[563]

I'm about to get an IS77, so, please, my question is specific to this, and not to something else I could have bought or should buy - Normally, you would connect the ipod device via the LOD dock to the cable which runs to the IS77.    With an Imod, of course, you need to use a headphone amp (in my case, a Ray Samuels SR-71A).  This means I would have to somehow hook up the imod-amp combination with the cable that goes to the IS77 via the headphone jack on the SR-71A.  And this is where I have my question.  Is there a way I can connect the amp via the headphone out to the IS77, which I believe has an LOD jack, rather than a mini jack on the end connecting to the ipod (because it was never made specifically for an Imod).  
 
So - is there an adapter that has a female LOD jack on one end and a mini on the other that I could use to hook up the imod directly to the IS77 (and therefore, to the car radio)?
 
Will this even work with an imod, or do I have to just use a regular ipod or iphone in my car instead?
 
Thanks.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

You have a few problems with the IS77. AFAIK, it will broadcast over FM. Which means that, first, you won't get the best out of an iMod anyway. Second, the SR-71 is an amp - the whole point of getting the signal from the dock port of an iPod is to avoid the iPod's internal amp circuit to begin with; just because you'll use a cleaner, more powerful amp means it will work better - the impedance and voltage the IS77 is designed for might just add noise or distortion assuming you can even hook that up.
 
 
Still, you can just skip the amp and use the iMod. I think it should work; the thing is you just won't get the most out of it. Back in the 1990's I hooked up an FM transmitter to my Discman and MiniDisc and the sound in my car was worse than the tape with the cable coming out of it. It's really not a matter of using a regular iPod or an iPhone but using the correct car electronics. Save the $50 for the IS77 and put it towards a good //////Alpine or Pioneer stereo with all the proper connectivity options. Plus you might even reduce potential wear and tear on the iMod's battery and HDD by getting a good car receiver with a USB input - most can take 320kbps out of a thumb drive, some can use SATA I/II drives and WAV. Or if you already have an iPhone or Android, Bluetooth.
 
Heck, if you really want to do car audio right, you can make it sound like a lounge room, if with a little road noise leaking in - but it'll involve a lot of fiberglass fabrication to angle the speakers properly and a lot of Dynamat :

 

[563]

Thanks for this info.  Have you heard the IS77 before?  
 
Assuming I still go for the IS77, then I'm wondering:  if I skip the amp and hook the imod directly to the IS77, won't there be an issue since I would somehow need to make up for the lack of dc blocking caps at that point, whereas with the amp, the dc blocking caps would be in the LOD docking cable?  
 
" If you do not have these dc blocking capacitors in the signal path, your amplifier will be amplifying dc offset voltage, and you run the risk of damaging the dac in your iMod, your amplifier, and your headphones or speakers! Even if you are lucky and this does not damage your equipment, the music will not sound good because your headphone or speaker drivers will always be pushed in one direction due to the dc offset voltage. This also heats the voicecoil of the driver and makes your amplifier work harder."
 
That would probably leave me with one option - not to waste battery or HDD life of the imod, and use an older, cheaper ipod device with the IS77.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

I haven't heard the IS77, but its mode of signal transmission is far from the top of my list given the options available nowadays.
 
As for the DC blocking caps, I assume you have the caps in the LOD you use with the SR-71? If you're really intent on using the iMod with an FM transmitter, you can take apart the transmitter's dock connector and solder the appropriate caps in there. If you can't do this yourself, the cost of sending that in for someone else to do the job plus the same sort of $$$ caps ALO, RWA, etc use, could land you somewhere near the cost of a new receiver with USB input and a 32gb thumb drive off of a lucky sale in Fry's.
 
Another DIY option is to buy an iPod dock extender, the one with the female dock plug, then replace the male dock end with a female 3.5mm. Hook up the female 3.5mm to the male 3.5mm on the cap'd LOD and hook up the female to the IS77 male LOD. I can't guarantee this can work, and if any option at all would even let you appreciate the sound quality of the iMod.