So I got an iSimple installed today...

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Old 07-07-2011, 10:20 PM
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So I got an iSimple installed today...

bought it from a local audio shop and had them install it so that if i flip a switch it's tuned in to one of my preset radio stations. my problem is, is that the quality seems to be a bit lacking and the volume does not go as nearly as high as the radio/cd does. i had them put in an ipod adapter but would it sound better with a basic headphone jack hookup? should i have them set it to a different radio station maybe? thanks for the input in advance.
Old 07-07-2011, 11:54 PM
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Why did you opt for the FM mod and not a direct connect option?
Old 07-08-2011, 12:04 AM
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Originally Posted by DiamondJoeQuimby
Why did you opt for the FM mod and not a direct connect option?
that part was definitely left out by the installers. how would they go about doing that and would that restore my sound?
Old 07-08-2011, 02:09 AM
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i think what they gave me was along the lines of something like this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBBx7NDk4cM
Old 07-08-2011, 08:27 AM
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iSimple makes a unit that works specifically with the Acura head unit. Once its all hooked up you use the XM radio button to access it and it will show the ipod info on the screen and you can use the steering wheel buttons.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ACURA...Q5fAccessories

This is the seller that I got mine from. It works great. There are two different plugs for 04-06 and 07-08 so make sure you specify which one you need.
Old 07-08-2011, 12:33 PM
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so pretty much they sold me the wrong isimple unit? or are all the kits the same and they just chose to set it up a different way?
Old 07-08-2011, 12:47 PM
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yeah its not supposed be used with the FM Modulator, That makes the sound Shitty. I would return that shit and tell em to get u the one that fits the Acura. It goes plugged in directly to your Satellite stereo Connections which should give u way better sound then that FM Modulator Crap. Not all the Kits are the same. The one in the Link above is specifically for our cars. Man Talking about this I gonna order mines next week
Old 07-08-2011, 12:57 PM
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Originally Posted by snake134
so pretty much they sold me the wrong isimple unit? or are all the kits the same and they just chose to set it up a different way?
It's probably not the unit specifically made for Acura. FM units don't sound as good.
Old 07-08-2011, 02:02 PM
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Oh yea i think there are different kinds of iSimple kits. One is a universal type that doesnt integrate as well as the true Acura iSimple kit (model # is in my sig).

On the nicer iSimple kits you use the XM button to switch to iphone/ipod.

The ISHD571 is the one you want if you want the better integration: http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=isi....c0.m270.l1313

The one the shop installed is an FM based one for universal application: http://isimplesolutions.com/universa...O-IS77PRO.aspx

Last edited by ez12a; 07-08-2011 at 02:05 PM.
Old 07-08-2011, 02:26 PM
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Take that shit back and tell them to fix it
Old 07-08-2011, 03:34 PM
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yeah im going to take it back and ask if they have the acura-specific one. if not, ill just grab that one off ebay and tell them to throw that on. hopefully they take this POS generic one back
Old 07-08-2011, 03:43 PM
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take it back and tell them to shove it up their asses.

i got my isimple on Amazon for $17 shipped and it is a pretty painless install.
Old 07-08-2011, 03:43 PM
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http://www.amazon.com/ISIM73-iSimple...0157819&sr=8-3
Old 07-08-2011, 03:49 PM
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Originally Posted by ez12a
Oh yea i think there are different kinds of iSimple kits. One is a universal type that doesnt integrate as well as the true Acura iSimple kit (model # is in my sig).

On the nicer iSimple kits you use the XM button to switch to iphone/ipod.

The ISHD571 is the one you want if you want the better integration: http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=isi....c0.m270.l1313
these two seem different. which one do i want?
Old 07-08-2011, 03:53 PM
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the top one might just be a new version. mine has the stuff to do video through the nav. has all the cables etc, i just wanted it for tunes so i only have that.

cant beat 15 bucks imo
Old 07-08-2011, 04:15 PM
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the one I posted does HD radio if you buy a certain cable, but comes with an Aux input cable (3.5mm)


Originally Posted by 1ogan
the top one might just be a new version. mine has the stuff to do video through the nav. has all the cables etc, i just wanted it for tunes so i only have that.

cant beat 15 bucks imo
it does video? through which cable? the picture only shows the red/white RCA plugs which is audio..

edit 2: Looking at http://www.pac-audio.com/products.aspx looks like the isim73 is the older version. I believe the ISHD571 is V2.

