Hi there! This is my first post so forgive me if I could have found answers to these questions elsewhere on this forum.

I currently have a rather large music collection, all stored as MP3 files on my computer, about 60GB. My current car, which is not an Acura, is equipped with a Phatnoise Phatbox and a 60GB cartridge drive which I enjoy thoroughly. I bought the Phatbox when I got this car back in November 2004 and at the time, the popularity and growth of the Phatbox was growing. As it turns out, the product no longer seems to be supported and I am faced with a dilemma.

My current lease is due to expire in November and my plan is to get a new 2007 TL (not the Type-S) without Navigation (I'm very excited about this and like many others, counting the days).

1) Does anyone have a third generation Acura TL connected to a Phatbox?

It appears that the Phatbox worked for some Hondas and Acuras in the past and that perhaps my current one could be moved to the 2007 TL. I realize that I would have to deal with what remains of Technical Support from Phatbox to purchase the "adapter cable" that makes the Phatbox "speak" to the Acura bus, but knowing that someone else has already configured their car this way would really put me at ease. If this cannot be done, I will sell my current lease with the Phatbox intact and be done with it (I drove far fewer miles than I paid for and am thus selling the car to extract this equity).

2) If I can't bring the Phatbox over, I'm wondering if the 6-disc DVD changer that comes standard with all TL's will provide an acceptable option?

From the recent press release, it would seem that you could burn a full DVD (4-5GB?) comprised of MP3 files (along with 5 others) and mount them in the CD changer and have a great deal of music available with no additional cost of hardware. Does this sound reasonable? I realize that the ability for the system to handle discs with MP3 (and WAV) files is new to 2007 so any information would be conjecture at this point, but I'd love to hear any thoughts you all may have.

3) The 2007 also comes with a connector cable in the central "storage bin" that can connect to a portable MP3 player like a iPod. Apparently, you could still use the controls on the TL's steering wheel to control this device and gain access to the music contained therein.

This sounds interesting. I don't own a portable music device at present, but having a single block of music (as opposed to spreading it over 6 DVDs) is appealing. Having the ability to quickly and easily change the contents of this device by attaching it to my computer is also nicer when compared to burning new/different DVDs and possibly throwing out old ones.

Is it true that the steering wheel and/or other controls in the dash of the car can be used to control this portable device? Does the device have to be an Apple iPod in order to benefit from these controls? Does any MP3 metadata (song title, etc.) appear in the dash display (not the Navigation screen since I don't plan to get that, but the built in new LED display for climate controls, etc.)?

If the integration with a portable MP3 player can be controlled by the steering wheel, and if metadata displays, then I may go purchase a 60GB one and be done with it. Plus, I'll then have a portable device for when I travel, etc. What I don't want is to have to touch the device in the storage bin to change playlists or otherwise control it (that's too distracting while driving) and I also don't want to physically mount the iPod (or whatever) to the dash. I assume that with the cable in the storage bin, it was meant to put an iPod there and control it from there, but that wasn't really made clear in what information has been relased thus far (at least not to me).

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Is anyone else curious about these possibilities? Are there other alternatives to getting a large volume of MP3 files into the car that doesn't require changing the head unit? That was what I liked about the Phatbox, it was mounted in the trunk and outwardly appeared that I had only the stock system (thus thieves would find nothing of interest to steal as an added bonus).

Thanks for any information, educated guesses or ideas you may have!

 

If indeed the 07 TL will play MP3 and WMA files then you can burn a DL (~9gig) and almost get your entire 60 gigs in the 6 cd changer.

I highly doubt there will be any control of an external device using the steering wheel controls, from what I've seen the cable is a standard mini audio cable capable of L + R analogue audio.

 

I have an 06 TL, which means no native MP3 capability. When I purchased the car, I was offered an IPOD adapter kit for about $600 which I declined. As it was explained to me, you can advance (forward and back) songs from the steering wheel & head unit, but you can not see the song title or anything else displayed. Can someone who has this adapter corroborate?

The 07 TL will play MP3 from the disks, and I would hope this displays song title and artist -- but no one on this forum seems to know since the 07s are not there yet.

I can only guess what the 07 external adapter will offer, but you should check this out carefully -- and let us know!

-Keith