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Exmoor Beast

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My 110 is nearing roadworthiness at last. With my stripped back Series two style dash I wasn't going to bother putting a radio back in it. I rarely drive far enough to need tunes and to be honest I'd rather not know whats going on in the world, however it did occur to me today after my bluetooth speaker played my phone on speaker that perhaps its worth having some form of speaker system to act as a handsfree system.

So a bit of ebay surfing later threw up this ebay Amp doofa . Now that would screw neatly to my stripped down bulkhead and wire into my speakers and even a sub-woofer if I got carried away. It'd run my iphone tunes and phone from a dashmount with not too many trailing wires, oh and its cheap enough to be throwaway if I ruin it with water and mud.

What do we think? Anyone got any experience of such things

Will :-)

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Your criteria was identified by "my bluetooth speaker played my phone on speaker .... perhaps its worth having some form of speaker system to act as a handsfree system", That ELEGANT device will not meet that criteria as it does not claim Bluetooth connectivity, or speakers.
That is, you still need a radio, with speakers.

Regards.

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2A 12vdc? 24W amp is 30-70% efficient so 20W for both channels. Alpine amp linked or similar 20A fuse.

I used to be into such things in my Yoof, gave up after swapping cars every three years and having to rip out/re install everything. I used to run  Alpine 4x30w amp into focal 6" component speakers for vocals and an Alpine  2x100w amp for 2 10" kappa infinity subs.

The "pie in here" radio head unit alone was £600, a to be young and have a very disposable income.......

It wasn't LOUD loud, but would give superb reproduction, and produce enough sound pressure at higher volume that objects in the rear view mirror would blur.

 

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44 minutes ago, Peaklander said:

Forgive me but I'd have thought that he could just connect it directly fed from the headphone output and run it through speakers. Isn't that what the advert shows?

I take it you mean from a 'headphone' socket on his mobile, into the amp, and then some extra speakers.

The criteria cited was Bluetooth connectivity, which the amplifier lacks. Bluetooth means that once paired there is no fiddling with loose wires, and the phone can stay in your pocket, absolutely nothing needs doing, you just jump in and drive. At least, that's been the pleasant and useful experience with my phone, but I only use my phone for phone calls, not as a music store and play facility.

Regards.

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Lots of top replies folks. I'm not worried about bluetooth connectivity to be honest, I was quite happy to plug in via the headphone socket but then again Apple have ditched the headphone socket so I'd be stuffed at next upgrade :-/

I did wonder about the 2A bit given the old radio that is now in my P38 is on a 10A fuse :-)

I was trying to avoid putting a proper radio in, there isn't a place on the dash for it now I've gone for the Series two style dash in the 110. This doofa would have sat neatly on the bulkhead almost out of sight.

The Alpine Amp on the link above presumably needs a head unit to control it? I couldn't see an AUX input on it :-/

I might be better off either ignoring my phone or building a roof console I suppose.

Will :-)

 

 

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I believe you can still use the headphone socket on a new iphone you just have to have a huge ugly adaptor that goes into the charging / data socket that Apple probably charge more for than your intending to spend on the amp. I think you can plug a charger in at the same time too but I don't like Apple stuff so I'm not that up on it.

It will work, you will be able to hear it, sound quality won't be amazing but probably more audible than the phones speaker and after all, it's in a rattly land rover so I doubt that's too much of a concern? I'm not sure how well a phone call would go as you don't have an external microphone to pick up your voice and I assume if you put the phone on speaker phone it will use it's own speaker not the headphone output?

I put an all singing all dancing Pioneer head unit in my pickup and I'm on my third warranty replacement so I'm leaning towards cheapest is best at the moment! I should've paid to have the old Clarion unit repaired :/

I would check the details of anything advertised as waterproof, often it's only the front face that is splash proof not that the whole unit can be fully submerged in muddy water.

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11 minutes ago, mad_pete said:

I've got a £10 board that does Bluetooth to speakers from eBay. http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/252137831640?_mwBanner=1

 

hopefully fitting this weekend.

I've been looking at these - let me know how you get on please? 

There a few variations on eBay - some with less power - some that do phones - some with remote controls and so on. I'm seriously considering trying one after my last stereo went hay-wire.

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6 hours ago, honitonhobbit said:

Will

You drive a 200tdi defender with no sound proofing

 

Just go into Halfords and grab a non CD head unit that has a USB input for the Ipod/Iphone

yeah but I don't have a dashboard to fit it to now :-)

Oh and I have got some sound insulation now, its not actually in the car yet but I do have some ;-)

W

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8 hours ago, Bowie69 said:

Shove it in the RCA/phono line level input with a 3.5mm to RCA adapter, job done.

Some will moan about impedance differences, but in truth for this application can be safely ignored.

and at the other enf of alpine amps is a gain control to match the input level, whether it be 0.5v or 2.5v. Some of their lineup has speaker level inputs for cheapo headunits

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We used a £15 stereo from ebay china (yes, brand new!) for the ambulance, it's got bluetooth, USB, SD, aux-in etc. but no CD mechanism hence it's cheap & not too deep, and manages to be heard over the road noise (although the V8 is quieter than a TDi).

Sound quality is a bit naff but over the noise of a moving LR it does the job.

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All that's in my RRC is a small amp under the seat with a 3.5mm jack to the amp's RCA's so I can plug in my phone/ipod. You need little else apart from a decent set of component speakers to save space and whatever bluetooth connectivity you want. No doubt all that can be had in a head unit and time could be saved, can't hide a head unit under the seat so easily though. If you go head unit, there's a Philips / Parrot bluetooth effort called a CMD 310, I have one in the D2 and while the designated app is glitchy you don't necessarily need it and the unit is worth it for the connectivity and built in retractable, tilt and swivel phone cradle.

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On 10/20/2016 at 5:37 PM, Exmoor Beast said:

...that perhaps its worth having some form of speaker system to act as a handsfree system.

As others have said, plugging into the headphone socket will give you poor results as a handsfree, and is of dubious legality.

My D2 is currently running a cheap Aldi headunit with built bluetooth handsfree functionality, as well as freebie USB stick in its port with a few podcasts/tunes on it.  Saves fiddling with the phone and means I'm not subject to local radio stations' drivel or (shudder) Chris Evans.

Short story long, someone has engineered solution for the application you want, with a microphone that might even pick up your voice.  Why try to lash something together yourself that will never be as good?  

If you've nowehere to mount a head unit, there are mounts available - marine places do them, or even Mud

 

Matt

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