ok just installed the Alpine CDA 9851 with the iPod Interface. works awesome!! just ran the cable into the cubby..out of sight. best part is you can scroll through playlists, albums, artists, etc, all through the head unit. pics are too big, so just click on my photobucket page below!!


http://photobucket.com/albums/b251/skittlz74/

 

Looks great. I also have the ipod interface and i love it with the alpine deck. No more carrying cd's for me.

 

how does it work.. do you plug in your ipod evreytime your in the car and you can use ur headunit to control the songs and evreything??

or does it download evreything into your headunit.. i dont really get it

 

just plug in the iPod and everything is controlled via the head unit! you can navigate through playlists, artists, songs, everything just like you are controlling your iPod regularly.

 

which head unit mounting kit did you use on that alpine install. looks great.

 

Do you have alot of songs on your Ipod. Last year Alpine did not scroll though songs/playlist/etc... well if you had alot of songs. People complained that it was slow and took minutes if you had up to 20G. Has this been resolved????

 

i have about 1300 songs right now on the mini...scrolling is absolutely no sweat. just click on what you want to scroll through, playlist, songs, albums or artists and that is it!

 

i honestly have no idea on the istall kit, sorry!

btw, i take it you are a Lost Boys fan as well looking at your name? its my all time fave

 

I'm about to get a Alpine d310 and a 60gb ipod. I was thinking about the alpine 9855 and from the review I heard, it was complicated.

 

I have the Alpine 9855 and I love it. The scroll pad (or whatever) at the bottom does take a little time to get use to, but you will over time. The screen is black and white, but I sorta matches the feel of the car. It also helps that one of the 3 backrounds is a 350Z racing off the line then into the sunset.

 

I love that setup, i'm going to have to buy that alpine soon !

 

alpine and ipod is great

 

can ou choose songs thru the Ipod, or is it done thru the HU. I have a IVA-D300, and i wanna get the interface but i want to know how it works.

 

Lets get my posting career off to a good start...

I installed the KCA-420i Alpine iPod adapter to my CDA-9855 tonight.

Installation is extremely easy. There are 2 cables, and one controller unit that measures roughly 5x4 inches. You connect one cable to the Ai-Net connector on the HU, and the other end to the controller unit. The other cable goes to the controller unit on one end, and to the iPod on the other. I mounted the controller unit under the white A/C box in the dash, with the long end perpendicular to the length of the car using the supplied velcro stickers. This method is very sturdy, and I found there to be ample room in this location for both the controller and the bundled up extra Ai-Net cable (I also have the small DC/DC box that is attached to the 9855 in this location, for those interested). I then ran the ipod cable out the back of the dash on the upper left side of the dash-no cutting or drilling needed. I plan on mounting a bracket that clips to the ipod on the drivers side of the dash, kind of next to where your keys hang from your keychain when they are in the ignition. This is mounting method is fine as you can only control the iPod from the HU when connected...more on this later.

Navigation from the 9855 is relatively straightforward, although I do not like the touch bar for scrolling...It would be much easier if the 9855 used the volume **** to scroll between songs/albums/artists/playlists. To browse, you press the search button, and then select browse by artist, album, song, or playlist. You can then scroll through your iPod contents...The iPod is charged when the car is on or the key in the ACC position, and it displays the Alpine logo on the screen of the iPod. As i mentioned earlier, you can ONLY control the iPod from the head unit when it is connected. There are no speed or latency issues that I have noticed, but I will get back to you all if anything should arise.

Overall, I would say this Alpine setup is easier/more intrinsic than I had originally expected, but I still do not like the scrolling via the touch bar. I believe other Alpine units that do not have the touch bar do in fact scroll through songs using the volume ****, which is something to consider if you have another model HU.

 

No way! That's awesome! If I would've know that before I bought my setup, I woud have bought that one just to have a Z in my Z.