If you have an older iPhone/iPod like 1G or 2G you can probably get away with the older one, but it's not being supported anymore. The new ISHD571 is still getting firmware updates for the latest cars, therefore is still being supported.

Last edited by ez12a; 07-08-2011 at 04:26 PM.
Old 07-08-2011, 05:56 PM
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i have the new nano, the square touchscreen one, and i never use xm/hd radio or whatever it's called, just FM. so would the ISIM73 work? anything that gets rid of this silly FM adapter I currently have.
Old 07-08-2011, 06:12 PM
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I'm non-navi BTW, and the ISHD571 does not show support for the 6G nano so not entirely sure if it would work.
Old 07-08-2011, 09:49 PM
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Does this one show text on the display?

OP: You might want to do a search on this unit to see if there were any problems with it. If you go with the one that I linked it comes with the specific harness for your car. You can ask the seller if it will work with your ipod. They were very helpful and answered my emails quickly. The other one linked to ebay is the same PXAMG but I'm not sure which cable it comes with...some of them need to be bought separately.
Old 07-08-2011, 10:55 PM
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iSimple has the FM Freq one, had it sounded like shit, couldnt stand it. So i went to Best Buy and bought the one that "Piggy Backs" the radio in which you use the XM button to listen to your ipod. Now my iPod sometimes says that its not compatible but it still works. Using the iPod plug in is a lot better than using the headphone jack on the iPod. Headphone jack is only mono i believe or basic left and right sound.. Also if you get the iSimple that connects to the radio then you are going to notice that songs with a higher quality tend to be louder compared to crappy quality songs.
Old 07-09-2011, 12:31 AM
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Originally Posted by Drewman752
iSimple has the FM Freq one, had it sounded like shit, couldnt stand it. So i went to Best Buy and bought the one that "Piggy Backs" the radio in which you use the XM button to listen to your ipod. Now my iPod sometimes says that its not compatible but it still works. Using the iPod plug in is a lot better than using the headphone jack on the iPod. Headphone jack is only mono i believe or basic left and right sound.. Also if you get the iSimple that connects to the radio then you are going to notice that songs with a higher quality tend to be louder compared to crappy quality songs.
yeah i figured they gave me that one. which model specifically did you get? I also notice my ipod sometimes says "not compatible" but you just have to reconnect it and it works fine. i also noticed it doesn't exactly stop playing my ipod once i turn my car off, i still have to do it manually.
Old 07-09-2011, 12:32 AM
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Originally Posted by sddale
Does this one show text on the display?

OP: You might want to do a search on this unit to see if there were any problems with it. If you go with the one that I linked it comes with the specific harness for your car. You can ask the seller if it will work with your ipod. They were very helpful and answered my emails quickly. The other one linked to ebay is the same PXAMG but I'm not sure which cable it comes with...some of them need to be bought separately.
thanks for the info, that's what i was thinking about doing. more research will need to be done
Old 07-09-2011, 12:35 AM
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Originally Posted by snake134
yeah i figured they gave me that one. which model specifically did you get? I also notice my ipod sometimes says "not compatible" but you just have to reconnect it and it works fine. i also noticed it doesn't exactly stop playing my ipod once i turn my car off, i still have to do it manually.
i forgot what model it was, but the box said acura tl non/nav so

and mine charges the ipod even with the car off so
Old 07-09-2011, 12:02 PM
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Originally Posted by Drewman752
iSimple has the FM Freq one, had it sounded like shit, couldnt stand it. So i went to Best Buy and bought the one that "Piggy Backs" the radio in which you use the XM button to listen to your ipod. Now my iPod sometimes says that its not compatible but it still works. Using the iPod plug in is a lot better than using the headphone jack on the iPod. Headphone jack is only mono i believe or basic left and right sound.. Also if you get the iSimple that connects to the radio then you are going to notice that songs with a higher quality tend to be louder compared to crappy quality songs.
The headphone jack is stereo, not mono. There really isn't anything more an iPod can do than "basic left and right sound" as you put it. That's the definition of stereo!
Old 07-09-2011, 02:21 PM
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Originally Posted by Drewman752
i forgot what model it was, but the box said acura tl non/nav so

and mine charges the ipod even with the car off so
did the box look similar to this?
http://www.amazon.com/ISIM73-iSimple...0157819&sr=8-3

because on the bestbuy website they have this exact one for like $180
Old 07-09-2011, 04:38 PM
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sorta mine was $100, but that will work as well.

