return policy, and the CD7000 is going back to them this week. Some highlights, good SQ(again to my ears), and steering wheel controls worked without needing anything additional, other then tap splices, as this HU doesn't have a direct plug in connector to the factory connector with the steering wheel controls. The HU fits in nicely with my all red LED conversion on the cluster and center console. That’s about the only good things I have to say about the unit. I will be getting the Pioneer DEH-P980BT once it is available(Pioneers press report states May availability: http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/pn...832622,00.html ), and will report back.

 

Good to know, The Pioneer unit seems to sound the best, althought im still not sure how great the Auto EQ thing with the mic is gonna be. Still though, seems like the best all around unit

 

I have a Panasonic CQ-VD6503U and it is ipod ready, i just ran the cable straight from the back of the LCD to the glove compartment, and it is touchscreen and shows all album, title, and artist info, pretty sweet, gotta good deal on it off e-bay as well like 650.00, check into it, the only thing about it is my door doesn't close over the screen, i'm working on that tho....

 

I had the cda 9856 in my old car, I just got a Tc last friday and was kind of upset that I would not be able to retain my steering wheel controls if it were to be installed. Now I am seriously thinking about getting the CDA 9857 (alpine)

So my question for you Jowie...Is that pac swc good, and is it WIRED to the steering wheel. My big concern by using the RF SWC would be not being able to use the controls when the HU door is closed. I loved my old alpine and it worked great with my ipod with that connecter. I just wanted to know about the full functionality of the SWC with the HU before I drop the cash on this setup.

Thanks