Perhaps this has been discussed before, but does anybody know how to effectively add MP3 support to the 04 TL? I am expecting my NAVI in November, and want to prepare if this is possible. I have had Acuras and Honda's since 1999 and love them, but find that they always leave something out that I would have preferred. I noticed it is an option on the Accord.

 

Buy a cassette adapter and then get an ipod!

 

it won't be good quality sound coming from the cassette adapter though right?

 

You can buy an mp3 player and then buy a FM modulator add-on so you can broadcast the tunes through your stereo.

I have a Neuros (www.neurosaudio.com) and I do this on long trips from Dallas to Houston and back. Sweet little MP3 player.

 

Thanks for the info guys, but I was hoping that there would be a "clean" solution, ie., no wires, nothing lying around or mounted extra to the dash. Oh well.

 

I'd be worried that the TL's window antenna would make FM modulation problematic.

 

FM modulator quality is worse than a cassette adapter. I tried the belkin fm modulator. Perhaps a bluetooth mp3 player will comeout.

 

The Neuros isn't an add-on or anything. It has FM Modulation built into it, so there are no adapters. I dunno... sounds good enough to me... but then I crank everything up anyway.

 

just hold your horses, in 2-3 months some company like blitz will come out with a aux input adapter

 

I waited close to 2 years for someone to come out with an aux-in adapter for my 99TL. I was using an FM mod, then a cassette adapter. I ended up buying the external 6 disc CD changer, splicing in to the wires and hooking in my MP3 player in to the changer audio leads, it works great, but was a $600 way to get aux-in on my factory head unit. 4 months after I did this blitz came out with their aux adapter for quite a bit less than my solution.

The principal idea of the aux-in is a device to fool the head unit in to thinking there is a changer but then provide audio-in for whatever you want to hook up.

Unfortunately, it appears that 2004 doesn't have an external CD changer as an available option from Acura. So if it isn't an option to buy a changer there is a slim chance there is a plug on the back of the head unit to accept one. And if there isn't a plug there, there is no chance anyone will be making an adapter for this non-existent plug.

Now I don't have a 2004, so I can't get to the back of the head unit to verify my hunch and I would love to be proved wrong, but don't hold your breath for a solution.

 

I am pretty sure that the TL will get a AUX Input very very soon, the reason I say this is because the TSX already has one and so does the ACCORD, and they are all similar Navigation setups..

Maybe the TSX or Accord AUX adapter might work for the 04 TL.

 

Why on earth would they put it on the accord and the tsx and not the TL . I dont get that. What were they thinking?

 

Even if the Navi were idential on the TSX, Accord and TL, I am not sure that would really matter. The aux-input has to go to the headunit, not the Navi. I think the TL's headunit is unique to the TL and not smiliar to the Accord and TSX. I read here it is made by Panasonic. At any rate, I do hope one comes out it would be much more elegant than a FM mod, or cassette adapter.

I believe the navi hookup to the headunit could be tapped in to, but it is mono, and only dims the front speakers, not really a good option for an aux input tap. Bluetooth would be really cool. An adapter that acted like a cell phone and fooled the system in to thinking there was an active call would be great, but again the bluetooth input should in theory only be mono if it was written to the official bluetooth headset profile spec, so that leaves this option out too.

If anyone happens to be doing some mod on their 2004 TL and pulls open their dash maybe they can look at the back of the headunit (maybe post a picture), and that would settle the question of if an aux-in as a possibility. If there is a port for an external changer, then it is possible blitz can make one at some point. If there is no port for an external changer, I suspect then everyone will be out of luck, and it will have to be FM or cassette adapters.