EDIT: jsut found the box and it is also a iSim73 so. thats what cha need.
Old 07-10-2011, 02:23 PM
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just ordered an iSIM73 off amazon for $17 (refurbished), will keep you guys posted
Old 07-10-2011, 06:07 PM
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Originally Posted by snake134
so pretty much they sold me the wrong isimple unit? or are all the kits the same and they just chose to set it up a different way?
Yea, sounds like they gave you the universal one.. i bought mines on ebay.. and installed it myself should take about 2hrs tops..
Old 07-11-2011, 02:52 PM
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so i looked through these threads to see how i would go about doing the install:

https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-audio-bluetooth-electronics-navigation-94/isimple-install-quick-method-might-find-easier-708061/
https://acurazine.com/forums/showthr...=590889&page=3

and i couldn't get this one tab out as you can see below. how do i get this out and what exactly does the chord look like that i'm supposed to unplug

Last edited by snake134; 07-11-2011 at 02:56 PM.
Old 07-11-2011, 03:52 PM
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i found it to be pretty difficult doing it the "no take apart" way, and the hook i made with a hangar was pulling the connector apart.

I ended up taking the left center console trim off to get access. A lot easier.

It's the white plug that plugs to the back of your radio is what you need to get at.
Old 07-11-2011, 04:09 PM
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found out which plug im looking for thanks to this thread
https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-audio-bluetooth-electronics-navigation-94/just-did-my-isimple-installation-pics-798237/

but still do not know how to remove that one plug keeping part of the carpeting in
Old 07-11-2011, 04:34 PM
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edit: ended up just yanking it out, thanks for the responses. isim73 will be here in a couple days, will post with finished results
Old 07-11-2011, 07:37 PM
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I was able to do install without taking the dash apart...took about 30 min of patience. Make sure you take a look at the plug that you're going to put into the slot so you can get a good idea of where you need to push down and pull on the one that is plugged in. Do not try to snag it on a wire to pull...you need to push down and pull on the clip. I cut a wire hanger at the bend where it meets the cardboard. I cut it so it had a little over 90 degrees so I could get a little leverage to pull.

FYI: It would be a bad idea to use the "yanking" method that you used with that fastener for the carpet.
Old 07-16-2011, 01:17 PM
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well it arrived in the mail today and i'm a little confused at what they sent me. it appears they sent me two different cables (labeled pghgm5 (right) and pghgm1(left)) and i don't know which one to use. are these compatible with our cars? btw i bought a refurbished model.

Old 07-16-2011, 01:49 PM
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i just took another look at the box it came it. I ordered an ISIM73 but they sent me a ISGM75. that might possibly be why they sent me two cables? i'm assuming the unit is the same and just the cables are different?
Old 07-16-2011, 03:57 PM
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so i got the xm harness out using the quick method only to find out neither of the harnesses work. F***. im gonna call the seller and see what's up but for now im rolling around with my XM harness hanging out.
Old 07-17-2011, 07:37 PM
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I have the iSimple GW and the Pro Clip. It works like a charm. If your bluetooth goes out don't buy the Bluetooth adapter for the iSimple GW becuase it doesn't sound as good. I spent the money to get the factory replacement back in the car.
Old 07-19-2011, 09:04 AM
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Originally Posted by snake134
so i got the xm harness out using the quick method only to find out neither of the harnesses work. F***. im gonna call the seller and see what's up but for now im rolling around with my XM harness hanging out.
looking at the picture you posted of the cables it says "GM" right on the manual lol. good luck.
Old 07-19-2011, 09:55 AM
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Damn Man this must suck... I was thinking about ordering a used or refurbished one on amazon as well. Imma see what I do...
Old 07-21-2011, 05:20 PM
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sounds like a lot of issues for the isimple. it may cost more but i wouldnt go with refurbished. just preferance but ive had a lot of problems dealing with those who sell refurbished and the items are just crap. Or in your case sent the wrong item all together. once you get the right part installed correctly its going to sound great. i didnt read it on this thread, but myself and others have experienced the issue of while using the isimple and taking a call on hfl, your music doesnt stop and it keeps playing during your call. its pretty annoying. ive been overseas for the past 6 months and havent really checked if they fixed this issue but easy solution is stop music before answering the call. this all ofcourse once you get the unit working. good luck.


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